MUDDY CREEK TWP — Adventure racing is back.

Grass Roots Racing, a Pittsburgh-based company co-owned by Bradford native Bethann Scott and Butler resident Frank Eyth, produces adventure races and off-road triathlons in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Last year, they started a four-event series in the Pittsburgh area with hopes of regenerating interest in adventure racing.

Scott and Eyth are former adventure racing teammates.

"We got involved in adventure racing through the old Hi-Tec series,"Scott said. "That company eventually was sold and its adventure racing series died out.

"We want to bring that type of race back because we believe the interest is out there."

The numbers support that claim. The Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series last had a race at Moraine State Park in 1999. Just under 300 three-person teams participated.

Moraine State Park is also a stop on the Grass Roots series, which features two-person teams.

"There were 22 teams in the race here last year,"competitor Dan Tack of Butler said. "There were 42 teams there this year. And that's with very little advertising, mainly through word-of-mouth in the racing community."

The Moraine Adventure Dash took place last Saturday on the North Shore of Moraine State Park. It included a mile of swimming, 10 miles of mountain biking, five miles of trail running and tests of navigational ability.

Leonard Lucas and John McCune marked the first duo to cross the finish line, completing the course in 3 hours and 49 minutes.

"Our series is designed to give people a taste of adventure racing,"Eyth said. "Our race was challenging, but did not require a whole lot of physical training or conditioning.

"The average person was capable of completing the course, and that's what we wanted."

Part of the course at Moraine was having a member of each team scale the chimney side of a monolith, dropping to the bottom, picking up vital information pertaining to completion of the course and climbing out.

Prizes were provided to winners of the coed and male division, with the best prizes targeted for the coed competition.

"The coed division is what we really want to push,"Eyth said.

Eyth, 48, has done adventure races throughout the United States, China, Mexico and the Virgin Islands. He competed in the Primal Course in Utah last year — a seven- to 10-day race.

Scott has done 12 adventure races, including a three-day event in Michigan.

"We did 62 hours of racing on four hours sleep," she said. "I love the navigation and mental aspect of adventure racing. There's strategy and thinking about it. It's not just a physical act."

The first Grass Roots series race was held at Nemacolin Woodlands. The second race was at Frick Park in Pittsburgh. Moraine marked the third leg of the series with the final race slated for Sept. 22 at Nemacolin.

Racers accumulate points through their finishes in each of the four events. Tim and Edna Spang of Wexford led the coed division in points entering the Moraine Adventure Dash.

The Spangs finished seventh overall at Moraine, second in the coed division.

"I was never involved in any running event until the race at Moraine last year,"Tim Spang said. "Edna ran track in high school and has been doing 5K and 10Kraces for years.

"She's tried a triathlon before, but we looked at this (adventure) race as something fun we could do together. We enjoy mountain biking and orienteering, so we gave it a shot."

Spang did some treadmill work and rode a bike for a couple of miles three nights for a week to get ready.

"We weren't last in points last year, but we were close to the bottom,"he said. "Once you get the hang of these races, you can do well fairly quickly."

Ron Hartle, 51, and his 29-year-old son, Clint, of Hilliards finished 10th overall at Moraine. They are running the entire Grass Roots series as well.

Both have run marathons. They've teamed to run numerous adventure races in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and at Shawnee State Park in Ohio.

"These are so much more fun than triathlons or marathons,"Clint Hartle said. "Point-plotting, orienteering and the obstacles set them apart."

The Hartles once took 17 hours to complete a 12-hour adventure race.

"It's all about finishing the course. We don't really worry about time,"Hartle said.

Dave Battista of Gibsonia teamed with Matt McCusker of Cranberry Township to finish third overall in the Moraine race. They stand third in the male division points race.

"My first (adventure) race was Hi-Tec here in 1999,"Battista said. "It's a blast. Each race is good for two months' worth of stories. We did the first couple of races for laughs.

"Once we thought we could be competitive, we took it more seriously."

The Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club puts on orienteering meets. Battista and McCusker took part in some of them.

"That served as practice in that area for us,"Battista said. "You have to be able to navigate to be successful in these races."

Tack and his partner, Christine Swetz, are third in coed points. He also got started in adventure racing with Hi-Tec in 1999 and has competed in a 100-mile, 24-hour adventure race in the state of Indiana.

"Adventure racing is about pushing yourself, challenging yourself,"Tack said. "It's a fun way to meet people, get exercise and have fun.

"Everyone I know who's tried one of these races has gotten hooked. I know I did."