Mystery and adventure filled the streets on campus Saturday morning as students and community residents participated in the University Recreation Center’s first Adventure Race. The Adventure Race was a physical and mental challenge course in which participants were required to run, bike, read maps, climb, complete mental challenges and paddle in canoes in the University lakes. Seventy people in 35 teams of two participated in the event. Participants paid a fee of $55 to $65, depending on their affiliation with the University.
Leigh Bonfanti, UREC assistant director of adventure education, said teams were comprised of students, UREC members, veterans and novices. “We have people who have never done a race before that are participating,” Bonfanti said. “We also have veterans who have participated in multiple adventure races throughout the year. I talked to a lady [who] said this is her 40th race. We also have a mother and son team competing.” The race was sponsored by the UREC, Backpacker, Varsity Sports, Mellow Mushroom, New York Bagel and Sammy’s Grill. The Jambalaya Shoppe also provided food. Bonfanti said while no physical prerequisites were required to register for the race, a level of confidence was needed among the participants. “There were no physical requirements, but we did ask that they were comfortable and can deal with the distance,” Bonfanti said. “There are seven miles of biking and three and a half miles running. They need to be comfortable with that. ” Bonfanti said it was about a two month process to work out all the logistics of the race. The competitors were required to meet UREC staff and volunteers at 18 checkpoints throughout the race. The checkpoints were historical landmarks on campus like Tiger Stadium, Memorial Tower and Mike the Tiger’s cage. Some checkpoints required participants to complete mystery events or math problems to move on to the next checkpoint. “Next year, we want to highlight some landmarks that make LSU unique,” Bonfanti said. “We will probably include the Greek Amphitheater and the Indian mounds. Maybe we will extend it off campus too and include some of Baton Rouge and downtown into the race.” The race winners, Team Backpacker, who supported the sponsor Backpacker, won the race despite a “friendly” sabotage by fellow competitors. Jeff Diamond and Darius Sampey, who have participated in adventure races for several years, said they found that someone had “stolen” their bike seats and posts after they returned from running. They were the only team to encounter the sabotage. “Once we saw that we didn’t have seats, we just had to win,” Diamond said laughing. Sampey, an adventure race veteran, said UREC did a good job of hosting its first race, and the race “was more challenging than [he] thought it would be.” “Some of the ambiguous descriptions made it adventurous,” Sampey said. “Instead of directly sending you to a building, they give you a number, and you have to find that [building] number.” The second place team, University students Chris Swanson and Grant Gutierrez, said they were excited about their success as first time racers. Gutierrez, architecture sophomore, said the most intense part of the race was the mystery challenges. “Nothing was too intense,” Gutierrez said. “The only thing that was frustrating was the math problems.” Swanson, mass communication sophomore, said the mental challenges were difficult to complete in conjunction with the physical requirements. “Doing math problems while you are tired is tricky,” Swanson said. “It’s like they wear you out and then make you think.” The race lasted about three hours. Participants had to complete a challenge course event before crossing the finish line. Food, a raffle for gift certificates and an awards ceremony concluded the Adventure Race. Swanson and Gutierrez said this race will not be the last one they participate in. “I want to get first [place] next year,” Gutierrez said, smiling.
—–Contact Garesia Randle at [email protected]