Meet the RD: KanDo Adventures

The North American Adventure RacingSeries (NAARS) kicks off with ThePalmetto Swamp Fox Adventure Race held on Saturday March 15, 2014.  This race, produced by KanDo Adventures, will be held in the Francis Marion National Forest north of Charleston, South Carolina.  Racers will travel across land, swamp and water seldom visited by man since the elusive Swamp Fox, Francis Marion.

Designed to cover approximately an exciting 55-60 miles, with a finishing time between 10-12 hours, Solo racers and teams of two, three and four members will face some of the most challenging obstacles that nature has in this region.  Racers will be required to plot UTM COORDINATES (Orienteering) to locate check points while KAYAKING/PADDLING (Approx. 10-12 miles), MOUNTAIN BIKING (Approx. 20-30 miles) and TREKKING/RUNNING (Approx. 15-20 miles).

The Swamp Fox course is lineal in nature but all points can be collected in any order within each element…

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE OF THE SWAMP AND PROVE THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CAN’T!

Be sure to check out this preview of the Palmetto Swamp Fox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qScYxDMcNDc

Steve Morrone is the Race Director for KanDo Adventures and has been passionate about bringing Adventure Racing to the South Carolina area for a decade.   Here is part of his story.

How did you get into adventure race production? 

I was an adventure racer and at the time SC only produced 1 race a year so we had to travel outside of the state to find good races.  Also, the location where my team trained was a perfect location for an event so when I made the statement that "someone" should produce a race there, I was told "Yeah!  When are you gonna start?"  That was 10 years ago...

What are the biggest challenges you face as a RD in your area? 

I would imagine like anywhere, finding sponsors that help offset the cost of the events are hard to find.  Marketing is the second most difficult thing especially for those directors who have a passion for the sport and a full time position somewhere else.

What can participants expect...that you’re willing to share?

One Excellent adventure!  No matter whether their racing in our Palmetto Swamp Fox Adventure Race, Charleston's Mazing Race or ANY event that KanDo Adventures produces, racers will experience the best adventure in the region!

What is the biggest change from last year’s race?

Fresh new terrain to explore, new challenges to overcome and to experience an adventure of a lifetime.

What advice do you have for training or just from general experience in the AR world?

Follow the KanDo Adventures motto and the words my Marine Corp Drill Instructor Dad taught me which are, "There's No Such Thing As Can't!" Never admit failure, push through the hard things and always remember, this is great stuff!  Great words to live by!

For more information about KanDo Adventures and Steve's other races, visit www.kandoadventures.com or his Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/KanDo-Adventures.

For all things NAARS, visit www.NorthAmericanAR.com or www.facebook.com/northamericanar.