It was 4 am on a cold December morning, and the snow, illuminated by bright LEDs powered by a noisy generator, had just started to fall. I looked up at the sky, and my helmet didn’t prevent a fat snowflake from landing on the left lens of my goggles, partially obstructing my vision. It was then that the gun went off, and I found myself being pushed forward by a pack of smart people who didn’t blind themselves right before the start of an adventure race.