Death Race – Just Days Away
06/13/2012
My life has been all consumed with one thing lately and that is racing and namely The Death Race. Coming off of my race in Tuxedo I rode the high for a couple days then started to focus in on the Death Race. It's been touted one of the most difficult endurance races in the planet. It just so happens to take place five miles from my house and this year I am taking a stab at it.
The official start of the race is, I think, Friday, however the game started over a week ago. To date we have received four emails all of which have contradicting information. This is not your typical race. It is not that the race organizers are disorganized the misdirection is all part of the race. So far we have had to submit nonexistent forms to a nonexistent state office, had several required gear list changes and registration into the race is a three-part process this year. However, this could all change tomorrow so in short you quickly learn how to roll and laugh at it all.
So far the list of possible required gear:
Life Jacket
Bandages
Knitting Needles
Axe
Saw
Chopsticks
Matches
Dress Shoes
Pink Bathing Cap
Black Compression Shirt
Needles
Thread
Chipping from a Bonsai Tree
Did I mention this is not your typical race? In true Death Race fashion this will change yet again before we actually start racing and honestly this is all part of the fun of the race. So here I am days away from the race of which I have about a 10% chance of finishing and what am I doing? Relaxing, hydrating and eating my face off. It's really all you can do with a race like this. I have my race bins packed with all sort of food and first aid stuff for racing, my pack is basically set, and all I can do now is wait for final instructions.
Oh did I also mention that this race, they don't tell you when it ends or what you will be doing. You just do what they tell you then keep repeating until you either quit or they say you are finished. Last year the race was 45 hours long. This year rumors are it could last into midnight on Monday. Now is that Monday night or the beginning of Monday that is up for question. With the theme of betrayal you never know whats true and whats not. So you can think of me this weekend while you are out enjoying a nice iced coffee, I will probably be deep in the woods with a log or rock in tow dreaming of that iced coffee.