Event Description
After five successful years as one of the most difficult sprint triathlons in the Northeast, last year The Gut Check was reconfigured as a point-to-point adventure race within Cape Cod’s 2000-acre DCR Nickerson State Park. This year we are back again for another great adventure! This year the course will be different, and there will be options. Athletes will not know the checkpoints until right before the race begins. Just know that it will be an endurance workout you won’t soon forget! We encourage teams, as we saw in 2019, they had the most fun!
Warning!
This is a race for intermediate and experienced athletes. Expect cold water, steep hills and difficult cliffside running trails paved with tree roots. While there will be emergency medical support on-site, all participants race at their own risk.
Until shortly before the race, all you’ll know about this year’s Gut Check is that it will combine running, cycling, orienteering and water crossing (surfboard or paddleboard, or swimming) in Nickerson State Park. You will present yourself at designated checkpoints along the way. Expect a finishing time of 1 to 2 hours. Whether you compete solo or with a group of your friends (2, 3 or 4 persons), the objective is to use your wits and fitness to scramble your way (including 92 steps built into a cliff) to the finish.
Event details and schedule
Be prepared to:
Paddle 1 - 1.35 miles
Bike (steep hills) 4 - 8 miles
Run (technical trails) 3.5 - 6 miles
Race with friends or race solo.
Racing as a team:
Each person registers as an individual, noting the name of your team during the registration process. This avoids the hassle of one person registering the team but then needing to gather info and collect money from everybody. Team members can also decide prior to the event to "race solo," or vice versa. On race day each member of the team must go through check points and finish line together. May the fastest... and smartest... teams win!
On-line registration will close on October 14 at 5:00pm.
The Course:
Athletes will receive laminated maps that have checkpoints pre-marked before the race. You will navigate between checkpoints using the map and compass. Teams must check in at all checkpoints and the finish line together. Segments will be categorized as either a run, bike, or paddle/swim discipline. Keep in mind that you may have multiple running, biking, and paddling/swimming legs that alternate throughout the race. Also, unlike a relay, 2, 3 or 4-person teams compete together the entire race.
This is a point-to-point race, there is no central transition area so plan accordingly.
