ROUGH RIDERS

The term "adventure racing" is likely to conjure up images of action-packed films starring macho males charged with adrenalin and popping biceps like Rambo. Meeting adventure racing buddies Jongsak Kaew-in and Kiattisak Premanan kills all the misconceptions. Jongsak doesn't resemble Stallone, and Kiattisak can never be mistaken for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"You don't always win with huge muscles," says the 43-year-old, 170-centimetre tall Jongsak, whose lean, muscled body weighs a mere 65 kilogrammes. Excessive muscles often become a disadvantage in many ways, he explains. Weight soon becomes a burden when you have to run, swim or climb cliffs until you reach the finish line.

Muscles may keep you in the competition, "but to win the game, you need skills, conscientiousness and spontaneity", his long-time buddy Kiattisak adds. At 53, he stands 169cm tall and his 56kg body is almost fat free.

Generally, adventure racing combines several disciplines, including orienteering and navigation, cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills, but competitions held in Thailand are usually simpler. The length of a competition varies from a few hours to several days.

Apart from the physical strength that has to be maintained and elevated through regular training, to cross the finish line as a team, you need patience, determination and, most importantly, teamwork.

Thais have frequently been accused of lacking teamwork skills, and many people say that adventure racing isn't really suitable for Thailand although its geographical features appear to be ideal. Jongsak blames it on the media for promoting only popular sports like soccer and golf in print and on television. "Thais don't get many chances to learn about this competitive activity."

The two close friends first met on a cycling trip to the Thi Lor Su waterfall 15 years ago. Sharing a passion for cycling and adventure sports, full-time display artist Jongsak and TOT Corporation technician Kiattisak teamed up with another member (who is now 73 and has retired from competition) to form "Ironman" 10 years ago.

In their first competition, the National Geographic meet in Hong Kong, the Ironman team won the overall prize - the award for excellence in all categories. They went on to win prizes in the following legs in the series in Asia, including the third leg held in Kanchanaburi.

The team couldn't have won if any member was missing. While they each had complementary skills and strength, Jongsak had less skills but more strength, and the oldest member was then 63 and so was less strong, but he knew how to solve the problems that were written in English.

You can never leave a team member behind, no matter what, says Kiattisak. "Who would help him if he were bitten by a snake in the river?"

The matter of safety aside, joint team progress is crucial. "Reaching the checkpoint alone doesn't count," says Jongsak. Leaving a buddy behind, having to struggle alone in a task, or overcoming an obstacle unaided, is tantamount to a structural failure. Unless you compete as an individual, all the team members have to reach the checkpoint or cross the finish line together.

To survive to the end requires good individual and team planning as well as spontaneity. While racers need to be well-prepared for the tough, minimum five-hour race, you really never know what awaits at the next stop. That means you have to do your best in the present task while saving enough energy for the next.

An alert team soon develops a pattern for doing well in a competition. In their case, the younger Jongsak usually takes on tasks that require more strength - for example, steering a canoe or taking the lead in the cycling leg to act as a wind buffer for his buddy. The slimmer Kiattisak, on the other hand, takes on the climbing jobs, skims up electricity posts and undertakes tasks that require speed in their completion.

To make a good team, a member shouldn't be a burden to the other.

One of their most recent races combined a 10km run, a 20km cycle ride, paddling, swimming and climbing up a cliff by rope.

To keep fit for races, Jongsak cycles the 10km route to work and runs in the parking lot for 90 minutes. Every week, Kiattisak alternates between 160 minutes of cycling to work, 90 minutes of swimming and 90 minutes of running.

Despite their heavy training, both men always keep a close watch on their energy intake. At the same time, they never go beyond their own physical limits. In the absence of clear and definite standards, "you need to know your own limits", says Kiattisak, who's well aware of the risks of over-exerting his ageing body.

Because they didn't know their own limits, some racers not only failed to reach the finish line, but also failed to make the journey home. Sheer physical strength sometimes conceals weaknesses of the heart. Some enthusiasts have had heart attacks during a competition, while others have drowned while swimming.

But the tough demands of the race don't mean there are no compensations. As a result of racing, both have learned more about nature. Often, Kiattisak rejoices in the freshness of nature, especially during the rainy season. "Being among the blossoming flowers is as if I were having a spa treatment."

Paradoxically, nature lovers often view adventure racing as being a contentious sport.

Due to the large number of teams participating in any competition, the sport is sometimes blamed for destroying nature. However, "although a race sometimes involves up to 400 competitors, we don't all go into the jungle at the same time", says Kiattisak.

Unlike a marathon, a team of two or three is released from the starting point every five or 10 minutes. Each team is free to check in at any checkpoint without having to follow a chronological order. So, the small group of people at any given time period is not likely to disturb nature or the wildlife in the course of a competition.

Kiattisak also stresses that every competitor is told to always keep with them all the items they have with them from the starting point to the finish line.

"We're not supposed to leave behind or throw away anything on the way ... not even a small plastic bag."

What they always take home and cherish are their new experiences and friends from the race. Jongsak has adapted the toughness of the race to his life. Occasionally during a competition, he has to struggle with his assignments, and such experiences serve as reminders for him to deal with his life in the same manner.

In the end, he says, he knows that "my life is a lot less tough" than the tasks frequently encountered during an adventure racing contest.