I'm not fit enough!

The most common obstacle preventing people taking part in Adventure Racing (AR), is their own perception that they are not fit enough... but the truth is, they probably are! Everyone thinks they should be fitter. Perhaps you could go faster or visit more checkpoints, but it's highly probable that there will always be someone slower than you and you've got to start somewhere!

If you can maintain a steady plod for an hour or more, you can almost certainly cope with a 1-day event. Start there and see where it takes you. The 2-day events are also designed so that in most stages competitors simply do as much as they can in the time available. Whether you find 2 or 20 checkpoints, it doesn't matter. There are always short cuts available!

Remember that AR is a steep learning curve and early improvements are rapid. You'll probably waste more time initially through simple navigation errors or inefficiency at transitions than you will through being less fit than you would like to be.

The magic solution

It may sound obvious, but if you want to improve your running, cycling and canoeing, then you simply need to go running, cycling and canoeing! There is no magic solution. Simply emulate what you hope to do in an Adventure Race and your performance will improve.

Sources of information on training

See the links under Fitness for AR, via links... AR related sites.
There is also heaps of training-related information on SleepMonsters.