Please read this racer update carefully. It is full of important information!
Thank you for registering for the sixth annual Maine Summer Adventure Race, taking place July 16-17, 2022! We are excited to host you at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester for our 3-, 8-, and 24-hour events this year.
Race Headquarters and Parking. Race day check-in will be located at the Pineland Farms Outdoors Center, at 15 Farm View Drive in New Gloucester, Maine. Volunteers will guide you to the parking lot, which is the first right as you enter. We have rented an ample number of port-a-potties and there are also a couple of bathrooms inside the Pineland Farms Market, right by our registration table.
Mandatory Gear Lists. Please review the mandatory gear list for your race. Please remember that these items are mandatory and may be checked on course; teams missing any items will be penalized 1 CP per missing item. We require these items for your safety. Teams should review this list as soon as possible and make sure they have all of the items by race day.
General Tips. We highly recommend arriving as close to when registration opens as possible because maps will be handed out as you register, so arriving early means you will have more time to plan your route. Most teams in all of our races will not “clear the course”, meaning that they will need to make strategic choices throughout the race about which checkpoints to go for and which ones to skip. All checkpoints (unless otherwise noted) will be marked with orange and white orienteering flags. Teams will use the punch hanging from the flag to mark the race-provided passport, showing which checkpoints they obtained. The team that obtains the most checkpoints in the least amount of time wins the race!
Race Headquarters and Parking. Race day check-in will be located at the Pineland Farms Outdoors Center, at 15 Farm View Drive in New Gloucester, Maine. Volunteers will guide you to the parking lot, which is the first right as you enter. We have rented an ample number of port-a-potties and there are also a couple of bathrooms inside the Pineland Farms Market, right by our registration table.
Mandatory Gear Lists. Please review the mandatory gear list for your race. Please remember that these items are mandatory and may be checked on course; teams missing any items will be penalized 1 CP per missing item. We require these items for your safety. Teams should review this list as soon as possible and make sure they have all of the items by race day.
General Tips. We highly recommend arriving as close to when registration opens as possible because maps will be handed out as you register, so arriving early means you will have more time to plan your route. Most teams in all of our races will not “clear the course”, meaning that they will need to make strategic choices throughout the race about which checkpoints to go for and which ones to skip. All checkpoints (unless otherwise noted) will be marked with orange and white orienteering flags. Teams will use the punch hanging from the flag to mark the race-provided passport, showing which checkpoints they obtained. The team that obtains the most checkpoints in the least amount of time wins the race!
3-Hour Schedule and Race Notes. 3-hour race registration opens at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Teams will receive their map and course instructions at registration and we will hold a pre-race meeting at 11:30 a.m. to answer any additional questions. The race will begin at noon.
The 3-hour event is designed to be beginner- and family-friendly. Teams can choose whether they want to hike, bike, or both throughout the course. Biking will be on smooth gravel paths, no roads or trails. Family teams can bring bike trailers, backpacks, or any other gear needed to gently encourage younger teammates to move around the course!
8-Hour Schedule and Race Notes. 8-hour race registration opens at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Teams will receive maps at registration and should be prepared to board buses to take you to the start line. The buses will leave at 6:30 a.m. sharp. We will hold a pre-race briefing at 7:30 a.m. at the start line and the race will begin at 8:00 a.m.
To avoid a pre-race bike drop (you’re welcome!), 8-hour racers will need to drop their bikes with race staff at registration and should securely attach their helmets, bike shoes, and any other minimal gear to their bikes for transportation via truck to the start of the biking section.
The 8-hour race will begin with a flatwater sea kayak stage. Boats, paddles, and PFDs will be provided, but you may choose to bring your own paddling gear if you prefer and bring it to the start on the bus. You may bring any additional items you want to pack in your paddle bag with you, but those must be carried through the paddling stage and you must bundle them together at the end of the stage for race staff to transport back to the finish. Following the kayaking stage, you will not have any access to your paddle bags for the remainder of the race, so be prepared to make it through the remainder of the race without access to gear resupply.
24-Hour Schedule and Race Notes. 24-hour registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Teams will receive maps at registration. We will hold a pre-race briefing at 9:30 a.m. at the start line (at Pineland Farms) and the race will begin at 10:00. The Pineland Farms Market will be open by the time you arrive with delicious breakfast items available for purchase.
For 24-hour racers, every team is allowed 1 paddle gear bag, and three- or four-person teams that are doing the packraft section are allowed 2 paddle gear bags. All gear must be contained within the bag or well-secured to the bag and your bags must be clearly labeled with your team name. We are not responsible for lost gear that is not sufficiently bundled together. In addition to holding your paddle gear (e.g., PFDs, paddles, packrafts), teams may include food and other gear for resupply with a limit of up to 5 lbs per racer. We will not be weighing bags but are asking teams to be respectful of our volunteers who will be lifting these around the course. Time penalties will be given if bag weight clearly exceeds this limit. All racers regardless of whether they choose to packraft will have the same opportunities to access these bags, and will see them at more than one point during the race. There will be water available at the transition areas, so do not pack water in your paddle bags. Even non-packrafting teams who are using the race-provided paddles and PFDs are encouraged to pack a small resupply in their paddle bags - use them as you would TA bins.
For 24-hour teams planning to do the packraft section, you should have your packraft secured for the event by now. We will confirm whether or not you plan to packraft at registration. The packraft section will be around six miles in length on flat water. It will have between 3 and 5 checkpoints and only teams that packraft will have access to these CPs. For teams that are not planning to packraft, have no worries that you’ll be short of checkpoints to hunt down - this year’s course is large and we expect that very few teams will complete the full course.
GPS Tracking for 24-Hour Teams. We are thrilled to again be offering GPS tracking for the 24-hour race through a partnership with Enabled Tracking. This will allow race staff to track racers through the event for increased safety, but will also mean that your fans at home can watch your progress through the race course! The tracking link for the event is: http://live.enabledtracking.com/msa2022/
Water Availability on Course. There is plenty of water on this year's course for teams in the 8- and 24-hour race to treat for drinking (water purification method is a mandatory gear item). We will also provide potable water in all transition areas.
Spectators. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to cheer you on throughout the course. We can provide more information about the course to fans interested in meeting their favorite teams on-course after the race start. Please alert your fans that they are not allowed to provide any special assistance to your team while the race is in progress.
Post-Race Celebration. As usual, we will hold a post-race party immediately following the race. For 3- and 8-hour racers, we’ll have burgers and side dishes. For 24-hour racers, we’ll have a full, hot breakfast buffet. All food will be sourced locally by our host location, Pineland Farms. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available. Friends and family are welcome to join with a $15 donation to cover food costs. And there will be plenty of free beer flowing from our local beer sponsor, Oxbow Brewing (They’re great! Check out their breweries in Portland, Oxford, and Newcastle).
Seeking Volunteers. We are forever indebted to our fantastic volunteer crew, who you will see throughout the race weekend staffing our registration table and transition areas, and shuttling gear all over the course. If you know anyone who would like to help out during the race weekend, we could use another few volunteers to help out especially early Saturday morning through midday. We offer free entry to a future race for all of our volunteers as well as an event t-shirt, food during the race, extra swag, and entry to our big post-race feast.
Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our sponsors! Please consider supporting the businesses listed on our website as you stock up for your AR needs. We appreciate their ongoing support of our event and the sport of adventure racing!
As an early thank-you to all our racers, OutThereUSA is offering a 20% discount on their fantastic AR-specific race packs. Use the code: StrongMachineAR20
We are also excited to introduce racers to our favorite race snacks, Pasokin! They are offering Maine Summer AR racers at 15% discount on their products using the code: ADVENTURERACE
Facebook. Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates before, during (for friends and family), and after the race!
Questions? Email us anytime at StrongMachineAR@gmail.com.
The 3-hour event is designed to be beginner- and family-friendly. Teams can choose whether they want to hike, bike, or both throughout the course. Biking will be on smooth gravel paths, no roads or trails. Family teams can bring bike trailers, backpacks, or any other gear needed to gently encourage younger teammates to move around the course!
8-Hour Schedule and Race Notes. 8-hour race registration opens at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Teams will receive maps at registration and should be prepared to board buses to take you to the start line. The buses will leave at 6:30 a.m. sharp. We will hold a pre-race briefing at 7:30 a.m. at the start line and the race will begin at 8:00 a.m.
To avoid a pre-race bike drop (you’re welcome!), 8-hour racers will need to drop their bikes with race staff at registration and should securely attach their helmets, bike shoes, and any other minimal gear to their bikes for transportation via truck to the start of the biking section.
The 8-hour race will begin with a flatwater sea kayak stage. Boats, paddles, and PFDs will be provided, but you may choose to bring your own paddling gear if you prefer and bring it to the start on the bus. You may bring any additional items you want to pack in your paddle bag with you, but those must be carried through the paddling stage and you must bundle them together at the end of the stage for race staff to transport back to the finish. Following the kayaking stage, you will not have any access to your paddle bags for the remainder of the race, so be prepared to make it through the remainder of the race without access to gear resupply.
24-Hour Schedule and Race Notes. 24-hour registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Teams will receive maps at registration. We will hold a pre-race briefing at 9:30 a.m. at the start line (at Pineland Farms) and the race will begin at 10:00. The Pineland Farms Market will be open by the time you arrive with delicious breakfast items available for purchase.
For 24-hour racers, every team is allowed 1 paddle gear bag, and three- or four-person teams that are doing the packraft section are allowed 2 paddle gear bags. All gear must be contained within the bag or well-secured to the bag and your bags must be clearly labeled with your team name. We are not responsible for lost gear that is not sufficiently bundled together. In addition to holding your paddle gear (e.g., PFDs, paddles, packrafts), teams may include food and other gear for resupply with a limit of up to 5 lbs per racer. We will not be weighing bags but are asking teams to be respectful of our volunteers who will be lifting these around the course. Time penalties will be given if bag weight clearly exceeds this limit. All racers regardless of whether they choose to packraft will have the same opportunities to access these bags, and will see them at more than one point during the race. There will be water available at the transition areas, so do not pack water in your paddle bags. Even non-packrafting teams who are using the race-provided paddles and PFDs are encouraged to pack a small resupply in their paddle bags - use them as you would TA bins.
For 24-hour teams planning to do the packraft section, you should have your packraft secured for the event by now. We will confirm whether or not you plan to packraft at registration. The packraft section will be around six miles in length on flat water. It will have between 3 and 5 checkpoints and only teams that packraft will have access to these CPs. For teams that are not planning to packraft, have no worries that you’ll be short of checkpoints to hunt down - this year’s course is large and we expect that very few teams will complete the full course.
GPS Tracking for 24-Hour Teams. We are thrilled to again be offering GPS tracking for the 24-hour race through a partnership with Enabled Tracking. This will allow race staff to track racers through the event for increased safety, but will also mean that your fans at home can watch your progress through the race course! The tracking link for the event is: http://live.enabledtracking.com/msa2022/
Water Availability on Course. There is plenty of water on this year's course for teams in the 8- and 24-hour race to treat for drinking (water purification method is a mandatory gear item). We will also provide potable water in all transition areas.
Spectators. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to cheer you on throughout the course. We can provide more information about the course to fans interested in meeting their favorite teams on-course after the race start. Please alert your fans that they are not allowed to provide any special assistance to your team while the race is in progress.
Post-Race Celebration. As usual, we will hold a post-race party immediately following the race. For 3- and 8-hour racers, we’ll have burgers and side dishes. For 24-hour racers, we’ll have a full, hot breakfast buffet. All food will be sourced locally by our host location, Pineland Farms. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available. Friends and family are welcome to join with a $15 donation to cover food costs. And there will be plenty of free beer flowing from our local beer sponsor, Oxbow Brewing (They’re great! Check out their breweries in Portland, Oxford, and Newcastle).
Seeking Volunteers. We are forever indebted to our fantastic volunteer crew, who you will see throughout the race weekend staffing our registration table and transition areas, and shuttling gear all over the course. If you know anyone who would like to help out during the race weekend, we could use another few volunteers to help out especially early Saturday morning through midday. We offer free entry to a future race for all of our volunteers as well as an event t-shirt, food during the race, extra swag, and entry to our big post-race feast.
Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our sponsors! Please consider supporting the businesses listed on our website as you stock up for your AR needs. We appreciate their ongoing support of our event and the sport of adventure racing!
As an early thank-you to all our racers, OutThereUSA is offering a 20% discount on their fantastic AR-specific race packs. Use the code: StrongMachineAR20
We are also excited to introduce racers to our favorite race snacks, Pasokin! They are offering Maine Summer AR racers at 15% discount on their products using the code: ADVENTURERACE
Facebook. Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates before, during (for friends and family), and after the race!
Questions? Email us anytime at StrongMachineAR@gmail.com.
FAQs
- My team is trying to decide whether to bring packrafts for the 24-hour race. We will probably not clear the full course. What do you recommend? The packraft is approximately 4 to 6 miles long and contains 3 to 5 CPs, all optional. This is a fun section for teams looking to gain packrafting experience or who want to spend less time on foot or bike. Teams will not need to carry their packrafts for longer than 2 miles. Teams can bring their packrafts to the race and decide not to use them once they see the maps if they would like. Ultimately, it comes down to team choice. The course will be big enough to offer plenty alternatives to the packrafting checkpoints.
- How much gear can I put in the 24-hour paddle bags? Teams can bring an unlimited amount of paddle gear (i.e., paddles, PFDs, packrafts, paddle gloves, boating accessories). In addition, each racer can put up to 5 lbs of personal gear (such as food and clothing) in their paddle bags for resupply during the race. Whatever you bring must fit in or attach securely to your paddle bag(s). All teams are allowed 1 paddle bag and teams of 3-4 racers who are bringing packrafts are allowed 2 paddle bags.
- Is there a TA gear bin for the 24-hour race? There is no TA gear bin in this race. Teams can expect to see their paddle bags several times and spaced evenly throughout the course so can use their paddle bags like a (small) TA bin. It is expected that racers will carry most of their gear in their packs throughout the race.
- Do you have any recommendations for places to stay? The Poland Spring Resort in Poland, Maine, is not far off from Pineland Farms (about 20 minutes) and has very decent rates, especially if you call them up and tell them you’re part of the Maine Summer Adventure Race and then ask for a discount. Those with camper vans are welcome to park right in the Pineland Farms parking lot, though fair warning they have a sprinkler system that turns on at night. And for those wishing to camp, check out Range Pond State Park, Sebago Lake State Park, or Wolfe’s Neck Oceanfront Camping, each around 20 minutes away from the start.
- Do you plan to provide any information in advance regarding the length of each leg and the order of disciplines, or is that information being kept secret until race day? This will remain a secret until race day, but you can expect estimated minimum and maximum distances as previously listed on the race website, found here: https://www.mainesummerar.com/race-info.html.
- What kind of boats teams will be getting? Just want to make sure we plan for any extra gear that might be useful e.g., toe line, third seat. For the 24-hour race, here’s how the kayaks will be divvied up: Solo racers get one solo kayak. Two-person mixed teams get one tandem (two-person) kayak. Two-person male teams get two solo kayaks. Two-person female teams get one tandem. Three-person teams get a tandem plus a solo. Four-person mixed teams get two tandems. Four-person female teams get two tandems. Four-person male teams get a tandem plus two solos.
In the 8-hour race, the above applies with the exception that all four-person teams will receive one tandem plus two solo kayaks. - Will our team have access to a gear bin at TAs or is the "paddle bag" our only storage vessel allowed? For both the 8- and 24-hour races, there is no additional gear bin - only the paddle bags. However, we encourage you to think of the paddle bags like a TA bin. In fact, you can use a plastic bin if you want and you can even call it your TA bin and we won’t mind, as long as your paddle gear fits in it. Each individual racer will be given a 5 lb. allotment of weight separate of their paddle gear they can use for things like food, dry clothes, etc. We will not be weighing bags but those teams that abuse the weight limit will be issued a time penalty.
- Will we have access to the gear/paddle bag at every TA or just some of them? You will see your paddle bags before and after each paddle leg(s). This is not every TA, though will be a few times over the race. You will learn more about the course and when you will see the bags on race morning.
- I typically ride with clipless MTB shoes/pedals. If I understand the instructions correctly, it sounds like if I chose to ride with a clipless setup, I would need to plan to carry my trekking shoes in my pack since there would be no guaranteed paddle bag access before or after every bike leg. Is my interpretation correct? If so, I'm assuming most teams choose to ride with flat pedals and trekking shoes instead? You are correct on having to carry your trekking shoes on sections where you don't have access to the paddle bags before and after. There is usually a mix of teams racing with clips or clipless, though many of the top teams ride clipless and carry their trekking shoes on the bike legs.
- In addition to an emergency cell phone, can I bring a Garmin inReach (powered off throughout the race, of course)?
Yes, it’s fine to bring an inReach as long as it is powered off. The cell reception is quite good on the course this year so if you don’t want to carry it you should have no problem. - Are Garmin watches allowed? As long as they support "AR mode" and are kept in that mode for the duration of the race. GPS-based watches are not allowed in any other mode and especially cannot be used to track distance traveled or to find your location on a map.
- Are cell phones allowed to be used after the maps have been distributed but before the race has started? No cell phone use is allowed after maps have been distributed, which will happen once you check in with your entire team.
- How long should we expect to carry our packrafts for? Do I need a backpack that fits my raft? For those in the 24-hour race that are planning to do the optional packraft section, you'll have several route options, some of which require a backpack and some of which don't. You can choose a route that does not require you to carry your raft for more than half a mile.
