Now here's a story more than one couple I know can relate to. Men's Journal has posted a great article about a married couple who elected to take part in the Speight's Coast-to-Coast, a multi-sport race held annually in New Zealand. The race is more than 243km (150 miles) in length, and includes three stages. The race kicks off with a 140km road cycle, followed by a 36km run through the mountains, and finally a 67km long kayak stage to finish the day.
For Brad Wieners and his wife Mary, the race represented an opportunity to break out of their mundane existence, which included 50+ hour work weeks, kids, commutes, and everything else that comes along with the daily grind. They were once a young, dynamic and adventurous couple who had gotten bogged down with the usual things life throws our way. To break out of that rut, they decided to do the Coast to Coast as a relay team, and began training for the race.
As you might expect, not everything went as planned. Brad even managed to lose his wedding ring while taking a training course on kayaking. A rather ominous sign it would seem. But the couple stuck with their training and went through with their plan, and this article tells their tale in an often humorous fashion. The story bounces back and fourth between their planning and training, and the various stages of the race, which took place back in February of this year.
In the end, the couple manages to bond over the training and the race, and add a little adventure back into their life in the process. It's a fun read, and while I wouldn't necessarily recommend adventure racing for a couple that is in need of counseling, it seems to have worked for this pair.
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