Gear List
Check back for gear updates.
NEW: Alaska Adventure Racing has teamed up with Alaska Pacific University Outdoor Programs to offer a group discount on canoe rentals!!! For $20 your team can rent a canoe (you can put 3 racers in one boat) PFDs and paddles for you team. This includes boat trasnportation to the race! Boats are limited so sign up for boat rental ASAP, email adventureracealaska@gmail.com to reserve one!!! First come first serve basis! This is optional, races may still bring any boat they choose to race.
Half the fun and strategy of adventure racing is choosing your gear!!! Below are a few guidelines on gear choices and preparation. Remember that gear is personal preference! We strongly encourage you to start looking at gear now! Try on your race day backpack, ride your bike and break in your shoes. Work out all the kinks before race day! Below are a few notes on choosing your gear...
A Note on Boats: Racers will be required to provide their own boats, paddles and PFD's. The paddle in the 2011 Women Rock will be a short flatwater (lake) paddle. Canoes are perfect, but really any sort of boat will do. Keep in mind this is a flatwater paddle, boats meant for rivers are likely slower and harder to stear. That being said, only a short amount of time will be spent on the paddle section compared to biking and trekking, so boat choice is less important than in a longer race such as Bushwhack this!
A note on Transition areas: Transition areas are manned chekcpoints where racers switch disciplines, ie from biking to boating. All gear left in TAs should be in bins (bags are okay too, but bins are better) clearly marked with team name. There will be 3 transition areas in the 2011 Women Rock. TA 1 Foot to bike, TA 2 Bike to boat, and TA 3 Boat to bike. TA 2 and 3 are in the same location. Once leaving TA 1 you will not return...so if you have seperate biking and boating shoes, be sure to pack them in the boating TA bin. Gear can also be left at TA's, so its not a bad idea to have extra food, water, clothing, socks, batteries etc in your TA bin. Check back for updates on transion areas and race morning gear drop. This will also be covered in the prerace meeting. Racers will be responsible for transporting their own gear to these transition areas. All transition areas will be manned, so your gear will not be left alone
A note on bikes: The 2011 Women Rock will be on unpaved trails. Mountain bikes are required. Be sure to take your bike out and ride it before race day. Bike problems can make a bike leg much longer than it needs to be. Make sure your gears shift smoothy, you have air in your tires and your brakes work correctly. It is strongly encouraged to get out and ride it on dirt trails before race day.
A note on shoes: “What shoes should I wear?” comes up at every pre race meeting. This is largely personal preference , however, most racers race in a good pair of trail shoes. Larger hiking boots will not be necessary, they tend to be heavy, hold water and are difficult to run in. Trail shoes are light, breathable and have traction made for off road use! You may opt to have different shoes at each transition area, but unless you are riding clipless pedals, you could quite easily complete the race in one pair of shoes. Be aware that you may end up with wet feet after the paddling and dry shoes may be nice to change in to.