Summer is finally easing its grip on Houston and that means that the Fall 2011 Club Race is just a few short weeks away.

The club race is a perfect warm-up run for our target race this season: Texas Adventure Racing's Huntsville Hammer at Huntsville State Park on November 12, 2011. Huntsville is a great venue that offers hours of fun for racers of all levels.

Terra Firma 12 Hour Race Owned by HFAR

By Ken Navarro, HFAR Newsletter Editor

Fresh on the heels of our club's spectacular victory in the summer sprint series, we put the icing on the cake by dominating the results in the 2011 Terra Firma 12-Hour Adventure Race.

HFAR teams took not only all three of the top places in the twelve hour race, but also four out of the top five. Looking to the Terra Firma Sprint results, HFAR had fewer participants, but the up-and-coming Michael Morgan made himself known by finishing second in the Solo Male category.

Be sure to read Bing Kao's excellent report of his team's second place finish.

Way to Go Team!

Post Race Report: Berryman Adventure Race 12-Hour 2011 - Steeleville, MO
Longitudes and Attitudes Jennifer Riley and Wendy Rea

We arrived in Steelville, Missouri at the Bass River Resort on Friday evening for a pre-race meeting. We have very few details about this race because they prefer that everyone has an even playing field. The pre-race meeting lasted longer than expected (90 minutes) and they passed out our maps and clue sheets for the 36-hour and 12-hour race - and that is when everything began. We had not done a 12 hour race where everything was provided upfront and we could plot and plan before the start time at 6am Saturday morning. The 36 hour racers were set to start at 11pm that night, so they were all scrambling around and plotting their 37 points.

Colorado River 100
By Shane Ferguson Team Captain and Supporter

If you ever want to be inspired to accomplish anything in life, the CR100 will give you that inspiration.

Helena and Gabe (and The African Queen) arrived in normal fashion Friday evening before the race to check in and make final preparations for the race. They went over everything with me to make sure I understood what they wanted at each checkpoint, and as always something was left at home. Some quick phone calls were made to get the needed bite piece for the bladder hose. That might be important, huh? After all of the preparations were made we retired to an evening dinner with fellow Adventure Racers, Diane, Paul, and YK (Tam Yung Khan). YK was racing the CR 100 also as a solo. For the racers, dinner consisted of healthy, high protein selections, but it was beers for me!

Terra Firma Adventure Race - Reveille Peak Ranch

Helena asked us to write a race report - we think she was more excited about our performance than we were.

Thanks for being a "Team Mom", Helena! The day started out in darkness as we climbed into Vanessa's new 4-Runner and blasted a few tunes to get pumped up. Since the three of us have never raced together before, we decided on simple goals:

1. Have Fun
2. Clear the course (find all the checkpoints)
3. Not finish last out of the 5 HFAR teams

We were nowhere near the speed of the elite teams, so we focused on accurate navigation and maintaining a steady pace.

LÄRABAR and Clif Bar have a wide variety of tasty high quality foods for fueling during training or races. Both are a favorite of many adventure racers.

LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than eight ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

What are the quality standards for Lärabar ingredients?

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, All Natural, Vegan, Kosher, No added sugars or sweeteners, Non-GMO, No added sulfites, No preservatives, fillers, or colorings.

The Clif Bar company started on a bike ride in the Sierra Nevada mountains. They provide several Kosher, Gluten Free and Vegan-friendly bars. They use organic ingredients are are free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

Both LÄRABAR and Clff Bar have generously sponsored Houston Fit Adventure Racing with free samples. Expect some bars coming your way.

by Amanda Wiechert

What are you doing tonight?

This is when I get to explain my new hobby and passion.

People usually look at me like I have three heads at this point.

But honestly that doesn't scratch the surface of what HFAR is. Houston Fit Adventure Racing is a team. As a beginner and someone new to everything we practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, adventure racing with HFAR has provided a welcome and exciting new challenge. And as someone who had previously tried another local adventure racing club, I have nothing but high praise for our team and what it provides to newcomers.

It's fitness training, friendship, excitement, and an adrenaline rush. It is also learning new skills, acquiring discipline, and pushing yourself. It's a smile from a great coach when you tackle something for the first time. It is someone pushing you and knowing you will not be left behind and you won't leave anyone behind either. And even though you may be walking an obstacle the first time (or two, or three) before you tackle it on your bike; it is knowing that eventually you will get there. HFAR is drinks and laughter after practice with your new friends. And most of all, it is having friends who will pick you up off the ground, push you to your limit, meet you on off-practice days to build your skills, and call you Flip when you fall off a teeter totter on your bike.

As I continue to practice and build my skills (and confidence) in preparation for my first race, first crash, and someday my first win I know that not everything will remain a first. Things will change. Some things will become easier as I push myself while other things will stay difficult. However, the friendships and support that you receive from HFAR are not going anywhere. They are a constant that I look forward to every week.

Thanks coaches and friends. You have made the past two months an amazing rollercoaster ride!

Sincerely,

Flip

8TH ANNUAL COLORADO RIVER 100 #1
Helena., Gabe H. - 1st Coed Masters

TERRA FIRMA ADVENTURE RACE
Gabe H., Helena F., Tom L. - First Coed - Extreme
Bing K., Vanessa R., Wade W. - Second Coed - Extreme
Raymund C., Paul T., Tammy K. - Third Coed - Extreme
Kevin B, Cody T., Melissa W. - Fourth Coed - Extreme
Jeff H., Pam R., Frank A. - First Coed Masters - Extreme
Michael M. - Second Solo Male - Sprint

BERRYMAN ADVENTURE RACE
Wendy R., Jen R. - 3rd Female

DAVE BOYD HUNTSVILLE CLASSIC
Cody T. - 8th Cat 2, Men 19 - 34
Brandon J. - 18th Cat 2, Men 19 - 34
Melissa W.. - 1st / 2nd Cat 3, Women 19 -39
Patricia B.. - 7th Cat 3, Women 19 -39
Jeremy R.. - 40th Cat 3, Men 19 -34

Race reports, gear reviews, pictures, favorite core exercises, gear maintenance, how-to-buy tips - we want to hear from you! Email Newsletter Editor Ken with your newsletter contributions or story ideas, and we'll include them in the next issue.