Adventure Racing Hones Exec Skills

For most, getting lost in the woods is a scary proposition.

But for Amy Knight, it’s an opportunity to hone her team-working and creative problem-solving skills.

Once or twice a year, Knight, a vice president with Stephens Inc.’s Fayetteville office, sheds her business suit and BlackBerry, dons a helmet and racing gear and traverses part of the Ozarks “playing in the woods like a kid.”

Knight and many other Northwest Arkansas executives have taken the typical foot race to new heights. Not only do they compete as triathletes, they bring “adventure” to the table.

They deliberately get lost just so they can find themselves again.

Some treat the wilderness like a weekend office and quickly find that the similarities between the workplace and the race for the finish line outweigh the differences.

“You face a lot of adversity tackling the elements and working with your teammates in adventure races, just like you would in business,” Knight said. “You have to know how to think on your feet and make decisions at that moment. It’s a lot like operating in the business world.”

On Nov. 10, Lewis & Clark Outfitters will host its fourth annual Ozark Adventure race.

Adventure races are held year-round across the county. The races range in length but are all composed of the same basic elements. The 2007 Ozark Adventure Race will be a 12-hour non-stop team effort to navigate about 60 miles of the Ozark forest and find the quickest route to civilization.

The teams of three, which are required to include both males and females, will have to use a variety of equipment and skills to master the orienteering, mountain biking, trekking, canoeing, rope elements and mystery events in the race.

The races require skill, dedication and a small financial investment from competitors.

Entry fees for most adventure races range from $100 to $150 per person. The cost of purchasing the mandatory equipment and apparel for the race comes to nearly $2,000 per contestant.

Knight and Jim Holt, sales director for Schwan’s Frozen Foods, are busy prepping for the event on foot and on bike.

But their daily duties of tackling problems and meeting deadlines as executives are also providing them with many important skills that give them the mental ability to master the challenges of the competition.

Athletic ability will get a racer down the trail but also having business skills and experience in the corporate world make a well-rounded and successful competitor.

Weekend Warriors

“Adventure racing is not about racing, it’s about the team dynamics and the process,” said Bruce Dunn, event coordinator for the 2007 Lewis & Clark Outfitters Ozark and Urban Adventure Races and owner of All Sports Production Inc. of Fayetteville.

Dunn said this year’s Ozark Adventure Race will be the largest adventure race sponsored by Lewis & Clark. Eighteen teams have  registered for the event, which is double the number of teams that competed in the 2006 race, and Dunn expects more than 20 teams in the race by the closing of registration on November 1.

And it’s not just Northwest Arkansas athletes that compete; teams from 13 different states have traveled to Northwest Arkansas for an adventure race. The area’s terrain and the centralized location are what attract competitors, Dunn said.

Within the next few years Dunn said he would like to make the Ozark Adventure Race a regional qualifier for the United State Adventure Racing National Championships.

Because teams have to compete in a regional qualifier race to make it to the national championship, Troy Farrar, president of the United State Adventure Racing Association, said a regional event will draw anywhere from 40 to 50 teams.

The economic impact of each race is hard to measure, Farrar said, but towns will see revenue from the competitors and their family members.

“You’re always running to a Wal-Mart for last minute supplies before the race and families stay in hotels and eat at area restaurants,” Farrar said. “Area airports will also see a small impact because some teams will choose to fly to an event instead of drive.”

As the main sponsor for both the Ozark Adventure Race and the Urban Adventure Race, Lewis & Clark will donate more than $20,000 worth of prizes.

Helen Gunsaulis, manager of the Springdale Lewis & Clark store, said the company incorporates a lot of what they sell into their prizes and asks their venders to contribute merchandise.

It is hard to estimate the cost of putting on an adventure race, Dunn said, but more than 500 man-hours go into the planning and execution of each competition.

Outdoor Office

Having natural talent and athletic ability is important for competition Dunn said, but having a background in the professional community gives those who spend their days in an office the skills and know-how to overcome the competition on the weekends.

“These races always challenge your mind,” Holt said. “You’re always racing against other teams so you want to try and do what you can to outsmart the other team. You also have to anticipate what the competition is going to do and watch others. It’s just like when another company puts something new on the shelf; you have to start working on your next move to counter that.”

Spending each day tackling different situations, working with her co-workers and completing tasks on a deadline are common aspects of Knight’s job that help her during a race, she said.

“In each race you have to reach certain checkpoints,” Knight said. “They don’t tell you how to get there or what materials you have to use. You and your teammates just have to evaluate each situation and decide what the best plan of attack for that situation is. That’s a lot like the business world.”

Training Tools

The shorter, urban races, are also great professional development tools.

In past years, companies in Northwest Arkansas have used the Urban Adventure Race as a team-building activity.

The shorter distance and controlled elements make the morning run/bike event suitable for co-workers hoping to log some quality time solving problems and overcoming obstacles.

Those who do tackle the outdoors said they don’t just take skills from the office to the racecourse, they find that the confidence they acquire from competition translates into a can-do attitude in the office.

Both Knight and Holt said they don’t treat adventure races like a day at the office – it’s an opportunity to tuck away the suit and tie and unleash the inner child – but admit that their eight to five office time makes them a much more formidable competitor during their 12-hour competition time.

“The races are a challenge and each race is different,” Holt said. “Having that ability to think on your feet, know how to look at a problem, assess your options and then solve the problem is a big advantage when you are racing. And that is what I enjoy about the adventure races. I get to play in the woods and enjoy the reward of finding my way out.”