Team members: Janice Mason, Ian Graeme
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Race vessel: Seaward Passat G3 Kayak
LOA: 22′
Human propulsion: Werner carbon bent shaft kayak paddles
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TL;DR: High school, the Kardashians, Olympic medals, drugs, and the ubiquity of awkward high school love/ self love.
Regardless of whether your high school days are more like “American Graffiti” and 50 years in the rearview, or “Good Boys” and about to happen, chances are there’s a common thread: for at least a little bit of the experience, you were/will be twitterpated on finding the path to paydirt on that special person. Whoever they are, and regardless of whether you ceiling-stared and dreamt of putting your parts into or around theirs, there’s a common ground we all experience: What if they’re into you? What if they’re not?
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Team Oaracle is proof that this experience gets better and never changes. What do we mean? The year was 2016. Ian had already hit paydirt in Ketchikan as part of Team Blackfish in R2AK’s inaugural year and had joined Team Fly for his second outing. Janice was the hired gun recruit of Team Sistership’s bid to be the first all-female, all-50+ bid to “grow bold” in the adventure race world. Well past the age in which high school can justify bad behavior, somewhere in the past R2AKs, a sideways glance turned into a first date, turned into a joint race application… or four.
Four races later, Ian and Janice have been R2AK’s first date turned perpetual team entry. They met on the race and have kept “coupling to Alaska” ever since. Rowboats, kayaks, and whatever they decide to do next (we hear it might be a sailboat), Team Oaracle has our vote for most likely to succeed. Kardashians be damned: Janice and Ian are R2AK’s JayZ and Beyonce-level power couple.
Janice, a former Olympic rower for Canada, has continued to row (and row, and row) to Alaska for the past few years. When she’s not training for the R2AK, she’s Yukon River Quested, Iron Man-ed, and guided kayakers in the Gulf Islands. Also, gold medaled in rowing at the world championships. No big whoop.
Ian…he’s sailed a bit and apparently learned to row in order to meet women. Seven years and five R2AK’s in, and it seems like it’s worked pretty well.
Here at the R2AK writing factory, we pride ourselves on riding a little more ethical and appropriate than reality TV writ large. If R2AK is the “Survivor” of adventure races, then Team Oaracle is our silicone-free, Kardashian equivalent of a TV star. Team Oaracle has 99 problems, but adventure cred ain’t one.
Welcome to the R2AK, Team Oaracle. Whether you’re dating for glory or love, Team Oaracle is our go-to for ratings.