Columnist Susan Snyder: Adventure race not for meek

Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 | 10:12 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

They must be part animal.

How else could competitors in this weekend's Mountain Rage adventure race complete a grueling 100-mile course over land and water, rain or shine, in daylight or dark?

Maybe it's the attitude.

"It's like waiting for the circus to get here!" said Robert Finlay, a Cold Creek resident who has entered the race with his son.

See? These people are a little "different."

Finlay, 47, and his son Druce, 21, make up one of almost 30 teams that will line up before dawn Saturday on Lake Mead National Recreation Area's Boulder Beach. They will kayak, hike, mountain bike and rappel their way across a course that remains a secret until the last minute, said Karen Livesay, owner of Four Winds Adventure Co.

Teams have two or four members and can be single-sex or mixed gender, Livesay said. In 36 hours or less they will complete a race that tests strategy and back-country smarts in addition to endurance and physical strength.

"They are tested on their knowledge of themselves," Livesay said.

The event is modeled after the longer, more insane international events such as the Eco-Challenge or the Raid Galousies, where teams are fortunate to survive the challenges, let alone come in ahead of people.

One team competing this weekend -- "Epinephrine" -- is a world-class champion. The four-member Southern California team typically finishes six to 10 hours ahead of the average competitor, Livesay says. (In adventure racing three to eight hours constitutes a "sprint").

The elder Finlay has competed in the Eco-Challenge and the Raid, and his son has competed with him in the Raid. This is their first short race. But at least the starting line will be easy to find, compared to longer events that start in remote areas of places such as Argentina or Tibet, he said.

Residents who want to watch will need boats. The overland sections are too remote. The best viewing spots are Boulder Beach and Hemenway Harbor around 6 a.m. Saturday, and the channel in the lake's narrow Boulder Canyon area until about noon. Check out Bonelli Landing late Saturday afternoon. The finish line is at Temple Bar, Ariz. Be there Sunday.

This year's course traverses the south shore. Last year's headed north, taking racers inland near Nellis Air Force Base. Inland sections are physically taxing but also test compass skills. Some racers are good. Some not so good.

"One of the teams got so lost, they met the end of a rifle on the military base. Can you imagine?" said Gail Matsunaga, a spokeswoman for the event.

No. But then I can't even fathom the Finlays' training hikes. They start in Pahrump around 7:30 p.m. and head home to Cold Creek -- 35 miles across the mountains. At night.

Finlay said the hiking portions seem to take most competitors by surprise. He recalled a race in Argentina where a past Tour de France bicycle race champion wept during the trekking.

"The guy was on his knees," Finlay said. "The hiking just obliterated him."

Finlay's wife's read on this?

"She thinks I'm a madman," Finlay laughed.

Sister, you are not alone.