So as many of you know May is the time for weddings, and apparently if you are uber elite in Atlanta, you book out the entirity of the Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge.  That was last year.  A few of you had rooms already booked, and so you enjoyed the view of the mountains from the comfort of your race-start room.  But most of you acquired lodging outside of the state park, which was a minor inconvience but an inconviencience nonetheless.

Well, rumor on the wind is that there is another wedding on race weekend, so if you are the planning type and you want to stay at the Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge, I would advise you go ahead and give them a call to make your reservations (or online of course).

If, for some reason, you do not care to stay at the lodge, there are several other accommodations options you may make, from camping at Amicalola to a BIG FAT CABIN for twelve at Big Creek.  In the latter case, join up with some other teams and it makes it more economical than any other option, and you may even share strategies the night before.  I have a suspicion this is one of the reason those Floridians did so well at last year's race...at least that's the excuse I am giving the Georgians.

Inaugural Atomic Adventure Race champions, Team Lab Rats, are returning to defend their title.  And they've got their work cut out for them.  Not only will they be competing against the likes of Checkpoint Zero, Vignette, Team SOG, and WEDALI, but the stage has been set for an epic rematch between them and team Green Paw Adventure Sports (previously Team Shake-A-Leg Miami).  Last year, both Lab Rats and Green Paw Adventure Sports were within 15 minutes of each other for nearly the entire course, until a late-race navigational error by Green Paw Adventure Sports put them on a prohibited route and cost them a 4 hour penalty, leaving the victory to Lab Rats. Green Paw Adventure Sports has been licking their lips at another chance at the Atomic since then.

And as if the strong field of competitors and rivals was not enough, there is another burden for Lab Rats to deal with at the 2010 Atomic that they did not have to bear at the 2009 race.  Last year they won the Stanley Cup of the Atomic Adventure Race, and this year it is mandatory gear for them.  That's right, as I stated at last year's awards ceremony, the Lab Rats are required to carry the Atomic AR trophy through the entirety of the course.  It was poured at and the iron ore came from Red Top Mountain in Cartersville, GA specifically for the race.  The extra 10 pounds should be enough to slow them down a bit this year, with the trailing pack in high pursuit.

Today is a landmark day--we hit 40 teams registered for the 2010 Atomic Adventure Race presented by Fuji Bikes. We are a little over 3 months since registration opened and 3 months out from the race date, and we have already matched the number of teams that toed the line last year.

Now there's incredible pressure on us to put on the best adventure racing event in the USA, and so the race management team is circling around the massive effort it is going to take to produce this event.

Last year I was tremendously happy with the turnout for the inaugural Atomic Adventure Race, and this year I've been elated for the past month by the sheer number of teams returning to the event. There's a lot of work that goes into putting on an adventure race, but the satisfaction is huge in terms of how it contributes to the sport we love: there are many stories from 2009 of first timers engaging in the race, of veterans reacquiring a love for adventure racing, and elites pushing themselves beyond their limits.

We came into world of race management last year, when races were dropping off the schedule due to lack of interest and general fears about the economy. Race directors that were long-time pillars of the sport were disheartened by the turn of events; a lot of competitors were turning to other, less costly sports, to hold them over.

So we decided to put something fresh out there to see if it would keep the interest in adventure racing high, and we were surprised at how many people joined in. From competitors to volunteers to sponsors, we were firing on all cylinders. We put on the race and it was a huge success.

Now here I am staring at 40 registered teams 3 months out from the race and I'm simply amazed. Its a huge honor to last year's race management team and it's going to be a great thing for this year's team (a few new faces) to provide a platform for all of you to challenge yourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We've got big plans for this year's race, and so if you are not registered, I encourage you to go ahead and join the 40 and counting teams who have cast their ballot.

Initial teaser for the 2010 Atomic Adventure Race presented by Fuji Bikes in high definition (be sure to click the maximize button to get some of that HD action).