“The hardest, most kick ass 24 hour race ever!” is how one competitor described the Desert Winds Classic 24 hour adventure race. For the past four years, Robert Finlay and his crew at Kayak Lake Mead have been working tirelessly for this event to live up to its slogan, 

which is to compress the experience of “an expedition race into a weekend.” The 2010 Desert Winds Classic, held at the Lake Mead Recreation Area May 8th – 9th just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, was definitely no exception.

The Desert Winds Classic was both a USARA Regional Qualifier as well as part of the Checkpoint Tracker series. Three person coed team Yoga Slackers smoked the course, completing both the mandatory and optional sections in a time of 21 hours and 8 minutes to clinch the win and 100 points for their team in the Checkpoint Tracker Series.  Second place overall went to the two person all male team Janky in a time of 24 hour and 10 minutes. Four person coed teams Verve and Feed the Machine finished in third and fourth place respectively.

This year’s course consisted of over 37 miles of paddling, swimming, and trekking with over 4000 feet of elevation gain as well as two optional trekking and paddling loops that added up to an additional 27 miles and 3000 feet of elevation.  Absent from the race course, surprisingly, was any mountain biking. Finlay explains, “I design a course with the course in mind; not the disciplines. Adventure racing is crossing natural terrain using muscle and wit; whether that entails paddling flat water, white water, negotiating mountains, deserts, canyons, glaciers or what have you. Adventure racing is not necessarily running, mountain biking, and paddling. Some of my races have mountain biking, some do not. Some of my races have paddling, some do not. All of my races are about crossing natural terrain and solving the problems that that will entail.”  

With no transition areas, in the morning teams had to load themselves and their kayaks with all of their necessary gear for the entire race. Teams started with only their maps; the course books which would provide them with necessary and valuable information were hidden in a crystal cave that needed to be located before teams could set out on course. After finding the books, teams paddled and trekked for the next 24 hours through a series of checkpoints that were designed to showcase the natural features of the area.  Highlights of the course included the trek between CPs 3 and 8, which featured several miles of technical traversing along a narrow ridge, affording competitors spectacular views of the surrounding region, as well as an adventurous and breathtaking swim down The Narrows section of the Boulder Canyon.

With a proven track record of providing challenging adventure races in spectacular settings, it’s no wonder that competitor feedback on the Desert Winds is so positive. “Desert Winds is an adventure race with a strong emphasis on the adventure part,” says Peteris Ledins of third place team Verve, adding that “When you put that together with running a mountain ridge that spans less than a yard wide and a 3 mile-night-time swim, I'm already expecting to be there again!” The Desert Winds Classic boasts that in its four year history, it has never had a misplaced CP; this course accuracy, as well of the unpredictable and challenging nature of Kayak Lake Mead’s events, sees competitors returning year after year.

Wanna get in on the fun that Kayak Lake Mead has to offer?  Later this season, Finlay and his crew are putting on the Desert Winds Expedition race, which takes place from September 18th – 25th in southern Nevada. Not only does this 3-5 day, 310 mile race promise to be an epic adventure, but it is also a great opportunity to rack up some late season points towards the Checkpoint Tracker National Championships. Check out www.desertwindsexpeditionrace.com  for more details.