The Rogainers (ePub)

The Rogainers tells the story of the United States Rogaining Championship, a 24-hour footrace using map and compass to find checkpoints scattered over a vast area. Three protagonists, unknown to one another, are thrust together as teammates owing to late arrivals and no-shows. Thea Brand is a beginner with only a vague sense of the rules, Todd Simko is highly competitive but not nearly as skilled as he perceives himself to be, and Bruce Pingree is an expert navigator and former champion well past his prime. All are in pursuit of adventure so long as they can get back to the office on time on Monday morning.

Throughout the day and night the slow-moving team confronts deep ravines, defensive beavers, angry bees, uncrossable marshes, derelict cemeteries, inaccurate maps, and the elite women's team known as Ask Us For Directions, ever mindful of a predicted storm. Certain that they are out of the running and ready to quit, they instead make a decision that nearly costs them their lives.

Along the way we meet many other patrons of Prattworth State Park: historic preservationists, teen partiers, open-water swimmers, balloonists, and state bureaucrats, all of whom influence the race outcome. Behind it all lies the guiding spirit of park founder William Prattworth himself.

This book is for those who dream of adventure but for reasons of temperament or circumstance will never get very far, which is most everyone.