ROOTSTOCK RACING
Solo Racers
While adventure racing is a team sport at its core, we recognize that some athletes want to participate as solos. At Rootstock Racing, we understand and support this desire, and we also recognize that solo racing brings with it a unique set of challenges for everyone involved. Many of our events take place in rugged, backcountry Pennsylvanian terrain, often with poor-to-no cell phone reception. Solo racers MUST be able to be self-sufficient and skilled to a degree that others racing with teammates might not.
For the solo racer, there is heightened risk of injury or other backcountry issues. Whether you fall, suffer thermal exposure, experience an allergic reaction, or are lost, solos are subject to more complicated circumstances without teammates with whom to problem-solve. While a medical issue or a lost team can also impact the flow of a race, as race directors, we know that there is support on the ground if a team is injured, ill, or lost. With solos, emergencies or lost racers have the potential to become even more serious. As a result, we are forced to manage solos differently, and this can impact our volunteers and other resources, further complicating our ability to run the event for other participants.
As a result of these realities, for particularly remote events during which we allow solo competition, we require solos to meet additional standards. We recognize that this places added burden on those racers, but we believe that solo competitors taking on such events need to be prepared to handle situations and emergencies that might arise, and we need to know that you can communicate with race staff even when there is no cell coverage.
For the solo racer, there is heightened risk of injury or other backcountry issues. Whether you fall, suffer thermal exposure, experience an allergic reaction, or are lost, solos are subject to more complicated circumstances without teammates with whom to problem-solve. While a medical issue or a lost team can also impact the flow of a race, as race directors, we know that there is support on the ground if a team is injured, ill, or lost. With solos, emergencies or lost racers have the potential to become even more serious. As a result, we are forced to manage solos differently, and this can impact our volunteers and other resources, further complicating our ability to run the event for other participants.
As a result of these realities, for particularly remote events during which we allow solo competition, we require solos to meet additional standards. We recognize that this places added burden on those racers, but we believe that solo competitors taking on such events need to be prepared to handle situations and emergencies that might arise, and we need to know that you can communicate with race staff even when there is no cell coverage.
Solo Racer Qualifications
- Solo racers must complete a brief application.
- Solo racers must have completed at least two 24-hour adventure races (you must tell us which race and when).
- Solo racers must have an active First Aid certification; we STRONGLY recommend a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification as first aid in the outdoors is very different from urban first aid.
- Solo racers must have an active device capable of sending messages even when there is no cell service. We at Rootstock use Garmin InReach devices when there is no cell coverage.* We like this option because you can activate their communication plan on a month-to-month basis, so you only have to pay for service when you’re going to need it. These devices are increasingly common for anyone spending time in the outdoors as a primary piece of safety gear.
*We have no sponsorship or affiliation with Garmin.