Adventure Racing: Industry and Motivation

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Adventure Racing: Industry and Motivation

Lauren Tango
Intro to Recreation and Leisure
Rick Stock
November 25, 2015

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Our world is constantly changing. Humanity's needs and desires morph as our living
conditions, social norms, and economies evolve. In this 21st century that we live in, our time
and energy are allocated differently than they were 100 years ago. Today, recreation is an
important aspect of life to a large percentage of the population. Trends and popularity of
different activities change as generations grow old and new ones start participating. However,
according to the Outdoor Industry Association, one thing is clear. The participation in outdoor
recreation activities hit an all time high in 2013 (Outdoor Industry Association, 2014)
What activities are growing in popularity? Why are these activities growing in
popularity and what makes them so appealing to the people that participate in them? Adventure
racing is on the forefront of activities that are growing in popularity. For the purpose of this
paper, Adventure Racing will be defined as what Running USA calls Non-Traditional Running
Events. This includes obstacle races, themed races and obstacle events (Running USA, 2014).
These races appeal to large numbers of people for a variety of reasons.
This paper will show that the number of people participating in Adventure Racing is
growing, and explore some of the reasons why. Adventure Racing's growing popularity is due
to the current accessibility of the sport and the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that drive
people to participate in it. First, we will look in depth at how much the industry has actually
expanded and some of the numbers associated with that. Secondly, we will explore the intrinsic
motivations that attract people to participate in Adventure Racing and thirdly, we will look at
the extrinsic rewards and motivations that Adventure Racing stimulates. The forms that these
motivations manifest themselves can be explored both quantitatively and qualitatively.

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In 2014 The Outdoor Industry Association found that both the most popular and favorite
outdoor activity among youth age 6 to 24 and adults age 25+ was running, jogging, and trail
running (OIA, 2014). On top of that, RunningUSA, a non-profit organization that is devoted to
improving the status and experience of distance running and racing in the United States... states
that the industry of Adventure Racing has grown 40-fold between 2009 and 2013
(RunningUSA, 2014). In early 2009 the participation was in the low six figures. In their
research, it is now above 4 million. The evidence of the growing popularity of the Adventure
Racing industry is apparent in popular culture writing and opinion as well as pure numbers.
According to Forbes magazine in August of 2014, Adventure Races are driving the
increase in the popularity of running. One reason for this is the unique motivation for why
people run and challenge themselves that Adventure Racing provides. This will be re-visited
and explored later in the paper. Forbes also reported in 2013 that more than a dozen Adventure
Race companies have popped up in the last three years. The Spartan Race is the name of one
company that organizes and creates these Adventure Races. Joe DeSena, the co-founder of the
Spartan Race was quoted saying, The sport is on fire - literally and figuratively (Olmsted,
2013). Later in the quote he said they had eight competitors in 2004 and in 2013 they had over
350,000. That is just in the Spartan Race. Tough Mudder is another one of these race
companies, as well as the Warrior Dash. The U.S. Adventure Racing Association has on their
front page that Adventure Racing is sweeping the nation (USARA, 2011). Accessibility to the
sport has skyrocketed due to the growing numbers of companies offering them. Now that some
of the numbers have been presented, it is now time to explore some of the qualitative reasons
Adventure Racing is so popular.

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Humans need motivation to get anything accomplished. Motivation comes from many
different places. It can come from happiness, anger, a desire to achieve a certain feeling, or from
the promise of external rewards. Intrinsic motivation comes from somewhere inside, and
therefore the rewards are also internal. External motivation comes from an internal desire for an
external reward; fame, recognition, or a something as simple as a trophy. The climb in
popularity of Adventure Racing is attributed in part to what inherently motivates people to do
anything, and what physical and social rewards are experienced afterward.
The Journal of Exercise Physiology published a study in 2012 about obstacle course
challenges, which is what this paper is classifying as modern Adventure Racing. It explored the
phenomenon that even at a point in this country where only 18% of American adults participate
in the suggested minimum requirement cardiovascular conditioning activity for healthy living,
they are still flocking to obstacle challenges. Why? Some of the findings pointed to intrinsic
motivations. Two theories that explain human motivation are used in this journal to articulate
why these obstacle course races are so popular. Self-determination theory maintains that people
have three major needs. One is autonomy, the second is to feel they are capable of what they are
doing and the third is the desire to feel a part of a group. Achievement goal theory, it writes,
states that the primary motive for learning something or persisting through something is the
desire to demonstrate competence (Mullins, 2012) This same journal writes that the
Completion of a challenge course, as opposed to coming in first, is the main goal of some
Adventure Races. Therefore, these races provide motivation and fulfill internal rewards through
challenge. RunningUSAs CEO Rich Harshbarger was quoted in Forbes magazine as saying
that growing numbers of women are participating in Adventure Racing for this same reason.
They are looking for something to do where the main concern is finishing, rather than how long

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it takes (Jessop, 2014). People complete a race individually, fulfilling the need for autonomy
and demonstrating that they can accomplish it to their fellow teammates. This falls directly into
the two theories of what motivates people to do things.
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs asserts that people have basic needs that need to be met to
maintain a happy, fulfilled existence. Food, water and shelter are the most basic. Safety is the
second and a sense of love and belonging is the third. Adventure Racing feeds the human desire
to be loved and accepted, and to feel accomplished. The intrinsic motivation for basic need
fulfillment prompts participation. What about external rewards, though? Being internally
motivated to do something is great, but Adventure Racing is a group activity most of the time,
and there are definitely external rewards that come from the participation in them.
Teamwork and cooperation have been an integral part of human survival and
colonization of the planet for as long as humans have existed (Despain, 2010). For this paper,
teamwork will be defined as having a common goal and working together to achieve that goal.
A huge element of Adventure Racing is teamwork. In order for effective achievement of the
goal of completing a race, people work together to overcome obstacles. Social status and the
promise of camaraderie also motivate Adventure Race participation. RunningUSA stated in
April of 2014 that these Adventure Racing events attract people that do indeed want to be
active, but are also there to just have fun, build a team and enjoy the company of others instead
of focusing purely on competition. In order to understand exactly why people participate in
Adventure Racing to build teamwork, we turn to an Oxford University study on the human
brain and its function. It states, awareness of a team member's emotional status is critical to
the teams ability to navigate high-magnitude stressors (Thom, et al.,2012). This study
explored how the human brain operates under stress. They used Adventure Racers as a study

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group. What this study found is that elite athletes in high stress situations respond to and are
more aware of the emotional state of people around them. They perceive emotions as more
important and pertinent information (Thom, et al., 2012). The group of Adventure Racers in
this study were high-performance athletes. However, it illustrates that increased activity level,
through Adventure Racing, raises your perception of and reaction to the emotions of the people
around you. Teamwork is improved when you are more aware of the emotions and needs of the
people around you, and that awareness is increased in those that partake in Adventure Racing.
Tough Mudder, one of the companies that organizes these obstacle course races was
founded and by, and currently run by Will Dean, a man who used to work in British
counterterrorism. Motivation, self-challenge, goal achievement, and teamwork, are what these
races are modeled on. The Warrior Dash company takes the stance that these races are
challenges, and a chance to challenge oneself while simultaneously enjoying the company of
others. Tough Mudder is not a race, its a challenge, that company says. Its about pushing
yourself to the limits and helping others to do the same (Kelly, 2014). This exemplifies the

multifaceted nature of the motivations of Adventure Racing.

Going hand in hand with camaraderie, is the social motivation to participate in
these Adventure Races and the recognition that comes with it. Our society is driven by phones,
technology and now, in many ways, by what you post on Facebook. The consequence of posting
images and sharing accomplishments is that the desire to participate in Adventure Racing is
increased in those that see the images (RunningUSA, 2014). The extrinsic reward this achieves
is recognition, and the possibility of building of a team in the future. Teamwork is an intrinsic
part of these courses, and often a necessary piece to finishing them. People that are in a bit
better shape see this as a challenge to overcome, but for the average person, it stimulates a

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feeling of honor and accomplishment to just finish (Olmsted, 2013). Recognition of finishing,
and that medal that comes with it is a significant motivator to participate in Adventure Racing.
People become more socially accepted as a result of finishing a race
There are many sides to human desire. Outdoor recreation is an important part of what
humans in this century enjoy doing. The Outdoor Foundation reported in 2014 that Adventure
Racing had a participation increase of 28 percent over the last three years, more than any other
outdoor activity. This paper has explored the reasons for that increase. Found, in both the
numbers of participants, and studies done into the psychology of Adventure Racing, is the key
to its success as an industry. In order to accomplish anything, humans need motivation.
Adventure racing is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivating. It also provides for and feeds
the basic human need of love and belonging. Teamwork is necessary for our survival and our
brains work with us in stressful situations to allow better performance and awareness of the
emotions our fellow human beings are experiencing. All of these factors work together to
explain why people are so happy to step up to the Adventure Race challenge.

Works Cited

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2014 State of the Sport - Part I: Non-Traditional Running Events | Running USA. (2014, April 7).
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.runningusa.org/state-of-sport-nontraditional
Despain, D. (2010, February 27). Early Humans Used Brain Power, Innovation and Teamwork to
Dominate the Planet. from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-brain-powerorigins/
Why The Tough Mudder, The Color Run And The Spartan Race Will Continue To Drive
Running's Popularity. (2014, August 28). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2014/08/28/why-the-tough-mudder-color-run-andspartan-race-will-continue-to-drive-runnings-popularity/
Kelly, J. (2014, May 12). Mud races are a growing trend for people who want to test themselves.
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/05/13/Mudraces-are-a-growing-trend-for-people-who-want-to-test-themselves/stories/201405130011
New Year's Fitness Resolution: Try Adventure Racing or Obstacle Racing. (2013, January 2).
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2013/01/02/newyears-fitness-resolution-try-adventure-or-obstacle-racing/
Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report 2014. (2014). Retrieved November 16, 2015,
from https://outdoorindustry.org/images/researchfiles/ResearchParticipation2014Topline.pdf?207
The Outdoor Recreation Economy. (2013, February 13). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Government_Affairs/Federal_Government_Affairs/OIA_
OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf
Thom, N., Johnson, D., Flagan, T., Simmons, A., Kotturi, S., Orden, K., . . . Paulus, M. (2012).
Detecting emotion in others: Increased insula and decreased medial prefrontal cortex activation
during emotion processing in elite adventure racers. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience,225-231.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23171614

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USARA. (2011). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.usara.com/default.aspx?
ReturnUrl=/

Bibliography
2014 State of the Sport - Part I: Non-Traditional Running Events | Running USA. (2014, April 7).
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.runningusa.org/state-of-sport-nontraditional
Despain, D. (2010, February 27). Early Humans Used Brain Power, Innovation and Teamwork to
Dominate the Planet. from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-brain-power-origins/
Dizik, A. (2012, June 6). Office Workers Run Amok. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303918204577446943747331290.

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Why The Tough Mudder, The Color Run And The Spartan Race Will Continue To Drive Running's
Popularity. (2014, August 28). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2014/08/28/why-the-tough-mudder-color-run-and-spartanrace-will-continue-to-drive-runnings-popularity/
Kelly, J. (2014, May 12). Mud races are a growing trend for people who want to test themselves.
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/05/13/Mudraces-are-a-growing-trend-for-people-who-want-to-test-themselves/stories/201405130011
New Year's Fitness Resolution: Try Adventure Racing or Obstacle Racing. (2013, January 2).
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2013/01/02/newyears-fitness-resolution-try-adventure-or-obstacle-racing/
Outdoor Recreation Participation Topline Report 2014. (2014). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
https://outdoorindustry.org/images/researchfiles/ResearchParticipation2014Topline.pdf?207

Plunkett, M. (2014, March 26). Around the world in 26.2: The rising trend of racing on every ...
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Regenold, S. (2011, December 19). Mud Pits and Barbed Wire: Adventure Racing Faces Identity
Crisis. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://gearjunkie.com/adventure-racing-identity-crisis
The Outdoor Recreation Economy. (2013, February 13). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Government_Affairs/Federal_Government_Affairs/OIA_O
utdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf
Thom, N., Johnson, D., Flagan, T., Simmons, A., Kotturi, S., Orden, K., . . . Paulus, M. (2012).
Detecting emotion in others: Increased insula and decreased medial prefrontal cortex activation

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during emotion processing in elite adventure racers. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience,225-231.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23171614