Ecuador was the team’s second ARWS World Championships, and as expected it lived up to all the hype. In this sport that spreads across the globe, each event is unique and has its own flair and allure. In contrast to smaller races, the World Championships bring all the fanfare. What an amazing experience leading up to the race to be surrounded by 300+ athletes and a race organization that brings it all together. As a team juggling between 10th to 30th place during the race, it is a lot of fun being able to jostle for positioning amongst other athletes that we are gradually building relationships with over the years. The balance between comradery and rivalry provides for stimulating interactions on course, and with so many athletes these interactions can become very frequent!

 

The race this year had its share of setbacks and struggles leading to last minute course alterations and on the fly decision making by the race organization. Kudos to the organizers for pulling off a world class event in the face of adversity. A common theme in adventure racing from many different facets is dealing with a multitude of challenges in a timely and controlled manner. This race really brought that to the forefront with numerous large and uncontrollable challenges. From low water levels on the paddle to torrential downpours, extreme heat (39 C) and altitude (3600 m) to gastrointestinal sickness (stopping at least hourly to ‘evacuate’)… we faced adversity!

 

One of the big takeaways for the team was how these external hardships affect motivation, drive, and therefore speed and effort. Dealing with the ‘simple’ struggles such as hunger, dehydration, fatigue, cold, etc. are all things we are used to and have our systems in place to deal with. When a larger tribulation impacts the team the first step is to mitigate the situation, and the next step is to ensure that the team continues to drive forward as hard as possible. As a team trying to push towards the front of the pack, each of these setbacks (i.e. being on the side of the river for 10 hours), needs to be compartmentalized to not have lingering effects on headspace.

 

What’s the best way to deal with the team’s headspace and reestablishing the drive to RACE? Your teammates! Only through dealing with adversity over the years and establishing pattern recognition does the team build up resilience to issues that arise and endure through them to keep building each other up. Our team is fortunate enough to have the ability not only to help individuals when they are struggling but boost the team back up during a temporary collective dip in momentum.

 

In ramping up to the 2025 World Championships in British Columbia, we are continuing to work closely with the race organizers to produce the best event possible. We are proud to be part of such a world class organization and can’t wait for the next World Championships in the stunning area we call home. 

 

See you there!