2020 Castlewood 8-Hr Adventure Race
Race Update #2
5-Nov-20
Greetings, adventure racers!
We are exactly 1 month away from RACE DAY and have our second RACE UPDATE ready for you! In this email, you will find more details about race location, lodging, our COVID-19 Safety Plan, course details, registration, transfers, AR201, sponsors, coupons, and volunteering. Whew!
Race Location & Lodging
We are excited to announce that we are working with the City of Pacific, Missouri to host the 2020 Castlewood 8-Hr Adventure Race. We have received an exceptional welcome from the Mayor and Board of Alderman and are looking forward to showcasing this small Missouri community in our race! There are multiple hotel, campground, AirBnB, and VRBO options located in and near Pacific – for those of you traveling from out of town, please make reservations here.
COVID-19 Safety Plan and Permit Update
We are keeping a very close eye on the pandemic statistics in Missouri as we continue to plan for the race. As previously mentioned, we are developing a COVID-19 Safety Plan in conjunction with our land managers and will distribute that plan to all participants when complete. The 2020 race will be 100% outside – there will be no indoor facilities available to stage gear, change clothes, etc, and there will be no bussing. We will have porta-potties and vault toilets available only. Currently, the plan also includes designing the entire event to allow for and encourage social distancing (i.e. minimizing crowds of people), as well as requiring face coverings when within 6′ of a non-teammate. Our pre- and post-race festivities, as well as interactions with race staff/volunteers, will certainly look different, but we are committed to producing a challenging event as well as supporting the health of our adventure racing and host communities.
While we are planning full-steam ahead to host the race on 12/5/20, our permits may be revoked at any time if the land managers determine that even with precautions, group events are not safe. There are very few contingency plans available to us if these changes occur last minute (although we are planning as best we can for them). All racers, especially those travelling from out of town, need to understand these risks. If the event is cancelled, we will be able to issue race refunds or future race credit, but we are not liable for any additional fees such as hotel and/or travel expenses. If those potential costs are outside of your personal risk tolerance, please contact ekorsch@alpineshop.com to request a refund now.
Bikes in Boats:
The 2020 Castlewood 8-Hr Adventure Race course will require teams to paddle a canoe with their bikes. You may bring extra straps to secure your bikes if you feel the need, however you will need to carry these items while biking before and/or after the paddle. While loading bikes into canoes takes some forethought and planning, we have seen many rookie teams complete this successfully! Please plan ahead and be ready for the put-in.
Race Registration:
We sold out for the 5th straight year as of 10/22/20. Thank you for your continued support of the Castlewood 8-Hr Adventure Race! We still have a few teams that need to complete their roster, and they have been receiving regular updates with instructions on how to do so. Head on over to our Registered Teams list and double-check that your team is listed accurately. If you notice any errors, please notify Emily at ekorsch@alpineshop.com. If you, or someone you know, would like to be placed on the waitlist, please email Emily at ekorsch@alpineshop.com.
Transfers/Registration Changes:
We can accommodate transfers between divisions at no cost to you. As mentioned above, we are providing full refunds to anyone who needs to withdraw due to COVID-19 concerns. Please notify us about these changes as early as possible. A change with your team may allow a waitlisted team to participate, and it’s only fair that we give everyone as much notice as possible.
AR101/AR201:
We completed our 2020 series of AR101 classroom learning sessions virtually via Facebook Live. The archived videos are available as a YouTube playlist. Thanks to everyone who participated – we had great audience interaction and loved your questions!
Coming up this Saturday the 7th, we will host the first AR201 group training session at Castlewood State Park in conjunction with St. Louis Orienteering Club. We will have about 10 checkpoints hung in the woods from 10AM to 2PM. You’ll get a map when you arrive and can take your time navigating to each checkpoint without the pressure of a race clock. Members of the St. Louis Orienteering Club will be available to provide some tips as well! MASKS REQUIRED when within 6’ of a non-teammate. Tess the Trail Dog will be providing moral support as well! Please sign up here by Friday 11/6 at noon so we know to print a map for you.
Sponsors:
We’d like to extend the first of many thank-you’s to our sponsoring organizations this year. They’ve provided support without hesitation and we are so fortunate to be working with them. Please consider their support of adventure racing when making your next purchase or donation:
- Alpine Shop – obvious! overall race coordination and donating prizes
- City of Pacific – host city
- Kuat Racks – donating a Sherpa 2.0 for Rookie Racer Rack Raffle
- MyTopo – donating race maps
- St. Louis Orienteering Club – providing AR201 assistance
- Team River Runner – providing water safety team
Coupons:
Yeah! We love hooking you up with discounts! Today’s coupon is for 50% off a Bike Tune-Up from Alpine Shop Kirkwood. Stop by today to have your bike checked out by our skilled, friendly, and mask-wearing Outfitters. Please mention coupon code CW8SERVICE when dropping off your bike!
Volunteers:
We have several socially-distant volunteer positions still available. Please sign up here to support the race!
Thanks for reading! If you have any further specific questions, please send them to Emily at ekorsch@alpineshop.com to get an answer!
Your Race Directors,
Emily & Erl.