October 18, 2005
Raid the Rock 2005
The annual Raid the Rock Urban Adventure Race was held this past Saturday, and I had the opportunity to volunteer as I wasn't racing again this year. I considered competing in the solo category but the entry fee of $200 was a little steep for my taste.
I ended up being assigned to the ropes/rappeling portion of the race which took place around an old, unused railroad bridge in downtown Little Rock. Also seeing as how this checkpoint was located early on in the race, I had to be at that location by 6am in the morning, although the first racers didn't arrive until around 8:30am. Once arriving at that particular checkpoint, one teammate had to swim out approximately 100 ft into the river, and then climb a four-story cargo net up to the railroad bridge. The other two teammates had the choice of climbing a two story cargo net or a rope ladder from the shore. Once all three teammates made it atop the railroad bridge, they rappeled down the other side back into the river, where they had to swim a short 50 ft back to shore. My job was on top of the railroad bridge, keeping the racers in line and waiting their turn for the rappel.
It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed the opportunity I had to help. I even got to see the one team I knew (consisting of members from church) who came in around 10th place at that time.
Here are a few of the many photos I took that morning:
