For the past six years, seasoned and would-be adventure racers alike have had the opportunity to start their racing season off early and with a bang, thanks to Too Cool Adventure Racing.  Too Cool will launch their sixth season with The Big Chill Adventure Races, which takes place in Bastrop, Texas over the weekend of January 23-24.  

The Big Chill offers three different race distances (6, 12 and 24 hours) to suit every competitor.  The 24 hour event is part of the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker Series and a great way to rack up some early points towards the National Championship.

Too Cool Adventure Racing is the brainchild of Robyn and Art Cantor, seasoned adventure racing competitors themselves who saw an opportunity to fill a gap in Texas for quality adventure racing events. The Big Chill races occupy a special place in the race roster for Too Cool, as it was the first event that Robyn and Art put on back in 2005. Now it in sixth year, it has become a signature event of the Too Cool schedule and one that highlights the passion and uniqueness of the company that produces the event.

The mission of Too Cool is to put on the most challenging and unique adventure races in Texas.  Explains Robyn, we want “to give racers something that they will be talking about for years!” Part of Too Cool’s philosophy was to put on authentic adventure competitions, not just glorified off-road triathlons where racers simply follow one another through the disciplines. Too Cool achieves this goal by adding challenging navigation sections and by designing courses that require competitors to make strategic team-based choices.  The ethos of Too Cool is in “setting the bar high and giving every racer the opportunity to reach it.” 

What can racers expect from this year’s Big Chill?  Robyn and Art were careful not to spill the beans about this year’s courses, but indicated that in previous years, challenges have included “goat scrambles,” Tyrolean traverses, surprise orienteering sections, and even being bussed out to the race start while wearing a blindfold! Who knows what is in store for the 2010 races?  Core disciplines of the events include lake and river paddling, mountain biking on a variety of different terrains, urban and wilderness orienteering and “special tests.” Competitors in the 24 hour event can expect to travel well over 100 miles, with the 12 and 6 hour events scaled down accordingly.  

 

 

 

 

In addition to zany course challenges, Too Cool also incorporates a humanitarian component into their events by supporting the Capital Area Food Bank.  Teams are asked to bring canned food with them to the race, with the team that collects the most receiving a prize.  Robyn notes that this initiative has been very successful in the past: “Because of our awesome racers, we have been able to raise over 2000 pounds of food for CAFB.”

When asked what would be the most challenging aspect of this year’s courses, the Cantors suggested that it was an element that they couldn’t control: the weather.  Temperatures for this event can range from the 20s-80s.  Previous races have been “cursed” with fluctuating temperatures.  “We have actually been accused of being witches and warlocks on that front,” laughs Robyn.

Sorcery aside, competitors in the Big Chill races can expect a lot from these events.  Too Cool pulls out all the stops when it comes to providing racers with challenging courses to suit all levels of competitor, excellent race swag (this year racers get custom arm warmers from Atac Sportswear), thousands of dollars in prizes and carefully designed and tested courses.  “We are passionate about what we do,” explains Robyn, adding that “we really want racers to walk away from our events saying that it was time, energy, and money well spent!” 

Still looking for an event to kickstart your 2010 racing season?  Registration for the Big Chill Adventure Races is filling fast, but limited spots are still available.  Head on over to www.toocoolracing.com for more information on the Big Chill and the other unique events put on by Too Cool Adventure Racing.

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