Adventure Racing and Team Roles

A Bakersfield, California resident, John Joe Fosbinder graduated from Des Moines University to obtain a doctorate in osteopathic medicine. John J. Fosbinder serves as a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Bakersfield Heart Hospital. Additionally, he likes mountaineering and participates in adventure races.

Adventure races consist of multiple challenges, such as cross-country running, mountain biking, climbing, and orienteering. Adventure races can range from one hour to three days or more, depending on the type of race, and the participants can cover hundreds of miles until finishing the race. It is a team sport, and teammates have to stay close during the race. If one gets lost from the pack, the whole team can get disqualified.

During the race, each member of the team has different tasks. The first member is the captain, the team leader, followed by the navigator, who aims to guide the others through the race and help them reach their destination as fast as possible. The team also includes a mule, a stronger member that carries additional gear so that the team can run faster. Finally, teams need a medic that completed medical training and can help the teammates in times of need and a mechanic that can fix bikes or other gears if they can no longer function.