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Adventure Racing Ireland

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  • 28-10-2020 10:29am
    #1
    sconhome
    Registered Users Posts: 5,468 ✭✭✭


    (Full disclosure - I'm an officer on the committee)

    Sorry, I haven't contributed here in a while but felt it would be appropriate to mention that Adventure Racing Ireland has been established as a sporting body to represent and develop the sport of adventure racing in Ireland.

    The goal is to help people discover the challenge that is this multisport option and to promote it wider across the whole island. Working on both solo and team sport aspects we would like to help people start out and develop the skills to participate safely in events.

    If you would like to learn more please do check out the new website:www.adventureracing.ie

    I'm happy to field any questions here and help the discussion.


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    #2
    rebelgourmet
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭rebelgourmet


    Sounds interesting!

    Saw the promo stuff on Facebook, Insta and the website. Curious to hear views from the committee insiders about the future of kayaking as a 'competitive' element of the 1 day/individual race formats? The recent trend of popular format events (you know the ones) has been to eliminate competitive kayaking skills - especially at elite distances. Having read the goals of ARI around 'multi-sport' and 'skills development', what are your thoughts around how kayaking is treated as a serious discipline within the format?

    Currently most race organisers (apart from 3 events) do no permit racers to use their own kayaks/paddle. In light of COVID, I can't see the popular format of sharing kayaks with strangers viable in the medium term?

    DISCLAIMER: I'm asking for a kayaker friend ;-)


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    #3
    Peterx
    Registered Users Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭Peterx


    Best of luck with the new venture. It all looks great.

    RebelGourmet - most one day events are hoping to turn a profit. Elite kayakers are not going to fill out the waves/coffers. Ditto elite mountain bikers, elite adventure racers or elite anything.

    That's why (in the main) it's tarmac cycling, sit on top paddling with hill running providing the point of difference in the one day races. And these are the races that will provide the entry point into multisport for most people so they do fill a huge purpose, as they are.


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    #4
    peter kern
    Registered Users Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭peter kern


    good stuff and well done .
    at the same time federation and adventure are not words i often hear in one sentence lol


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    #5
    sconhome
    Registered Users Posts: 5,468 ✭✭✭sconhome


    peter kern wrote: »
    good stuff and well done .
    at the same time federation and adventure are not words i often hear in one sentence lol

    :) just to put some manners on things.


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    #6
    sconhome
    Registered Users Posts: 5,468 ✭✭✭sconhome


    rebelgourmet wrote: »
    ...Curious to hear views from the committee insiders about the future of kayaking as a 'competitive' element of the 1 day/individual race formats? The recent trend of popular format events (you know the ones) has been to eliminate competitive kayaking skills - especially at elite distances. Having read the goals of ARI around 'multi-sport' and 'skills development', what are your thoughts around how kayaking is treated as a serious discipline within the format?...

    An interesting observation :)

    In my personal view solo offroad multisport races (cautious with wording as purists would not classify them as adventure racing) use the kayak as an experience rather than a competitive element, in the same way they are non-navigation events. Mostly the water legs are 1-2k at most and like triathlon subject to the weather .

    The majority of people would not have access to kayaks or feature it in any training the same way bike or running would.

    In saying that - there is a cohort of mainly team races where kayaking is very definitely a competitive challenge. From my own limited experience of both solo and team racing the logistics of managing an individuals kayak or gear in a field of several 100 to 1000's is just not practical.

    Within the ARI there are two elements to address solo and team events & participants with an aspiration to enable people to cross over. There is a big focus on developing a network of training events, programs and facilitating skills development. In a way ARI will be collating the information and providers that are out there already and making it more accessible to those who are on the fringes of the sport.


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