Grueling Adventure Race tests participants' endurance

Published May 3, 2007
By Airman Sara Csurilla
47th FTW public affairs

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- With four legs in a blown up raft and four legs kicking through the cold water of Lake Amistad, near Del Rio Texas, a team of racers struggle to reach the finish line by means of their own feet and paddles alone.

This was just one part of a grueling 36-mile race that allowed nearly 60 teams made up of more than 400 determined Airmen, Soldiers, and civilians, say "we did it!," after hours of testing their own physical stamina.

Placing third last year, the winning team named themselves "The Runners Up" of Laughlin's the 86th Flying Training Squadron, hoping to do better this year with placing second, ironically, they proved the true meaning of XL by placing first with a time of 3:41:38.

"I believe we did better this year because we took advantage of everybody's strengths by using the right people at the right times during the race," said Maj. Lon Schmidt, team captain. "We also gelled real well as a team; thanks to the many hours we spent in preparation for the race."

But even with a winner, all race participants were winners as they crossed the finish line April 28.

The reason no one lost can be contributed to the common goal throughout the Air Force: "fit to fight," an idea to keep physically fit and to keep Airmen's war fighting skills honed.

As in the past, the race began on Laughlin with biking, then after 26 miles participants gave up their bikes at a checkpoint in Del Rio and began the six-mile running portion of the race. To finish the race, teams had to row approximately two miles from each check point designated on the shore of Lake Amistad.

Throughout the strenuous 36-mile race check points were placed logically throughout the race, which would allow the relay teams of eight people to alternate teammates when they felt a need for a break.

Check points were tactically placed throughout the strenuous 36-mile race, which allowed the relay teams of eight people to alternate teammates when they needed a break.

There were also physical and mental obstacles, such as sling-shooting balloons, litter carries and sudoku puzzles placed throughout the race.

One Airman said she had something to prove. She crossed the finish line, dripping with sweat and drained from spending the last four hours proving to herself and teammates that she could bike, run and raft the Adventure Race III, "I'm so exhausted but I'm so happy I did this," said Airman Lindy Jo Hief, 47th Operations Support Squadron, but ran with team 'Kneesore' of the 47th Medical Group. "It feels good to know that I could do something I would never even imagine doing without a team by my side."

In addition to the relay teams, there were also teams made up of only four called Xtreme teams. With no additional teammates to swap with, Xtreme teams demanded people put forth much more physical effort.

"This is the first year I participated in the Adventure Race and I'm really happy that I was a part of an Xtreme team", said Airman 1st Class Sam Kearney, 47th Civil Engineer Squadron. "I expected it to be much harder, but with all the teamwork we had, it made it a lot easier,"

This year's race would not have been a success without a lot of "behind the scenes" help, according to the race' s coordinator.

The Adventure Race has become a highly anticipated event for Laughlin. Some teams came a long way to participate, said Bill Goins, exercise physiologist and Adventure Race coordinator, and so the need for volunteers was almost overwhelming.

"A significant element of planning the race for Laughlin was the concern for our participant's safety, yet another reason so many volunteers were needed was to keep traffic sustained and bikers and runners safe," he said. "So a big thank you goes out to all of those who volunteered their time to help with the race, we couldn't have done it with out them."