Any adventure racers out there?

The 15 Ways to Tell You’ve Become a True Adventure Racer

*You consider Ironman a sprint race
*Your medical records are on file with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta
*Your parasites are complaining that they have parasites
*You’ve begun to name your scars after their country of origin
*You own at least three pairs of your favorite racing shoes—large, extra large, and waterski
*Your race diet consists mainly of foods from the “O’s” food group (cheetos, doritos, oreos, rolos, tostitos)
*You start reading all rules and instructions in your daily life with an eye toward finding the loopholes
*The entry forms for your races include boxes to check off for typhoid, yellow fever, rabies, hepatitis and tetanus shots
*You love the prospect of sharing a sawed-off toothbrush with three of your closest friends
*You think an MRE is a gourmet meal
*You cut the zippers off of your backpack, the drawstrings out of your pants, and the liners out of your shorts because they’re just too heavy
*You laugh when the sales person at the outdoor store tries to show you “waterproof” shoes
*You feel very alone when you don’t have at least 3 people within 100 feet of you
*You’ve lost at least part of one toe to frostbite and one lunch to a tropical disease—all in one race
*You have a shrine to the inventor of Duct Tape in your gear room
*You enjoy having a sparkling conversation with Abe Lincoln, Martha Stewart, and the Von Trapp Family Singers whilst strolling on a glacier at 3am (you saw them too, didn’t you?)

By Robyn Benincasa
Captain, Team Merrell/Wigwam Adventure Racing