The Flow: 4 hour AR

Remember that May where it rained a whole lot? One of those Mays was this year- 2016 and it was our first adventure race with our 8 year old.

361 Adventures added a beginner adventure race in 2016 called The Flow. It was geared toward teams with kids and others who want to try the adventure of running, biking, canoeing while orienteering to locate certain number of points in a given area. It is located in Frankfort, KY.

All geared up and ready to start

361 Adventures typically has a briefing to give an orienteering 101 class so that everyone can give it a try. There is some gear you need. You need a compass, bike, helmet, flat tire kit, first aid, hydration/fueling pack, whistle, canoe, paddles, life jackets (the paddle equipment can be rented). These are main pieces needed. 

With all the rain, the paddle portion was adjusted for the race to upriver and downriver to gain all the paddle points. However, there was plenty of biking and running. With adventure racing, the goal is to get as many checkpoints as you can and making it back to the finish line in the the allotted time. The Flow is a 4 hour race.Strategy is also a big part of the race. You want to play to your team's strengths. We are a strong team of runners with my oldest loving to run. He is weak in biking due to inexperience.

Biking portion

 In this race we all had to start with the paddle portion, then bike, followed with the run, and then back to the bike to finish it off. Some races, you get the checkpoints and you get to decide the mode of transportation. Once we got our maps, we decided which points we wanted to get on the bike, since we knew we wanted to spend most of the time running.

We started off great. We had to run less than a mile to get to our canoe. We were the second team in the water! The canoe was pretty easy since they had to change the course. Next we ran back to get our bikes. We biked all around Frankfort which was fun to see the state capital that way. We even rode in an elevator at a parking garage! So you can pick your routes that is best for your team. Once we hit a few biking checkpoints, we headed to the park to start the run portion. We made sure we all stayed hydrated and were fueling which was challenging with the weather was rainy and cool. You don't notice how hungry or thirsty as much. My oldest was enjoying the race and once we got to the run portion, he was ready to shine. He did great. We almost cleared the run portion and headed back to our bikes to head back to the finish line before time ran out. There was a big bike climb on the route we took back, but we made it.

in the elevator.

The orange and white flag is what we are on looking for in the race. The checkpoints do have tips of about their whereabouts. Your team is suppose to satay within 50-100 feet of each other.

The course was not a closed course since you decide which route you want to take. You had to watch out for traffic while on the bike and obey all traffic laws. Adventure racing adds a new dimension to racing - it is like a choose your own adventure book. You get to make your own routes. For running is it better to bushwhack or follow a trail.

For The D Teams first race with their oldest son, we had a blast. We ended up 18th place and 3rd in our division (3-4 co-ed team). There was no differentiation with kids on the team.

Ian with our map

If you are looking into trying adventure racing, this is a great race! 361 Adventures puts on great races. Also Dino Adventures Racing in Indiana also have beginner races. The Orienteering club in Louisville is also very active to learn more about the sport. 

All done! Wet and only slightly muddy.