The Hope Furnace Sprint Adventure Challenge includes paddling (canoe or kayak) on Lake Hope, mountain biking on the singletrack trails and orienteering in the forests of Lake Hope State Park. The approximate distances are: 2 mi. paddle 10 mi. bike ??? orienteering (depends on how lost you get!) The "rogaine-style finish" ensures that everyone will finish within three hours and be able to join us for a bite to eat and some socializing with the other racers afterwards. This is the perfect distance for those that want to get their feet wet in adventure racing but aren't ready to jump in over their heads

Lake Hope is only minutes away from your location: (map) Athens 22 miles Columbus 70 Dayton 120 Cincinatti 165 Lexington, KY 187 Cleveland 212 Indianapolis 238 With the convenient 10:00am START time, there's no reason you can't make it down and back in a single day

Solos are allowed, but you will have more fun and there are discounts for team entries, so get some friends together and form a team of 2, 3 or 4...any gender composition.

PRIZES & AWARDS:
Since everyone finishes at the same time, we have the opportunity for a great picnic and awards presentation after the race. That's the best part for many folks and a good opportunity to meet other athletes to train or race with in the coming season.

The top three teams in each category will receive discounted race entries to other Ambush adventure races later this year. Awards generally go three deep based on the following categories: open (overall winners), coed, all female, male masters, female master, coed masters. In addition, there may be special awards to recognize outstanding achievement (such as fastest splits, best foot-O score, etc.).

We try and keep it simple. The only required gear is:
helmet while biking
PFD while paddling

Of course you will want to bring other gear, and most would feel that a CamelBak or other hydration system as well as bike tools, spare tubes and a pump are essential, but ultimetely it's up to you to carry what you think you'll need to stay safe and comfortable. Remember, unlike a triathlon, there are no aid stations on the course and you will need to carry all or your water with you throughout the race.

BOAT RENTAL:
We have boats available for rent at $25/boat. They are equipped with standard canoe paddles and PFDs. The outfitter will only allow a maximum of 2 people/boat, so teams of 3 or 4 will need to rent two boats. We understand that this could be a bit tricky for the third person who is paddling alone in a canoe, so if you are a part of a three person team, you should probably try to beg, borrow or steal a kayak from someone or find a fourth racer for the team. Sorry - the limited number of kayaks we have available will be reserved for solos.

The course is not marked and you will need to navigate throughout the race using maps provided to you. The maps will be a variety of styles and scales suitable to the task at hand, and although the navigation is not "tricky", you will need to know how to read a topo map and use a compass if you hope to do well.

The maps are premarked with checkpoint locations and it will not be necessary to plot CP locations from UTMs.

Please register on or before June 21 to receive a high-quality wicking event T-shirt.

ENTRY FEE

Solo	$55
2 person team	$100 ($50/person)
3 person team	$135 ($45/person)
4 person team	$160 ($40/person)

To receive the discounted price for team entry you will need to have one person register ALL team members at the same time. Please have names, ages and emails of all team members at hand before registering.

Please read the refunds policy before registering.

Further information, directions to the START/FINISH and any last minute details will be provided once you have registered.

The nearest motels are located about a half hou away in either Nelsonville or Athens.

Lake Hope State Park has a large campground only minutes from the START - to stay there make arrangements directly with the park.

QUESTIONS?...contact the race director

You can help us get a good turn out for this race... Download this .pdf flyer, have copies made at your local Kinkos and then distribute to bike shops, health clubs, etc. If you want to get fancy, you can print the mail-in registration form on the back. This is a great event for beginners, so if you know someone who has been on the fence about adventure racing, give them a little push and encourage them to come out and play. Good attendance makes for better competition, more fun and encourages our corporate partners to continue to support us. Thanks in advance for any help you can give us in trying to get the word out.