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Collegiate Champions Hit The Jackpotby Troy FarrarJosh LaSov’s journey began whenhe heard about the USARACollegiate Nationals and decidedhe would like to form a team forthe competition. He wanted torace but was uncertain where tofind a female teammate. In hisquest for a teammate, he attendeda Towson University mountainbike club meeting. After giving abrief speech about the race, onegirl, Alisa Pitt, raised her hand andexpressed an interest. There wasonly one set back, Pitt had neverdone an adventure race. After a briefconversation, she signed on for theadventure and the training began.After several mountain bike trainingsessions, LaSov realized that his newteammate was a very good cyclistand having such a fast female couldbe a key component to the team’ssuccess. Team Towson Universityspent the next few months raisingfunds for the trip from Maryland toTexas while training with hopes ofa top ten finish.On race day, the plan was to raceas hard as possible while keepingwith their race strategy; theywould consider the day a successif this happened. The event startedwith a single-track trail run andeverything was going great. Afterthe trail run, the racers transitionedto their mountain bikes, which Pittdescribed as tight, technical and lotsof fun. “It was more technical thanI expected, but it was an awesomerollercoaster ride,” commentedLaSov, “I wanted to ride it againafter the race!” The final stretch ofthe race included a paddle sectionending with a one-mile run carryingthe boat, paddle and life jacket.“The final run was great and addeda nice endurance challenge to theend of the race,” added Pitt.When the dust cleared, Josh LaSovand Alisa Pitt of Towson Universitywere crowned the 2008 CollegiateNational Champions. This meanta free entry to the USARA 24hour National Championship inNovember. AIX Group was alsoproviding a three thousand dollarteam sponsorship to help themprepare for the 24 hour Nationalsevent. Merrell, Zanfel, Suunto,Numa Sport Optics and Solewould outfit the team with gear aspart of the AIX sponsorship. Theteam was set for the rest of theyear. “We were shell shocked bythe team’s sponsorship,” remarkedPitt, “it is so generous and we areso thankful.” LaSov added, “it is adream come true. We are so excitedabout winning Collegiate Nationalsand now preparing for the 24-hourchampionship.”Now, a second journey begins forLaSov & Pitt of the newly formedTeam AIX. Pitt is now an officialadventure racer with one race underher belt. Things are a little differentthis time, as they start the journeyequipped with the knowledge thathard work and perseverance canmake dreams come true.Adventure World Magazine is a GreenZine 27