Obtaining Points:

Participants are ranked based on the most points in the shortest time.

thisABILITY Adventures' VACs have three types of points:

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Endurance / “Enduro” Checkpoints = 3 points each

Enduro points are all on trails and designed for athletes who want a multi sport ultra challenge but new to Adventure Race navigation. These courses are perfect training for athletes who typically race on an AR team with a navigator. Enduro courses can be physically challenging and have “on the clock” transitions but lack the off trail navigation skills and experience necessary to successfully complete the Adventure course. It is recommended to be familiar with basic map and compass skills. Participants attempting to clear the Endurance course should have enough fitness to sustain continuous activity for the duration of the event. That being said, enduro participants may choose to do as much or as little of the course as they want. Limited gear is necessary to complete the shorter duration, on-trail course.

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Adventure Checkpoints = 4 points each

The Adventure course is designed for participants / teams that have some adventure racing experience in races that are 4 to 8 hours. They should be proficient with a map and compass, be comfortable trekking off trail and able to hold a bearing for at least 200 meters in raw woods. These intermediate points are between 30 and 150 meters off the trail. Racers will likely have to bushwack, bike-whack, cross streams or traverse elevation to obtain the point. Participants attempting to clear the Adventure course should have enough fitness to sustain continuous activity for at least 8 hours. Additional safety gear and first aid training is recommended due to extended duration and potential for an off course accident or injury.

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Pro Checkpoints = 5 points each

The Pro course is only recommended for participants / teams with experience adventure racing in races more than 12 hours. For safety reasons, the pro course is not recommended for beginners or inexperienced solo racers. Points usually require advanced navigation, plotting points, measuring distances, pace counting, changing course strategy and excellent time management. Typically, pro points are more than 75 meters from the nearest attack point. Participants attempting to clear the Pro course should have enough fitness to sustain continuous and strenuous activity for at least 10+ hours. Robust safety gear and first aid training is recommended due to extended duration and potential for an off course accident or injury. Pro points are NOT printed on races maps. Participants must plot the pro points themselves. 

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Tracking

Participants who wish to be scored must submit their gpx file (Strava, Garmin, Polar, etc.) and their start and end times. This may be from any GPS enabled device that is accurate enough to show the virtual CP has been obtained once the gpx track is overlaid on the race map. Consider using devices that “ping” their location every few seconds so the GPX track is accurate. Trackers that only “ping” every 2 to 5 minutes may not be accurate enough to obtain points in a VAC. A GPX track and activity summary may be submitted for each team mate as long as the team participated in the challenge at the same time.

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Because GPS devices are not perfectly accurate, racers who are at a CP location should consider making sure their device is in clear view of the sky and lingering in the virtual CP area for at least 30 seconds to be sure their track is accurate enough for scoring.

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Timing

Each Challenge will be designated with an official length of time allowed for completion. Since course strategy is a lot of the fun of adventure racing, our challenges are designed to be difficult to "clear" (obtain ALL the points) and will involve some time management to maximize the points obtained in the given time frame. In other words, most teams are going to need to choose which points to go for and which points to give up if they are going to complete the course in the time allotted.

 

Clock time is used for official ranking. On your score sheet, document the actual clock time for the start, transitions and finish from a cell phone or other accurate timekeeping device.

 

Start time begins once you leave for the challenge from the virtual start point. The GPX track of the participant / teammate must also pass through the virtual finish feature indicated on the map upon completing the race. Basically, don’t head straight back to your car after getting the last CP.

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Each VAC will have a competitive period. From the date the race is launched, participants can choose any day within the competitive period to complete the challenge and submit their results. However, participants must complete the challenge in one 'go'.

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Rules

To be ranked in the AR division, participants may not use any GPS enabled device for navigation during the event such as a watch or phone to review their track, locate their position, review online maps, measure distance, obtain altitude or gather any other navigational info or to check if the CP was obtained. Checking the time, starting / stopping your tracking and taking pictures / video are the only allowable activities on a GPS enabled device. Because you are likely training for a typical Adventure Race, it is recommended to use a watch / device that is typically allowed in “official” ARWS and USARA adventure races. Only barometric pressure altimeters (non GPS) may be used during events. Only magnetic bike computers (non GPS) may be used during events.

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Participants in the GPS division may use smart watches, cell phones, handheld GPS devices, GPS enabled bike computers to complete the course. The only limitation is that they may not preplot event checkpoints in their GPS devices.

 

All participants may research the route prior to the race using digital or printed literature readily available to the general public. Once participants have received their maps, they may not “prerun” the course or otherwise purposely familiarize themselves with the physical location prior competing in the event.

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Please be respectful of people’s property! thisABILITY Adventures LLC designs races in such a way that participants will not be encouraged to cross private property. In most cases, private property will be out off limits and penalties will be incurred if a participant’s track encroaches into the off limits zone.

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Be respectful of park hours! Park open / closed hours will be covered in the specific race details as well as the race brief. Be sure to plan your course and timeline so you can be out of areas/parks by the time they are closed. 

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Leave no trace. Be respectful to others enjoying the area and behave in such a way that it is not obvious to the general public or park staff that you are participating in a competitive event. Be discrete if you venture off of official park trails.

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Safety

The safety of VAC participants is extremely important to the team at thisABILITY Adventures. Similar to typical Adventure Racing, virtual adventure challenges are inherently dangerous. It is critical that participants know the limitations of their skills, experience, endurance, navigation and gear. Because many areas do not have reliable cell service, participants (especially solo racers) are encouraged to use GPS safety devices such as Spot trackers, Garmin inReach or other one or two way satellite communication devices. In our VACs, Adventure and Pro points require participants to navigate through raw forest to obtain checkpoints. If an injury occurred, participants may not be within sight or shouting distance from a trail. A satellite communicator could save your life.

 

thisABILITY Adventures LLC. assumes no responsibility for your safety while on the course and should not be relied upon for a participant’s emergency contact or support.

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Before participating in a thisABILITY Adventures VAC, please take all available precautions and preparations to obtain the skills, experience, fitness and gear needed to successfully participate in an outdoor adventure event. We are happy answer any questions and/or help participants with choosing the right course. Simply email us at thisABILITYracing@gmail.com.

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Footage

Why suffer in silence? Take a go-pro along or just a cell phone and take a few minutes of video here and there to complain to the camera or better yet, to catch a glimpse of the beautiful scenery that you worked hard to get to. Make sure to get some actions shots, too! Decide later what you want the world to see and send to us. We'd love to include your footage to share what adventure racing is all about on our youtube page and other social media outlets!