Sports

Final preparations being made for 2008 Challenge

By Griffin Pritchard
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For the sixth year thrill-seekers and endurance racers will have the opportunity to test their mettle as part of Wetumpka’s annual Coosa River Challenge.

This year’s challenge is scheduled for Oct. 4 with pre-race check-in scheduled for Oct. 3.

“This is your non-traditional triathlon,” said Chris Carter, race coordinator and owner of Coosa River Adventures. “It’s an adventure race.”

The course covers more than 20 miles begins at Swayback Ridge and ends with a jog through downtown Wetumpka.

“They will run about 7 miles, then transition to a bike and ride 7 miles and then paddle 7 miles,” said Carter.

“Then we throw in some challenges for fun. Last year, we had a repelling section and a military-style mud pit. We had them paddle through a Class 3 rapid at Moccasin Gap and we had a poker run where they had to stop at five places and get a card.”

While a cash prize was awarded to the person with the best hand, Carter pointed out that the participants donated their winnings to charity.

The Trail of Legends, Wetumpka Paddling Club and Search and Rescue Elmore County are the three main beneficiaries of the Coosa River Challenge.

“A lot of the people that race aren’t going here for the prizes at the end of the race,” said Carter.

“A lot of them are focused on finishing the course or maybe beating a certain time. These races take anywhere from 3-7 hours.

“The race starts at 9 a.m., and I’ll expect our first participants to start coming in around noon. Last year, I think the last participant finished at 7.5 hours.”

Carter did point out that those that do win prizes take a portion of Wetumpka with them.

“Everyone wants the paddle,” said Carter.

“Every year, we give away prizes and a lot of them are personally made.

“Each prize has some kind of flair or flavor of Wetumpka.”

The race, which has grown in notoriety since its inception, is capped at 200 participants and features around 90 volunteers throughout the course and behind the scenes.

“I think that the volunteers have more fun than the actual participants,” said Carter. “It’s a lot of work and we usually start planning the next race as soon as the current one finishes. But we do it because we enjoy it.”

The sixth annual Coosa River Challenge is locally sponsored.

“We have a huge rate of return from year to year,” said Carter. “I think we have some of the best trails in the state. And this is a great way to showcase Wetumpka and all it has to offer with mountain biking, the river, downtown.”

The participants vary just as much as the course does.

“Last year, our oldest participant was a woman in her late 60’s and our youngest was the daughter in a father-daughter team that was 10-years old. I know of several people that have gone through the race and have then gone on to run a full marathon or a true Ironman triathlon.”

Trail of Legendgs president Darren Swanson, according to Carter, is scheduled to participate in the Challenge for the sixth straight year.

With 200 participants and more than 90 volunteers, a multitude of friends and family can be expected to converge on Wetumpka’s downtown during the Oct. 4 race.

“We’re expecting to have a large crowd at trail’s head at Swayback,” said Carter. “Thanks for the Elmore County Board of Education for providing us with buses to take the participants from Gold Star Park, where everyone is supposed to meet Saturday morning to Swayback. We also encourage friends and family to carpool due to the area’s limited parking.”

For more information about the Coosa River Challenge VI, visit www.coosariverchallenge.com, or contact Therese Carter at 514-0279.

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