August 8, 2012 7:00 a.m. —
Competing in a 12-hour, multi-discipline adventure race can be described in a number of ways. Exhausting, grueling, and just plain hard all come to mind. There is also, for those who complete the race, the words fulfilling and rewarding, among others.
But ask an athlete how he or she is feeling after a race, and more often than not the same answer is stated — sore.
This was the status of 20-year-old siblings Erin and Eric Erdley of Meadville following their experience this past Saturday in the Kinzua Tango Adventure Race.
“I am very sore but glad that I did it,” Erin said. “I will definitely be taking a little break before starting up training again.”
The race consisted of six events ranging more than 56 miles in the Kinzua Dam and Warren area. The race usually takes around 12 to 13 hours to compete.
There is also no time to rest or relax during the event.
“You have to really pace yourself because there are no breaks,” Erin said. “The only break you have are during your transitions, but those still count toward your overall time.”
Erin paced herself well, winning first-place honors in the women’s solo division according to the race’s website. She finished the race in 12:52. Eric completed the race in 13:13. Both times were unofficial as of Tuesday.
“I definitely didn’t think I had a chance to win,” Erin said. “There are always people with more experience out there, but I was very happy with my time.”
This was the first year both Erin and Eric competed in the solo division. In the past, they competed in the team relay division.
“It was definitely tougher competing in the solo division,” Eric said. “You really have to push yourself when you feel like you are ready to quit. But it gives you a bigger feeling of accomplishment once you finish.”
The first leg of the race commenced at 7 a.m. with a 13-mile run from the YMCA in Warren and ending at the Kinzua beach. From there, the participants had a 20-mile bike ride through the mountains, followed by a 2.5-mile swim in the Kinzua reservoir.
The contestants then had to endure eight miles of orienteering by finding check points throughout the forest with the use of a map and compass. The last two legs of the race consisted of a 4.5-mile run and eight miles of canoeing until the competitors returned to the YMCA.
Training for an event such as this can at times be just as demanding as the event itself.
“You have to put a lot of time into training for events like this,” Eric said. “We did a lot of running, biking and swimming back-to-back-to-back. We also competed in smaller races throughout the year which prepared us for this one.”
Among those smaller events was the Tough Mudder race in the Poconos in April.
Both Eric and Erin are excited about competing in the event again next year, but they may not race alone this time. Competing in the tango division once again as a team remains on the table for the siblings.
“It would be a lot more fun competing with Erin as a team,” Eric said. “We have talked about it and think it would be exciting for the both of us.”
Local Sports
Local duo competes in 12-plus hour race
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