ARKANSAS, USA — Expedition Ozark kicked off it's five-day race on Monday as part of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS).
35 teams representing 13 international countries participated in the 390-mile race going through the Ozarks. They must bike, paddle and trek until they cross the finish line at Lawrence Plaza in Downtown Bentonville.
Arkansan Summer Reighn is part of Team Natural State joining the race.
"I'm kind of thinking, oh my gosh, what did I get myself into right now," Reighn said. "I had never ran three miles nine months ago."
Jason Wilford coached Reighn over the past nine months providing group and individual training to the group of four. Wilford previously participated in the races in the '90s and early 2000s. He explained that after someone asked for a race in the Ozarks, he reached out to CEO Heidi Muller and brought their expedition race.
"Expedition racing is arguably the hardest endurance any human can do," Wilford said. "This region is one of the most amazing regions in the US and in the world, from a natural resources perspective,"
"We all know the Ozarks and Bentonville and all the mountain biking trails, it's magical, and just brings this niche kind of community of people together to this area. And hopefully, with our platform, we can showcase that to the rest of the world," Muller added.
Wilford expressed how Ironman Racing is the pinnacle of single-day racing, yet ARWS brings new elements with continuous multiple-day races.
"There's no one here to show you where to go. You got to map. You got points you got to get to and you got to find your way there," Wilford said. "By day two, I think physically, everybody is spent emotionally. You're racing with your mind."
"If you sprained an ankle on day number one, the race is over," Wilford added.
Tested by the elements and your own self, racers seek the world's most testing terrains. While they're seeing Arkansas' nature first-hand, the natural state's first expedition race could be interrupted by severe weather.
"Sometimes adventurers will tell you, well, the worse the weather the better the person," Muller said.
That's why for Reighn this race is much more important. She is not only testing herself in the state she's proud to call home but also doing it while in substance recovery.
"It's having to wake up and train your body every single day, just like I have to wake up and stay sober every single day. And so it's just kind of like, overcoming really hard things, putting yourself to the test, and then hopefully, being able to cross the finish line," Reighn said. "Even just getting to this start line was an accomplishment of the training, the work that we put in is great. So even if we don't necessarily make it to the end, where we're at, and what we get through is gonna be great. And I'm just happy to be here and be a part of it"
"You need to start somewhere you don't need to be a runner or the best mountain biker. I think adventure racing [demands a] mentality and willpower," Muller advised. "Set small goals and achieve them, set bigger goals and achieve them. And next thing you know, you'll be standing on the start line of an expedition race."
The race is going on through Friday. You can check each team's ranking, and location, even send them trail mail through their Live Tracking page.
Anyone can still register for an 8-hour adventure race on April 8th to participate and see what the race is like.
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