LITTLE ROCK — Complete the similes. 1. Off-road triathlons are to triathlons as tap water is to ... a. lemonade. b. a puddle. c. drowning. 2. Long-course, off-road triathlons are to the Xterra Epic-Iron MT as Barbie is to ... a. dolls. b. Holiday Barbie. c. Moulin Rouge Barbie. Was that too confusing? Perhaps we need more information about the Xterra Epic-Iron MT. The event — 9 a.m. Saturday at Iron Mountain Lodge and Marina at DeGray Lake — is the only long-course, off-road triathlon in the nation this fall, promoter Fred Phillips says.
“Xterra is really the governing body for off-road triathlon globally. There are only two epics, or long-course off-road triathlons in the United States, and we run both of them.”
By “we” he means his business, DLT Event Management in Arkadelphia. The other event is not in Arkansas; it’s in Ruston, La., in May: the Epic RustMan.
Triathlons are multisport races in which competitors swim, then bike and then run. The epic requires a one-mile swim, a 34-mile bike race and a 9.6-mile run.
“The MT stands for mountain,” Phillips adds, because the courses will cross Iron Mountain at De-Gray. Also because racers will need their mountain bikes for the ride.
“This is all off-road, this event, except for the swim, of course. The bike portion is mountain biking and the run portion, the bulk of it’s off-road. It’s not your standard road tri. It’s a real specialty event,” he says. “Well, the swim is off-road, too, but that’s semantics.”
Some competitors will be trying for points in the 2012 Xterra point series, and winning this event is worth 100 points toward that.
Registration is $150 and is available online until 9:59 a.m. Friday. Each racer also must have a permit or membership in USA Triathlon. Late registration is available in person from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Iron Mountain Marina.
More information is at dltmultisport.com.
Back to the similes. If you selected the answer b, you are correct, and also savvy to the ways of multiple-choice tests (B, it’s almost always B).
For readers unfamiliar with the vagaries of Barbie models, the significant difference between Holiday Barbie and Moulin Rouge Barbie could be obscure. Trust me, that difference justifies using these two models of fashion doll in our simile. Moulin Rouge Barbie had only one edition. One doll. But Mattel markets another Holiday Barbie every year.
So she’s part of a series, as is the Xterra event. Get it?
As for the tap water and the puddle, I’m sure everyone can easily see how their relationship relates to the difference between an on-road and an off-road triathlon. I won’t bore you with such an obvious explanation.
Bike race
The Iron Mountain Classic Mountain Bike race will be Sunday at Iron Mountain Marina. Part of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series, the race will accept advance registration. Everyone will sign up on site 30 minutes before the start of each race, beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Racers will do laps in the 9.6-mile cross-country route used in the Xterra Epic.
More information is at dltmultisport.com.
Soaring Wings
As expected, registration closed Oct. 13 for Saturday’s Braswell and Son Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway as the event reached its participation cap of 1,700 runners. Not only is the charity fundraiser a popular distance, this year it’s part of the Arkansas Grand Prix series of races.
The 13.1-mile footrace benefits Soaring Wings Ranch, a children’s charity in Conway.
An associated children’s event, the Kids Run for Kids at 6 p.m. Friday, will have several heats from a quarter mile to 1 mile based on children’s ages. Racing is free, but a T-shirt will cost $10. All finishers will get a medal.
The kids races will be in the Market Square at the Village at Hendrix in conjunction with the Christian Car Club of Conway’s Trunk or Treat candy giveaway and Silver Moon Cinema’s open-air movie.
Trunk or Treat will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday next to Panera Bread, and will include a bouncy house and music. At 7:15 p.m. Silver Moon Cinema will show Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 for a $1 donation to the Soaring Wings Ranch. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket.
More information is at www. swhalf.com.
Crohn’s & Colitis walk
Take Steps Be Heard for Crohn’s & Colitis is a fundraising walk at the downtown Bentonville Square from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Donations will support the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
More information is at www. cctakesteps.org/nwa.
Tai Chi play day
Jacksonville Community Center will offer a free taste of tai chi from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, with public tai chi classes near the fountain behind the Farmers Market, 9 Municipal Drive in Jacksonville.
Anyone is welcome to join the class for free. You don’t even have to take off your shoes. “Just wear comfortable shoes and comfortable clothing,” says Joanne Zeitler. The workout will include traditional forms of the slow-paced martial art as well as elements of the Arthritis Foundation’s Tai Chi for Arthritis program.
More information is at (501) 825-8126 and jz4taichi@yahoo.com.
Cotton’s ready
Readers intrigued by ActiveStyle’s summertime visit to the Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park’s cotton patch can try their hands at picking cotton until late November.
Park Interpreter Lydia White says the park’s little plot has set bolls. She will introduce visitors to the joys of picking, and let them try to gin the small amount they pick and attempt to spin it into a cotton string in the main museum. Admission costs $3 ($2 for children). The program is available during museum hours, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
The museum is 20 minutes from Little Rock at the junction of U.S. 165 and Arkansas 161. White can be reached at (501) 961-1409 and Lydia. White@arkansas.gov.
ActiveStyle, Pages 28 on 10/24/2011