As I continue to sort and find all of my adventure racing “stuff” I used as a promoter and director, I find things I forgot I had made let alone had any of them still around. The bumper sticker was a favorite. The second picture is of a 100 acre pasture on the ranch. I rode horseback today getting a feel for distance and ideas. The TA area for the Rock,Roll and Rattlesnake Challenge was/is in this field. Many years past we started the race with a trail run around the old field, now grown up with mesquite trees. Rule was keep the fence to your right and in each corner where you turn left you will receive a piece of race information to complete the race. One year we had emus (large non native birds) just show up on the ranch. No idea where they came from and no one ever claimed them. Poncho, our old ranch hand decided we were keeping them and he started feeding them in this pasture every day. They became quite accustomed to people and vehicles. One year as racers set up their TA area the birds were nosy and curious, to the point of having to be shooed out of the racer’s space. We lined everybody up at the start line and fired off the start. All of the racers took off running and the big lumbering birds took off with the racers. The emus completed the first leg of the race running amongst the teams for over two miles. We have video footage of this odd race start somewhere still to be found. The birds calmed down back at the TA and teams took off on the course. Upon returning to the TA the teams found their TA areas ransacked by the emus and most of their food eaten or scattered. The emus disappeared from the ranch just as they appeared, so no Emu special team challenges in 2021,but we might find another exotic way to start the race. Stay tuned for the Killer Attack Llama race story. Mark May 14-16,2021 on your calendar and come to Texas.
