Next year, adventurous types who are sick of standard 5k races, half marathons and triathlons will face a new challenge: Dirty Feat.
Dirty Feat is an adventure race that’s popular in other cities, but new to the Capital region. Essentially, teams of two get 10 hours to run, walk, canoe, navigate and whatever other type of physical activity (light shoplifting and trespassing) is necessary to reach the finish line.
“It’s mildly legal and mildly illegal at the same time,” says Jeff Smith with the City of East Lansing.
The purpose of the event is to have fun, stay in shape and get residents to see the community differently. Dirty Feat is unique because anything goes. There’s no real set route and participants have to navigate their way to the finish line, getting there by any means possible.
“The more we looked into it, the more we saw this was in the arena of the creative community,” Smith says. “They tend to be individuals who have a hint of education behind them who want to stay fit and want to have risk, and these two are colliding in a hurry.”
Dirty Feat participants don’t know the course before the race and have to use navigational tools to find the finish line. Smith and Tim Schmitt, also with the City of East Lasing, did the Kalamazoo MetroTrek race this summer.
They biked 25 miles and canoed 1.5 miles, but didn’t finish due in large part to navigational challenges.
“You can make it as large or as small as you want,” Schmitt says. “It all depends on how well you know the area and we didn’t know Kalamazoo from Istanbul.”
The first Capital region Dirty Feat race is tentatively set for June 26, 2010, and will probably be six to eight hours.
“As economic catalysts, we need to provide a third place in the community,” Smith says. “Not everyone wants to come home and just watch TV.”
Source: Jeff Smith, City of East Lansing
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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