 Things Just Aren't The Same In West Texas Anymore
There was a time when you could depend on what was going to happen just about any day of the week out in West Texas. The cattle would graze, the crops would grow; the wind would blow. Sometimes the weather would change and bring with it a natural spectacle of lightening or hail - or tornados.
Occasionally you might come across a neighbor passing by in a pick up truck on the way to town or the feed store or the local market - especially on Saturdays. They were good folk, these familiar faces.
These days, the faces are changing. Strangers have begun arriving in large numbers, many of them sporting bikes and kayaks and canoes on their 4Xwheelers and SUVs. They have come from Dallas and Fort Worth; from Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Some have come from Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, wearing funny looking clothes that stretch across athletic bodies, all with a single purpose: to enter, and win, the Rattlesnake Races in Haskell, just north of Abilene.
No - the rattlesnakes don't actually race in this increasingly popular West Texas event. It's just the name given to a competition which could be compared to the famous "Iron Man Competition", or the Winter Mountain Triathlon contest held each year on the slopes of Vail.
But this competition requires multi-skills to compete. Contestants must complete several legs of the event involving biking, swimming, paddling, hiking, and even rollerblading and skateboarding are an option.
Adventure Racing is the name of the sport, and the region around Haskell is quickly becoming one of the most popular adventure race sites in Texas. From April through November, a number of adventure race competitions are staged, attracting athletes and their sometimes elaborate support teams to the region for fierce competition and great outdoor adventure.
The Annual Rock, Roll and Rattlesnake Challenge (to be held May 4-7 this year) is one of the most challenging events of the series. The three-day multi-day nonstop race requires outstanding strength and stamina and pits some of Texas best adventure racers against each other in a race that takes adventuring to a new limit.
The West Texas landscape is typical of rough breaks and mesquite rangelands in the rolling limestone prairie, broken draws lined with burmelia, hackberry, aromatic sumac, elbowbush, greenbriar and lotebush, and features mature turkey roost timber along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. White-tailed deer, Rio Grande Wild turkeys, bobwhite quail, morning doves, furbearers, songbirds, and feral hogs abound.
The last week in April is the time of the year wildflowers explode into an aromatic and colorful countryside creating a delight for the eyes and nose. Beautiful, rough, rugged and extreme are a few words to describe this area of Texas.
Individual athletes and teams up to four will be required to adventure race across a predetermined course using a host of skills and tools. The race course and the length of each segment, as expected, won't be announced until race day.
Disciplines and required skills include mountain biking, trekking, paddling and portages (flat water lake and/or slow to swift moving river), scootering, roller blading or running (your team must choose the discipline best for the team. Your team must supply the scooter or roller blades for this section if you choose to scooter or roller blade), team challenges, land navigation, and swimming.
Whether you are an athlete, support crew member or spectator, there's something for everyone in Haskell - at the Rattlesnake races! Visit the official site for details and directions.
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Rio Grande Valley