Tag: Wyoming cycling

COWBOY TOUGH ADVENTURE RACE

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WY Beef Summer WLM 2015

CHECK OUT ALL THE TEAMS AT THE CAMECO COWBOY TOUGH ADVENTURE WEEK WEBSITE:  http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/#!teamroster/c1aam

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cOWBOY tOUGH RACE 2015

FROM WIND RIVER COUNTRY TOURISM:

Cowboy Tough Adventure Race, Here We Come! Lander Athletes Represent Wind River Country at the 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race (July 16 –July 19)

 

Wyoming – “So what are you up to this weekend?”

“Oh we’re just headed to Buffalo to do a little trekking through the Bighorns, some mountain and fire road biking, a little Class III whitewater boating, and a touch of orienteering with 100 athletes from over the globe for an 84-hour adventure race ending in Casper.”

Here in Wind River Country, chances are you know one: your neighbor, best friend, co-worker, or even you and your partner are considered an “adventure athlete.” Whether you weekend-warrior up to Wind River’s Stough Creek for a 21-mile fishing excursion, wake up at 5am to run the Tomato Loop, bushwhack with topo maps through the Red Desert to find petroglyphs, ride at-skis/fat bikes/stout horses through the backcountry—there’s a familiar, prevalent breed of (and unspoken camaraderie among) outdoor-forward humans throughout Fremont County.

No surprise that Fremont County has its own adventure race team, for its second year, competing in Wyoming’s 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race. Sponsored by the Wind River Visitors Council, Team Wind River Country is a coed team of four, all residents of Lander.

Captain Charles (Chuck) Schuster crunches 0’s and 1’s by day for Wyoming Life Resource Center. He and his Cowboy Tough teammate and wife Karla Wagner, a local OB/GYN physician, originally got the adventure racing bug at the annual Leadville 100 MTB (mountain biking) race. (Where they spend over ten hours biking 100 miles over 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Each year. On a tandem bike. For fun.)

Returning for a second round, Wind River Country teammate Shad Hamilton is principal at Fort Washakie, a husband, and father of two. Having met in 2006 at the cycling club, Shad has joined Schuster-Wagner on several Leadville races and adventures through the backcountry. Hamilton paddled a canoe singlehandedly across Boysen Reservoir for one leg of last year’s Cowboy Tough to keep the team rolling through an injury and brief and unofficial checkpoint in the Emergency Room. Shad’s wife jokingly refers to Chuck as “that friend” (who drags him out for days and hours of insanity.) We’re not sure if that’s better than a weekly game of poker with the guys or not.

Brad Young is a husband, father, Army veteran, and the newest member of Team Wind River Country. A behavioral therapist at the Wyoming Life Resource Center, Brad was inspired by Chuck’s endeavors over office water cooler conversations, and effectively turned curiosity into action. After surviving his “first date” with the team at the Teton Ogre Adventure Race in June 2014, Brad has been training and on board for Cowboy Tough ever since.

The 2015 Cowboy Tough race-course this year is set for a start in Buffalo, a gentle meander through the Big Horns (ha) and finish line in Casper. 360-430 miles of trekking, paddling, orienteering, fire road biking, single track biking, mountain and road biking, and plenty of checkpoint challenges over the course of four days. Teams are completely independent and self-sufficient for food and water, and are allowed one tote box on an eighteen-wheeler for transition stations. What does that mean? Racing “re-starts” each morning at 7am and even if you rolled into the transition station at 2am, you have to get your food, sleep, and gear ready to start all over again.

Paula McCormick, marketing director of the Wind River Visitor’s Council was adamant about supporting the team in its second year. “Wind River Country is known for its mountains, rivers, trails, and unparalleled terrain from high desert to alpine. Even more so are the people that live here. There’s a pool of adventure athletes who are ‘Cowboy Tough’ and we are thrilled to support them… and have Wind River Country represented at an international (and Wyoming) competition that receives global exposure. These are the people we run by on the trail or see out on the mountain pass. They are our own.”

To get a sense of what this year’s race looks like, look at the video and photos from last year’s race that started in Fremont County. http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/ – !media/c9v9

You can track Fremont County’s team during the race on posts on our Wind River Country Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/WyomingsWindRiverCountry?fref=ts

Related Links: Lander Chamber of Commerce, Riverton Chamber of Commerce, Dubois Chamber of Commerce, Destination Dubois

Wind River Country to Have a Team in Cowboy Tough Adventure Race

Posted on by wlmeditor

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Chuck Schuster and Karla Wagner competing in Leadville. Photo credit: Shad Hamilton

Fremont County, WY – The Rev3 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race will return to Wyoming for a second year, and this year not only will a considerable portion of the race take place in Fremont County, but the county will have its very own team.

The Wind River Visitors Council is sponsoring a local four-person team for the three-and-a-half-day race on July 17-20. The Wind River Country Team will be the local team to root for as the race makes its way from South Pass City to Casper. Adventure racing mixes outdoor sports like mountain biking, trail running, trekking, and water sports with navigation challenges over a course that, in this case, totals 290-390 miles.

Casey Adams is part of the Wind River Country Team in the Rev3 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race. Photo credit: Kelsi Dean

“We are so fortunate to live in a place with such incredible outdoor and recreational opportunities and community support from organizations like the Wind River Visitors Council,” said team captain Casey Adams. “We are very grateful to the council for making this race possible for us.”

The Wind River Visitors Council is looking forward to following the team, comprised of Adams, Shad Hamilton, Chuck Schuster and Karla Wagner, as they prepare for the race in the Southern Wind River Mountains of Wyoming over the next four months. These competitors will keep the public updated about their adventures in preparing for the race, while helping spread the word about the amazing access and recreational opportunities Wind River Country has to offer.

Shad Hamilton screaming down the Powerline descent at Leadville. Photo Credit: Shad Hamilton

Wind River Country is hosting the start of the Adventure Race on July 17, as well as a significant portion of the route on July 18. The race will start at South Pass City State Historic Site. Competitors will hike, bike trek and paddle through the Shoshone National Forest, Sinks Canyon State Park, Lander, Riverton, Shoshoni, Boysen Reservoir and Boysen State Park. On July 19, competitors will head toward Casper for the final portion of the race.

According to Paula McCormick, Marketing Director of the Wind River Visitors Council, a partnership with Governor Matt Mead’s Office, Wyoming Office of Tourism and Central Wyoming College are making it possible to host the start of the race in Fremont County.  Joining the Wind River Visitors Council in supporting this team already are the National Outdoor Leadership School, the Lander Cycling Club, Brooks Running and Deuter.

Shad Hamilton screaming down the Powerline descent at Leadville. Photo Credit: Shad Hamilton

“The Wind River Visitors Council is working with our partners to make this race great for the competitors and for locals and visitors who may want to watch portions of the race. We are very proud that Fremont County was selected to be the start of the race in its second year in Wyoming,” McCormick explained.

Fremont County is a great place for adventures—an outstanding location to train for an adventure race such as the Cowboy Tough. Not only do the mountains afford excellent training grounds, but the communities also provide support like an extended family.

About The Wind River Visitors Council:

The Wind River Visitors Council is Fremont County’s Lodging Tax Board that oversees tourism promotion for the county and its communities. For a complete calendar of events go to www.windriver.org/calendar, or to request a vacation packet, please visit us at Wind River Country or call 800-645-6233.