Re: 2013 SNIPER ADVENTURE CHALLENGE
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of details of the SAC for this year. I competed in the match last year and absolutely enjoyed it. I thought the 2012 match was well planned, professional, and just about right in size and difficulty (with a few exceptions).
Unfortunately I am overall disappointed in what I am seeing for the 2013 version of this epic race. Here is my take on what I see so far.
The good changes:
I love the idea of having a sprint class. This was my biggest complaint of the 2012 race. There were too many teams that came unprepared and physically could not complete the race. My team was one of the few that actually made it to every checkpoint (I think only eight teams actually finished everything) and was very frustrated at the end of the race having to wait two hours at a checkpoint so that lost/late teams could be found so we could start shooting. It was also frustrating having to wait for teams that skipped checkpoints who were given priority at latter stages just because they happened to get there first because they skipped checkpoints. I think these problems will be fixed with the endurance/sprint classes.
Keeping the length of the race at 30-40 miles was a good idea as well. I thought that last year's length was perfect.
Bad changes:
When I saw that we were going to be having the race outside of Mayhill, I had mixed feelings. I assumed we would be in the mountains of Mayhill which would be good because of the high elevation and cooler temps (the mountains of Mayhill go really high up to 9000 feet). I also like the forest terrain. Its fun to run around in. I was shocked to see that we were actually going to be in the desert east of Mayhill.
The area of the ranch is pretty bland with little elevation gain/loss. The biggest "mountain" I could find in the area was a 300 ft hill. I really liked the terrain of last year because it included several really killer climbs including a 2000ft ascent at one point. This really separated the men from the boys. I don't see much of a challenge in rolling foot hills. Also, after looking at YouTube videos of the ranch I was not impressed at all. I watched a quail hunt on the ranch and the video did not leave me impressed. The terrain had so much sharp rock and cactus that the ranch could not use dogs because they would get beat up so bad in the terrain. There is a very fine line between making a race tough and making a race "uncomfortable." The only "uncomfortable" aspects of the 2012 SAC was the heat and the 3 mile dead weight haul down freshly tarred road in 95 degree weather. The rest of the race was physically challenging, but not "uncomfortable." This location is going to be nothing but uncomfortable. We are constantly going to be brushing against cactus plants in ultra high heat (the elevation is 5000ft right off the border of Mexico in July). Add to that the sharp rocks everywhere and I think problems are going to arise. We had a hard enough time with dehydration at the last race, I can only imagine its going to be more of a problem this year. I think injuries are going to increase as well. I just can't imagine walking around in the dark with all of that cactus everywhere! That is really going to suck.
The flat terrain will make orienteering more challenging which is a plus though. That will be a real challenge. Check out this video to see the country:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmYPCPTMGkY
The other problem is that Mayhill is really isolated. The closest airports are ABQ, Lubbock (both 4.5 hours away) and Carlsbad. All of these airports offer limited flights and Carlsbad is really expensive to fly into. Last year you could fly into SLC which is a Delta hub so it was pretty much a direct flight for everybody with Delta access. Also, there were a lot of hotel and eating options for the travelers. There are no hotels within reasonable access to the ranch. Although the ranch has graciously offered us lodging, I personally don't want to be bunked in a room with a dozen other guys before and after a race.
My biggest complaint is doing the race over the 4th of July. I understand this would help some people get out of work, but that's the only upside. Flights are even more expensive on a holiday, and I don't know about most people but I like to spend holidays with my family. Also spreading the race over four days makes it even more costly and difficult to plan. I would have to fly out on the 3rd, do the four day race, and then fly back on the 8th. That is six days I'll have to plan out and miss the entire 4th holiday with my family. This increases the costs this year (more missed work, more hotel rooms, etc.) Last year travel expenses and match fees cost our team about $1000. This year because of the location, the added days, added driving distances, increased match costs, etc. I'm estimating conservatively about $2750 for the team (which doesn't include missed work).
I hate to say it but the positives don't outweigh the negatives for me. As much as I loved the race last year, We are going to be out this year which is a bummer. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but I'm really disappointed. We finished in the top five last year and I had every intention of trying to win the race this year.I had higher expectations so I feel a little let down.
Good luck to all the competitors this year! Maybe I'll see you next year.
