Endurance Blogs

One morning back in 2007, our Editor Joe Nuss walked into the office and informed us that he was doing one of the hardest mountain bike races in the world - the La Ruta de los Conquistadores, or what most people simply call "La Ruta."  We all quickly went online to http://www.adventurerace.com to learn all about this incredible event that Joe would be training for.  I still remember the very first image that was displayed on the site.  It was of 4 mountain bike riders riding trough a river of muddy water about 3 feet deep in the middle of the jungle.  

While we may have had some initially doubts about whether Joe could pull it off, we quickly learned that he was fully committed to the training that it would take to survive this epic test of endurance.  Sure enough, fast forward 4 months and there we were once again all huddled around Joe's computer, this time looking at the pictures that he'd taken during his successful race as well as listening to the incredible stories that accompanied them.  All the while, somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice was saying "someday you should do this also."  Well, the time has come to listen to that voice and see for myself what La Ruta is all about.  The Race Director, Roman Urbina, was kind enough to grant me a comped entry in exchange for marketing, so this blog will serve as the official announcement that I'll be racing in the 2010 La Ruta!  Many monthly blogs will follow, so come back often.

The La Ruta  is a 4-day stage race that takes place during the month of November in beautiful Costa Rica.  It starts on the Pacific Coast and ends on the Caribbean coast.  The route brings riders over and through just about every imaginable ecosystem and type of terrain.  To finish requires tremendous physical conditioning, guts, and frankly an ability to to tolerate a good dose of pain and misery.  But, as is the case with any major endurance race, this finish is amazing and, based on Joe's stories, well worth every sacrifice and every ounce of determination that it takes to get there.

But don't just follow me as I set out to prepare for this adventure.  Join me! Registration is open now!  

Learn more about at http://www.adventurerace.com and be sure to check out the amazing photo galleries.