Entertainment for Spectators and Competitors Alike
The first-ever Vail Kids Adventure Race, which will take place from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow (8-7) in Vail Village and on Vail Mountain, will promise exciting and amusing spectator opportunities for action sports fans of all ages. The course includes a mountain bike challenge sponsored by Troy’s Bike Shop and a zipline sponsored by Vendetta’s, as well as the Los Amigos’s Slope-N-Slide and Timberline Tours tubing challenge. Teams of two, ages six to 12, will compete for the fastest time and must finish the entire the challenge together. The final obstacle, the KidSPORT slack line, will offer perhaps the greatest opportunity for hilarity as exhausted racers will attempt to cross a slack line over a mud pit. Registration is officially closed for the race.
Three waves of racers will set off at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon. VRD Race Director Beth Pappas is encouraging spectators to drop by anytime throughout the race and help cheer the participants along the course. “It will be great to have members of the community there to cheer the kids on,” said Pappas. “It will be easy to view most of the action from the base of the mountain at the Vista Bahn.”
The Kids Adventure Race will differ from many athletic events as it combines physical and mental challenges. “It won’t be about how fast the kids can go or how strong they are,” said adventure racer and course designer Billy Mattison. “They will have to figure out how to read the map, they’re in charge of their own gear and strategy and adults won’t be helping except to keep them safe. The kids will have an incredible feeling of accomplishment after doing so many difficult things on their own.”
An awards ceremony also will take place at 2 p.m. tomorrow near Vail Mountain’s Vista Bahn chairlift in Vail Village where participants will receive pizza compliments of Blue Moose Pizza and prizes donated by Patagonia and Hestra.
Sponsors of the race include The Parents Handbook, KZYR 97.7, Vail Daily, American National Bank, Blue Moose Pizza, Patagonia, Hestra and David Honda’s Vail Sports Medicine Physical Therapy.
To find out more about the race, click here or call Pappas at 970.479.2280 ext. 7009.
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