Perhaps our mostest favoritest race of the year is The Winter Challenge Off-Road Triathlon, hosted by the Williams family, just outside of Springfield, SC. 

Let's face it. Most triathlons are too long, too swimmy, and too roadie. Juxtapose that with The Winter Challenge: a 7 mile trail run, 6 mile kayak, and a 10 mile mountain bike ride.  Now hold it on a private family farm in a beautiful setting, throw in two BBQ pigs, add a dash of camaraderie, sprinkle in a keg, and this event serves up a ton of fun. Billed as "pure racing bliss", it lives up to its promise.

Ratcheting up the glory a notch higher was the 70 degree temperature. None of the folks that flipped while kayaking died this year due to hypothermia, so that was good. And no race day gator sightings, at least none reported.

At most races you're content to get your bag o' goodies, race, and get the heck on home. At the Winter Challenge, the whole weekend is yours to enjoy. Friday evening hosts the homemade pasta dinner, which pairs nicely with a giant bonfire and most excellent giveaways. Saturday starts with the usual casual tension of most races, as the athletes, friends and family get their gear together. The race begins at 10ish (seriously), and ends with a massive BBQ feast and even massiver prize table.

This was the first race event Misfit Mountain sponsored, and we'll be back next year. The warm reception we received from attendees, volunteers, and racers was truly outstanding. As a five time participant, we had a new perspective on the race from behind the scenes. On hand from our merry band of misfits was Tom W, serving as race volunteer and booth babe.

While we didn't document it all (and somehow got very little race footage), we did capture a lot of the fun in the video. Kudos to the entire Williams family for another great year.