Hastings-Yankee Springs Edition
Hastings, MI
August 4, 2018
7 and 12 hours

Pick from either 7 or 12 hours of intensely fun and challenging trekking, orienteering, paddling, and biking in the Hastings/Yankee Springs area. Experience some of the best singletrack mountain biking, orienteering and paddling in West Michigan. You and your teammate(s) will race together to find as many checkpoints as you can in the time period.

The 12-hour race will spend a considerable time in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area. This area has seen quite a few adventure races over the last decade but we have been granted access to a monster orienteering course never before experienced to our knowledge. The 7-hour race (and the 12-hour) will be in the Hastings area and will offer awesome orienteering on private land and singletrack mountain biking that has never been experienced in a race before. Paddling for both races will be on a beginner-friendly river.

Don’t let the duration keep you from an incredible experience. Just adjust your pace, maintain a positive attitude and make sure you know how to follow a topographic map and use a compass to find off-trail checkpoints.

Divisions
Prize depth will be determined in part by size of the divisions.

• Solo: females, males (must do at least 2/3 of race on own)
• Two-person: co-ed, females, males
• Three and four-person co-ed, females, males

What’s Included
See the Register page for prices. Entry includes tech shirt, buffet, canoe, paddle, life vest, and a chance at over $2,000 worth of top finisher and raffle prizes. Top finishing teams in each division will also receive a handcrafted wood trophy made from Michigan hardwood trees, similar to these. Divisions must have at least one team as of July 12, 2018 when we make the trophies, otherwise they will receive a trophy not specific to this race.

Buffet will feature fettuccine alfredo, assorted salads with fresh strawberries and nuts, grilled chicken (alone or on salad), breaded chicken, and rolls.

Thanks to U Rent Em Canoe for free canoe use. U Rent Em Canoe is West Michigan’s oldest, largest and friendliest canoe, kayak and tube rental located on the scenic Thornapple River in downtown Hastings.

Course Design (distances to get ALL checkpoints; most of which are optional)
7 Hours
The 7 hour race will have some urban trekking and biking but with plenty of not-too-deep wilderness near Hastings. No Amazing Race challenges in this one. Transition areas and major sections will be done in order (to track teams for safety and allow volunteers to work multiple areas) so you’ll know where you stand against the other teams. All transition areas will be mandatory. If you are running behind, you should be able to get to all of these TAs without problem. Orienteering checkpoints will be mostly optional and in any order.

• Trekking/Orienteering: 6-7 miles, broken up. Great terrain. Distances between CPs will vary from 150 to 600 meters. A combination of very definable checkpoints and more subtle intermediate placements to test your ability to process many types of information (contour shape, elevation, vegetation types, man-made features, distance, direction, water features, etc.).
• Biking: 26-28 miles. Some really fun singletrack along with gravel and paved roads. More paved roads than our last few summer races, but a nice mix to give you a rest from the gravel when you need it. Not a lot of hills on the bike leg. Road bikes not allowed.
• Paddling: 2.5-3 miles. We will provide the kayaks and canoes free of charge. Short but sweet.

12 Hours
Transition areas and major sections will be done in order (to track teams for safety and allow volunteers to work multiple areas). All transition areas will be mandatory. If you are running behind, you should be able to get to all of these TAs without problem. Orienteering checkpoints will be mostly optional and in any order (score-o/rogaine).

• Orienteering/Trekking: 11-13 miles. Great terrain. Distances between CPs will vary from 250 meters to over a mile. A combination of very definable checkpoints and more subtle intermediate/advanced placements to test your ability to process many types of information (contour shape, elevation, vegetation types, man-made features, distance, direction, water features, etc.).
• Biking: 40-50 miles. Some really fun singletrack along with gravel and paved roads. Road bikes not allowed.
• Paddling: 6-7 miles. Pretty river paddling. We will provide the kayaks and canoes free of charge or you can bring your own.

12 Hours
Bike and canoe stage: 5:45-6:30 am
Check-in, gear check, hand out maps: 6:00-7:00 am
Race briefing: 7:00-7:30 am
Race planning: 7:30-7:50 am
Race start: 8:00 am
Race cut-off: 8:00 pm
Food: 7:00-8:30 pm, pizza, fruit
Award ceremony and raffle: approx. 8:30 pm

7 Hours
Bike and canoe stage: 8:30-10:00 am
Check-in, gear check, hand out maps: 8:30-10:30 am
Race briefing: 10:45-11:15 am
Race planning: 11:15-11:50 am
Race start: 12:00 pm
Race cut-off: 7:00 pm
Food: 7:00-8:30 pm, pizza, fruit
Award ceremony and raffle: approx. 8:30 pm

Directions & Parking

Hastings Community Education and Resource Center
(at Hastings High School/Child Development Center)
520 W South St, Hastings, MI 49058

Required Gear
See the Gear page for details. Required gear will be standard adventure racing gear (bike, hydration pack/containers, compass, emergency blanket and a few other small items).

Kayaks/Canoes
Boats, PFDs and paddles will be provided FREE of CHARGE thanks to U Rent Em Canoe, our presenting sponsor!!

If you bring your own canoe or kayak, you will need to stage it. We will provide directions to the staging area a day or two before the race. You can leave your personal paddles and PFDs there as well. You can pick up your boat on the way home where you staged it.

Race Preparation Clinics
Navigation 101/201 clinic, Saturday, July 14, Seidman Park, Grand Rapids. Classroom and in-field practice. 1.5 hours. Free. If you can’t make it, check out the Navigation 101/201 clinic presentation and other sources on our Learn More page for tips.

Shirt
Short-sleeved tech shirt comes with entry. Register by Sunday of race week to receive. Otherwise you’ll receive our pint or buff/headware. $15 after registration if we have any left. Men’s/adult crew or women’s v-neck, same shirt as our other races. If you are normally between sizes, you may want to go with the smaller size.

Women’s shirt specifications
Men’s shirt specifications

Merchandise (available at early and same-day check-in)
Sweatshirt – hooded, pockets, $30
Long sleeve tech shirt, crew or v-neck, $22
Short sleeve tech shirt, crew or v-neck, $17
Buff headwear, $10 ($18-$23 for most others)
Stainless steel pint, $10 ($15 on most race sites)
Sticker, $3

Race Format
You and your teammate(s) will work to find as many checkpoints as you can in the time period. The race will be broken up so that you’ll do one activity for a while, then another, etc. so your body (and brain) will get nice breaks. Your bike will be your means of transportation from one place to another throughout the race, from start to finish. You’ll stop at various “transition areas” to leave your bike with a volunteer to paddle and to trek/orienteer on foot before returning to your bike to continue on.

Checkpoints may be out of view, tucked behind trees or a hill, but generally are not intentionally hidden (except in public areas to minimize risk of theft). Check your map to see where the point is located and consult your instruction sheet for the clue which will help you determine its more exact location. Some points will require use of your compass, topographical map and an understanding of how to read that map. Each checkpoint will have an orange and white flag with a punch attached to it.

The goal is to maximize the number of checkpoints on your passport within the time limit. A team that gets 25 checkpoints with seconds to spare will finish ahead of a team that gets 24 checkpoints with one hour to spare.

Rules & Age Limits
Please read through our standard race rules. Special rules that apply for this specific race only will be listed in one of the race updates you’ll receive. Obey all traffic laws. This is an open course so you may encounter vehicles and pedestrians at any point. Racers must be at least 14 years old due to biking in traffic; a parent may discuss the possibility of an exception with race organizers. Racers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and have a parent or guardian sign the waiver/consent form provided during online registration.

After the Race
We encourage you to hang out after the race. Enjoy our tasty buffet of Fettuccine Alfredo, assorted salads with fresh strawberries and nuts, grilled chicken (alone or on salad), breaded chicken, and rolls. Congratulate the top finishers (and yourself!), hopefully win a raffle prize, and share stories of getting lost and found. Family and friends can join for $10 per person. Pay during registration. Please bring a camp/folding chair if you can. We may not have tables and chairs for all racers.

Charity Partner
Our charity partner is the Barry County United Way, focused on the building blocks of education, income and health to create long-lasting change.

Questions? www.facebook.com/miadventurerace is a great place to ask questions and get answers so others can learn from your question. For questions specific to you, email Mark VanTongeren, race director.