by Runner's World

Sarah Bowen Shea

Multi-sport racing helps a competitive runner remember to have fun.

As paradoxical as it sounds, you don't have to be fast to be competitive. I'm living proof of this. Though I'm not super speedy, I'm always fired up to race. So I look for ways to satisfy my drive and win some hardware.

I may have a new secret weapon: diversification. And I think adventure races might be the best way to harness my running endurance, cycling leg strength, and strong rower's upper body. Being scrappy helps, too. I'm not talking multiday, bushwhacking-in-Borneo races, but multihour ones done near the comfort of a bed and shower. My experiment is a success so far--I've twice been on winning women's teams. There's no shortage of races to choose from, though some are heavy on wackiness and light on physical challenges. I prefer events that require you to push the envelope and the pace.

That's what drew me to the Merrell Oyster Urban Adventure Race in San Francisco last September. It was longer than my previous races, but by competing on a six-person team instead of a three-woman one, I could do the sports I excel at--running, biking, and paddling-- and steer clear of ones I don't (inline skating). And, as captain, if I chose teammates wisely, we'd be a force.

The way it worked: Organizers told teams what equipment to bring (running shoes, bikes, helmets, and inline skates) and where to show up (the Presidio's Crissy Field). We wouldn't know details until the race started. During the event, we'd get 3"x5"passports outlining our next challenge. First up? Biking. Uphill. Two teammates and I dropped into our low gears and headed to Golden Gate Park for the next clue, then barreled into the Sunset District. I could tell my legs would be trashed for whatever running segments might lay ahead, but I was ready to embrace any pain that came our way.

After pushing our bikes up quad-busting streets and snapping a photo of our objective--a mosaic on a tiled stairway-- we bombed back to Crissy Field, making up loads of time thanks to brilliant route-finding by yours truly. I was one of three former SF residents on our team, which was a massive asset. We could have raced in another venue (Denver, Nashville, Austin, Seattle, or Portland, Oregon), but here we had familiarity on our side.

Next up was a running leg of less than 5-K. I was itching to run, but we decided to send our three speediest gals. I figured I'd get my chance later on. Wrong: Turns out another running task awaited them, sending them through the Presidio, and across the Golden Gate Bridge.

While the running legs were straightforward, our next assignments were circus-like, involving trolleys, baseball fans, a gay street fair, and a buxom transvestite. It sounded like a blast, but I opted out since inline skating was involved.

When our skaters returned, three of us dashed a half-mile to a Crissy Field beach. After that quick interval (which lacked a recovery jog, mind you), we hit San Francisco Bay to paddleboard. We lay on the boards, sans paddle. Excellent: The motion mimicked my pool-honed swimming stroke. We paddled around buoys and rushed back for the final task.

And it was a doozy: collecting pieces of a photo-puzzle on bikes, then heading to the scene in the photo. We cracked up when a former party-girl-turned-mom recognized the mosaic, adorning the wall of a popular bar, from one puzzle piece.

Knowing we were in contention to win our division, we sprinted like bike messengers down streets I'd never venture on in my regular life. It was nothing like running a 10-K. And that's when it dawned on me: My morning-long buzz was from excitement and laughter, not adrenaline. We came in a heartbreaking second, less than two minutes behind a coed team. Sure, I'd wanted to win, but having fun ended up being, well, more fun.

Run it: oysterracingseries.com

News Flash

It's a non-Olympic year, but there will be plenty of action at the World Championships in Berlin August 15-23. Watch online at universalsports.com.

Bold Moves

Four More Multi-Sport Series

New England Adventure Races

These events, held in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, vary from clinics to 24-hour races. During New England Adventure Race Weekend (September 12-13), there are 12-hour and three-hour events, as well as a two-hour orienteering course. racingahead.com

Big Blue Adventure Series

Named after Lake Tahoe, these 10 events in central and northern California consist of two-hour, six-hour, and 24-hour races. Competitors may be asked to engage in rappelling, whitewater paddling, nighttime navigation, and swimming. bigblueadventure.com

Terra Firma Adventure Races

For beginners who aren't quite ready for a 12-or 24-hour challenge, this Texas organization offers two three-hour races in which teams mountain bike, trail run, and complete mystery events, such as pushing your teammate around obstacles on a bike. terrafirmapromo.com

Adventure Xstream Adventure Race Series

These six races in Moab, Utah, and three cities in Colorado have a fairly traditional format: participants kayak, mountain bike, run, and navigate. You can choose to enter two multiday races and two events with six-hour, 12-hour, and 18-hour courses. gravityplay.com

Xstream Racing

Participants in the Moab 12-hour event scramble toward the course's river section.

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