Musing and Errata on the world of Adventure Racing from the Yak
presented by MPGear.com

The Checkpoint Tracker online coverage of the upcoming Mighty MO Expedition Race is now open for viewing by race fans everywhere. The blog will be updated with news and insights at regular invervals between now and the start of the race on May 4th. All registered teams are listed on the leaderboard although CPs, TAs, disciplines and the course map will be hidden until the race is underway.

We are thrilled to announce that accomplished AR shooter Mike Bitton will be providing coverage of all 2006 Trioba and Wicked AR events and will be reporting from the course at the upcoming Mighty MO Expedition Race in Missouri.

Mike is a long time photographer and writer and we are thrilled to have him on board.

Mike represents the first recruit in the newly formed Army of Zero. Commander in Chief, Paul "Yak" Angell, has ordered the formation of this elite new unit in order to broaden the reach of Checkpoint Zero beyond it's present borders.

The primary objective of the Army of Zero is to provide as much high quality photography and insightful reporting on the AR scene as is humanly possible.

If you are a photographer and/or writer who is interested in joining the Army of Zero send an email to General Yak and start doing pushups. Our reporters are required to 'embed' with the racers to capture the action directly from the course during the race.

If you didn't get a chance to follow the 2006 North Georgia Adventure Race online, you can catch up on what turned out to be a spectacular event by visiting the archived coverage at checkpointtracker.com.

Here are a few comments from fans that followed the race from home:

This looks first class - a quantum leap forward for AR.

The leaderbaord, map and blog are all first rate! It's like I'm there, except I'm warm, well fed and have lots of energy left.

Checkpoint Tracker is awesome. At last, people like me who could not do the race can keep up with it from home.

Your website is a great idea!! I monitored the race all weekend from Northern Indiana (one of our teammates was participating). Adventure racing probably will never be big enough to watch live on TV, but you're definately on to something here. I'll probably even buy some gear from your sponsors.

Just want to let you know that as a mother-in law of one of your racers we like to know how the teams are doing. This race was the best one reported so far and a great improvement from the past.

From a recent post on the PQ site:

In the early hours of Sunday morning, an undercover unit of IPFOCMOARET, the International Police Federation of Checkpoint Management of Adventure Racing Enforcement Team, acting on an anonymous tip, raided the headquarters of Team Silly Rabbits.

Details are sketchy, but early indications are that the team is innocent and was framed by a scared PQ competitor.

That last few days have seen announcements from both ARFE and the Silly Rabbits about their plans to offset the carbon emissions that their AR activities spew into the atmosphere by partnering with sponsors who will purchase carbon emission "credits" to offset their impact.

The idea is simple. Using a calculator you figure out how much CO2 your activities generate and then you give money to one of several organizations that have popped up who in turn purchase emission reduction credits (ERCs) from renewable energy companies.

This race is shaping up to be quite a spectacle. It will be the longest and most gruelling solo adventure race ever held in Costa Rica.

"The course is quite tough, and definitely not just anyone will be able to finish it," said Gergard Linner, a Costa Rican race veteran and support team director of one of the course's four regions.

The event has drawn interest far beyond the borders of the country. Top racers Paul Romero and Danelle Ballengee of the United states will be competing.

Stay tuned for our Feature coverage including reports and photos from the course during the race which begins on April 10th.

Greg VanBuren from the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association talks about his background in adventure sports, a bit about how he trains and what he enjoys most, and how much of a difference equipment makes during a race.

See the most recent AR interviews from EnduranceRadio.com on the homepage.