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2021 Rib Mountain Challenge Presented by the Town of Rib Mountain Sponsored in part by the City of Wausau room tax Sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism

Race Update #1

Thank you for registering for the 6th annual Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge! We are just over 2 weeks away from race day and are sold out at 500 racers! Please read the details below carefully and look through all materials on the race website including the Race Information, Gear List, and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Team List. Please carefully review the registered team page to ensure your team name and racer names are listed correctly. If any information is not correct for your team, please email us with corrections ASAP.

Race Headquarters (HQ). Race location will be announced within 4 days of the race start.

Hotel Lodging. We would recommend any hotel in the town of Rib Mountain or greater Wausau area.

Camping. There will be no camping at race headquarters this year. If you’re looking to camp, you can check out County Parks camping options HERE.

Start Time Windows. Your team can sign-up now for your check-in/start time. You will select a 30-minute start time window for race day. Your team can start any time within that selected 30-minute window. You are on the clock as soon as you punch the start box with your e-punch stick, but you MUST start within that selected window. If you punch the start box after your pre-selected time, your start time will still be when the end of your window would have been. If you plan to race side-by-side with another team of family/friends, please be sure each team signs up for the same start time window. 3-hour racers: the earlier start time windows will have you finishing well in advance of the awards ceremony. If you are local, this could give you time to go home and shower and come back. There will be food and beverages waiting for all teams at the finish line starting at 1pm. NOTE: if you do not select a check-in/start time by next week, we will assign one to your team. SELECT YOUR START TIME HERE. Only one person per team should fill out this form.

Pre-race Meeting. The pre-race meeting will be pre-recorded and posted to YouTube so you can view it at your convenience. We will also have a live Q&A session over Zoom a day or two before the race for any additional questions. Race Day Schedule. 18-hour race 8:00pm- bike drop opens 9:00-10:00pm- pre-selected/assigned check in 10:00-11:00pm- pre-selected/assigned start windows 5:00pm- closes 1:00-6:00pm- Food truck and beer/soda 6:00pm- Awards

8-hour race 6:00-8:00am- pre-selected/assigned check in 7:30-9:00am- pre-selected/assigned start windows 5:00pm- Course closes 1:00-6:00pm- Food truck and beer/soda 6:00pm- Awards

3-hour race 9:30am-12:00pm- pre-selected/assigned check in 10:30am-1:00pm- pre-selected/assigned start windows 5:00pm- Course closes 1:00-6:00pm- Food truck and beer/soda 6:00pm- Awards

3-hour race with a 4-hour cut-off??? We expect most teams to take 3 hours or less to clear the 3-hour course this year, however, based on feedback from previous years we want to give teams that need more time the option to try and clear as much of the course as they want to, so we are keeping the 3-hour course officially open for 4 hours.

Personal Paddle Gear. All racers must use the (kayaks for soloists) provided by the race. 3-hour racers must use the paddles and PFD’s provided by the race. 8-hour and 18-hour racers may bring their own paddles and/or PFD’s or may use the paddles and/or PFD’s provided by the race. If 8-hour and 18-hour racers choose to bring their own paddle gear, it needs to be labeled with your team name and secured together in a bag. Please only put paddle gear in this bag (no food, water, other gear).

Three-Person Teams in 1 Canoe. Please note that the canoes have TWO seats. Please, please, please do not sit on the thwarts (center crossbeams) of the boats. They are not made for sitting, and none of us want to deal with a damaged boat. Also, sitting on the thwart puts your center of gravity way too high and the boat will be prone to tipping. You may want to consider bringing a cushion or other slightly raised object for your middle paddler’s “comfort,” but 3-hour teams must bear in mind that they will need to carry any extra gear they bring throughout the entire duration of the race. Teams observed sitting on the center thwart will be disqualified.

Fans/Spectators. Friends and family are always welcome and encouraged to cheer on teams throughout the race, but please be sure to remind your fans that while they should cheer loudly and take plenty of photographs and video, this is an unsupported race, and therefore they are not allowed to provide any assistance to your team or any other team.

Series Points. The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge is proud to be part of two adventure racing series. We strongly encourage all teams to track your ranking! Series entry is FREE, and you’re automatically signed up for both series by competing in this event. More information on each series can be found below:

● Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series, presented by 1st Basis Consulting, is Wisconsin’s premier race series featuring adventure races throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, with cash prizes totaling over $2,000. There is no fee to join the series, simply race any of the events and you’ll be automatically signed up. The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge is the fourth race in the series, and there are eight adventure races following this one in 2021! Participate in multiple races for the chance to take home prizes, including a prize for all racers who participate in 3 or more WI AR Series events in 2021! Compete as a soloist or in teams of 2, 3, or 4 and see how your team ranks against others in the Midwest!

● USARA is the nation-wide governing body of adventure racing. The United States Adventure Racing Association tracks race results from races throughout the country and offers a yearly national championship event.

USARA National Championship in Wisconsin in 2021. We are THRILLED that for the first time ever, the USARA Adventure Racing National Championship will be held in Wisconsin! The National Championship race will be held in Cable, WI on September 10-11, 2021. The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge will earn you points towards qualifying to compete at Nationals!

WOMEN OF AR $600 sponsorship! The Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge is excited to announce that we will again be matching the $300 sponsorship that is being offered to the top all-female team in both the 8-hour and 18-hour race who accepts a qualifying spot at Nationals. The top female team in each race that qualifies for and registers to attend Nationals will earn a $600 sponsorship to compete in the USARA National Championship.

IRONBULL is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes outdoor adventure sports in Central Wisconsin. We aim to drive economic development, benefit community organizations, and attract and retain a talented work force through the production of high-quality events that promote healthy living in our community. Check out more about us and our events at www.ironbull.org and spread the word!

Light & Motion Bike Light Discount Thanks to our generous sponsor, Light & Motion, racers can get 20% off these high- quality lights. Team Rib Mountain Racing has been using Light & Motion lights for the past decade. If you’re racing the 18-hour or are just looking to do some more night biking, be sure to grab this sweet deal! You must use THIS LINK to get the discount which will be added at checkout.

OutThere Packs Thanks to our generous sponsor, OutThere Packs, racers can get 20% off backpacks built for adventure racing. Use promo code RibMountain20 at checkout. Owner Mike Kloser is a former world champion adventure racer and knows exactly what is needed in a backpack for AR. If you’re looking for a new pack for the race in a couple weeks or for future , be sure to check out his full line of packs! We highly recommend the MS-3 15L pack for our race length.

Sponsors. Please support and thank our generous sponsors for their help and contributions to this event. Next time you are buying gear for the race, doing other shopping, or looking for services, please consider frequenting our race sponsors and thanking them specifically for their support of this event. Current sponsors and partners include:

IRONBULL Town of Rib Mountain City of Wausau Travel Wisconsin Rib Mountain Cycles Red Eye Brewing Company GearJunkie Nicolet National Bank WI AR Series USARA Central Wisconsin Off-Road Cycling Coalition Ruppel Chiropractic Bradley Chiropractic Edward Jones - Ben and Melissa Peterson Trig’s 1st Basis Consulting Gary Barden Design PowerGrips Light & Motion OutThere Zanfel

Facebook. If you have not already, please “like” our Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge Facebook page as well as our IRONBULL Facebook page, and 2021 Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge Facebook Event page. We will be posting photos and videos from the racecourse along with other helpful information on these pages leading up to the race. In the days after the event, please visit to see photos of your team and tag yourself.

Questions? If you have other questions that haven’t been answered by the FAQ page, please feel free to send us an email.

Tim Buchholz and Anna Nummelin Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge, Race Directors [email protected] www.facebook.com/ribmountainadventurechallenge www.ribmountainadventurechallenge.com