When Steven Oberbroeckling and Jerrett Fried met as new neighbors in Bondurant, little did they know that within a few years they would be working together to bring the Boonecrusher, Iowa's only adventure race sanctioned by United States Adventure Racing Association, to life. The event organizers were drawn to adventure racing because of the mental challenges the sport poses.
Oberbroeckling is a former reconnaissance Marine. Along with his navigational experience comes a thirst for outdoor adventure. Drawn by the ability to use the skills he had acquired in the military and his love of the outdoors, he began adventure racing in the early 2000s.
Fried is a triathlon competitor. While he's always enjoyed those races, he noticed he was no longer mentally engaged. "With triathlons, you can shut your brain off," he said. He was looking for something new and challenging, something that would make him work harder.
After they met, Oberbroeckling introduced him to adventure racing and Fried was hooked. "It's not just about speed, it's about thinking and planning, about how to get from one spot to the other," Fried said.
Boonecrusher, now in its third year, combines physical and mental agility. Teams of two to four racers bike, trek, canoe and orienteer their way through the Des Moines River Valley. Competitors choose to compete in the 40-mile course, which takes roughly eight hours to complete, or the 60-mile course, which takes about 12 hours to finish.
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