Not a 9 to 5 job

Racing for five days, 20-24 hours a day, through unfamiliar terrain with a map and compass and some team mates. On bikes, in a kayak, on roller skates, on foot or some form of activity that comes as a surprise. Interested? Welcome to adventure racing.

Adventure racing, which mostly consisted of running, cycling and kayaking at the beginning of the 1980s, has become more and more adventurous. New disciplines are added all the time, particularly in the major international races. The only limitation is that there are no motorised forms of transport.
“One of the great things about adventure racing is that you learn new things all the time,” says Martina Höök, who races with Team Silva Gerber Adventure. “I’m actually best at skiing, but that’s not often included, unfortunately. But the inline stages aren’t so difficult for me.”
Martina, who started out as a bi-athlete, was enticed into the sport by some girl-friends who were already competing, though you have to be good at nearly everything, or at least not terrible at something. Apart from being strong enough to maintain an even pace, day after day, and daring to sleep just the right amount, adventure racing is about making the right route choices. Navigation is an important part of the competition; there are no taped routes, only natural terrain. The teams receive a number of maps with marked check points that have to be visited in the right order.
“I’m not the one that takes care of navigating, that’s Björn’s job,” says Martina. “But I make sure that Björn eats and rests like he should. If he’s tired and worn out it affects the whole team. So in a way I also help with the navigation.”
As yet the rules don’t allow very many technical navigation aids. Headlamps, compasses and an altimeter – that’s it. The altimeter gets a lot of use in difficult conditions to help finding a location on the map, even in bad weather and poor visibility.
During changeovers and at support points batteries are charged, both the equipment’s and the racers’. Solar panels are an important tool because many competitions are held a long way from civilisation. With a map measurer you work out the length of the next stage and estimate the time it will take. The maps don’t always agree with what’s on the ground, so an ability to improvise and take innovative decisions comes in handy, navigating according to features in the terrain that tend to remain constant – such as mountains and rivers.
The majority of races are for mixed teams. This means, with few exceptions, two or three men and one woman. Because the women aren’t as physically strong they are under great pressure. Everyone must cover the entire distance and cross the finishing line, otherwise they are disqualified.  
“It is a little stressful,” says Martina. “Even if I’m in peak condition I need a little towing by the blokes. If I’m tired the team moves slowly.”
On the other hand, women often have an ability to continue for longer without becoming stressed and making mistakes. If the pace hasn’t been too high to begin with there is less of a difference between the sexes after a couple of days.
“If the blokes can burn off some energy in the first twenty-four hours then I can keep up with them after that,” says Martina, and laughs.
The one with most energy gets more responsibility and more to carry, and perhaps even helps to tow. One common aid in the sport is an elastic cord that greatly helps the person who is most tired, especially when running and cycling.
According to Martina you’re most likely to fall asleep when kayaking. Sitting down means it’s easy to nod off if you’re not paddling all the time, especially if you’re kayaking in the dark. Adventure racing is no 9 to 5 job.
“We do sometimes sit and shout at each other to make sure we don’t fall asleep,” says Martina.
Some would think this is pure masochism, but Martina has another motivation for why she does it.
“I enjoy competing, and here I can compete for a long time,” she says and laughs. “Several days in a row sometimes, but in the long races you often don’t see the other teams which can make it difficult to keep feeling competitive. The person with most energy has to keep everyone motivated.”
Even if there are sometimes elements of prepared adventure, such as abseiling, flying fox or other spectacular activities, it all boils down to the easiest way of transporting yourself, finding the best route and being economical with the team’s physical resources – including temporary injuries, illness or lack of fitness, or even a bad mood.
“But we do actually have fun together during the races,” promises Martina. “The team that cooperates best wins.”
Read more about the team at articles related to Silva Gerber Adventure

The majority of races are for mixed teams. This means, with few exceptions, two or three men and one woman. Because the women aren’t as physically strong they are under great pressure. Everyone must cover the entire distance and cross the finishing line, otherwise they are disqualified. 
“It is a little stressful,” says Martina. “Even if I’m in peak condition I need a little towing by the blokes. If I’m tired the team moves slowly.”
On the other hand, women often have an ability to continue for longer without becoming stressed and making mistakes. If the pace hasn’t been too high to begin with there is less of a difference between the sexes after a couple of days.
“If the blokes can burn off some energy in the first twenty-four hours then I can keep up with them after that,” says Martina, and laughs.

The one with most energy gets more responsibility and more to carry, and perhaps even helps to tow. One common aid in the sport is an elastic cord that greatly helps the person who is most tired, especially when running and cycling.
According to Martina you’re most likely to fall asleep when kayaking. Sitting down means it’s easy to nod off if you’re not paddling all the time, especially if you’re kayaking in the dark. Adventure racing is no 9 to 5 job.
“We do sometimes sit and shout at each other to make sure we don’t fall asleep,” says Martina.
Some would think this is pure masochism, but Martina has another motivation for why she does it.
“I enjoy competing, and here I can compete for a long time,” she says and laughs. “Several days in a row sometimes, but in the long races you often don’t see the other teams which can make it difficult to keep feeling competitive. The person with most energy has to keep everyone motivated.”
Even if there are sometimes elements of prepared adventure, such as abseiling, flying fox or other spectacular activities, it all boils down to the easiest way of transporting yourself, finding the best route and being economical with the team’s physical resources – including temporary injuries, illness or lack of fitness, or even a bad mood.
“But we do actually have fun together during the races,” promises Martina. “The team that cooperates best wins.”

Read more about the team at articles related to Silva Gerber Adventure