Pabst Blue Ribbon: Poorly-Done Reenactments

The Word on the Street:

The boys are back and there's going to be trouble.

Nice Job Everyone!!!

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to all the teams who competed in the FIWAR this past weekend. Conditions were nothing short of epic, and there were many, many smiling faces, which is amazing considering some of the terrain we sent these racers through. I will get more of a race description up in the next couple of days, along with a play by play as I remember it, but for now, check out the results and the pictures. Congrats to EMS and Endurance Adventure for winning the race in an amazing time of 7:49, and also congrats to the division winners, listed below along with their times and the number of CPs they found:

3 person Coed: Team EMS, 7:49, all 23 CPs
2 Person Male: Team Endurance Adventure, 7:49, all 23 CPs
2 Person Coed: Team Sunrise Cafe, 8:08, all 23 CPs
3 Person Male: acidoticRACING/ Redhook, 8:54, all 23 CPs
3 Person Female: The Tundra Terrors, 10:22, 16 CPs (go Princeton Geology!!)
2 Person Female: Team Couteau, 11:04, 12 CPs

Nice job everyone!!!! See ya'll at the Bitter Pill, where Team Runs with Scissors will give you a run for your money...

Grambo

**MVP FRIGID INFLICTION Winter Adventure Race in Vermont Today**

Top National Teams Competing

Race is regional qualifier for the U.S. Adventure Racing Association National Championships

Bolton Valley, Vt. – At 5:00 a.m. this morning, when most of Vermont was still sleeping, the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association (GMARA) kicked off the 2008 MVP Health Care Frigid Infliction Winter Adventure Race (FIWAR)—America’s largest winter adventure race.

This year’s “Frigid Infliction” it putting every racer’s winter skills to the test. The race is sanctioned by the United States Adventure Racing Association (USARA). In addition to being an early opportunity for teams to accrue qualifying points for the USARA National Championships, the winning coed, 3-person team automatically wins an invitation to the national championships in November.

MVP Health Care is leading sponsor for today’s 10-hour winter race and is also the sponsor of the The Bitter Pill, a 12-hour summer race held in August.

“MVP Health Care is committed to having a positive impact on the health and wellness of the communities we serve,” said William Little, MVP Vermont vice president. “These two events are a great way for Vermonters to take on life and live well,” he said.

“Our winter adventure race is a great way for coed or single sex teams of 2 or 3 to put all of their winter skills to the test in some of the most spectacular terrain in the Northeast,” said Chris Yager, GMARA president. “The race includes navigation with topographical map and compass, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, postholing (on foot without snowshoes) and a ropes feature known as a tyrolean traverse. 40 teams from all across the country—including some of the very top teams in the nation—are already racing their way through some of Vermont’s most impressive terrain. And the snow is deep out there!”

A RACE FOR EVERYONE
GMARA uses an accelerated cutoff system which allows experienced teams to be challenged, while also providing a great race for first timers.

“If you have never done an adventure race before, this is the perfect one to start with. This was the first adventure race for about a third of the participants the past two years—it’s a great way to get started in this incredible sport,” said race director Tim Curtin.

GMARA holds a navigation clinic the night before the race, as well as their famous post-race party with food, drink, massages, pool, hot tub and prizes.

To learn more or to review the current list of registered teams, visit: http://www.gmara.org/frigid

ABOUT ADVENTURE RACING AND GMARA
Adventure racing is one of America’s fastest growing multi-discipline sports. At its core, adventure racing is a multi-sport, mixed gender event. It has been called “an expedition with a stopwatch.” The goal is to put your endurance and outdoor skills to the test and cross the finish line as a team. Courses typically take place in remote wilderness where teams may not see race officials or other teams for hours at a time. Navigation decisions are left to the team; they simply have a map and directions telling them where the next checkpoint is.

GMARA is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve adventure racers in Vermont and the rest of the Northeast. The club works to promote and grow the sport through a variety of activities. GMARA is made up of athletes with a variety of backgrounds and race experience levels.
MVP Health Care, Inc., is a family of companies offering a range of health benefit plans and options combined with leading-edge wellness programs that help reduce health risks and control health care costs. MVP distinguishes itself by combining the wide range of health benefit plan options offered by large insurers with the attentive service and flexibility normally associated with a smaller company.

Through MVP Health Plan, Inc., the MVP Health Insurance Company, Preferred Care and Preferred Assurance Company, MVP Health Care, Inc. serves more than 650,000 members across Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

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