The weekend of July 18th saw the much anticipated return of two of the Northwest's leaders in outdoor adventure sports; the Gorge Games and Wicked Adventure Racing. Race Director Shane Gibson and his staff bounced back from a brief hiatus with another Wicked installment filled with 24 hours of quality single-track mountain biking, challenging trekking with some bush-whacking, and a kayak paddle on the Columbia River. The conditions on the river on the morning on the race proved too rugged for even the heartiest of paddlers, so that section was modified to the pleasure and relief of the racers.

As is typical of all Wicked races, navigation and route planning turned out to be the pivotal strategic interlude most teams were looking forward to. A Rogaine format most often seen in orienteering events was the focus for this year's race. Each race discipline was set with numerous checkpoints that were assigned a numerical points value. Teams were given a predetermined time for which to plan a route and to collect as many points as they feel they could gain during that time and then return to the transition area to prepare for the next discipline. This format placed a balanced, thought-provoking challenge to the race teams and allowed for an overall positive race experience.

Over 85 checkpoints were placed throughout the spectacular Mount Hood National forest and the surrounding area. Teams started with a subdued yet challenging 3 hour kayak paddle that saw them turning in laps on the Columbia River. As mentioned, this portion of the course originally called for over 20 miles of paddling yet had to be pared down due to the high winds and cresting waves that make Hood River, Oregon famous for it's windsurfing. Race Director Shane Gibson adds, "We are the only event in the Gorge Games that is hoping to not have wind on race day."

The next transition was to the mountain bikes that led teams into the night towards the Kingston Reservoir with a brief, yet brutal, 2 hour slog up many feet of elevation gain. To give you an idea of the difficulty, each of these check points were 100, 200, 250, 350, and 450 points in value. That is some tough cranking on the legs and lungs.

From Kingston, racers were sent into the night lit by the full moon to collect even more points over the course of a 10 hour trek. With the highest point on the course being on Mount Defiance (4960 feet), teams were challenged to make this epic trek to gain the highest point value of 1001 points and the opportunity to get their 15 seconds of fame; Fox Sports was waiting for them with cameras rolling, a great chance to show off your skills and your sponsors support. Locals have described Mount Defiance as a harder climb than if you were to summit Mt. Hood (11,249 feet). Once you reach the 4100ft. mark you get a breathtaking view to the north of the Cascade Range, the Columbia Gorge, and all the smaller hills that dot the horizon.

The morning dawned with racers once again back on their bikes to see what sort of Wicked single-track was available. As route planning was a key to the success of the teams in this race, choosing the points you wanted would determine the kind of ride you had. Some teams chose to bomb straight down into Hood River to pick off the more easily found points in town while others chose a more challenging route, gnarly riding, with a higher points value. Another opportunity to climb Mount Defiance was available for an additional 1001 points for those teams who were gluttons for punishment and greedy for an additional 15 seconds of fame.

The race finish brought all teams back to the waterfront area of the Columbia River to the promise of an equally epic post-race feed provided by Next Adventure-a Portland, Oregon based alternative outdoor store- as well as the swag give-away from other sponsors such as Tecnu Extreme, SPOT, Kagome, Mountains Plus Gear, National Guard, Hammer Nutrition, and Next Adventure. If you missed any of the action, then you can look forward to race highlights broadcast during the 3 and 1/2 hours of prime time coverage on all Fox Sports network stations in the U.S starting August 18th. The Games coverage will reach a potential target audience of 84 MILLION households. Now that is a Wicked Adventure!

For more information about Wicked Adventure Racing along with results and photos of the 2008 Wicked Gorge visit http://www.wickedar.com.