Questars Adventure Racing: Tips from an experienced Racer

tips

MATT SAUNDERS

This month, we catch up with Matt Saunders, who began racing with us in 2021 after lockdown. Since then, he has become a prolific racer completing 22 races and earning enough points to secure a place in our Hall of Fame.

In this Q&A, Matt reflects on his journey from a shaky start in the Cotswolds to honing his strategy over time. Along the way, he has faced both literal and figurative obstacles, gained valuable insights, and found immense joy in the challenge. Read on as he shares his experiences, offers advice for newcomers, and reveals what keeps him coming back for more.

When did you participate in your first Questars adventure race?

May 2021 in the Cotswolds. It was the first race back after lockdown and the Novices and Masters raced on different days. The kayaking was cancelled due to a storm and I tried to get all the running checkpoints, but discovered that my navigation had got a bit rusty. Then I slipped over on a really wet hill, banged my hip, and had to walk back to transition, only leaving enough time to get one bike checkpoint.

Roughly how many Questars adventure races have you participated in?

22 exactly!

What do you like most about Questars adventure races?

It’s hard not to say the veggie chilli. But really, I mean the sense of exhilaration and well-being I get from getting lost in the woods, getting muddy, paddling on a river, finding checkpoints, not finding check points and the whole nine-yards, at the end of which I sit down with some chilli and mull over where it all went wrong and how I will do better next time.

What do you like most about adventure racing?

It’s a strange four-dimensional puzzle that you have to try and solve. There is no one-way to solve it and there are a ton of ways to get it wrong. You have to run, bike, kayak, think of nutrition, kit, pacing and teamwork and bring all of these elements together (plus others) to do the best that you can. Every course is different and there are always new things to learn.

Why did you first get into adventure racing?

My partner said to me, “Hey, there’s this new Bear Grylls program on, wanna watch it?” I thought, oh great, more people drinking piss. “Yeah, go on then.” That program was, of course, Eco Challenge Fiji. Every moment of that series was a flash back to my teenage years in the cadets, navigating, building rafts, getting lost in the jungle (woods for me). And I said to myself, “Why am I not doing that?!” My initial answer to myself was “because it’s insane! There is no way I could do something like that!” But, the next day, I got my rusty £100 Halfords mountain bike down from where it hung in the garage and I started training.

What advice would you give to someone just getting started in adventure racing?

Go for it and have fun!

What is the best piece of advice that you were given when you started adventure racing?

I don’t think I talked to anyone during my first series. I was in my own little world!

What is your strongest and weakest race discipline? How do you combat your weakest discipline?

I’m strongest at enthusiasm and weakest on the bike (Halford’s bike now upgraded). I’ve looked a lot into how to improve my cycling. One way is using an indoor bike, which builds strength in the legs. I’ve also done several training weekends which have been great for building confidence and learning about mountain biking in many different ways. Balance, going over obstacles, dealing with mechanicals, as well as all the other elements of adventure racing.

What does your training plan for an adventure race look like?

I’m no kind of athlete, but I’m working on it. I try to do a long and short run and bike each week. With one evening of swimming. I also have a strength and conditioning routine which I think really helps. Sometimes I do other things like long hikes, and I try once a week to go to the local multi-story car park and run/walk up and down the stairs there for my hill training (172 steps, from underground to top floor). In the week before a race, I’ll go over my notes from previous races and remind myself of what worked in the past. Such as: remember to adjust my planned route after I find out where the dummy checkpoints are.

How do you fuel yourself for a Questars adventure race?

Homemade trail mix (now including Cadbury’s mini eggs) with Torq gels for when I need extra rocket fuel to get up a hill. And, usually, a few bars of something. Oh, and I’m quite famous for having crêpes. Anywhere I can have a quick crêpe, I do.

What type of bike do you normally use for a Questars adventure race?

It’s a hard tail. We have a tremulous relationship (One broken wrist so far…).

What’s the one piece of non-mandatory kit in your bag that you could not do without?

To be honest, if it’s not mandatory then you probably don’t need it. The less kit the better.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made during an adventure race?

That was in the New Forest 2021. Last race of the season. I was the only person to have done all four races in the Novice category, so, despite quite low scores, I thought I would be the highest scouring novice solo. The race was going really well, I could see I was on for a PB which would have been enough points to put me beyond the reach of anyone else. Then I hit a wall. Well, a fence actually. There was a fence right across the path I was following. I’ve got to say this threw me completely. I kept looking from the map to the ground and back again absolutely puzzled. Then, and this was the mistake, I started running all over the place trying to find where the path continued. It must have been there somewhere! I spent a long time searching for that footpath and burned up a lot of energy. When I should have just kept calm and retraced my steps. Later I found there were two paths in reality, but only one printed on the map. The footpath I was looking for on the map was massively overgrown and the path not marked on the map was freshly laid tarmac. I didn’t stand a chance. I followed that newly laid path to my doom. I ended up being forty minutes late getting back. I didn’t get a PB, I didn’t get the top novice solo score.

What’s the weirdest/funniest/strangest thing that has happened to you during an adventure race?

I guess the strangest thing was the kayaking in the New Forest 2022. It was on a lake that, at first, I thought was some kind of abstract art exhibition. There were all these weird twisted shapes sticking out of the water. A bit like icebergs. I couldn’t work out what they were. I guess it was some kind of jet ski obstacle course? But, certainly, a strange place to paddle. The wind kept blowing me into the bushes, but I got all the checkpoints, so it was a good one.

What is the most difficult part of adventure racing?

Trying not to overthink it.

Over your Questars career you have raced solo and also as part of different teams. What are some of the main advantages of racing as a team versus racing solo and vice-versa?

Racing in a team everyone looks out for each other, you can pick up each other’s mistakes and bring different strengths and weaknesses. Racing solo, it’s just you versus the course, which is going to show you which disciplines you are stronger at and where you need to improve; which are things that might be masked when in a team. So, you will probably have a better race as part of a team, but you will grow more as a racer when you go solo.

What are your top five tips for adventure racing success?