A moment of reflection from experienced racers

It's race week! Several months back, maybe even a couple years ago now, a good friend and I took the time to write a bunch of lessons we have learned in AR as a means of reflection while en route to a race together. I drove while he typed in his computer, and we came up with a trove of hard-earned truths. We were raw, real, and it turned out to be exactly the info we needed to hear as adventure racers to get us focused on the race we were headed to. We commented at the time it needed to be a blog or a VLOG series - perhaps a podcast!

That moment of reflection turned into a ritual for me and is now something I do before every race to mentally get in the right spot with about 48 hours to go.

So for our final post before the 2025 Waddling Warriors Adventure Race, we want to bring some of that conversation back to life for you...

Adventure racing isn’t just about endurance, navigation, and teamwork—it’s about humility. It’s about learning to adapt when your compass points you into a swamp, your feet are blistered beyond recognition, and your team is running on fumes and peanut butter. After countless races, here are six lessons that have stuck with me like burrs on a trail shoe.

1. Trust the Advice of Teams You Trust

In the chaos of a race, good intel is gold. If a team you respect shares a route tip or warns you about a sketchy trail, listen. Ego has no place when experience is speaking. You don’t have to follow blindly, but weigh their advice seriously—it might save you hours or a major mistake.

2. If It Doesn’t Feel Right, Stop

Whether it’s a wrong turn, a teammate’s health, or a gut feeling about a sketchy crossing—pause. Adventure racing rewards boldness, but punishes recklessness. Listening to that inner voice can be the difference between finishing strong and not finishing at all.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Backtrack

It’s painful. It feels like failure. But sometimes, turning around is the smartest move. Pride will tempt you to push forward, but the trail doesn’t care about your pride. Backtracking might cost you time, but it can salvage your race.

4. Every Navigator Makes Mistakes

Even the best. You’ll overshoot a trailhead, misread a contour line, or confuse a creek for a trail. It happens. What matters is how you recover—calmly, collaboratively, and without blame. Navigation is an art, not a science, and mistakes are part of the masterpiece.

5. Clearing the Course Is Not Guaranteed

You trained, you planned, you dreamed of punching every CP. But sometimes, the course punches back harder. Weather, fatigue, injury, or time limits can derail even the best teams. Success isn’t always about clearing—it’s about pushing your limits and finishing with grit.

6. Sometimes Your Race Strategy Just Sucks

You thought you nailed it. But halfway through, you’re bonking, lost, and questioning every decision. It’s okay. Strategy is a gamble, and sometimes you bet wrong. Learn from it, laugh about it later, and come back smarter next time.

“Adventure racing teaches you to embrace uncertainty, trust your team, and laugh at your own missteps. These lessons don’t just apply to the trail—they apply to life.”