Rss/XmlThe BAAR Brawl
I am usually reluctant to post anything on public site about the BAAR Brawl, but since readership of this blog ranges in the low to mid single figures, who's going to know?
The reluctance stems from the operating philosophy of the BAAR (Bay Area Adventure Racers) Brawl: it isn't really a race. It is a semi-underground 24-hour training exercise. Since there are no permits (or entry fees, or awards, support or even carefully calibrated time-trials), it neccessarily remains pretty much a bandit event.
But it also seems to be more than that. On the landing page of adventureracereports.com, you'll see a bunch of races, all thrilling in their own way, but only one with over 9,000 page views: the Brawl.
Much of its infamy has to do with its laughable finishing percentage of less than 4%. And that's on a good year. In 2007, not a single person did the whole course. In 2006, Austin Murphy and I nabbed the highest number of CPs, but skipped a bunch and so didn't really "win" anything. The most epic year, 2005, saw only a handful finish: my two teammates and I, and one other team who took - seriously - several months to do so.
Rick Baraff, a member of the Silly Rabbits and one of the strongest racers in the country, has bemoaned his Oh-for-Three record at the Brawl and is out for revenge.
So if any of you four people out there reading this desire a serious feather in your cap, or just a serious ass-whupping, join BAAR's Yahoo group and poke around in there - you just might find the portal to entry to the Brawl.
posted by Gordon @ 2:47 PM
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