This Ain't No Ordinary Race

Just after sunup, in the damp Connecticut woods 10 miles west of Hartford, a mass of competitors herd toward the starting line of the Hi-Tec Adventure Race. Matt Felix trails behind, wondering what in the world made him sign up for a triathlon-like endurance race in which just about the only rule is that there are no rules.

Matt is a last-minute substitute for his brother Mark's team, dubbed the Garbage Plate Gang. The team's third member, Mark Wood, abruptly disappeared 30 minutes ago.

"Where's Woody?" Matt mutters.

"Don't worry," his brother replies. "He'll be here. Just be sure that you're ready."

Matt dutifully dons the official race bib. It's as itsy-bitsy as a jogging bra. The snug bib makes Matt, a six-foot-three-inch, 205-pound regional sales manager for Thomson Financial Services, look like an extra from "La Cages aux Folles." He was already wound tight, but now he's about to bust a button.

Ever since yesterday, when Matt arrived at Winding Trails, a 350-acre woodland reserve in Farmington, things have been off a beat. He's been in races before; he's even been in marathons. But this Hi-Tec thing is different. People are going to elaborate and enthusiastic lengths to keep him guessing. The trails that he will run and ride on are kept secret. He's been told to bring a compass, but he doesn't know why. Who knows -- maybe having to wear a race bib that's five sizes too small is some kind of head game.

To be sure, adventure racing is a new kind of animal. Unlike a garden-variety triathlon, an adventure race is a team-oriented affair. The blueprint comes from the French organizers of the 10-year-old Raid Gauloises, in which teams of five people must use their combined wits and stamina to traverse vast chunks of wilderness.

The 11-city Hi-Tec series offers a relatively sane alternative for weekend warriors. With a Hi-Tec race, there are no bivouacs to contend with, no volcanoes to climb. Instead, the core events are a 1- to 2-mile kayak race, a 10- to 15-mile mountain-bike trek, and a 6- to 8-mile trail run.

The "adventure" in adventure racing involves the unexpected: No two races are the same. The race distances change, the order of events changes, even the terrain changes. The course is also booby-trapped with 5 to 10 unannounced "tests." Some of these challenges are cerebral (stopping midrace to assemble a 15-piece jigsaw puzzle), some are gladiatorial (lugging a 150-pound railroad tie through a mud bog), and some are just annoying (reinflating bike tires that have been sabotaged by race organizers).

The expect-the-unexpected format has struck a collective nerve. Nearly 270 teams from 20 states have come to Connecticut to take part in this race. The field of competitors is both large and diverse. Among the corporate entrants are teams from BBN, Stratus Computing, and Pratt & Whitney. There are also teams composed of Navy SEALS and Mt. McKinley climbers.

Also among today's competitors are three archetypal performers -- three people who are each of a kind that you'll find on almost any team, be it athletic or professional: the newbie, the all-star, and the tactician. They are lonely long-distance runners who have suddenly been thrust into a world of synergy and on-the-run consensus building. Herewith, the story of these three rugged adventurers, who know that nothing will test their capacity for teamwork like a four-hour endurance race.

Let the race begin!

The Newbie: Matt Felix

Adventure racers usually come in one of two flavors: runner or biker. Matt Felix, 36, is decidedly in the former category. He has competed in 10K races, marathons, and the odd corporate challenge.

But adventure racing is mostly about coping with activities that lie outside your comfort zone. For Matt, one such activity is mountain biking. He has legitimate reasons to be spooked: His off-the-rack rig is a relic; his off-road experience is almost zilch. He envisions himself schussing off an Everest-size slope -- only to lose control, crash, and splinter into a million pieces.

And coupled with that Big Fear is this Insidious Worry: He's the new guy. If Matt screws up, he wrecks not only his race but also his team's race. The Garbage Platers don't expect to win, but they're highly competitive, and they're accustomed to success. Mark Felix, 32, is a partner at Rogen, an international consulting firm with a blue-chip client list. Mark Wood (aka Woody), 33, is a business strategist for Genzyme Corp., a biotech giant. Both served in the military, and both like the race's boot-camp aura.

Matt isn't military, and he's skeptical of adventure racing's one-for-all, rah-rah spirit. On the eve of the race, in their war room at Days Inn, Mark and Woody tried to take the edge off by giving Matt a rundown of some rules to race by: Don't split off from the group. Don't panic. And don't, under any circumstances, lose to Team Playboy -- a prominent trio of Playmates-turned-adventure-racers.