SUNY Cortland Holding First Adventure Race

02/11/2019 

A fun, hands-on, athletic race is open to all students who are up for a challenge this winter at SUNY Cortland.

On Sunday, Feb. 24, the College will hold its first Adventure Race. The event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Life Center. The race includes three different obstacles: three trips up the climbing wall while being belayed down after each climb, three miles on a spin bike, and 10 laps kayaking on a course in the pool.

“We wanted to do something different,” said Eve Mascoli ’08, M’10, assistant director of recreational sports for facilities and aquatics. “I like to run events that can be open to everyone.”

SUNY Cortland has held similar events to Adventure Race, like Mario Kart on ice, where students paired up to push each other on scooters around Park Center’s Alumni Arena, and a triathlon.

In this race, the participants will be timed on how quickly they finish all three obstacles. They will have a 20-minute time limit on the rock wall and, to save time, an opportunity to preset their spin bikes to the required adjustments for use in the race. For safety purposes during the kayaking portion, competitors are required to wear a helmet and personal flotation device provided by Recreational Sports. Students are welcome to take all of the time they need in between each activity. Modifications are available for those who may not be able to complete something.

Everyone who signs up for the Adventure Race receives a T-shirt for participation. Although the race is meant for participants to have fun with friends and enjoy the facilities, a prize will be awarded to the top male and female finishers. The competitors will be split up into five people per heat so each group is not too crowded.

The event will be capped at 25 participants, Mascoli said. She wants people to show their support and stay to cheer each other on.

While people are competing with the other participants within their heat, the race is mainly about students competing with themselves to achieve their own personal goals.

“The people in the heat are going to push you, but at the same time you are still walking away with a T-shirt and you’re still having fun,” Mascoli said.

Staff members also hope that through this race, people will try new things they may not have thought to do in the Student Life Center, like the pool or climbing wall. Membership is open to all students, but coordinators are always looking for new ways to get people to come down and use the Student Life Center in creative ways to start healthy habits.

“We are big on open recreation,” Mascoli said. “We want people to come down whenever they want and this is why we have this building to work out in and obviously improve their health. “But sometimes students say, ‘Hey, maybe I’ve never climbed before or I’ve never tried climbing, but I liked it and maybe I’m going to come back.’”

Students must register using their SUNY Cortland IM Leagues account by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

The obstacles have been pretested, timed, and planned out accordingly to be sure the event will run smoothly. Chris Gutierrez ’17, grad assistant for group exercise, was a part of this trial-and-error process in making the obstacles easy for all participants to complete. Connor Cumisky ’14, M ’18, assistant director for outdoor pursuits, contributed largely to the use and safety of the climbing wall in the race. Athletic Trainer Katrina Marshall and Brady Burleigh, grad assistant for facilities and aquatics, also collaborated with Cumisky, Gutierrez and Mascoli to create this all-skill-level Adventure Race.

For more information, contact Mascoli at 607-753-5805.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Skyeler Paparteys