Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 23

...participation in
off-road triathlons
(swimming, mountain
biking and trail running)
and adventure racing has grown
30 per cent in the last three years alone.
“I’ve always been an active person who has enjoyed the
outdoors,” says Mark Shouldice, a bison farmer and resident
of Shallow Lake, Ontario. The winner of the Men’s Solo 30-
km Sprint Course has never missed a Bruce Peninsula race
in its eight-year existence. He loves that his wife and two
children can be there to cheer him on: “It’s an extension of
my interests — being outdoors in some of the most beautiful
land I’ve seen, being active and being home.”
Certain other events, such as the Raid international
Gaspésie (the Rig) in Carleton-sur-mer, Québec, take
adventure racing to extremes. The three-day Rig is closer
in nature to the global events; the race challenges teams of
two to canoe, trek, mountain bike and use ropes to navigate
either a 150-km or 300-km course.
One of those big global events, the Red Bull X-Alps, bills
itself as the world’s toughest adventure race. There’s a reason
for the claim: Athletes must navigate a 1000-km course
through the Alps, by foot and strapped to a paraglider. As
much as organizers now attempt to plan for risk, an element
of danger will always be present — because this is what
draws a certain type of athlete.
“I cycled for 10 years and got bored,” Corbeil says of
her decision to switch to multisport racing. “I met some
people involved in adventure racing and wanted to jump in.
I did my first 24-hour race just two years ago.” Before her
victory in Bruce County, she competed in her first ARWS
demonstration event in Oregon. Corbeil now hopes to
take the next step in her evolution by becoming a regular
competitor in the ARWS.
According to a recent study by the Outdoor Research
Association (ORA), participation in running and cycling
has stalled, but adventure sports are booming. The
ORA estimates that participation in off-road triathlons
(swimming, mountain biking and trail running) and
adventure racing has grown 30 per cent in the last three
years alone. Adventure racing-inspired offshoots, such as
the Tough Mudder series, are popping up everywhere.
Adventure races also now bring out professional athletes,
including past Olympians, who are looking for new
challenges. But that’s okay, too, for relative newcomers like
Corbeil, who has loftier ambitions: “Hang around with
people who are better than you, who can push you... this is
how you become a better athlete.”
In other words: Bring it on!
Photography: Carlo Obilos
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