Local challenge promises adventure

People have less than a month now to ready themselves for a challenge – the 3rd Annual Clark Fork Adventure Challenge, a triathlon sponsored by the Clark Fork Valley Hospital Foundation.

The competition is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m. at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. The race starts and finishes at the fairgrounds.

The foundation will be hosting two races this year, said Barry Fowler, the foundation’s executive director. The traditional triathlon will include an eight-mile run, followed by an eight-mile kayak race, and finishing up with a 15-mile mountain bike race, which will feature a combination of road and woodland mountainous terrain. The shorter “try-athalon” will include a five-mile run, a five-mile kayak race and an 10-mile mountain bike race.

Fowler said that people can use kayaks or stand-up paddleboards for either race. The races will be either individual or team competitions. Teams can be two or three people, men or women. The cost to enter is $75 for an individual or $150 a team. For the shorter race, it’s $65 for an individual or $130 a team. There will be men, women and team trophies.

The minimum age is 14. Anyone under 18 must have a parent signature on the waiver, said Fowler. John Haines is once again the race director. It was Haines that came up with the idea for the triathlon two years ago. The foundation is looking for volunteers to help with the race. Anyone interested in the race or volunteering can contact Barry Fowler at 826-4858 or go to the hospital website at http://www.cfvh.org and look under upcoming events. Registration ends Sept. 12. Fowler said people have already started to register and there was a man from Norway interested in the race.

About 15 competitors participated in the first year’s race. Last year was canceled because of the Sheep Gap Fire. “The woods had been closed by both Weyerhaeuser and the Forest Service and the air quality was looking pretty bad,” said Fowler.

The Clark Fork Valley Hospital Fair Foundation is a nonprofit group that raises funds to purchase items not in the hospital budget. This year, the foundation is raising money for a new surgical table, which will be an enhancement to the hospital services, said Fowler. He also noted that MT West Dentist in Plains said that any Sanders County resident that brings in his or her race bib would receive a complimentary initial exam.