Sport combines endurance events, navigation
Monday, 3, 2004BY KATHERINE LOWRIE
News Staff Reporter
They navigate forests, rip down rapids in kayaks and rappel off 100-foot rock formations. Some come for the adventure while others come for the exercise. And still others come to prove something to themselves.
The Southern Michigan Adventure Club is a relatively new nonprofit Internet-based organization. It promotes adventure racing, a form of endurance competition that includes canoeing, mountain biking, trekking and rappelling.
Endurance athlete Paul Piorkowski of Belleville launched the club in 2000 as a means of promoting endurance, adventure, navigation, strategy and teamwork in the Michigan area.
"I was always into navigation and the outdoors and looking for a way to put that together," Piorkowski said. "Most of the adventure races prior to our club were 3-5 days long - too much for a lot of people. I wanted to have the same format but decided to do it in one day - sun up to sun down. Same format, rules and protocol but brought to the masses."
The club, which has over 2,000 members, holds an annual sprint adventure race each year on the third weekend of July. It draws more than 150 teams of beginner and intermediate levels.
The club holds other adventure races throughout the year that range from a few hours to several days in length and often cover over 100 miles.
Racers get topographical maps and teams of two to four work together to make decisions regarding route, equipment, food and pace needed to complete the race.
Piorkowski said team members are challenged physically and mentally, and more emphasis is placed on teamwork than on individual achievement since a club objective is to help all members, regardless of age or ability, to reach their adventure goals.
The club is about 70 percent male. Although the average member's age is 31, they range from age 18 to their 50s. "Some older people do really, really well because part of the sport of adventure racing is mental, like navigation and race strategy," Piorkowski said. "Those things transcend age."
The races have attracted longtime athletes and former couch potatoes who thought adventure racing looked interesting. "You don't have to be in super, super good shape," Piorkowski said. "It's about pressing on no matter how you feel and dealing with how hammered and exhausted you are."
Piorkowski and other experienced adventurers run clinics year-around to help novices learn the basics of racing and to refresh more experienced members on cross country skiing, trekking, swimming, horseback riding and rappelling.
The club also holds navigation clinics with map and compass work in the woods.
Susan Douglas joined in 2000 when a co-worker convinced her to try a race. "I had done a lot of athletics because I had to, to stay in shape," Douglas said. "But this was the first time I fell in love with a sport - the first time I did something for 12 hours."
An academic secretary in the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan, Douglas said the club provides her with an outdoor outlet. "A lot of us agree that this adventure racing provides something that's missing to those of us who have office jobs, routine lives. We get to go out and have an adventure."
Douglas said racing gave her a chance to work on her strengths. "I feel like my whole life has really blossomed. I figured out how strong I am. I come back from a race and things that come up don't seem like a big deal - I can handle it."
The longest race Douglas has participated in so far was 36 hours. "It takes a certain type of person. There are a lot of marathoners and distance bike riders who can't do a 24-hour race."
Team members eat on the run or during map-reading stops. "Sometimes one person has to sort of be the mom and make sure everyone's eating and drinking," said Douglas. "For the 24-hour races, it gets to the point where nothing tastes good, but you have to keep eating," Douglas said. "Sometimes it's about helping your teammate," Piorkowski said. "Carrying their pack, pulling them on the bike, letting them rest while you paddle."
Adventure racing puts things into perspective," Piorkowski said. "It will show you more about yourself than you can possibly imagine. You will find out your strengths and your inner demons and will walk away a different person."
Lillian Ruiz, 40, of Ypsilanti, a self-employed house cleaner, has been a club member for four years and participates in two to four races a year. "I started mountain biking and I wanted to expand. Physically, I know training changes you. Mentally, it challenges you because of the extensive navigation skills, physical exertions and mental concentrations needed to get from point A to point B."
Ruiz said she likes a challenge and gets plenty of them during adventure racing. "It stretches you and lets you know you can handle more than you thought. By the end of a race, you can't believe you did what you did."
Ruiz credits Piorkowski with creating races that appeal to all levels. "He is very helpful, he offers one-on-one support and answers questions. He is pulling in different sponsors and gear companies so you can talk to people with experience and find the equipment you need."
Katherine Lowrie can be reached at
klowrie@annarbornews.com or (734) 482-2263.
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