By Ted Schredd
On the last weekend of August I was
lucky enough to be invited to help MC the 24 Hours
of Adrenalin Race in Whistler, BC. This mountain
bike race consists of solo 
athletes
and teams of cyclists. I have had the pleasure of
MC’ing numerous races over the past five years
but this one is super cool…why?
Solo athletes participate for 24 hours of Mountain
biking. Insane? Yes! Teams of mountain bikers alternate
– kind of a relay race that takes them through
the night. The course was 14.2k (8.8 miles) and
the winner did 22 laps. Besides the exciting racing,
it was the atmosphere that race organizers have
created that makes this event unique.
Once
it becomes dark they set up a movie screen and run
movies. They serve popcorn and set up bleachers.
At midnight there is a corn roast to warm your belly.
Inside the timing tent at 3:00 AM volunteers were
dancing, shaking cowbells and playing Frisbee. People
dress up in costumes and wear crazy props on their
helmets.
The focus of the event is to push yourself for a
full 24 hours of adrenalin and to have as much damn
fun as you possibly can in one weekend. There were
over 500 competitors from 11 countries. Whether
you are a biker or not I suggest you check out the
next 24 Hours of Adrenalin Race. There are twelve
races a year and if you live in North America there
may be one near you. Go and volunteer or if you
are feeling low on excitement – enter the
race. For more information check out their website
at www.24hoursofadrenalin.com
