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It's time to train for THE MONSTER Eric Peters has some advice for those who want to compete in the fourth annual Midwest Monster Adventure Race in September: Start training now. "Anybody in general fitness and good health could finish this race with just a little training," he said. Peters knows from experience. "I've done it all three years and I plan on doing it this year," he said of the Monster, a grueling test of endurance, strength and teamwork. This year's race, which begins at 7 a.m. Sept. 23 in South Park, will involve bicycling, carrying sandbags, navigating an obstacle course, orienteering, riding an inner tube on a river course and running. Two-person and four-person teams can enter. The four-person teams must be co-ed. Peters says that even though the race is more than seven months away, he's already running, lifting weights and playing basketball to stay fit. About three months before the race, he'll focus more specifically on cycling and running, and will continue to lift weights. "I'll try to go out and ride 30 to 40 miles on the bike as it gets closer, and do one long run during the week, eight to 10 miles," Peters said. "Spending time on the bike is real important. The bike is typically the first event, and if you don't train, it really stresses your legs out, and the rest of the day your legs are gone and it's harder." Peters says that as race day approaches, he'll also get out his compass and refresh his math skills to prepare for the orienteering portion of the course. Eric Ley, a physical therapist and certified athletic trainer at Advance Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, says people of varying fitness levels can train to enter the Monster. "But a person needs to take it seriously," he said. "It is not something you can just go out and do. If you're not going to take the training seriously, then don't do it." Ley emphasizes the importance of training as a team. During the race, team members must remain within 100 yards of each other. "It is important to get together once a week if you can ... at least once every two weeks," said Ley, who participated in the first Monster race. "It develops that sense of where the team is at." He suggests training for each discipline individually, as well as in combinations - such as cycling and running in the same training session. He suggests doing shorter workouts during the week, with a longer combination workout on the weekend. "Try not to let weather have any effect on whether you train or not. Sure enough, if you fail to practice on a rainy day, it is going to rain (on race) day," Ley said. Weight lifting also is important, particularly because of the sandbag carry. "You're going to use every muscle group in your body to do it, so make sure you're doing a complete workout," Ley said. "Another thing to practice is how you're going to hydrate and how you're going to use the energy gels or power bars," he said. "Practice that, so you develop a sense of what your body needs." Peters agrees. "You see a lot of people 'hit the wall' because they don't have the right nutrition," he said. "You have to understand how many calories you burn in an hour so you can replenish those calories during the race." Peters says another mistake people make is packing too much gear on race day. "Packing as light as possible is a benefit," he said. Kevin Curran, race co-director, says the Midwest Monster Adventure Race is quickly becoming "Quincy's next big annual event." Nearly 170 people participated last year - the third year of the race - and Curran expects about 200 brave souls this year. Quincy's South Park will serve as race headquarters for the second consecutive year. "It was such a godsend to be able to handle volunteers and logistics and to coordinate everything in Quincy," Curran said. The first two races were at Siloam Springs. "A big portion happens right in South Park," he said. "But we also hope to utilize other Quincy parks and we will have routes that run along the riverfront and down near the levees and up into the bluffs." The long course is a United States Adventure Racing Association sanctioned event, which means it must be an average of six hours from start to finish. The winner will earn a spot at the USARA nationals, to be held in November in Florida. Curran says participants will notice some differences this year. For instance, the 30-mile bicycle course will go off-road more than last year, and the 10-mile running route will be different than the bicycle route. The ride on the river will be "very different than it was last year," he said. "It will be a surprise ... and a real challenge for a true adventure racer." In addition to the obstacle course, Curran says other obstacles will appear during other parts of the race. The short course will take three to four hours to accomplish, and will not include the orienteering portion of the long course, and the distances of the other events will be shorter. "Any person with some training can prepare for either the shorter or longer race," Curran says. "It's not just for the elite athletes." The race is a not-for-profit event with proceeds benefiting the Quincy Regional Crime Stoppers. The first three races have raised about $17,000 combined. "Those funds are rewards for (Crime Stoppers) tipsters," Curran said. To register for the Monster, go to www.monsteradventure.com or call Curran
at (217) 223-1063. |
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