Georgia Magazine - June 2021 - 17

GEORGIA

COURTESY AR

Biking, trekking, canoeing and more

On race day, participants receive a map and instructions
for the course. Event officials haul equipment, such as boats
and bikes, to designated spots along the course, but racers are
responsible for their own backpacks, trekking poles, food, waterpurification tablets and other supplies they want to carry.
Mother Nature can be a friend or a foe. Racers may have to
walk through brush, duck under tree limbs or hop over fallen
logs in the forest. After rains, muddy trails can be slippery. Getting to the next checkpoint might require teams to wade through
chest-high water, carefully balance on a log as they cross a river
or, during longer races, navigate in the dark. At " transition areas, "
where racers change from boat to bike or bike to trek, teams
sometimes take a break, but racers choose when they want to
rest or eat along the route.
The Leiningers and others involved in the sport are quick to
point out that, unlike for the Eco-Challenge event in
Fiji and the resulting TV show, all of the checkpoints
are optional at most adventure races, but they
Adventure racers can expect a combination of outdoor
endurance challenges that include mountain biking,
running, paddling, hiking and orienteering.

COURTESY AR

SENFILMS

GEORGIA

Sharpsburg resident Tom Quattlebaum Jr. is one of those
new racers who saw the AR Georgia team in the Eco-Challenge
Fiji and found his first race last year-the Blairsville Extreme
Adventure Race (BEAR)-through the organization's website.
He's participated in two more AR Georgia races since then.
" This [Eco-Challenge TV] show and race absolutely
captured my imagination, as these people were paddling,
navigating, biking, hiking and climbing all over Fiji, " he says.
" AR Georgia events have allowed [me and my team members]
to challenge ourselves harder than we ever thought possible.
We are brand-new to this sport, and they have made us feel like
we've been in this family of racers forever. They have answered

a million questions for me and are excited to help people out. "
AR Georgia's website, argeorgia.com, features biweekly
livestreams about adventure-racing topics, such as women in
the sport, paddling techniques, how to pack for a race, navigation tips, team roles and nutrition advice. There's also an EcoChallenge reunion with the Leiningers and competitors from
other teams. Additional information is available specifically for
new racers.
" We participated in the 2021 Sea to Sea race [from the West
to the East Coast of Florida], and it was the biggest challenge
of my life. Our team did an extraordinary job of overcoming an
extraordinary mishap [a broken bicycle pedal crank arm] at the
beginning of the race, " Quattlebaum says.

GEORGIA
COURTESY AR

YRANDYERICK

SENFILMS

YRANDYERICK

New to the sport

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Jeff Leininger says that the EcoChallenge experience is his favorite race
of the more than 100 adventure races in
which he's competed.
Hunter Leininger says that it was
his favorite race as well.
" The part that I liked most was
that this race inspired thousands of
people around the world to get outdoors and potentially try adventure
racing, " he says.
" I was proud of finishing [the
Eco-Challenge] and that my friends,
extended family and, most importantly, my two young
daughters got to see the challenges and struggles we went
through, " Ferrington says.

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Georgia Magazine - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2021