Hope Furnace Adventure Weekend
Sat - 8 hr AR
Sun - Buff Betty Women's AR
Lake Hope State Park
Zaleski, OH
Buff Betty Women's Adventure Race
April 9, 2006 - Otter Creek Park, Louisville KY
MORE RACE PHOTOS
| TEAM # | TEAM NAME | AGE | TIME | SCORE |
| 4 | Team JAK | O | 5:47 | 60 |
| 14 | M. Folz | M | 5:48 | 60 |
| 9 | Crag Cookies | O | 5:46 | 30 |
| 13 | Team Amoeba | M | 5:47 | 20 |
| 6 | Team BlackJack | O | 6:00 | 0 |
| 5 | Tuck Chicksters | O | 6:03 | 0 |
| 7 | Race Virgins | O | 6:04 | 0 |
| 15 | M. Hill | O | 6:09 | 10-10=0 |
| 10 | Women of Faith | O | 6:09 | 10-10=0 |
| 2 | Team Valkyries | O | 6:17 | 20-20=0 |
| 11 | Muddy Buddies | O | 6:23 | 0 |
| 8 | Mini Medics | O | 6:40 | 0 |
| 12 | Mud Dobbers | O | 6:42 | 0 |
| 3 | Unity | M | DNF-medical | |
A field of 32 toed the starting line of a 6-hour adventure race at Otter Creek Park south of Louisville on Sunday to challenge the notion that women are the weaker sex. And, while the spring wildflowers were blooming all over the course, there were no shrinking violets to be found.
Soloists and teams of 2 to 4 tackled whitewater paddling, mountain biking on singletrack trails, rappelling off a high cliff, and trekking through rugged terrain guided by map and compass, all in a bid for the title of "Buff Betty."
The title ultimately went to a team of 3 veteran adventure racers from Chicago, who found all but 4 of the 19 checkpoints located remotely throughout the park within the 6-hour time limit. The team raced across the finish line less than one minute ahead of a soloist from Indianapolis with the same number of checkpoints.
The race drew many beginners to the sport, too. One described the course as "challenging, but not demoralizing." Race director, Stephanie Ross, stated that the course was designed to be doable for beginners but still challenging for veterans. "It looks like we achieved that goal," she said afterward.
Only one woman failed to finish the race, after spraining an ankle on the mountain bike course. Two local equestrians encountered the injured racer limping along the trail beside her teammate, who was pushing their two bikes. Along with the trophies that went to the top three teams, the injured racer was honored at the post-race party with a special award for being the only competitor to finish the race on horseback.