Adventure Race - year 3 - for the Crushers

Carolyn and her friend Keira - the "Crushers" - did it again!  They finished the Kids Adventure Race in Park City.  This is the third year in a row they have done it.

It is a 4-mile mountain biking and obstacle course type of race, completed in two-person teams.  It is not an easy course and covers A LOT of elevation.  I am so impressed with their tenacity to finish it, and even more heartened to see how these two girls inspire and encourage one another throughout the course. (Parents can run along and catch them at various parts of the course).  Keira's brothers fly through the course and ended up winning the race overall this year, but for most of the athletes, the real honor and sense of accomplishment comes from running across the finish line with your teammate, knowing that you did it, but remembering throughout the course how you wanted to give up.  It is such an awesome thing to watch these kids power their way through this course.  I never would have expected that they would be able to do it.

Nervous, waiting for their start time.

And, they are off!

 

The slick wall is the very first obstacle and proves to be one of the most challenging obstacles. 
I love how Keira muscles her way over and then comes back and helps Carolyn get to the top!

The uphill portion of the mountain bike is no joke -- thank god for switchbacks. 

These girls rarely ever ride on trails, so it is fun to see them power their way up.

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Throughout the course, they get off their bikes and do a quick obstacle 

before continuing the uphill ride.  

We were able to follow them for the catapault, one of the rope climbs, and as they started the ninja dart course.

This was a moment of pure relief and joy...
they got to drop their bikes for a while and hike up to the Tyrolean Traverse

This is Keira pulling herself across the traverse.

When they started downhill, I could not keep up, but Steve and Keira's parents were waiting for them below and got them doing some of the final obstacles, like the rock climbing wall, mud pit, slip-n-slide, and the final run to the finish line.

Thankfully, this year the "slackline over the mud pit" obstacle was right before the slip-n-slide, so they did not have to run the whole course covered in mud.  

 

For the final obstacle, they climb up a giant steep snow mound and go down a slip-n-slide into a pool of icy cold water.  (Slip-n-slide pics are of Jax & iden, Keira's brothers)

After all that, they run the rest of the way downhill to the finish line.

Smiles and cheers at the FINISH line.

 So proud of these girls, 

and of all the kids who attempt and complete this course.