The Baja 1000 is an off-road race covering 1000 (mas o menos) miles of some of the most grueling terrain in North America. The race is comprised of various off-road vehicles including trucks, buggies, motorcycles and even stock VW Bugs. It’s a challenge of mental and physical endurance, skill, logistics, and just plain luck. You race to finish, but you also race to compete. It’s man against man (or woman) and machine against machine.

My team is racing a motorcycle, arguably the stupidest thing you can do, sharing a race course with super-charged, adrenaline driven trucks and buggies. I dove head, feet and arms first (a belly flop if you will) into this adventure. This past weekend was the beginning of pre-running. Pre-running is where you “practice” the course. We covered nearly 400 miles of the course in two days and let me tell you… it’s not going to be easy. My hands are sore today, but I’m sacrificing comfort to type this entry for your reading pleasure.

There’s really a lot more to this event than just the race. It’s the sense of adventure, the comradery; it’s exploring the beautiful and unique landscape of Baja. It’s eating quesatacos and drinking a cold beer in the middle of nowhere with your friends and strangers. It’s damn fun and a reminder of what’s important in life.