- Thursday 27 February 2025
Adventure racing is more than just a sport – it’s a test of endurance, strategy, and adaptability. Few people understand this better than Dave Salter who has been competing in Questars events for nearly two decades. From a chaotic first race in 2005, Dave’s journey is filled with highs, lows, and plenty of lessons learned along the way.
In this Q&A, Dave shares insights on what makes Questars adventure racing so special, offers advice for newcomers, and recounts some of his most memorable (and occasionally disastrous!) race moments. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did.
Let’s dive in!
When did you participate in your first Questars adventure race?
13 August 2005, Vale Of Pewsey with my best mate Ashley, it was all his fault. We misjudged everything, ran far too far, for me anyway, and then got horribly lost on the biking but nevertheless came back for more in October based in Fordingbridge and did equally badly I think.
Roughly how many Questars adventure races have you participated in?
Almost continuously since then give or take a few clashing with holidays, injuries, pandemics and an 18-month hiatus when Ashley was forced to retire. I still have the maps from 60 events!
What do you like most about Questars adventure races?
They have always been welcoming to all levels of abilities and whilst they do attract some very good adventure racers with the capability to occasionally clean a course, nobody is looked down upon even if they are somewhat less likely to achieve that sort of level of performance.
What do you like most about adventure racing?
Having never done any other form of adventure race but Questars, I am probably still answering the previous question. I like the flexible format that means even if you are a bit injury challenged as is often the case in my case and thus typically unable to run far, you can focus on the other disciplines and still have a good day out.
Why did you first get into adventure racing?
Ashley, was already an orienteerer and was dabbling with Karrimor Mountain Marathons (now OMM of course) and London Marathons etc. He came up with the idea of us having a go at Questars, we had played squash, run and cycled together since University. He was a stronger runner than me but we were fairly even on the bikes, neither of us having a vast amount of MTB experience. I foolishly agreed, and as mentioned above the run nearly did me in on the first event.
What advice would you give to someone just getting started in adventure racing?
Make sure you orientate yourself well before you start. I don’t know how many times I have started, grabbed the map, marked the dummy controls and then struggled to find the way out of the start base, it’s very embarrassing and undignified. Even after I managed to do this, I often got so flustered in the first half an hour that I would make another navigation error and then have to stop and give myself a good talking to. My golden rule now is to slow down, take a deep breath and try not to make mistakes, I just wish I actually stuck to that mantra all the time. NB I actually visited a dummy control last year having failed to mark it, that really is silly.
What is the best piece of advice that you were given when you started adventure racing?
I thought Ashley would look after me, turned out he was as bad as me! I think we were told something along the lines of the above but we were too excited to listen.
What is your strongest and weakest race discipline? How do you combat your weakest discipline?
In the early years it was definitely kayaking, Ashley’s back always played up so he frequently stopped paddling which was awkward as he was the one in the back doing the steering. Now I am on my own, it is still not a strong point as I lack two useful attributes, upper body strength and technique but at least the boat stays more or less pointing in the right direction. It is usually still the fastest way to earn points although a couple of last year’s events were a touch testing as a solo weakling. If I am not injured I think I am fairly balanced in the running / cycling departments.
What does your training plan for an adventure race look like?
Plan isn’t the word I would use for how I go about maintaining my fitness. Bearing in mind my great age, it’s a matter of balancing what my body will take versus what I would like to achieve. These seem to be drifting apart a bit now, well frankly they always have really. I spend zero time in a gym but really ought to get back to suspension training which I did up until June last year. I usually try to either parkrun (flat out!) often with a 4 mile return run to get there or do a 40 to 50 mile pacy group road bike ride on Sat mornings. Typically I will do another 5 or 6 mile run or at most two in the week or a 25m bike ride. Other than that a few stretches and exercises to keep me from ceasing up. In a Questars week I will not do so much as I need to save all the energy I have got for the event, now that they are all year round they are a big part of my regime anyway. My wife and I almost always take active holidays whether it be epic cycle trips or walking.
How do you fuel yourself for a Questars adventure race?
The last word in advanced nutrition of course, jelly babies and nuts, maybe a protein bar and half a sandwich at transition. Breakfast is usually mixed cereals and a banana but could be a full English if we are in a hotel the night before. The day before I eat a big dinner as indeed I do most days!
What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made during an adventure race?
Going into West Woods (Wiltshire) and thinking I will get it right this time! That place is a nightmare of unmarked tracks that look bigger and better than the track you should be on. Last time I lost an hour in there.
What’s the weirdest/funniest/strangest thing that has happened to you during an adventure race?
I am struggling to think of anything too odd but I distinctly remember a Brecons based event at which Ashley and I went for the ‘advanced’ MTB circuit via the Gap under Pen-Y-Fan as we knew the path. We experienced horizontal rain and horrendous winds all the way down to Talybont and then emerged into a relatively balmy afternoon much lower down. All the folks, almost everybody else that is, who stayed low had a lovely sunny day out and also scored more points than us.
What is the most difficult part of adventure racing?
Getting out of the car after the drive home.
What’s the background to your team name (Dockers Armpit)?
It has a proud history dating back to the Sunday Times Fun Run in Hyde Park c. 1979-85 a 2.5mile timed event for the masses long before parkrun was conceived. A group of us ran for several years under the proud banner of Dockers Armpit. Outlandish team names got called out on the tannoy and it was that or ‘Crusty Y-fronts’ which we thought was a step too far.
What are your top five tips for adventure racing success?
1. Try to link the map to what you are seeing all the time
2. When in doubt stop, if necessary retrace steps to last known connection to map.
3. Remember to drink and eat a bit regularly
4. Enjoy the scenery
5. Start younger than I did (late 40s!).
Thank you Dave for sharing your story from an incredible Questars career! It’s good to know that after all this time our dummy checkpoints are still catching you out!
As you can see, it’s never to late to start adventure racing, and experience pays tenfold in this sport. So come out and give us a try if you haven’t already!
