How did you get into adventure race production?
Bill and Anne Gibbons, Founders of GOALS Adventure Racing Association have been producing sprint, 12 hour and 24 hour races for the past decade. It all began on our living room couch, watching Eco-Challenge, saying to each other…”that is so cool!”. Then Bill tried to find some local races, there were none to be found. Using our 25 plus years of organizing large groups, working with a variety of personalities, coordinating running and teaching at a search and rescue school - we put all of that skill together to form the production side of GOALS. Bill has raced at a variety of other adventure race venues, which gives him a great perspective of both sides of the playing field. In the beginning we were doing it all. Within the past few years we have been very fortunate to have some wonderful course designers join our all volunteer team. Brent Freedland and Abby Perkiss directed the Cradle of Liberty 24 Hr race in 2012 with rave reviews from the participant racers. Their attention to detail is phenomenal, and this year’s race course will not disappoint!Brent: I began directing races five or six years ago with one of my teammates from GOALS ARA. We started with a sprint race, and after directing a couple of shorter events my teammate and wife, Abby Perkiss, and I decided to take the next step and direct a longer event. We took on the Cradle of Liberty 24 hour adventure race in 2012 and the rest is history! Our good friends Rodney and Amy from NYARA always say that we as racers should give back to the sport, our organizations, and our friends by volunteering and organizing events, and I agree whole-heartedly with that sentiment.
Abby: I co-directed (with Brent) my first race, the GOALS Savage sprint, in 2010 or 2011. It was a great experience, applying everything we'd learned as racers and getting to see a race course from an entirely different vantage point. We had a blast designing that race but we ended up not being there to direct it, because we had committed to racing ourselves the same weekend. The 2012 Cradle was the first time I got to see the race from beginning to end - from concept to design to implementation - and I discovered a real symbiosis between racing and race production - being a seasoned racer allows you to envision a course in a unique way, and designing and directing an event changes your perspective when you're competing.
2. What are the biggest challenges you face as a RD in your area?
Brent: Other than the typical permitting issues that all RDs face, it can be challenging in eastern Pennsylvania to find large enough tracts of "race able" land for a quality event. My partner in crime, Abby, and I feel strongly that we always want to offer racers something new and something interesting, and due to numerous factors, it can be difficult to do this at times. We have lots of interesting ideas for future events, but many of them require significant travel for us during scouting adventures which adds further challenges to us as RDs.
Abby: Without going into more detail on the unique issues in the eastern half of PA, I second Brent's response!
3. What can participants expect...that you're willing to share?
Brent: The last time we directed the Cradle in 2012 we utilized a number of small semi-urban parks. It was a whole lot of fun to design and race, and to maximize the small tracts of land we had available to us, we placed well over 100 checkpoints. I've never done a race like that as a racer: an urban event with so many points to choose from, and ultimately I think our racers had an amazing time and were surprised at how much enjoyable land is hidden away in urban Pennsylvania. This year we set our sights on a more rugged and remote course, and we believe this will be the most "epic" feeling course in GOALS ARA's history. We may not have 130 or so checkpoints this year, but we still have more than average, I'd say, so teams will have plenty to look for while traversing some fantastic and very diverse land. When we tested the course with a local racer, he remarked on how varied the course felt. In short, not only will the course feel more wild and challenging, it will be beautiful if you take the time to enjoy it. Racers can expect some fantastic vistas, some wonderful single track mountain biking, opportunity for significant off-trail navigation, some amazing natural features, and as Abby and I teach history, at least a few interesting historical relics. Oh, and while racers will essentially be in the woods the whole time, we did manage to find one fine-dining establishment on the course, and I think it's better than 2012's fast-food stop!
Abby: I think you can tell a lot about what a racer values in a course, from the courses he or she designs. Anyone who competed in our 2012 race will likely tell you that Brent and I like a high concentration of checkpoints, challenging navigation, unique features, and a healthy degree of route choice. Though this course, as Brent said, should feel quite a bit different in terms of the terrain and location, racers can still expect these broad characteristics throughout the event. And yes, we've got a great food option awaiting teams mid-race!
4. What is the biggest change from last year's race?
Brent: The terrain. Being within an urban environment, 2012 teams were challenged more by distance and strategy considering the number of checkpoints we placed. It was a demanding course since it was longer than many 24 hour events, but the terrain was less daunting. This year's course will include more significant off-trail travel (if racers choose) and some significant ascents and descents. But we promise those climbs will be worth it!
Abby: Yes, this year's race should feel a lot more "wilderness-y" than our last one. Teams will travel through more remote areas and will see pretty varied scenery and conditions across the course.
5. What advice do you have for training or just from general experience in the AR world?
Brent: Get some hill repeats in. Sharpen your map-reading skills. That said, don't be afraid to jump on board! We have several options for teams who might not be as fast or who can't get in as much training as they'd like, so teams should still have a great race even if they can't get to every corner of the course. We feel confident that it will be a memorable event and we hope that racers like it as much if not more than our event in 2012!
