Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge holds largest adventure race in the United States
This year’s event featured a night option for the first time. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge brought racers to the Wausau School Forest for the first time since 2016, since the course changes every year. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
Teams up to four people worked together at the Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
Aarti Sharma, eight years old, proudly finishes the race punching the last checkpoint, one of 16 teams competing in the family division. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
The night paddle through fog and record low temperatures proved challenging for 18-hour racers, including national champion WEDALI pictured here. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
RIB MOUNTAIN – Five hundred racers from 14 states explored local trails, waterways, and parks as part of the 2021 Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge, presented by the Town of Rib Mountain. The race, in its sixth year, sold out three weeks prior to the event. Racers biked, paddled, trekked, and even made a paracord survival bracelet during the race as part of a special challenge. Two hundred fifty-eight bracelets were donated to Operation Gratitude, to be sent to our troops and first responders.
“Finding a COVID-19 friendly special challenge that could also be done by over 150 teams of one to four people proved to be a challenge in itself,” said Kris Berge, special challenge coordinator since the event’s inception in 2015. “While searching for paracord projects, Operation Gratitude provided a great opportunity to help another cause.”
Racers started and ended at Nine Mile County Forest with racers paddling the Wisconsin River, biking on mountain bike trails maintained by CWOCC, and trekking at Nine Mile and Wausau School Forest. Some racers also biked to Burma, Leathercamp, Kronenwetter, and Ringle Forest Units as part of the adventure. Since the course changes every year, and is unmarked, racers must plan their own routes. This year, they received the details of the secret course just before the race and had an hour to plan their route prior to toeing the start line.
Three races took place with the event: 3-hour, 8-hour, and 18-hour adventure races. These events challenged top adventure racers in the United States yet welcomed newcomers to the sport, which comprised the majority of the field (58%). Nearly half of racers were women (45%), significantly higher than the average adventure race.
One team of female first-time adventure racers includes eight-year-old Rowan Jilek and her mom Shay Jilek, competing in the family division. They thought the event was well-geared for outdoor enthusiasts, such as themselves and can’t wait to return in 2022.
“The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge put all of our skills to the test,” said Shay Jilek. “While we didn’t make it to all of the checkpoints, it left us craving another race to gain more experience.”
Despite record cold temperatures, 75 18-hour racers paddled through the night including a one mile portage. The biggest challenge for even the most experienced racers was the fog that persisted throughout the night.
“No doubt that the Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge will teach something to every participant," said Chris Plansky, Army and Wisconsin National Guard veteran and returning Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge racer. Our team learned how to persevere through unexpected adversity on a 12 mile night canoe paddle section with freezing temps, zero visibility fog, and a determination to clear the section. Our humor, positive attitudes, and determination paid off!”
The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge is part of the Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series and helps earn teams points to qualify for the United States Adventure Racing Association National Championship, taking place in Wisconsin for the first time later this year. After a year without a single adventure race in Wisconsin, 2021 has seen more adventure racers than ever before.
Fifty volunteers were needed to orchestrate the overnight event, which benefits the UW Wausau Campus Foundation, UWSP Student Scholarship Funds, and the Wausau and Marathon County Parks Foundation. Racers also stopped to pick up over 700 pieces of trash along the race course.
“This event was so well organized from the pre-race communications to the finish line. The directors and volunteers were encouraging and brought a ton of positive energy!” said Jilek.
Pictures and results available at: https://www.ribmountainadventurechallenge.com/results Next year’s Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge will take place at a secret location Memorial Day weekend. The spinoff, Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge-Winter Edition will be held 1/22/22 across Central Wisconsin’s frozen forests. Racers may register at: https://ironbull-signup.redpodium.com/2022-winter-rmac
IRONBULL’s next event, the Ironring River Float will also utilize the Wisconsin River. Participants may paddle or float down the river on June 26. For more information go to https://www.ironbull.org/ironring
Banner photo: 18-hour racers took a one mile portage through the City of Mosinee. Photo credit: Ann Ilagan Photography
Related:
WSAW news coverage - 2021 Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge
Press release - Town of Rib Mountain named presenting sponsor
Recipient of Wisconsin grant - Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge
Results - Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge - Winter Edition
WSAW news event coverage - Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge - Winter Edition