tips
caroline howe & jodie brinson
This month we speak to Caroline Howe and Jodie Brinson (Team Wallies and Proud) who share their tips from their races together.

Jodie and Caroline are excellent racers and, from the odd dip in the river to following the wrong person in the woods, they embrace every challenge with a sense of humour and a love for the great outdoors. Here, they share their experiences, lessons learned, and top tips for anyone looking to dive into the world of adventure racing. Enjoy!

When did you participate in your first Questars adventure race?
Jodie did her first one back in 2017 in the Chilterns, and Caroline can’t really remember (it was a long time ago!)

Roughly how many Questars adventure races have you participated in?
Jodie is on double figures but like all personal trainers can’t count. Caroline has lots under her belt (enough to be in the Hall of Fame). We started doing them together after lock down, and try and get to as many as we can.

What do you like most about Questars adventure races?
We really enjoy spending quality time together in lives that are often busy and don’t allow this (from the car journey to finishing with a delicious bowl of chilli and everything in between).

We especially enjoy exploring new areas, and exceptionally beautiful countryside, in all seasons.

Having both organised sports events we know how stressful it can be, and everyone at Questars are so friendly and relaxed that we just love seeing you all and enjoying what you’ve put together for us (most of the time!).
running
What do you like most about adventure racing?
Being ex-triathletes we both love multi-discipline events, it’s impossible to get bored and we are slowly (some would say very slowly) getting better at navigating which is a challenge for us.

Why did you first get into adventure racing?
Jodie was looking for a challenge that wasn’t so far out of her comfort zone that she couldn’t just go out and do, but did require learning some new skills (i.e. navigation… still learning!), she is a road cyclist so it also gets her out on the MTB which she doesn’t get to do so much.

Caroline blames red wine with friends who were already smitten.

What advice would you give to someone just getting started in adventure racing?
Learn a bit about map reading before you do your first race, you’ll enjoy it so much more if you’re not lost for 90% of the race!

Make sure you have a serviced working MTB as punctures are also not fun… and just treat it as a day out in the fresh air. If you do well, that’s a bonus.

Nutrition is also important, so we tend to have lots of nice food stuffed in our pockets (chocolate is essential).

What is the best piece of advice that you were given when you started adventure racing?
Have fun and get on with it!
kayaking
What is your strongest and weakest race discipline? How do you combat your weakest discipline?
We cycle for longer, enjoy a shorter run and are reasonable kayakers (when Caroline decides not to go for a dip).

Navigating is our weakest discipline. Getting contact lenses and being allowed a larger map (one of the advantages of Caroline being 50) is helping.

What does your training plan for an adventure race look like?
We both do a lot of sports (running, cycling, hockey, strength training etc) so luckily for us the only specific training we need to worry about is the map reading… we’re still working on that!

As a personal trainer, Jodie would encourage anyone looking to start racing to do some brick training – so doing a few sessions where you do both disciplines back-to-back, so in our case we run then cycle at Questars so a few sessions running 5-10km followed by 1-2hrs on the MTB would be ideal.

Adventure racing is very stop start so less demanding in some respects than doing a triathlon where you are trying to maintain a particular pace, however Questars races normally involve A LOT of hills so having that endurance training under you belt is invaluable… the less tired and more fuelled you are the better your navigation decisions will be!

How do you fuel yourself for a Questars adventure race?
Porridge for breaky early, then a banana and nuts whilst map planning pre-race (with an essential coffee) – then precision chews on the run. In transition we share a snickers or similar and then on the bike we graze throughout on nuts, energy bars and figs etc. We love eating!

Often, we have to remind each other to drink, especially in the winter!
running

What’s the one piece of non-mandatory kit in your bag that you could not do without?
Our spare inner tubes, if we didn’t take two we’d get a puncture (we’re yet to get a puncture…)

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made during an adventure race?
Following someone who was also lost (in a wood), not a good idea. Needless to say, we wasted a lot of time.

What’s the weirdest/funniest/strangest thing that has happened to you during an adventure race?
Getting out of the kayak in summer series, the marshal took Jodie’s hand as she jumped out, the kayak moved backwards and Caroline ended up shoulder deep in the river! Funny now… actually, funny then (for Jodie)!!

What is the most difficult part of adventure racing?
Have we mentioned map reading?!

What’s the background to your team name?
We are members of Wallingford hockey club, Wallies… so that, and we can often make silly mistakes map reading! but we hold our heads up high and are proud to have gone out and done it and been part of that Questars adventure. Hence Wallies and Proud!

Finish
What are the key ingredients to a good teammate?
Patience, a sense of humour and for us, both feeling grateful to have the opportunity to be outside, with a good friend exploring and having fun.

What are the pros and cons of racing in a team?
No cons in our opinion. The pros are that we encourage each other, we both have strengths in different disciplines and if we are lost, at least we are lost together!

What are your top five tips for adventure racing success?
Reasonable fitness, warm / waterproof clothes & gloves, a well-serviced bike, nutrition and a desire to be outside in all weather


Thank you so much Caroline and Jodie for sharing your insights, memories, and tips from your Questars adventure racing journey!

Fancy giving adventure racing a go? Click the link below to find out about our upcoming events:
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