tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60494958887045453532024-03-12T21:53:26.428-05:00Team BOR Adventure RacingThe meaning of “Balls Out Racing” is to have the courage to push yourself to your physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and then go far beyond your own expectations. BOR also stands for our core disciplines, which is to “Bike, Orienteer, and Run.” TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-87735695389527203132019-12-09T20:31:00.006-06:002020-10-18T11:58:08.053-05:002019 Alpine Shop Castlewood 8 Adventure Race by Captain Ahab
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2019 Alpine Shop Castlewood 8
Adventure Race by Captain Ahab</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I want to start this blog first by
talking about the 2018 Castlewood 8 hour adventure race.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul
Frisbee, Dirk Frisbee, Jessie Brown and myself raced together. Paul and Dirk
are really fast runners and Jessie and myself are strong riders. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the runs Paul and Dirk would either push
Jessie and I, or let us grab onto their backpacks to tow us. I felt like we
flew through the navigation of Hidden Valley and was happy I didn’t hyperventilate
and die. We came out of the valley on bikes on a steep climb and Dirk had
his chain crossed and I told him that he was going to break his chain and
within seconds he broke his chain. I feel like the repair was quick and we were
on our way and didn’t lose much time. I personally felt that we were a little
slow on the bike, but I started making small navigation errors which was
frustrating. I got even more frustrated because at every turn I came across
another BOR team. On the bike leg David Beattie passed us, then Tamara
and Amy passed us. Jessie told me that I was doing OK and that we would catch
them. I wasn’t so sure. If I remember right we must’ve passed Beattie on the
bikes before the canoe, or we passed them really quickly in the canoe. I can’t
really remember. It took us a while to catch Amy and Tamara and pass them on
the paddle. Most of us came off the MR 340 and we’re all strong paddlers.
To keep a long story short, when we crossed the finish line we worked so hard
to beat the rest of the TeamBOR teams, I thought we had won, only to come in to
the cafeteria to see Larry and Karl eating with big grins on their faces.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the race I was going to write a blog,
but was hoping Amie Bart would write one. I thought about that race long and
hard and realized how strong all the TeamBOR teams have become. We were
neck and neck the entire race. I am very proud of all the teammates. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2019 was a quiet year for most of us, but I
knew 2019 would bring even more challenge amongst the TeamBOR teams at the
Castlewood 8.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6LNRzbfA_E2Qa36SX6JCD7C3eV_gm0qxSHTl_GQJK2M2BDhvlMxWDvZ9JgW07RsngOz-w27nr-vGSKRJy_96KGett1wOZAH9i9ZvX1DpKP3Avb-f6oYAVFf-XEEbs2HRsuBqrRj75ahv/s1600/78878311_2631352053754652_4741393231902670848_n.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6LNRzbfA_E2Qa36SX6JCD7C3eV_gm0qxSHTl_GQJK2M2BDhvlMxWDvZ9JgW07RsngOz-w27nr-vGSKRJy_96KGett1wOZAH9i9ZvX1DpKP3Avb-f6oYAVFf-XEEbs2HRsuBqrRj75ahv/s320/78878311_2631352053754652_4741393231902670848_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started out the 2019 Castlewood eight hour
race with a bus ride to Pacific Palisades and started with a spirited sprint to
get our life jackets and paddles. Jessie and I ran for the lifejackets and I
feel like we were moving very quickly for us and then Tim and Robert ran for
the paddles, but we got caught up in traffic putting the canoes in the water
and Tim was in a line to get the passport punched. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JKvAo4qyFBx5y3l9LsHJ-U_4FW6lAGxIosMmVCMqVamMd9r8BadFrCAYXmmLZFhd14IKpnEp-fKWNlcfWG31EWtC1iiCusCzyTrLZf2ydYFfT3xmRzWoB8ROC8ERC6norTWAeHChQ3-h/s1600/78619196_2631352337087957_2550246564119445504_n.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JKvAo4qyFBx5y3l9LsHJ-U_4FW6lAGxIosMmVCMqVamMd9r8BadFrCAYXmmLZFhd14IKpnEp-fKWNlcfWG31EWtC1iiCusCzyTrLZf2ydYFfT3xmRzWoB8ROC8ERC6norTWAeHChQ3-h/s320/78619196_2631352337087957_2550246564119445504_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15rvaJV23uwmxTQZ0HXT4E-1Tcik3T5TwSlNLqgvIstSA_2bdr8VoUZYwyZvkJZXI2a1OZMa7UDfeo1tslN55agWrcLgjlVpDY0y7Fid5FL0GIs95FFUUGO-epUPj5KPFATxCXpZJA-Sc/s1600/79178745_10158147273443756_7757436609955364864_o.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15rvaJV23uwmxTQZ0HXT4E-1Tcik3T5TwSlNLqgvIstSA_2bdr8VoUZYwyZvkJZXI2a1OZMa7UDfeo1tslN55agWrcLgjlVpDY0y7Fid5FL0GIs95FFUUGO-epUPj5KPFATxCXpZJA-Sc/s320/79178745_10158147273443756_7757436609955364864_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the canoes, Tim and I got a little far
ahead of Robert and Jessie at the very start and since there were no
checkpoints it was just a sprint to the takeout. Tim and I decided to keep the
speed on so we could get out ahead of Robert and Jessie, get our boat ashore,
put our paddles away, PFDs away, and get back to help Jessie and Robert get their
canoe out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim stuck with
the plan and helped Robert and Jessie and I went to start on the gear check
equipment. Robert voiced his concern that they were a little miffed at us for
keeping a big distance on them, but I tried explaining the strategy that we
had. I guess Tim and I should’ve communicated that earlier. Coming out of the
canoes was chaos. There was a boat flipped upside down and paddlers swimming in
the water. There was a long line up the ramp, and at the gear check. As we were
leaving the gear check I knew we had been there way too long, but I couldn’t
find my gloves and even made it a longer transition. It looks like we were
there about 15 minutes. As we were leaving the checkpoint transition area Beattie
and Erin caught us. I was really impressed by Beattie and Erin‘s paddling time
to make that much time up on us. We tore out with the bikes and I tried to
start a quick pace, but as soon as we hit the hills my left upper quad was
cramping and I felt too short on the bike. I had opted for my mountain bike
because of the single track and my AR bike is a rigid fork and has smaller
tires, which would’ve bounced me around on the single track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was climbing the 1<sup>st</sup> hill and
struggling I wished I had brought the AR bike for the better climbing gears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we got on the single track later that
day I realized I had more air in my tires than normal, which bounced me around
anyway, so it was pointless to suffer on the mountain bike, I should’ve just
took the adventure bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a couple
quick tows from Robert on the bike that really help me out. We had to keep
reminding Jessie to slow down on the bike as she sped up the hills without us.</span><span style="color: #222222; display: none; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hide: all;"> I want to start this blog first by talking about the 2018 Castlewood 8
hour adventure race.<br />
<br />
Paul Frisbee, Dirk Frisbee, Jessie Brown and myself raced together. Paul
and Dirk are really fast runners and Jessie and myself are strong riders. On
the runs Paul and Dirk would either push Jessie and I, or let us grab onto
their backpacks to tow us. I felt like we flew through the navigation of Hidden
Valley We came out and Dirk had his chain crossed and I told him that he
was gonna break his chain and within seconds he broke his chain. I feel like
the repair was quick and we were on our way and didn’t lose much time. I
personally felt that we were a little slow on the bike but I started making
small navigation errors which was frustrating. I got even more frustrated because
at every turn I came across another BOR team. On the bike leg Beattie
passed us, then Tamara and Amy passed us. Jessie told me that I was doing OK
and that we would catch them. I wasn’t so sure. If I remember right we must’ve
passed Beattie on the bikes before the canoe or we passed them really quickly
in the canoe. I can’t really remember. It took us a while to catch Amy and
Tamara and pass them. Most of us came off the MR 340 and we’re all strong
paddlers. To keep a long story short, when we crossed the finish line we
worked so hard to beat the rest of the TeamBOR teams, I thought we had won,
only to come in to the cafeteria to see Larry and Karl eating with big grins on
their faces.<br />
<br />
After the race I was going to write a blog but was hoping Amie Bart would
write one. I thought about that race long and hard and realized how strong all
the TeamBOR teams have become. We were neck and neck the entire race. I
am very proud of all the teammates. 2019 was a quiet year for most of us,
but I knew 2019 would bring even more challenge amongst the TeamBOR teams at
the Castlewood 8. <br />
<br />
Scott Shaw - TeamBOR President <br />
TeamBOR.com<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">TeamBORAdventureRacing@gmail.com</span></a><br />
(314) 814-3510</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tim was
having a little difficulty with his chain coming off on his bike, but he
quickly corrected it every time. We made fast progress on the bikes and
entered the trekking section where we saw Larry, Karl, Karl’s son, and
Mickey. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM469Ql_7srmITTrx9iqs3QF8QqD6JwDAgE-p-yXq1RKrQfH5ZOdl-DwR8qx-NGniFPBXp6-lfYcTE0PZKPujrnsN48J0rIOJzvepR8V4f9s3JGWUcZ-BVxKXu6bzCzLx8-CgwwwXaoPw/s1600/76894232_10158148798598756_6358544986891354112_o.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM469Ql_7srmITTrx9iqs3QF8QqD6JwDAgE-p-yXq1RKrQfH5ZOdl-DwR8qx-NGniFPBXp6-lfYcTE0PZKPujrnsN48J0rIOJzvepR8V4f9s3JGWUcZ-BVxKXu6bzCzLx8-CgwwwXaoPw/s320/76894232_10158148798598756_6358544986891354112_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered the trek at about the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were spot on all our navigation, coming up to the CP‘s almost dead on, but
then Robert realized we had missed CP17. I then told Robert that Larry, Karl,
Karl’s son, and Mickey must have went for 17 because we didn’t see them, and
if they pass us later in the trek, then we know they’re ahead of us. Robert
only had to make very slight corrections to his attack plan, which the
longest one maybe took a minute. I only helped him a few times to confirm the
direction he should be going. We only started to out vote him once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert did an excellent job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to boost Tim’s ego some to get him to
slow down because he was destroying me on the runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to pop some electrolytes and chew
them and the team enjoyed my gagging sounds while climbing an immense
hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cleared all the trek CPs and
picked up 17 on the way out, which was actually a better strategy. We beat Larry,
Karl, Karl’s son, and Mickey back to the TA. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were on the bikes leaving as they were
coming in, so all we had to do was keep our speed up on the single track
portion of the race to beat them. We cleared the single track CP’s in order quickly
and found the connector trail, and I use trail loosely, to Hidden Valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I nearly flipped over my handlebars riding
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then as we climbed the last little
hill to Hidden Valley both Tim and my legs cramped up and we both had to walk
up the hill as Jessie and Robert rode up telling us, “it’s right there you
can see it.” Tim and I got back on our bikes and rode to the finish being the
first TeamBOR team to finish in 2019. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were fifth place in division and 15 place
overall. It was a great finish. Looking back, Tim and I probably didn’t eat
enough, or we didn’t eat early enough, but as a team we work together perfectly,
helping each other when we needed it, and swapping roles when we needed it. We
also didn’t have any serious mechanicals, which is always helpful. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the after party I thought I had only done
nine consecutive Castlewood 8’s, but Beattie did the math and I that was my
10th consecutive Castlewood 8! I had a good time and really think all the TeamBOR
teams did an excellent job completing this race and representing the team. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to Emilie and Earl and the Alpine shop
for putting together this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
the toughest one since Alpine Shop has owned it.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Captain Ahab</span></div>
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<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: This is the
first blog I completed by talk to text. I realize I write better than I speak.</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-89616930891117687192019-05-11T13:22:00.006-05:002020-10-18T11:59:47.275-05:002019 The Epic Gravel Race Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri by Captain Ahab of Team BOR
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2019 The Epic Gravel Race Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri by
Captain Ahab of Team BOR<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_svYHT4ssUtYfgjA6Kni0mqFflIVtQbxvmeC3e7JzNBWZdkn8i1kQMQDrDQt5RXU92dXlQziF3AwwMdrHYBE7ZneaW2HoddN4brrSZDKgadfs66iqLCsfspuOGZ4C8cQKiNy8egvdsoT/s1600/lord_voldemort.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Robert Bart, John Naas, Larry Lazo,
and I of Team BOR planned on racing the 150 mile route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Larry has done very well in the past in the
shorter distance race and this year he decided to step it up to the 150 and
ride with Mickey from the team we shall not speak of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_svYHT4ssUtYfgjA6Kni0mqFflIVtQbxvmeC3e7JzNBWZdkn8i1kQMQDrDQt5RXU92dXlQziF3AwwMdrHYBE7ZneaW2HoddN4brrSZDKgadfs66iqLCsfspuOGZ4C8cQKiNy8egvdsoT/s1600/lord_voldemort.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #0066cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1016" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_svYHT4ssUtYfgjA6Kni0mqFflIVtQbxvmeC3e7JzNBWZdkn8i1kQMQDrDQt5RXU92dXlQziF3AwwMdrHYBE7ZneaW2HoddN4brrSZDKgadfs66iqLCsfspuOGZ4C8cQKiNy8egvdsoT/s320/lord_voldemort.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team that shall not be named</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Tim Johanns and Jessie Brown planned on the
90 and David Beattie decided to ride the 90 for that same stinky team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friends from Team Virtus, Chuck and Kate,
were also planning on the 150, but Kate decided to wear a stinky jersey, which
Chuck tells me is how she usually smells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Training for the Epic started
months before the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode outside
all winter and when I didn’t feel like freezing I rode my rollers and
trainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since I injured my
Achilles years ago I haven’t been running much and have gained some weight,
which makes it even harder for me to climb hills which I have never been good
at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first year I did this race I
think the elevation was over 11000 feet of climbing, which I walked a lot
of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second year, which was rained
out mid race, I felt much stronger and didn’t walk any hills and decided
against the race directors advice and rode back in the storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to walk any this year either,
so instead of worrying about my weight like I have done in the past, I actually
decided to just focus on strength by eating well and riding hard and building muscle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John, Jessie, and I started longish gravel
rides early in the Cannonball Series and we rode one on our gravel bikes and
another in the snow on our mountain bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAvPoWRpCyEq90woifaTYvlyGpMeBOhjp7nikt-wL7udr5ttKJ8EmOlmV-Q_og8C8aWqyAB6martXTnn2tmEFoQzhgfqnWgy-O-ZB7psdhpY1fEeiwRT6WZbu2PIB69CxSx_9zIJU2k54/s1600/IMG_1333.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAvPoWRpCyEq90woifaTYvlyGpMeBOhjp7nikt-wL7udr5ttKJ8EmOlmV-Q_og8C8aWqyAB6martXTnn2tmEFoQzhgfqnWgy-O-ZB7psdhpY1fEeiwRT6WZbu2PIB69CxSx_9zIJU2k54/s320/IMG_1333.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannonball 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannonball 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWni3CJCJSTfYTy3dhdQTgMnM1CprVC6prRn8L8SVD9_ZKqWhSxD0ldDPueA3Eay_48795-rrposvxpa_a7Xs0AYLPKEpSZ_4cf0G-B3sYEz6d10G24Ae-4hpQ27tQp2pohHhwsbzeo8dg/s1600/cannonface.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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This ride in the snow the route was frozen and the gravel bike riders
gave John and I a spanking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were out
there longer due to rolling resistance and ended up sinking in the thaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This started my going back and forth on what
bike to ride and what tire width to run, 2.35s were just too damn slow.</div>
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<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I normally flat a lot on my CX bike, the
brakes suck, and the gearing crushes my legs on hill climbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mountain bike although it climbs like a
goat has slow rolling resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
therefore decided to build a bike specifically for this race from one of my
mountain bike frames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took one of my titanium
Lynskeys and put a steel Surly rigid bike packing fork on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It already had Shimano XT hydro disc brakes
and I decided to put a 3x10 (24-32-42/11-36) drive train on it, mainly because
I had most of it laying around and wanted a granny hill climbing gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used to run this set up years ago when I
first started adventure racing so I knew I would have every gear I would ever
need and accepted the weight penalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t care if I was heavy, nor my bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I just wanted to be strong and roll as fast as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc88X0QymQWryDpVh-LsZQdqwwkDuNhumpcYc8f3ta2ONj0iyftWIxPBc2t_iYmumw7ncsDy6vszs9Hst2HqfmjsLoCQilsXsy9wrXjoO6JkK_quNcctHQNsFEnKhb9kRoFyUyhrnABWt/s1600/frozen+mess.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc88X0QymQWryDpVh-LsZQdqwwkDuNhumpcYc8f3ta2ONj0iyftWIxPBc2t_iYmumw7ncsDy6vszs9Hst2HqfmjsLoCQilsXsy9wrXjoO6JkK_quNcctHQNsFEnKhb9kRoFyUyhrnABWt/s320/frozen+mess.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AR bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Robert joined Jessie, John and I in
training and we started learning some valuable lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During Death by Gravel, Robert and I learned
that the CX bike gearing and tubed skinny tires were going to force us to walk
some of the steepest hills and ride our crappy brakes down the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert managed a flat and I ripped my
derailleur off at mile 92, converted to a cranky single speed, and with a tow
from Mickey was able to finish the 100 mile route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This took my CX bike out of training and
forced me to train on the Lynskey, which I now call my AR bike, or do it all
bike, it’s a mountain bike, gravel bike, bikepacking bike, and an adventure
racing bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I started rebuilding my CX bike
while training on my AR bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CX
bike would be my back up bike if anything went wrong while training on my other
bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put a gravel bike Shimano 105
derailleur on it, new hanger, new chain, and changed the gearing from 36-46/12-30
to 34-46/11-36 so I could climb steep hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also failed at an attempt to make it tubeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still haven’t rode it since DBG.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhk8yYRl7fNjhMMr5E8iw6Zhm_tFDZrOKus0Fj_0Ifc6IQPD4coMibhiE9qK_YOJP_EIjdZYZHPPNAuVMkN8Glzwj08m0-jHZGyA45PYSRxRLJ1hqF3dQ_3JH0vreiGuYSggBTLqxd0sd/s1600/DBG.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhk8yYRl7fNjhMMr5E8iw6Zhm_tFDZrOKus0Fj_0Ifc6IQPD4coMibhiE9qK_YOJP_EIjdZYZHPPNAuVMkN8Glzwj08m0-jHZGyA45PYSRxRLJ1hqF3dQ_3JH0vreiGuYSggBTLqxd0sd/s320/DBG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DBG broken CX bike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
At Alto Pass I struggled to keep up
with Jessie and Robert, so I knew I need to reduce my tire size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, if I remember correctly, I was still
running 2.35s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert had switched to
Kate’s old bike and promptly destroyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He bent the derailleur hanger, which may have already been bent, because
it looked like an S turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also
was not tuned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed a rough road
side repair and we finished a shortened version of the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later Robert changed the hanger and I tuned
it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I did more work on
Kate’s bike than any other bike on the team.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSv6Otv64rRm3S3ihjo5u4Yk-J2ErMA5AGZMdEQtL7u0BBEze_S9NPXOEY096ASNGe2GYR5dxSLWpkYVHh3XF2cax4W8dCUxu1pMERparUrdOKALesmoTzaqc6vGgRE6plg5uz1iEKcGZx/s1600/katesbike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSv6Otv64rRm3S3ihjo5u4Yk-J2ErMA5AGZMdEQtL7u0BBEze_S9NPXOEY096ASNGe2GYR5dxSLWpkYVHh3XF2cax4W8dCUxu1pMERparUrdOKALesmoTzaqc6vGgRE6plg5uz1iEKcGZx/s320/katesbike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Robert how did you get Kate's bike beans above the frank?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
At the Double Barrel race, Jessie,
Robert, and I learned a very valuable tire lesson in either we all rode through
glass, or Arkansas gravel is glass, as we all flatted numerous times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I punctured both of my brand new 2.1s, but
the tubeless set up kept me rolling without any plugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert flatted Kate’s bike a couple times and
Jessie almost made it until she bragged about how awesome her bikes is and then
God promptly smacked her with a flat and since then a plague of flats that is
still continuing to this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never ever
brag about not getting flats…God don’t play that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Double Barrel race really deserves a blog
of it’s own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the very best
organized free race ever!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will stop
there before this becomes a blog about it, but I have to say riding home with a
12 gauge shot gun on my back will probably be the highlight of my entire
year.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1_eOi2YkBlbSSQK4WneAKB4A2QI-J2F4aEnbHK0PrEAhVQ43rjd1ECtWSwReTnh7XuLOdWnOX5tuu0HREeAIg_pg4QSv_7ler6VGQ_OiFDjoak-aLauzuA9N5fXVvqdd_n3fj98t6pKl/s1600/double.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1_eOi2YkBlbSSQK4WneAKB4A2QI-J2F4aEnbHK0PrEAhVQ43rjd1ECtWSwReTnh7XuLOdWnOX5tuu0HREeAIg_pg4QSv_7ler6VGQ_OiFDjoak-aLauzuA9N5fXVvqdd_n3fj98t6pKl/s320/double.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I won I won I won the BB gun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Gravel the 13th was also a good donation ride.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
So all this training led all of us
to discuss our bike set ups and dial them in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It led some us to lose weight, some to gain muscle, some of us to just
ride more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gave me a lot of bike
maintenance practice as I worked on Kate’s/Robert’s bike, John’s bike, Jessie’s
bike, and Tim’s bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept going over questions
in my mind of; did I train enough, did I train more my first year of the Epic, was
I stronger than the first year I did the Epic, was I making the right bike set
up choice?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure everyone else was
thinking the same things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then John
slowed his training and Jessie, Robert, and I thought he probably should drop
to the 90 and we convinced him to do so because of the 10 mph average speed
requirement to finish the 150. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessie,
Robert, and I were training around 13.5 mph average on rides around 60
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were hoping we would average
slightly less in the 150.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept trying
to convince Jessie that she should ride the 150 as she was training so hard and
getting so strong, but she has never rode a century and has that century brain
block.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will have to get her over that
demon this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert had terrible
news right before the race that he had to drop out due to a death in the
family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I would be riding the Epic
all by my lonesome, so the last thing I did was swap my punctured 2.1s for
brand new 50’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to get one
short road ride on them before the race.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Race day:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start the race in the back and quickly jump
up to mid pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t see Larry,
Mickey, Kate, or Chuck in front of me, but I figure they will be passing me
anytime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around mile 4 Larry and Mickey
pass me and I don’t really care because I knew they would be in front of me
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am racing my own race at my
own pace on my own facing my own demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWs68FCI8B3WyNonnWRkSjRSzl6o7vpLwxa1xFcZppaQSJ1nt20GiQasT1uwvHMVasg4Idlg2v9zLVSnG5EEp-Lv5jZvebay2kWoxfdI6jULVgqGgVkpvOEgYUQyUwI_DwThaXmB-vWTE/s1600/original+tire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWs68FCI8B3WyNonnWRkSjRSzl6o7vpLwxa1xFcZppaQSJ1nt20GiQasT1uwvHMVasg4Idlg2v9zLVSnG5EEp-Lv5jZvebay2kWoxfdI6jULVgqGgVkpvOEgYUQyUwI_DwThaXmB-vWTE/s320/original+tire.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling in my duct taped frog togg looking like the Hulk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>At mile 12 I see a water crossing and as I slow I see concrete and a
hole under the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the last second
I try to jump onto the concrete to avoid the hole, but it is too late and I
side swipe the concrete which rips a gigantic hole in my tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to boot it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I am working on it 4 more riders flat
in the same water hole and some even bend their rims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kate and then Chuck pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My boot is poking out the sidewall at least
an inch and a half. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try riding on it
but the bubble is hitting my chain stays and my front derailleur rips through
the duct tape boot and the tube blows out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My race is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so upset
after all the training, all the money spent, all the bike building, that my
race is over at mile 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvovtbOJ7eBToRW-lezpoMLgsn9Eqs4zxna6IaRrm7QzDJxLRe9a3qGtDwfkN_WLRfx42mfP6laGNdpBdAuU3_AjomK-n39hnbWkwL7jEoqoNSL8tgrZwvHT3Vg2thUxen65eLiOuRgMp/s1600/hole.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvovtbOJ7eBToRW-lezpoMLgsn9Eqs4zxna6IaRrm7QzDJxLRe9a3qGtDwfkN_WLRfx42mfP6laGNdpBdAuU3_AjomK-n39hnbWkwL7jEoqoNSL8tgrZwvHT3Vg2thUxen65eLiOuRgMp/s320/hole.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boot that hole...nope!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I start trying to call my wife for
pick up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reception is terrible or
non-existent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s raining and my phone
won’t acknowledge my fingertips, nor will Siri listen to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m about to lose my shit and think this is
an enduro rim, I’m riding it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding on
the rim on the flats was slow going, I couldn’t get traction to climb the
hills, so I had to walk them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding
downhill was absolutely terrifying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
get ahold of my wife, but we can’t understand each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have 14 miles to the check point and I
didn’t bring my other bike or my other tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess I will ride the rim until I find my wife or the sag Jeep, or
just ride the rim all the way to the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think I will go buy a tire and ride as long as I can before they pull
me off the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I send coordinates to
my wife and she drives to them as I ride away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She didn’t understand that I wanted her to drive the course backwards
and meet me head on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sag Jeep
finally finds me somewhere between mile 16 and 19.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t remember because by this time I had
lost my damn mind after almost dieing on a downhill asphalt drift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBL7CSUfySZi1r_IrmgqL5WhYRRLKStIkqwOTaW26XLMhmDRVONarftEXeZD-xlyqqlM9Y82cAPVb5WVlrh7k4JL1CJbQPteMuQQ5H2O-qhPFFo_DaPxORv7TBGI2WITgY9oyPua-4tHfz/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBL7CSUfySZi1r_IrmgqL5WhYRRLKStIkqwOTaW26XLMhmDRVONarftEXeZD-xlyqqlM9Y82cAPVb5WVlrh7k4JL1CJbQPteMuQQ5H2O-qhPFFo_DaPxORv7TBGI2WITgY9oyPua-4tHfz/s320/IMG_1542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
The Jeep guys are awesome and the
Jeep is awesome and we hit it off great since I am also a Jeep guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell them about my unfortunate race and my
Jeeps and they tell me about their club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We talk about Jeeps and trails and I am just about to forget about the
race and my bike falls off the bike rack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We stop, I put it back on, and we make it to the gas station.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I lay my bike down and a bunch of
people are there with broken bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
team is there and has a pair of broken carbon rims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI9-NbK09ZBOZMyF264Mb4gSb00KrsdwWAZF_XwJHPoQEmb5so7ewxQHDksM3Up8L__I0r-dwXLCTzwj880MKGXUY6dg14-M7G54DhlUaMNllCHXb69zgM8_ffTzcA4zX1FwOIZkcxUZR/s1600/carbon+wheels.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLI9-NbK09ZBOZMyF264Mb4gSb00KrsdwWAZF_XwJHPoQEmb5so7ewxQHDksM3Up8L__I0r-dwXLCTzwj880MKGXUY6dg14-M7G54DhlUaMNllCHXb69zgM8_ffTzcA4zX1FwOIZkcxUZR/s320/carbon+wheels.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Their teammate broke the rims, took another
team mates rims, and carried on, or something to that effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teammates left behind offer up the tires
on the broken rims and I snatch up the opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grab the Panaracer tire with the most Panaracer
sealant in it and put it on my rear.It
has a hole in it and I plug it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I throw
the other tire in my Jeep with all the trash I just made as soon as my wife
Tanya shows up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is looking very
confused and asking me what is going on and what my intentions are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m throwing trash in the Jeep and reloading
tubes and CO2 into my bike bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
loads me up with more food, water, and Gatorade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride off telling her I am going as far as I
can before they pull me off the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22j22DX7OWu5QlzkF4aU5OfIOVEjrrE3Tx1seQ9kkFi2V4067M8yrVeSxfiXFoZ755h9IwBE4qHi2C7ZrZndCJyof9nlqzUgNnP48u8uRZVYMgs8j4zzcNl5KpNM-idc-APym-PaS-8D7/s1600/panaracer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22j22DX7OWu5QlzkF4aU5OfIOVEjrrE3Tx1seQ9kkFi2V4067M8yrVeSxfiXFoZ755h9IwBE4qHi2C7ZrZndCJyof9nlqzUgNnP48u8uRZVYMgs8j4zzcNl5KpNM-idc-APym-PaS-8D7/s320/panaracer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panaracer to the rescue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Now I have to make a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs don’t feel the greatest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used up so much energy riding that rim and
being upset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to choose to ride as
hard as I can for as long as I can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
decide that I will not quit, I will not stop, I will not take pictures, I will
eat and drink, and I will finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep
repeating the Adventure racer motto of “relentless forward progress” which is
tattooed on my good friend Kevin Minton’s arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I actually am picturing his tattoo in my mind as I keep reciting
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell myself to keep moving forward
no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I ride alone for many miles
wondering if my teammates on the 90 will pass me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then realize I will never see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably won’t see anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep moving as fast as I can, but am
extremely careful on water crossings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
find Tanya at the checkpoints and again she is like a pit crew changing out my
bottles and food and getting me in and out of check points in seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She shoves food in my mouth and tells me how
I am doing and whether she has seen any other riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell her I will probably get pulled from
the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tells me she thinks I am
2 hours behind.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I start seeing racers going the
opposite direction so I know they already rode the Tunnel Dam loop and I am
many hours behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I climb a crazy hill
and get a beer hand out at the top which I slam down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They guy tells me the check point will be
closing soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have beer in my mouth
and want it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am already feeling
its affects and drink water and spit out the beer taste and as I go to put my
water bottle back in the cage I run off the road and Superman over the
bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I go limp and am ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bike is ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I carry on, but decide I will be much safer
as I am the last rider.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I see Larry and Mickey leaving the
CP as I am entering it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the
entire loop ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tanya tops me
off and I am on the loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some riders
warn me there are some slippery water crossings ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my water bottles pop out on an extreme
downhill and I have to skid to a stop and run back up the hill to get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep riding and pass my first rider at
around mile 80.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t believe I
actually caught someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I catch another
and another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finish the loop and feel
strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am proud of myself because I
am eating and drinking and riding everything and I am being much more careful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I climb out of the loop and see Tanya waiting
for me at the top of the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I restock
and help a guy who needs chain lube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tanya tells me a few riders ahead of me have dropped out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasr2Hvt_jibXULj7nGtiiFsVNJeB_dM9dvFPhW5KzehNdww4YLkQ1qBl-TgJjINo_gLrfDCsI_MbGP0db9WBT-KvmAWs0PheKRFpPkcmNWOmrE3vAsApMSRmFkd4GwUeJIsKJdbOavl67/s1600/hillcliimb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasr2Hvt_jibXULj7nGtiiFsVNJeB_dM9dvFPhW5KzehNdww4YLkQ1qBl-TgJjINo_gLrfDCsI_MbGP0db9WBT-KvmAWs0PheKRFpPkcmNWOmrE3vAsApMSRmFkd4GwUeJIsKJdbOavl67/s320/hillcliimb.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massive hill climbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I start catching and passing riders
more often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find the beer guy again
and down another, but this time I follow it immediately with water and stop
quickly to put the bottle back in the cage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not repeating that mistake twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ride and ride and ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
to stop at mile 100 to hook up my Garmin to a charger, put a tire plug in, put
sun block on, pee, and put chamois cream on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was the longest I stopped all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Around mile 107 I see a Team Virtus jersey ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes me a little while to catch him, but
I can tell it’s Chuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He walks a hill
and I am almost there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass him on
asphalt and he tells me we are very close to cut off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says we have to go 13 miles in about and
hour and half to make the cut off for the next CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decide I need to keep racing my race and
head off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My tire plug starts leaking
and I stop to put another one in and Chuck catches me and helps me install
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I double it up to be safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I leave Chuck again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like a complete dick, but I have
ridden so hard for so long that I want to make cut off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I see a Jeep at the top of a hill
and he offers me water, but tells me the CP is only 4 miles away, so I tell him
I am good as I have half a bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ride 4 miles, no CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on and pass
another Jeep that tells me the CP is only 6 more miles and he has no water and
neither do I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now worried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride and look for creeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find one and load 2 bottles with creek
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride and eventually find the
CP, which was way longer than the Jeep guys thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeep odometers, you just wouldn’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I roll into the CP without drinking the creek
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kate is at the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tanya is feeding me and changing out my
bottles telling me about Kate’s condition and a rider they found in the middle
of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lori is asking me where
Chuck is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whisky guy is asking me if
I want whisky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food lady is asking
me if I want food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell Tanya that I
passed a guy who was slumped over his handle bars, but told me he was ok, and
that is probably the guy past out in the pickup bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell Lori that Chuck is ok and slightly
behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My head is spinning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I leave the CP and go the wrong way 3 times
before I find the route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all
yelling at me. Chuck rolls in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride
about a mile and realize I forgot my second light.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
I try to ride hard, but safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun is starting to go down so I try to
make ground, but feel slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I am
not doing well mentally, so I force myself to eat and drink even though my
stomach is locking up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gets dark and
I can barely see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slow down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t afford getting hurt or flatting this
close to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure Kate and
Chuck will catch me in no time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
to pee so bad that I stop and pee and look for their lights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on and start watching the time versus
my distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am barely going to make
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to keep moving as fast as I
can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I eventually make it to the road
that leads to the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to pee
so bad again and now I know I am going to make cut off and would rather relieve
myself instead of peeing my pants in front of everyone so I stop and pee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the absolute longest pee in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Urine is actually crossing the road downhill
and I am like how is that possible?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
keep peeing and start worrying that this pee is going to cost me finishing on
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeeps and trucks have been passing
me for a long time in the opposite direction and I know they are picking riders
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally the pee stops flowing and I
ride the last mile to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
listening for music, or people, looking for lights, but I cross the finish line
in the dark and in silence until I hear a few cheers from my wife and Team BOR
teammates that waited for me, Steve Fuller, David Beattie, and Jessie
Brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steve grabbed my bike as I
grabbed a beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked and put my
gear away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We told the race directors
that there was no way they would pull Chuck and Kate from the course and they
should be finishing soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wait for
them to finish and then head back to our hotel room where I immediately get
shaky and sick to my stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take a
shower to clean up and then soak in the tub while trying to hold back vomit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t vomit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished on time, only lost 6-9 miles, and
didn’t vomit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Epic.</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Congratulations to all my Team BOR teammates for finishing their Epic mileage.</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
Captain Ahab</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-37166680073639977202018-05-15T13:49:00.000-05:002018-08-22T20:28:46.026-05:00Ozark Trail Hike by Alane Wollins<br />
Teams Virtus, Lederhosen, and BOR<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Ozark Trail Section Hike Project: Trace Creek</span><span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, April 2018</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I believe this was Chuck’s idea originally, but I jumped right on </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">board. Since through-hiking </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">was not really an option we decided to do full sections at a time. F</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">irst up: Trace Creek, 26 miles, going from north to south.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE0p3mADag2nFrbg7Q_ofrrgB361ps6109cVIpSjqZKgJ2_95Dwqnp4mVBp4pdO2i3iwPcnMIgBh7v2-o0QiymgwmRaxDnQHz6NgErQ8ASrNAUVtFhxgmLGCYD0FYcBwCKjNYu5XUir9p/s1600/pastedImage.png" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="387" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE0p3mADag2nFrbg7Q_ofrrgB361ps6109cVIpSjqZKgJ2_95Dwqnp4mVBp4pdO2i3iwPcnMIgBh7v2-o0QiymgwmRaxDnQHz6NgErQ8ASrNAUVtFhxgmLGCYD0FYcBwCKjNYu5XUir9p/s320/pastedImage.png" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We had scheduled the weekend several months ago, and as it approached watch</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ed the weather anxiously, what with the</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> cold and rainy spring so far. As usual with Missouri it changed hourly and we </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">never did discuss cancelling.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Optimism ruled.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The plan was to meet at the Hazel Creek campground on Friday and car camp overnight, while staging a car at the Highway </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">A</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> trailhead for when we finished, then do the hike on Saturday and Sunday. The hikers for this</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">first section were Chuck, myself</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, Jessie (and her dog Ruby) and Derrick (with his dog Molly).</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH8nq9D-5Bn04Z_YQl0vU7hi2x5wilGu5EWUcIK9pMW1q2JU2z1NL5WWUVR7iBvHSHkgr1pT5fVKJGbtMI35HWASbxk0m1rbjXx-odoGPelFG_sqoWoTZWfNZkPf7iedRh7jAMwFrrlmo/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH8nq9D-5Bn04Z_YQl0vU7hi2x5wilGu5EWUcIK9pMW1q2JU2z1NL5WWUVR7iBvHSHkgr1pT5fVKJGbtMI35HWASbxk0m1rbjXx-odoGPelFG_sqoWoTZWfNZkPf7iedRh7jAMwFrrlmo/s320/IMG_2205.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck brought a ton of </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">fire</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">wood for Friday night camping. But by the time we met Derrick at Hwy A and got back the thunderstorms and heavy rain nixed the campfire. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I was just glad to be sleeping in my car, it made for a comfortable night, except for the worry of flash flooding.</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck: I was a little less than excited to head off into my tent during a ‘slight’ break in the storm. But, I ended up sleeping great and now have </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">100% </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">confidence in the waterproofing on this tent. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Saturday morning we discovered that the campground roads were flooded, but not too deep for cars. Fortunately the campsite was up enough that no tents were flooded.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> We moved the cars over towards the trail head and got started hiking about 8:20 am.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The first creek crossing we came to was within five minutes of </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">starting.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> As the water was very swift and there were large slippery rocks I opted just to cross in b</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">oots and keep camp shoes dry, e</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">specially since we would be crossing Hazel Creek very soon afterwards. I would guess we had at least twenty water crossings on Saturday, there was water in basically every reentrant. Since the water from my boots was draining I tried to do the rock/log hop over the creeks to reduce the amount of water in boots.</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck: I opted for the other method of using my lightweight camp shoes for the wet crossings and keep my hiking shoes dry. It worked pretty well except for all the time eaten up by shoe swapping at the many crossings that did not have a dry stepping stone </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">or log </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">option.</span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Jessie opted for a much quicker change into flip-flops for the crossings.</span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #00b0f0; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Alane: and Jessie has now earned the trail name FLIP because of this.</span><br />
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<span class="s6" style="color: #00b0f0; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBB8A7apBU04EG5ngkrF01VXNjdL4KqirD6gGOL2QVqr7U0VOxkkHA81yPVfP2Hh1t-uqcmmAzcGINiPF0wIKrSgYT-vapGExlZzwl-Mjh2l8NFszJVPmWBnzrpV7HZjtT_MZy_0vEfhi/s1600/IMG_2165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBB8A7apBU04EG5ngkrF01VXNjdL4KqirD6gGOL2QVqr7U0VOxkkHA81yPVfP2Hh1t-uqcmmAzcGINiPF0wIKrSgYT-vapGExlZzwl-Mjh2l8NFszJVPmWBnzrpV7HZjtT_MZy_0vEfhi/s320/IMG_2165.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When we </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">began </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">our hike I ended up in short s</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">leeves for a good hour. It </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">started raining and I took the opportunity </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to try out hiking with an ultra</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">light umbrella, which</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> actually worked great, since there was little wind in the woods. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Temps fell steadily during the day and we had very light rain</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> for most of it</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. We were able to take a few minutes for a lunch break but mostly kept </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">moving with occasional map consultation</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The terrain was really hiking friendly; climbs were short and not steep and the trails mostly dirt. Lots of long stretches in valleys and on old fire and farm roads. Trail was marked really well; there was no time where we were left wondering if we were going the right direction.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Late in the afternoon the sun came out and we arrived at the connector trail for Council Bluff. We ended up going 50 yards or so up that trail to a flattish spot and made camp. Jessie and Chuck built a fire ring and despite it being so wet Chuck the Master Fire Starter got a really nice fire going. We all put our boots and socks around the campfire to dry them out some. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> First day mileage ended up being around 16 or so miles- longer than what the map said, due to some rerouting around creek crossings and whatnot.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZll-JNCsr6tGmKVJOYW_at5fuRE9iGf_Q6SDIQ6guYnY6GbEU7OZefRJ2g0LdemxclM7GwsMrJegbAQUIMEUDhKSstA-7-FkR_WfmhHiT31iUYmKPFmZAjOuBJkims49ziZujNN6PGM4U/s1600/IMG_2201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZll-JNCsr6tGmKVJOYW_at5fuRE9iGf_Q6SDIQ6guYnY6GbEU7OZefRJ2g0LdemxclM7GwsMrJegbAQUIMEUDhKSstA-7-FkR_WfmhHiT31iUYmKPFmZAjOuBJkims49ziZujNN6PGM4U/s320/IMG_2201.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We sat around the campfire </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">til</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> well after dark, </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">along with some pooped pups! Jessie covered Ruby up completely with her raincoat and we didn’t see her move. Molly the GREAT DANE, crept into Derrick’s lap when he was sitting on a log, then onto the log and sprawled over Chuck’s lap as well. She was cozy even if they were not. Eventually everyone wandered to</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> their own tent. I slept like an absolute rock, probably one of the best nights in a tent ever!</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck: I slept great too, and waking up to turkeys gobbling was pretty awesome!</span><br />
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOINDDw1a6J-4Rcs3gWKBXP2gzbxZjzPNwcflK3199w7L2qTyo6M3kHixm_gE6lQLeEse699Aw7-kaYDA5LJwaWtc6XPhQqAgj8D2ykjJh-hi4lweIKxyZhwACzK3ckXDCbh2Z11_P4yF/s1600/IMG_2171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOINDDw1a6J-4Rcs3gWKBXP2gzbxZjzPNwcflK3199w7L2qTyo6M3kHixm_gE6lQLeEse699Aw7-kaYDA5LJwaWtc6XPhQqAgj8D2ykjJh-hi4lweIKxyZhwACzK3ckXDCbh2Z11_P4yF/s320/IMG_2171.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Sunday up and puttering around and we hit the trail about 8:30 am. The temperature was not bad, I’m guessing around 40 degrees. Another grey day</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> with the wind increasing, temps falling </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">and we ended up having some snow spitting on us. The terrain changed this day- the climbs got longer and steeper and we had some walking along the edges of drop offs.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi_tACaeYlV5lUqg1L5Q0HbsYvkQbdtOuZWYzVhK7LWhw0SVp7sfiFv6Je0xOa1LwRR43FbWfxe_66EU0yar0l79theeUtoNh9WbDfObXilVNgkdpkOPL-Up9Gupc9T9Ok3zfgbPbhoWp/s1600/pastedImage2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi_tACaeYlV5lUqg1L5Q0HbsYvkQbdtOuZWYzVhK7LWhw0SVp7sfiFv6Je0xOa1LwRR43FbWfxe_66EU0yar0l79theeUtoNh9WbDfObXilVNgkdpkOPL-Up9Gupc9T9Ok3zfgbPbhoWp/s320/pastedImage2.png" width="239" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Jim Davis and friend Drew found us near where we were to cross Hwy 32 and we chatted for a few before getting cold and moving on. He warned us about the crossing at </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Ottery</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Creek- it had the most potential for deep and swift.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Fortunately the Friday night rains had had time to drain so although it was swift there were only a couple pockets of deeper water, nothing to get the pants wet. Jessie and Chuck spotted me at the end of the crossing just in case. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Total hiking for the day was around eleven miles</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> for humans and a lot more for the dogs. W</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">e were happy to be done, in the cars, and headed to Mexican food in Potosi!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">What I did right: tried a new way of sleeping. My normal at home is often to sleep with covers over my head, especially when it is cold. This doesn’t work in sleeping bags/quilts as then you have condensation in the bag and it gets cold and clammy. Instead I wore a balaclava and hat. Between this and 16 miles of hiking I slept like a rock! Also the umbrella was a new and welcome addition to gear. In this sort of terrain I could hike with a hiking pole in one hand and manage the umbrella (stuck in my chest strap) with the other.</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck: Yes. Please continue to hike with the umbrella Ms. Poppins.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVRTQar7OkEY9JYNjdLz01CXFeyXDgPQeeAqCZtiI2WqPEu4Yn0Y8pm8fkUqBUziumYUvR94h7CTMUbNHb7yf6qICqsM11IkMlkD1KIQoqj-Ng2we2JBUB8eWWMj0exx_CbrEL2m1qiFm/s1600/IMG_2198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVRTQar7OkEY9JYNjdLz01CXFeyXDgPQeeAqCZtiI2WqPEu4Yn0Y8pm8fkUqBUziumYUvR94h7CTMUbNHb7yf6qICqsM11IkMlkD1KIQoqj-Ng2we2JBUB8eWWMj0exx_CbrEL2m1qiFm/s320/IMG_2198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">To improve: I lost the end piece of the umbrella and need to fashion something to replace </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">it. The homemade </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">P</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">aleo</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">muffins for lunches did not work out- they stuck in my throat. Go back to tortillas for now.</span></div>
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<span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Chuck: My pack sucked. The belt kept </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">loosening and </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">sliding down my hips, causing me to make hundreds of mid stride tension adjustments. I hope I can figure out some </span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">fit issue</span><span class="s4" style="color: #00b050; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to get it to stay put before the next section.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlt74_e09XaTEAfN5LZGX9NWc3wLjPrfAldWdJgl7p7eh9LmeBYHlwO2vnvwWe08OC8KAekafgJCvtHXDscEvaRtlQaa4dIUKHgEevxm5YjoEb3JyvZYj80MyBYqpDryu5MK90sG5T6vH/s1600/IMG_2149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlt74_e09XaTEAfN5LZGX9NWc3wLjPrfAldWdJgl7p7eh9LmeBYHlwO2vnvwWe08OC8KAekafgJCvtHXDscEvaRtlQaa4dIUKHgEevxm5YjoEb3JyvZYj80MyBYqpDryu5MK90sG5T6vH/s320/IMG_2149.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-62075037360067025342018-03-28T11:59:00.005-05:002020-10-18T12:05:29.373-05:002018 Land Between The Lakes LBL Adventure Race by Kevin Minton<div class="s2" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Starsky
and Hutch do Epic Shit! by Kevin Minton</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;">Commentary by Captain Ahab</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cemetery and sign in the middle of nowhere.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_At00tiMbiTb0OoTd9A_8UB0oX7fHMp7QVX0k5YmhgCDyDcXjlRpBAGHX5gr7C4SAHdb9-GjUyALoC1HHa-kSaxyk50ORXIsT0HoT3Jkh3ZeXVC404B6KEaxvqyliAIrlIFcm_kpa3TN/s1600/cemetary+pic.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-right: 18px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_At00tiMbiTb0OoTd9A_8UB0oX7fHMp7QVX0k5YmhgCDyDcXjlRpBAGHX5gr7C4SAHdb9-GjUyALoC1HHa-kSaxyk50ORXIsT0HoT3Jkh3ZeXVC404B6KEaxvqyliAIrlIFcm_kpa3TN/s1600/cemetary+pic.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Captain Ahab and myself
aren’t known to half ass much, especially when it comes to drinking and writing
blogs. So, sit back and enjoy the drunken ramblings of an adventure
racer reflecting on the epic race that was 361 adventures LBL CHALLENGE 2018!</span></div>
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<b>Friday,
I can’t remember the date, but it was before the race:</b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Captain Ahab and myself had
decided we would leave at around noon to head to Kentucky Lake and a resort
that I can’t remember. At about 2:00 pm we head out from STL
and are headed to the resort, discussing how the flooding of the lakes was
going to affect the race. As it stood Friday, the Coast Guard had
cancelled the paddle due to safety concerns over the water levels in the lake,
which was fine by me as I do not really like the long paddles, but Captain Ahab
was beside himself in anger. Before you judge Captain Ahab, keep in mind that I
think he cares very little for his own safety and well-being. I’ve heard
stories of this dude sailing a boat into a tornado…… typing that makes me
wonder why I even want to race with this dude? <span style="color: lime;">Umm...my wife warned you when she first met you.</span> Anyway, we were not in a
big hurry to get there as the pre-race meeting was not until Saturday
morning and we would receive maps at that time. I would be lying if I
told you I wasn’t worried about this as I was going to navigate, but I
played it cool for Captain Ahab. After a pre-race, too much margarita dinner with
Team BOR's Amy Crews and Dave Beattie and a team name that I cannot remember
that had our friends Super Kate and Regular Mickey we headed back to the resort
to prep gear and get some sleep.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgWVCCJ78IRgNEOSIoDVqG2f5zzU36Za2mMrA4DML93FgUzt5mRxK18BjRhDy4hh_rIixpYZEnwpcHAqo6AVMratceeHNxVTcvYuVq-fsvhdW7aphGQvQTVrl4iG9nZdNphbn4cZFjHYb/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgWVCCJ78IRgNEOSIoDVqG2f5zzU36Za2mMrA4DML93FgUzt5mRxK18BjRhDy4hh_rIixpYZEnwpcHAqo6AVMratceeHNxVTcvYuVq-fsvhdW7aphGQvQTVrl4iG9nZdNphbn4cZFjHYb/s320/IMG_0235.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanks are awesome!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Race Day, ungodly hour:</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Woke up to alarms blaring before the sun was
up. Lame. <span style="color: lime;">COLD</span> Captain Ahab and I loaded up the truck and proceeded to drive
off to the race HQ located by the nature center off Hematite Lake. At
this point we got the quick welcome speech from 361 and were given maps, UTM
coordinates and clue sheets with instructions to be ready by 10:30am for the
start. Captain Ahab and I setup on a piece of sidewalk in the sun to stay warm
and begin plotting all 31 points (including bike drops) on our two maps.
At this point it became clear to us what we were going to be up against.
The first leg was 10 CPs around Hematite Lake on foot and then back to
the Start/Finish/TA1. Once there we had decisions to make. There
are four bike drops scattered around the area, and at each bike drop was a foot
orienteering section. BD1 was south of TA1 with 4 points around
it, BD 3 was south east with two points, BD
4 east with 3 points and BD 2 was north with the largest section with
seven points. Captain Ahab and I figured we would be better served to hit BD2
first with its large number of CPs and hopefully finish by dark, then bike
to BD4, BD3, BD1, then back to the finish. As these bike drops had less
CPs much closer to the bike drop we figured we could locate them easier in the
dark. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Race Day, 10:30
am: CP 1 - 10</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">GO! As all the teams
tore off down the hill to the lake, I immediately regretted volunteering to
navigate this race. I realized I had up to 18 hours of serious mental
exhaustion in my future</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"> and the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">responsibility really started closing in about
how difficult this nav was going to be. This really hit home when Captain Ahab
and I were the first team to branch off the pack because we had decided to do
the first section in reverse. My heart was instantly in my chest as I
realized that we were alone in this decision. Did we miscalculate?
Have I already taken a wrong turn? Will Captain Ahab murder me in the
woods and assume my identity after I get him lost? I quickly put most of
those thoughts to bed and started focusing on the maps. We were quickly
caught by our Friends Larry and Jay and that eased some of my fears heading to
CP10. I slightly bobbled the nav here by jumping into the wrong
re-entrant, but a quick recovery got us right were we needed to be, boosting my
confidence. The next few CPs we leap frogged with Larry and Jay by taking
slightly different routes. I can’t remember much else from this section
other than getting a few points right and a few others wrong. <span style="color: lime;">I think</span><span style="color: lime;"> we only backtracked on CP8. I think this was the same CP other teams were having issues with.</span> I do
remember going from CP6 to CP5 I dropped my left foot in a hole while
going downhill and immediately felt a sharp pain in that knee. As my
weight shifted forward and my leg didn’t move, and the knee started to hyper
extend. Immediately I jumped in the air to take the pressure off my knee,
but then fell on the landing and rolled slightly down a hill. Begin
knee swelling that would continue to hurt for around a
week. <span style="color: lime;">I thought you were seriously hurt for a few seconds.</span> At this point we started running into all the racers that had
done the section in numerical order and got to see how the field was looking.
Captain Ahab and I figured we were not doing too bad and put ourselves roughly
mid pack based on where we encountered everyone. This was great for our
morale as we had no idea where we were relative to the rest of the pack.
Fairly smooth sailing from here as Captain Ahab and I were able to knock out all
the remaining CPs on this leg without too much trouble. As I later told
Captain Ahab, I was very impressed with how accurate the vegetation was on the maps
and that really helped with some of our navigation on this leg. We reach
TA1 and do our gear check, then hop on bikes to ride to BD2.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">BD2: CP 11 – 17 </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Super Kate had
mentioned over dinner the previous night how bad all the roads were up here, so
Captain Ahab and I had told ourselves to budget extra time on all the bike legs for
hike-a-bike and impassable road section. I was paying close attention to
our time on this section because I was going to use it as a baseline for
how long the rest of our rides should take us. There is so
much crap a navigator must keep track of in their
head like estimated times and bailout routes while keeping involved
enough in the surroundings to know when the next turn is going to be.
Doing this for 18 hours was going to be brutal. Back on the bike ride
things were going smoothly for us, a few creek crossings here and there until
we hit a very flooded creek. There was no staying dry here, so we got
wet. There is a video of my caring the bike across this creek, and to say
to was cold is a huge understatement. </span><span style="color: lime; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Balls In Racing!</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyKaCzIhjPNjW2Kb3t8G5iLZgTHK_-_uUCFyXGn595yr6mXsgEVOtS_1sPn7ipdIJIr1GmBz2opdkcCTaPZew' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">I think the air temperature was only just over
50 and the water felt even colder. Thankfully the instant numbing that
came with that helped me forget about my swelling knee from earlier and we
carried on uneventfully to the BD. Roads on this section were way better
than described…… I hoped the rest of the race would continue like this.
Once we got to the bike drop. Captain Ahab and I decided our best bet was
to take this section 15-17-14-13-11-12-16. Looking back, it would have
made more sense to do 15-17-14-13-12-11-16, but I will get to that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">We left the bike drop on foot after
finding an inspirational message and candy <span style="color: lime;">(mmm Taffy, but my bad tooth hurt so freaking bad!)</span>left by the race directors (thank
you!) and trekked up the road to 15. It was an easy find down a
re-entrant and then we made our way to 17. On the way I got us slightly
confused on what re-entrant we were in, but we did end up finding Kate and
Mickey in the same re-entrant, and together decided we had messed up, finding
the CP in a re-entrant to the east. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: lime;">I think this was the CP we looked for the longest.</span> We parted ways and both
teams took differing routes to CP14. Kate and Mickey up into the woods
and Captain Ahab and myself taking the trail to the road. About a half mile down
the trail, Kate and Mickey pop out and turn towards us. Mickey talks a
little trash but both teams continue in opposite directions. This really
got in my head. Was I going the right way? I must have done
a map and compass check 20 times in the next 2 minutes until Captain Ahab
told me to put it away and trust my gut. <span style="color: lime;">I knew you were correct. </span> So, we continued until
we came to the road. I was right! Mini victory dance on the road, and it
was glorious. Bagged 14 and continued to 13. We came down a nice
spur that took us right up to a powerline cut. I remarked again, how good
the vegetation on the map was because it was clear for what seemed like miles in
either direction on that cut, so I made a mental note of that for
later. We got in some nasty thorns on the way into 13 but found
it easily. Then came the what can only be described as the kilometer
from hell. <span style="color: lime;">Understatement</span>. I decided to keep us low and go straight west back to the
powerline cut. This would involve us pushing through some thorns
but would get us to that nice powerline cut and we would use that to get
us to the road. In my head it was easy, clean and bloodless. The
reality of this though, was dirty, explicative filled and had us swimming for
about 300 yards. Once we fought our way to the powerline, we
encountered walls of some of the worst thorns I have ever encountered.
The bushes were as tall as I am and so thick we found ourselves crawling
on the ground following small game trails trying to get through. After
what seemed like an eternity, I could see there was a gap in the thorns ahead
perpendicular to the direction we were traveling. Finally, we would
intersect the road and be out of this hell hole. Except it wasn’t a road,
it was a flooded creek that could almost be called a river at this point.
The opposite bank was nothing but thorns, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxKRO7peFr5hHLt4q0djEZwcMjod_JJlMJIANuqLxLP-s1qR0x9NK4-lu9-i5L8N_TpeyDLPDgHX9tCcCBSUrHkwtM3ol8MvaRcw2ucgxlCO5IYRUnPm8aCsxERRkis5YRaGOjrh4wZez/s1600/K+Post+Swim.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxKRO7peFr5hHLt4q0djEZwcMjod_JJlMJIANuqLxLP-s1qR0x9NK4-lu9-i5L8N_TpeyDLPDgHX9tCcCBSUrHkwtM3ol8MvaRcw2ucgxlCO5IYRUnPm8aCsxERRkis5YRaGOjrh4wZez/s200/K+Post+Swim.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">behind us was nothing but
thorns and everywhere </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">that wasn’t water was nothing but thorns.
So as the road was about 300 yards up the creek we decided to swim it.
We jumped in the freezing cold water, and immediately regretted the
decision when we discovered it was over our heads for most of the way. <span style="color: lime;"> I wasn't going back the way we came, the swim was so much better, but if there was room to prepare, which there wasn't, we could have better prepared ourselves by dry bagging our gear and clothes and removing our shoes. It also got deep so fast that I still had my camera in my hand, which made swimming more fun. Too bad there is no video of our breathing and cussing as that's all I could hear.</span> <span style="color: lime;">It sucked watching Mickey and Kate walk by on the road as I swam. </span>When we finally reached the road, my extremities were so cold that
pulling myself up on the road was a challenge, but I was so happy to see that
fucking road… At this point we knew where we were and where we had to get to, so
we easily navigated to CP11 laughing at our stupid selves for the swim we had
to do. After finding 11 Captain Ahab had a grim realization: we were wet
and cold, and we didn’t have much sun left. It was mid 50s during the day
on the race, but projected lows were in the low 30’s. This was not good.
Everything we were wearing was wet and everything we had in our packs we
didn’t put in dry bags. We ended up putting on all our wet gear
on the way to CP12 and decided all we could do was run from here on out to try
and dry our clothes out before it got really cold. We pass Mickey and
Kate again, make quick mention that we may die of hypothermia
and continue. <span style="color: lime;">It was good we stopped to wring out our clothes.</span> We take a round about way to CP16, so that we can run
on roads for as long as possible and avoid crossing anymore creeks. We
run across Dave and Amy who had been having mechanical problems on the way to
BD2 and had just recently arrived, making an already long race even
longer. Captain Ahab and I grab CP16 and head back to BD2 and get
there sometime between 6 and 6:30. We barely did it, but we
completed this section before sundown. Both of us though had some major
issues to deal with. I couldn’t use my fingers well enough to plug
my main bike light in or to refold my maps. I didn’t want to tell Captain Ahab
how bad off I was, so I went to Mickey who was just about to leave the bike
drop and asked him to refold my map. I think he knew how bad off
I was, and he wasn’t his typical asshole self and just did it.
I knew if we got on the bikes I would heat up and I had stashed spare,
dry gloves for the ride. Captain Ahab and I didn’t talk much the first part of
the ride, both probably fighting internal demons and wondering if the actual
risk of hypothermia was as real as we thought, but eventually we warmed up. <span style="color: lime;">Wet gloves sucked.</span> This was thankfully on of the longer bike legs, with some decent hills
and the only single track of the race. We arrived at BD4.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">BD4: CP 18-20</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Our route
18-20-19. My first real night nav section! I wasn’t really that
excited about it at the time. I knew we had 9 more CPs to go and every
single one of them was going to be in the dark. I have never done a night
nav before, but I figured if we didn’t have to swim again I was going to call
it a victory. Captain Ahab and I changed over to trek shoes, shut down bike
lights and set off to CP 18. Oh, I forgot another inspirational message
and candy at the bike drop! <span style="color: lime;">Taffy Tooth Pain!</span> Mickey and Kate were there as well and headed off
in an odd direction from here. 18 was down the road some ways
and off a small side road that did not appear on the map. The
road was headed the right direction, in the right spot I needed to jump down
the spur, so I followed it and it led us right to the CP. We trekked back
out and passed Mickey and Kate headed into 18. Captain Ahab and I were really
confused about their tactics here. We finally assumed that they had
corrected the earlier mistake and were making good time. <span style="color: lime;">NO; I kept saying there was no way they got the CPs!</span> We had to go
about 1.5k past the bike drop to get to our attack point for CP20. Once
we got there we decided pace count and holding a bearing was the only way we
could do this one in the dark. So, I gave Captain Ahab a bearing and we
calculated a distance and away we went. While he let me know every time
we did 100 meters, I was making sure to compare the topo I could see and feel
with the map. 100 meters at the bottom, 200 on side of spur etc.
When we hit out distance, we didn’t see the CP. However, because we
had worked so well together I knew we were on a hilltop and were within 50 ft
of the CP. Boom, easy score. We then got a bearing and distance and
walked within 50 ft of CP19 as well. Captain Ahabs pace counting and bearing
holding really saved us on these two CPs. We then shot a bearing due
south and marched to the road and then back to BD4. When we got back
there was a surprising lack of bikes. Most notably the bikes of Kate and
Mickey. I'll take this time to fill you in on why I mention them so much.
I wanted to beat Mickey. I wanted to beat him badly. <span style="color: lime;">Me too!</span> While
Mickey is my teammate he tends to talk a lot of trash and the only way to silence
him, if only briefly, is to out perform him. It is also just friendly
competition, but in a race situation its serious stuff! We had been leap
frogging all day and I could not figure out how they got so far ahead of us in
this section. Did he find a secret line? Did they unlock
teleportation? HOW ARE THEY DOING THIS TO ME!?! Captain Ahab and I loaded
up on our bikes and headed to BD3 bewildered. This should have
been a nice easy single-track ride with no places to make errors for a good
long time. So, I was getting excited to drop the map and enjoy some
single-track bliss. I was worried though, based on how flooded the
lakes were that some places would be flooded nightmares, but figured we'd
deal with that if/when we got there. When we got to where the trail
dropped off from the road we encountered a trail closed sign. Crap.
Thankfully there wasn’t much back tracking to get to were we needed to be to
follow the road the very long way around to BD3. This road had us riding
in some low areas for most of the ride and very rutted and muddy road filled
with low water and creek crossings as well as giant man eater holes. I
knew the only confusing part of this nav was going to be in the last 1K where
there were some very tough intersections all lined up one after another.
I got us a little turned around in here, half due to inexperience and
half to needing to eat something. Thankfully every time the map started
to look foreign to me Captain Ahab was able to help me get it sorted back out. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">BD3: CP21 and 22</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Just two CPs, we can
bang this thing out in like an hour! Reality is that didn’t happen quite
as fast as we had liked. We decided to take these in the easy routes and
do CP22 first then come back and get CP21. We walked right up on
CP22, raising spirits. As we came back through the bike drop we made our
turn for CP21. This one threw not only us, but another two-man co-ed
we were battling back and forth with for a loop. It took us at
least 3 tries on this one before we finally found it. The area was
very congested with re-entrants and we just kept getting in the wrong ones.
We had to be within 100ft of that CP for most of the time, but
the placement of the CP was such that you couldn’t see it unless you approached
from the east, and we kept approaching from the west until we finally stumbled
on it. <span style="color: lime;">Also, the clue had us perplexed. </span> As we headed out to the BD. From here we had a decently long
ride to BD1. It was 12:00am and we had until 4:30am to be back at the
finish, or risk losing CPs. While Captain Ahab got ready I started doing some
math and figured if we could make it to the last BD by 1:00 am we would have
time to try for 3 of the 4 CPs before we needed to decide on our bailout route.
We geared up and rode towards BD1, for what seemed like an eternity.
We eventually arrived at BD1 as frost was starting to settle in and I was
so glad that we had warmed up. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">BD1: CP 23-27</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">We got to this BD at around 12:30am, 15 minutes
ahead of plan. I will come to regret that push later though. We
change into trek gear while I put a plan together for us that is 24-23-27-25?
25 was my possible point to drop. Somewhere along this we had seen Mickey and Kate and they informed us that they had dropped two points in BD4,
so I knew that we didn’t need 25, but I really wanted to clear the course if
time allowed. We ventured out on foot for the trek to CP24. Located
it right where it should be but there was something different about this one.
It was HUGE. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049495888704545353" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">After a good laugh, we trekked on to CP23. Had
to battle a couple thorns on this one but was an easy find and we went back to
the road. My plan to get CP 25 had us going right past the
bikes to follow the pipeline cut down into a creek and then the creek
for about a half k to the CP. We found this one after a little looking
around. Now, it was 2:15am. We had just gotten enough CPs to secure
victory over Mickey and Captain Ahab was tired. <span style="color: lime;">My cracked tooth was really killing me. I was trying to eat and drink, but it was so painful. I also was worried about running out of water so I was conserving some for the last push. Looking back I wish I would have drank it all no matter the pain.</span> The cold had really started to
settle in and I honestly had no idea what the roads were like on the way back.
Kate’s description of the roads last year had me worried about making it
back and I knew I didn’t want to push any harder than we needed as that had
drained Captain Ahab when I did that on the way to BD1. So, we made the decision
to leave CP25 out there and head back to the bikes. With the
information we had at the time, I think we made the right call. <span style="color: lime;">I was doing great on the treks, but the bike was killing me. I also didn't want to re-visit my Fig experience of coming in super late and losing all our CPs.</span> We loaded
up on bikes, took some candy from the BD and hit the road to the finish.
As we were riding I saw some tail lights ahead of us. Thinking
these were Kate and Mickey I began ratcheting up the pace, kind of forgetting
about Captain Ahab. As we caught the team that sadly wasn’t who I thought it
was, I heard a small “can we slow down” from behind me. Oh Shit…. I
killed Captain Ahab. <span style="color: lime;">He was flying! I thought we were road biking!</span> Thankfully he dug deep inside himself and we
could power through to the finish at 3:09am. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">I would have liked to
have gone for that extra point looking back on it, but I don’t regret leaving
it out there. <span style="color: lime;">I wish we would have cleared too, but looking at the results it would have made no difference to our standings.</span> <span style="color: lime;">Kevin's nav was solid!</span> Captain Ahab and I raced a good race, nav was about 80% (a
learning experience for me) clean and we fought through almost getting
hypothermia with a positive attitude. All in all, it was a great
race put on by 361 Adventures and I am glad to have finally gotten to race the
LBL and race with my friend Captain Ahab again. </span><span style="color: lime; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin: 0px;">Waited a long time to get that race in...well worth it! Also, so worth it getting that tooth pulled two days later.</span><br />
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-28948217342801392682018-02-19T15:46:00.002-06:002018-02-19T15:46:31.816-06:002018 SLOC Meramec Ice Ice O by Alane Wolins<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.6px;">Meramec O</span><span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.6px;">rienteering</span><span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.6px;"> Meet</span><span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.6px;">, February, 2018 by Alane Wolins</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">February weather im</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">pacted attendance on this one. There had been some freezing rain overnight and</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> it was a little dicey getting to the “base camp” shelter</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">, what with the slippery downhill drive</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">. It helped having David Beatt</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">ie</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> and daughter along as passengers, </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">as well as</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> my dog Kelly</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Ka</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">powski</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">, an English Pointer mix (</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">her first orienteering escapade</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">)</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvALiT3Cc97UeyeCVa367duYVttE6LzSJK4HmYQ5A7YydTHUw5JgyPnYNM2uSMPU1oV3eOv_tjNiS7KLS5o2yTTvihwuzxhjaIuo__0lu4oeE8naAIuJ0UjAUtlOTL2JsRwRYRrDDVjdv/s1600/meramec+o+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvALiT3Cc97UeyeCVa367duYVttE6LzSJK4HmYQ5A7YydTHUw5JgyPnYNM2uSMPU1oV3eOv_tjNiS7KLS5o2yTTvihwuzxhjaIuo__0lu4oeE8naAIuJ0UjAUtlOTL2JsRwRYRrDDVjdv/s320/meramec+o+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly Kapowski</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjU_vJwawWqeQVq06xc4j1PvRXeCLxfr6ipehnsm6DJYdDLzG3zed5lV4iesJ7PuPzFWiFoX6HtwQfu3AfrSwZOIw7eL363th-B6LJq4v1AZhgtKfBwsdYbIlTRVsBvwsaUWNXvmO8Q3w/s1600/tumblr_l69s5qvpfk1qc46e7o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjU_vJwawWqeQVq06xc4j1PvRXeCLxfr6ipehnsm6DJYdDLzG3zed5lV4iesJ7PuPzFWiFoX6HtwQfu3AfrSwZOIw7eL363th-B6LJq4v1AZhgtKfBwsdYbIlTRVsBvwsaUWNXvmO8Q3w/s320/tumblr_l69s5qvpfk1qc46e7o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly Kapowski's animal spirit. Same sassy look.</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">This time I opted for the orange course, with </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">a total of seven checkpoints</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">. Starting out was rather strange. The roads and rocks were all icy, so you had to be very careful where you walked. Staying in the grass/leaves was the way to go. Headed out and uphill and next to the road, to begin the quest for CP #1. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I overshot the path that led towards #1, but back tracked through the woods and got to the</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> power line about the time </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">the </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Beatties </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">were coming down the cleared area,</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> finding the CP just adjacent to the power line clear cut. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">For #2 I had seen on the map that it was just off an old abandoned fence line, and knowing where the fence line was, I decided to go back to it, then follow it downhill to the checkpoint. I looked and looked, up and down, restarting from the road above to no avail. Then Dave came by and they had already been to the checkpoint, heading on to the third. Turns out </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">#2 was actually not particularl</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">y near the fence after all. Dave pointed me in the right direction</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> and I scrutinized the map to find it</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Lesson number one for the day:</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> don’t trust man-made objects on the map. Go by terrain</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> first</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">. If I had navigated by terrain, #2 would have been easy, what with the reentrant it was near.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">So after that, it’s what I did. For #3 I contoured around another reentrant and hill</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">side, continually comparing the map to where I thought I was, catc</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">hing up with the </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Beatties</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">, </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">coming upon the abandoned road which led to the checkpoint. All in all, easy </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">peasy</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Then I hoofed it uphill and over the paved road, down the other side to a reentrant for #4</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">, with frequent stops for map consultation. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Another easy one! #5 was further down the reentrant, to the side in a ditch. Also according to the topo map.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">By this time I was feeling pretty confident. I decided to contour around the hillside, trying to stay at ap</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">proximately the same elevation and around</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> to what looked like an open-</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">ish</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> area, with the checkpoint on the side. Which is, of course, not how it turned out. Back and forth through that open area I went, even so far as to get within sight of a pond which should have helped me to backtrack to the checkpoint.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Hmmm</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">… </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">cp</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> #7 was right at the edge of said</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> pond, so I decided to go there instead</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"></span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Around</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> the pond</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> I went through the stickers and brambles and phew, #7 bagged. But then I realized the map was no longer in my hand. Dang it! Wearing gloves and having a dog leash made it hard to keep track of what I was holding. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">I back tracked and looked for it, but couldn’t tell exactly where I had been, so unfortunately I littered in the state park. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Far</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> in the dista</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">nce I heard the chatter of boys. T</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">he Scouts were coming, so I knew at least I could walk out with someone. It took quite </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">awhile</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">as </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">they were scrambling downhill on very icy/slippery rocks.</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> One of the gracious leaders gave me his map, and helped me decipher the location of #6. Which was </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">decidedly not in the green/open area of the map. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">So lesson number two for the day, don’t trust the green.</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> Uphill I went, climbing the slippery rocks to #6.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">All during this time, Kelly was having great fun. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Since it was cold</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> I had put a coat on her because </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">of the possibility of </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">a lot of time spent sta</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">nding around looking at maps, and</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> she was quite cozy</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> but not overheated</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">. So much to sniff and see</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">! Keeping her out of the pond was a bit of an issue. The thin layer of ice could have cause quite a problem. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">It was definitely a better day to be on four legs than two. She had zero issues with slipperiness.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">After #6 it was time to get back to the start/finish. Fairly straightforward, except for the path on the map which didn’t exist in real life- lesson already learned, so I didn’t look </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">to</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> hard for it. The fire in the fireplace of the shelter was a welcome sight.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RXeWqnp15aZ9oOSeXiewq9nngQ0J9py-l0bsQQ0Gn_ZTW2URa2S0xjIc-R2k5b6uDD_cOPgR3hMwVuxR0Z6_m6U8r4O5JemYV9bY1SgyCwSa6NdbutU4JNf9KurhhPIHNo2CZ1uizxWu/s1600/meramec+o+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RXeWqnp15aZ9oOSeXiewq9nngQ0J9py-l0bsQQ0Gn_ZTW2URa2S0xjIc-R2k5b6uDD_cOPgR3hMwVuxR0Z6_m6U8r4O5JemYV9bY1SgyCwSa6NdbutU4JNf9KurhhPIHNo2CZ1uizxWu/s320/meramec+o+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">T</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">o summarize what I have learned so far in the last two O meets:</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">1. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Don’t count on a trail indicated on a map</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> as actually being there</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">2. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Go by topographical information rather than man-made objects s</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">uch as fences whenever possible</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">3. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">The green/open area isn’</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">t always there</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">4. </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">You </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">gotta</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> still look around a lot</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Something else of note – whenever I have heard veterans discussing various checkpoints in regards to orienteering or adventure racing, they are able to talk about check point this and checkpoint that and I wondered how they kept it all straight in their minds afterwards. Now that I have done the actual navigation by myself I understand it better. I’m writing this blog a full week after the event and can still trace it back in my mind. Maybe it amounts to all the consideration</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> and ability to be present in the moment</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> that needs to happen </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">to be successful in such an event.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">All in all a very enjoyable day, minus the slippery driving. There’s a big learning curve for me in this new endeavor of Orienteering and I am really intrigued with the challenge.</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> Can’t wait </span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;">til</span><span style="line-height: 21.6px;"> the next one!</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.6px;">Alane</span></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-65140755177831584102018-01-26T12:23:00.002-06:002020-10-18T12:07:05.597-05:00Saint Louis Orienteering Club - SLOC - Babler O by Alane Wolins an Orienteering Newbie<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.6px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">Thoughts from an Orienteering Newbie - Alane Wolins</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">This is not going to be a blog full of the </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">nitty</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> gritty details, as it’s been a few weeks now and my memory is fuzzy. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">I consider the January </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">Babler</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> Cold Nose-O to be my first real orienteering</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> meet</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">. Last fall I went with Amy and Jessie to the event in Grafton but that consisted of me following them around, as they are much more versed in map and compass reading than I am.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> And </span></span><span class="s3" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">lots</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> quicker.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">It was a cold </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">and crisp </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">sunny January morning at </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">Babler</span></span><br />
<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> State Park and fun to see familiar faces there- Yvonne, who designed the course, Kate, Chuck and others. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9-f16-T1i4-PDLQ50by8qKOehyWgRH-Zj13yrMFTd8xttHDCS73SgTwjLfJfnWWa9UgYDFTjawr1UQkgOKBxjIRZE_KzNSgMXCASX0XmPKcj-TtKrdYSPJyliQyWtmf-js6KDcxVvrDW/s1600/26814926_2132431766980019_3487861074802217793_n.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9-f16-T1i4-PDLQ50by8qKOehyWgRH-Zj13yrMFTd8xttHDCS73SgTwjLfJfnWWa9UgYDFTjawr1UQkgOKBxjIRZE_KzNSgMXCASX0XmPKcj-TtKrdYSPJyliQyWtmf-js6KDcxVvrDW/s320/26814926_2132431766980019_3487861074802217793_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yvonne running the show</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYgFcEdlebZZoHs2u-mvDQ8xAHOdt1RnxDZs580x9yv4ScLDja29V8hvZgchkMQBqds8FIZBAMOs0jCCl__rpDEU_ibbkQdcJq8wQlQONRuxCQOzrO1AN7SlGREilPVR8YC9JIVFAOaKG/s1600/26814644_2132431750313354_6431320081310940751_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYgFcEdlebZZoHs2u-mvDQ8xAHOdt1RnxDZs580x9yv4ScLDja29V8hvZgchkMQBqds8FIZBAMOs0jCCl__rpDEU_ibbkQdcJq8wQlQONRuxCQOzrO1AN7SlGREilPVR8YC9JIVFAOaKG/s320/26814644_2132431750313354_6431320081310940751_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate in her SLOC jersey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uJrQOUBiTFL_Q08wpvdJKS84phny8mFPZBKCrEbva3-m6B6862m0hmROsay2kunlVrqjbN47Ws5Uxw2BLA6Kapo7mSEXmnGyI1MAgN9DIQgGVTzqwwB0TVBYNSUYa2VLHAKtTVd9Qb6H/s320/26231703_2132431790313350_1719084596254788153_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map plotting</td></tr>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">As I considered my plan, Captain Ahab</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> very generously</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> offered to follow me around to help out as needed and</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> I eagerly accepted. Getting lost is not high on my list of fun things. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">I decided to try the beginner course </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">and see</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> what happened. My</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> expectations on how hard this would be were based on three adventure races as a team member</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">, and as I learned, adventure races are a huge level of difficulty higher than what I was attempting.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">This orienteering differed from the adventure racing I have done in that there was a master map and participants copied the location points from that onto their own map rather than using coordinates to plot. So </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">it was kind of a relief </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">as plotting from coordinates is a foreign language to me at the moment.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">I decided on the white course, which is </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">the most beginner course, and copied the points from the master map onto my own map</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">. The checkpoints are all set up to be easy to find, no tromping off</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> road or off trail into the deep woods. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">The flags to mark the locations look sort of like a very small box kite, in white and orange, and have a </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">hole</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> punch tool with a specific pattern of holes. You punch your card with this and then there is a record of you finding the checkpoint.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4jDfOMfpdiZeCdlD9U4jF0fFk-JE07Bkw7oT85CKG0IZcrwSQiis2CmrImx4TTjBipANwCRAPBeTfWtEssruVUyksefybzKW97ETfOGOOhoebM0qyWOQckcG7gm3Gu80Vpzgrj3gBcuX/s1600/26238986_2132431713646691_6678800034454170173_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4jDfOMfpdiZeCdlD9U4jF0fFk-JE07Bkw7oT85CKG0IZcrwSQiis2CmrImx4TTjBipANwCRAPBeTfWtEssruVUyksefybzKW97ETfOGOOhoebM0qyWOQckcG7gm3Gu80Vpzgrj3gBcuX/s320/26238986_2132431713646691_6678800034454170173_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alane's MS-2 OutThere pack and her yellow balls</td></tr>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">Captain Ahab followed along with helpful advic</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">e and I cleared the course in 38 minutes</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">Not fast by any means, but </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">a great confidence builder</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">The checkpoints were located along well-travelled trails as well as in a park shelter, at the edge of a field, right along a paved road and fi</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">nally next to a statue, making them very easy to find.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">We got back to the start and I had already decided to go out on the orange course, which was the next level in difficulty. The checkpoints in this case could be off trail but not too awfully far, and in locations that were relatively easy to find by using the contours of the map. I only pulled out the compass once, to make sure of a direction. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviJKROji_F9zVQoNUklowR_bD-QkpffMDvLbu_Nw7YSOMG0iYTC58SxLnOo89eRbfdphgdH73aTnF05003LHDos-al1Fu5rl8XQvHhfCCjCqh7krXs5kb18K1_cdVqDBU-Fr593AJ_l1_/s1600/26230842_2132431723646690_717212940532707761_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviJKROji_F9zVQoNUklowR_bD-QkpffMDvLbu_Nw7YSOMG0iYTC58SxLnOo89eRbfdphgdH73aTnF05003LHDos-al1Fu5rl8XQvHhfCCjCqh7krXs5kb18K1_cdVqDBU-Fr593AJ_l1_/s320/26230842_2132431723646690_717212940532707761_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alane finding an easy check point</td></tr>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">I’m really glad of Captain Ahab’s advice</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> -</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> suggestions as to how to increase speed transitioning from one che</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">ckpoint to going on to the next, reading the contour lines to more precisely locate a checkpoint on the map, seeing the contour lines in person and comparing to the map, </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">using landmarks such as old structures. And I learned not to take the map as 100% gospel when we </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">were looking for a trail marked on the map that didn’t (or no longer) exist in real life. We left one checkpoint and I headed the wrong way, pointed out by Captain Ahab by his asking what my plan was, and he helped me with deciding on the correct route. Planning out loud was very helpful and seeing how Captain Ahab read the map vs how I did was a good learning experience.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">This second course took around an hour 45 minutes for me to complete. Captain Ahab would generally see the checkpoint first, but not tell me, so I was truly finding them on my own. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcxrX1fq4wJyauVBpjErj0zyzPbMP9aohymWUjI3j73n4MX6R8umQWXQ9jtPWZsCr-w2__ZsJBJoaIkFgpvb05zhk3L1sZaX64EFILra_qlKKCXqgp5XM8XBtNHV7gjKBvFiE1FjG6g3d/s1600/26805451_2132440680312461_2127881615458784997_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcxrX1fq4wJyauVBpjErj0zyzPbMP9aohymWUjI3j73n4MX6R8umQWXQ9jtPWZsCr-w2__ZsJBJoaIkFgpvb05zhk3L1sZaX64EFILra_qlKKCXqgp5XM8XBtNHV7gjKBvFiE1FjG6g3d/s320/26805451_2132440680312461_2127881615458784997_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alane cleared two courses and took down the white course</td></tr>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">The experience of orienteering reminded me of my hikes in the Grand Canyon. I was already planning to go to next event before even completing this first one. It was that fun and it amazes me that I had never done it before. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">F</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">or my next outing I’m going to change up a couple things. No Captain Ahab following me around, I need to do this by myself. Wearing trail running shoes is a way better idea than hiking boots. I now know that I will actually be able to run the white course</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">, which also means</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;"> lighter clothes are in order- I was way overdressed</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">, even for a 15 or so degree start.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.6px;">This fun adventure would probably not have happened had I not met and joined Team BOR. It’s great to have supportive teammates! Now on to the next event!</span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-74938358729535342002017-12-27T20:48:00.003-06:002020-10-18T12:08:43.052-05:00Adventure Racing and Out There Packs Review by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Adventure Racing and Out There Pack Review by Captain Ahab</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When I
first started Adventure Racing I used my Camelbak Mule, which was really too
small for 8 hour races.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was fine for
shorter races and training, but I just couldn’t shove enough in it for anything
longer than a few hours.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started being
envious of my teammates Out There MS-1’s because of their forward hip and chest pockets.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I added some temporary hip pockets to my Mule for
food, but it just wasn’t the same.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
then got my hands on a larger Camelbak, but it rode low on my back and no
matter how I adjusted the straps it would bounce all over my back. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It also did not have forward pockets. I tried a ton of Camelbaks.(Some of the Camelbaks I own that are not suitable for AR are shown below.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anyone want to buy some Camelbaks?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
I finally said enough is enough and bought a
MS-1, which has 15L interior storage and 5L exterior storage.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <a href="http://outthereusa.com/">http://outthereusa.com/</a></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYALLMxLqGrj_e273tHAjmoT0ynUOlO4nv6C6CqH3_zsT3-IZHE8tHxEpiS0RuwX-2hyV6qhb1ZM8XAl2f5NVdxTZUUdLFgHlRPNEULzt0D6fNVK-bpJjTB-ghyphenhyphen2iJfWOpuCRmX8jS1kj/s1600/12-1E806299-1998213-960.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYALLMxLqGrj_e273tHAjmoT0ynUOlO4nv6C6CqH3_zsT3-IZHE8tHxEpiS0RuwX-2hyV6qhb1ZM8XAl2f5NVdxTZUUdLFgHlRPNEULzt0D6fNVK-bpJjTB-ghyphenhyphen2iJfWOpuCRmX8jS1kj/s320/12-1E806299-1998213-960.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Captain Ahab's brand new MS-1.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
started training in it immediately and loved how it rode on my back.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In races, the front pockets were from Heaven
as I could pull food out whenever I pleased.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The pack was also lighter weight than my Camelbaks, held more gear, and
had more attachment points.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
permanent whistle is a great idea, but for some odd reason I still carry another
one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I need to break that unnecessary
habit and delete that little extra weight.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I could put my shoes in the outer
pockets with a 4 piece paddle, and my jacket.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>It is a tight fit, but I started just attaching my shoes and let them
swing about a bit to allow for more room. This is how I still "stow" my shoes as it keeps dirt and stench out of my pack. I don't even bother sticking the toe of the shoes in the external pockets like my teammates do.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eDuDd_Mc4Ie7d7kjckOt0zEQTUBsDLiVI-nonsX_fG5JJOdtXMLmvNZOBXhnhIXefDoRIjkxXNaiK4Q_tBr5cl3zuyhLwLkgCgqFdYmI7vq9garNf_l3_aUHVa9LAhYvWIjELHizDYsj/s1600/64.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eDuDd_Mc4Ie7d7kjckOt0zEQTUBsDLiVI-nonsX_fG5JJOdtXMLmvNZOBXhnhIXefDoRIjkxXNaiK4Q_tBr5cl3zuyhLwLkgCgqFdYmI7vq9garNf_l3_aUHVa9LAhYvWIjELHizDYsj/s320/64.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Robert Bart's Osprey Talon and Captain Ahab's MS-1.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There were a few things I didn’t
like about my MS-1.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My friend’s older MS-1
pack had a larger belt buckle, so I actually cut out the orginal smaller quick
adjustable strap and buckle and sewed in the largest strap and buckle I could find.<span style="margin: 0px;"> (Mike just threw up some I bet.) </span>I preferred this because I could stow the
adjustable tails away behind the hip “food bags” and the larger buckle didn’t
cut into my fat gut as much.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I also
missed the Velcro attachments that held the excess webbing on my Camelbak Mule,
so I made some and sewed them on to my MS-1 (These are awesome Mike).<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I then got a little crazy adding straps and interior pockets, but after
time I never used them and decided to remove my added interior pockets, but kept the straps.<span style="margin: 0px;"> I normally use a large dry bag that fits all my gear and fits inside my MS-1. Anything that doesn't fit gets strapped on or put in external pockets. </span>Lastly, I found that the interior pockets behind the
bladder were just not for me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I could
see some people using them, but I am all about function and having to remove a
bladder, or move it out of the way, just doesn’t make sense to me, so I refuse
to use them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> If you were not using a bladder they would be great as they fit a UTM and Markers perfectly. </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Stuffing my hat and jacket in my MS-1.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My
slightly modified MS-1 lasted me 6 years of heavy training and rough
racing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wore it all the time, so much
so that my wife called me “Dora the Explorer” and the roadies I ride with called me
“Backpack Man.” I used it in several 24 hour races and a 30 hour. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://youtu.be/U9N_ue806Zg" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/U9N_ue806Zg</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> After 6 years of heavy use I was bragging about what a great
pack it is to my teammates that were searching for a new pack.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This jinxed my pack and a day later the main zipper
tore about an inch away from the pack.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Before that I only had one small rip in the rip stop nylon from barb
wire. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I just kept an eye on it and it
never spread.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was devastated at the
thought of having to replace my beloved MS-1.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Team BOR likes duct tape.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6K6CMd07qmUYJ_9OkfhqRwRrFgIri2to6S_Lk5vIvkweg3ysNdOPYUDBNzPLHQXfj_9MVwDKguthBryxEdRJxDBFibxDniPohFnOjVVLQll5eYymUMDcv00twE4g_MMqFl0I9Io1CjsX/s1600/11-D4528A06-2062283-960.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6K6CMd07qmUYJ_9OkfhqRwRrFgIri2to6S_Lk5vIvkweg3ysNdOPYUDBNzPLHQXfj_9MVwDKguthBryxEdRJxDBFibxDniPohFnOjVVLQll5eYymUMDcv00twE4g_MMqFl0I9Io1CjsX/s1600/11-D4528A06-2062283-960.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Neil Dickhaus</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> with Dave Cortivo's MS-1</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> and Larson's Medical Kit.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
started thinking about my friends larger AS-2 that he has.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have raced with him several times and
always give him trouble about stowing items in his rear pockets.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He says, “Hey, put this in my backpack.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I say, “Which pocket? Pocket 1A2C, 2B3D,
C3PO, or R2D2?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It has so many pockets
that they need labeling.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is really
just jealously that I tease him about his pack and I would love to have the
newer AS-3 version of this pack for longer races.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I will eventually purchase one as the MS-1 is probably too small for expeditions.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <a href="http://outthereusa.com/as-3-pack-360/">http://outthereusa.com/as-3-pack-360/</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> I
ended up deciding that for the time being that I don’t want the larger pack and
I start looking at my teammates Osprey Talon 22’s (22L storage).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They seem to like them and try to sell me on
their highlights, but every time I spy theirs I don’t see much I like.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I decide that is not fair and head to a local
retailer to try one on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I grab a Talon 22
and it immediately feels heavier than my MS-1.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I start to look at the “suspension system” that is supposed to balance
the weight for comfort, but then I notice the lack of forward pockets.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I also notice the hip pockets are small and hard
to reach and remember my teammates ripped up mesh hip pockets and ripped up mesh outer back pocket.<span style="margin: 0px;"> The mesh on my MS-1 never ripped. </span>I set it down and tell the salesman I’m not
interested.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him I just want my
MS-1 back.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I remember my teammate
telling me that Osprey has a lifetime warranty, so I decide that I would drive
home and try to contact Out There Packs to see if they can repair my pack,
replace it, or give me a discount on a new MS-1.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGONd7wGetk9wduGW6S4p6XC7qo83_BK0iBFEjf5rNE5U6Qg0RTDNArQWbOf81oU_CfCzUNoJhquxzlmnFBY7CQ5PW-8_AoWx8rCKY2ypGncla6V-t3Cl0nvTi2eS6L2gR4AEUufMsqmT/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1368" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGONd7wGetk9wduGW6S4p6XC7qo83_BK0iBFEjf5rNE5U6Qg0RTDNArQWbOf81oU_CfCzUNoJhquxzlmnFBY7CQ5PW-8_AoWx8rCKY2ypGncla6V-t3Cl0nvTi2eS6L2gR4AEUufMsqmT/s320/IMG_2405.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Larry Lazo loving his MS-1 like a baby and fingering his...what? Yuck!</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Karl Kilthau in the background mesmerized by Larry. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
contact Mike Kloser of Out There Packs, tell him about my situation and send
him some pictures.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He explains to me
what I thought I would hear that the repair would be too costly because the
entire main zipper would need to be replaced.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>He offers me a new MS-2 at a great discount and I snatch one up
quickly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I want to mention that Mike
helped me all through the week and over the weekend answering my many questions
and offering me advise.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He also shipped
my new pack in time for the upcoming race I was preparing for that next weekend.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I doubt you will get this type of service
anywhere else.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Mike is awesome, so much
so that I hit him up for a TeamBOR sponsorship and he agreed!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEima2zIED39q8jEX6BDMQnYejYrWQrWyIftM7Kt5RpnQctYOpc_g1oRVQEyR8qTtRVUp1mBPNwxMkIU_rJx6YW9Y92zSKD3vIBLKUEo-7ckNF1TAdiK0XTYlHEcpurkK05jdsn4iw7liLlI/s1600/fb-img-1509577390652_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEima2zIED39q8jEX6BDMQnYejYrWQrWyIftM7Kt5RpnQctYOpc_g1oRVQEyR8qTtRVUp1mBPNwxMkIU_rJx6YW9Y92zSKD3vIBLKUEo-7ckNF1TAdiK0XTYlHEcpurkK05jdsn4iw7liLlI/s320/fb-img-1509577390652_orig.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Ahab's Brand New MS-2!</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I chose
a black MS-2 because it had the new removable hip belt option and still had the
mesh pockets instead of rip stop nylon.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I chose the mesh over the rip stop because it held up much better on my
MS-1.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I believe the blue MS-2 had mesh,
and the orange had more rip stop.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
MS-2 has bigger hip pockets!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It also has dual bladder attachments.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I don’t know if I will use the removable hip
belt, but it is a cool idea.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I will try
it out before I dismiss it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNbf3kNlFYHU4Hj6wKd5yoFugEfWJpP0n9-jdSQfL1sm-J8XFPVijzn-aPK0jMi2ua4nEkQlIt8kkpbC1ErPN2e3oFe16eXjVhDWtU20_nkYhPaX450l7QIN0dTeSp0Q9Ts5peFXN2Z5r/s1600/20171101-180400_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNbf3kNlFYHU4Hj6wKd5yoFugEfWJpP0n9-jdSQfL1sm-J8XFPVijzn-aPK0jMi2ua4nEkQlIt8kkpbC1ErPN2e3oFe16eXjVhDWtU20_nkYhPaX450l7QIN0dTeSp0Q9Ts5peFXN2Z5r/s320/20171101-180400_orig.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add a Hip Pack Pocket to make your <br />
removable belt hold more.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJsquyn2IIsTE5n_vEyS63cx-iAjM_9MAhETYVpO0W18QeaxNggFXJuIAo7Gyh35IzB-_84cRpgdDgp-yhDHCfW6vB25ohHAD3AvbyMKo3tAmZqkSz_D-qvQ2MN0Ej49cnU4yTFzELTrG/s1600/20171101-201742_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1100" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJsquyn2IIsTE5n_vEyS63cx-iAjM_9MAhETYVpO0W18QeaxNggFXJuIAo7Gyh35IzB-_84cRpgdDgp-yhDHCfW6vB25ohHAD3AvbyMKo3tAmZqkSz_D-qvQ2MN0Ej49cnU4yTFzELTrG/s320/20171101-201742_orig.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removable belt with Hip Pack Pocket installed.</td></tr>
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I have been
using the removable hip belt webbing adjusters to move my hip pockets fore and
aft.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The pack also has webbing tail stowage
and a trekking tow attachment.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It does have
that smaller quick adjust belt buckle, but I’m just going to try and get used
to it (no modifying this pack).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I just find that I grab the wrong
strap when trying to buckle without looking.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I would like to have stowage for the adjustable tails as I usually set
mine and forget about them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The pack
still has all the cool features of the MS-1, but is just new and improved.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It is also slightly bigger. Mike's specs below.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Compact and feature-rich, our MS-2’s lighter weight means more comfort and energy for “done-in-a-day” outings, such as adventure racing, climbing, short ski tours, bike adventures, or just walking around town. It offers a full-featured, ultra-comfortable design in a versatile and ventilated day-pack. Offering highly efficient and accessible storage options, while exhibiting a simplified fit with upgraded style and materials. One of the highlights of the new MS-2 pack is the detachable Hip Belt, which doubles as a separate Hip Pack.</span></span></span></h3>
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<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Colors</strong> – Black, Blue, Orange</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>2 in 1 Hip Belt</strong>– Airmesh lined, with <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW</span></strong> -ergonomic 1” waist belt webbing & buckle. <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>-Adjustable width buckle system under back panel, <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW</span></strong>-Hip Belt detaches from pack for use as separate Hip Pack</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>“Beaver Tail Pockets”™</strong>– 4 easy access pockets on shoulder straps (2 zip, <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>-1 water resistant) <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>-Velcro attachment for swapping with Bottle Tail accessory pockets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Stow Pocket</strong>– <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong><strong>–</strong>Zipper pocket on bottom of pack with towline/key ring tab, and <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW</span> </strong>-Ice Axe tip slots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>2 Accessory Webbing Loops</strong>– Bottom of pack with buckles for Ice axe, poles or skis <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>-Adjustable buckle added to 2nd strap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Accessory Bungee Cords</strong>– Bungees with <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>-squeeze cord lock hooks and webbing tabs for attaching helmet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Internal Stretch Mesh</strong>– <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>– 4-way stretch mesh on internal pockets for more pocket storage volume</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Elastic Webbing Loops</strong>–<strong> <span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>– Elastic keepers to gather excess webbing on shoulder straps and chest strap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>4 External Pockets </strong>– 2 side easy access, one lg. helmet compatible, one zippered. Note; <strong><span style="color: red;">NEW </span></strong>Orange model, all external pockets on main pack body are Rip stop nylon</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Packed with Features</span></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">In addition to the <span style="color: #0433ff;"><b>NEW upgraded features,</b></span> the MS-2 incorporates the signature features listed below:</span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Rip Stop Nylon</strong> – Durable, silicon treated water resistant, light weight construction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Foam Padded Venting</strong> – Airmesh covered foam venting on back panel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Ergonomic Shoulder Straps</strong>– Airmesh wrapped perforated foam for enhanced comfort</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Chest Strap</strong>– Vertical and width adjustable, with integrated buckle whistle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>2 Hip Belt Pockets</strong>– Integrated, easy access zippered pockets (one water resistant)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>2 Hip Belt Water Bottle Pockets</strong>– Convenient easy to reach side mesh pockets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Hydration Bladder Compartment</strong>– Internal sleeve-compatible to stow laptop</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Hydration tube External Port</strong>– Two internal webbing/hook attachments for bladder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>3 Internal Organizer Pockets</strong>– One mesh pockets (1 zippered), 1 nylon organizer pocket</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>4-Side Compression Straps</strong>– Double as Ski or Snowboard attachment straps</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Top Zipper Pocket</strong> – With waterproof zipper, stows strap for diagonal ski attachment</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>4 Nylon/plastic Webbing Tabs</strong>– Sewn on bottom of pack for attaching camping gear"</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1i120w_XwfItQPxf1sdpHNG8pW_wyhDZTQPVwrY5hOU8tSwnY5yBBtLxPXXhJjQPIMygS0eCAmptaVTaaNq3qd2fCP0KCPxsdOmnc64mDwcEBK4NrzJE7diYKwXqMC0dDy1vogaW5IRr/s1600/fb-img-1509577303532_orig.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1i120w_XwfItQPxf1sdpHNG8pW_wyhDZTQPVwrY5hOU8tSwnY5yBBtLxPXXhJjQPIMygS0eCAmptaVTaaNq3qd2fCP0KCPxsdOmnc64mDwcEBK4NrzJE7diYKwXqMC0dDy1vogaW5IRr/s320/fb-img-1509577303532_orig.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One bad ass MS-2!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> I have used my MS-2 in two races now.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The first thing I noticed is that I didn’t really realize it was on until late in the race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s a great thing!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The forward pockets are even better than the MS-1’s.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The only issue I find is that the removable hip belt sometimes pops out some, but that’s probably because I moved the hip pockets forward some by loosening the straps.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s really no big deal as when you go to put it on you just have to push them back in, but I wish I didn’t have to. (Update 01-06-18) just realized I didn't have the straps installed correctly and now they stay in much better).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Another positive is that the bladder stays in place better with the new attachment.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I set up the trekking tow, but I couldn’t get my teammates to try it out, which probably saved my legs.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Mesh chest pockets and nylon covered straps on MS-1</div>
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One H2O resistant chest pocket and mesh covered straps on MS-2.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUMrEYlDJfsP_X4MJO8xnthhDmA2nSo64DgPHOwE0r6GTq7H_8rJ_z9HrL8LHfXcGJ8eUo6FCXLSKGTdrL_cV2uF0wY722rri6mOkjOcw8u1YhO8zKKaIMrhY2Y67jOvGupMIE15lIqMx/s1600/20171229_202601.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUMrEYlDJfsP_X4MJO8xnthhDmA2nSo64DgPHOwE0r6GTq7H_8rJ_z9HrL8LHfXcGJ8eUo6FCXLSKGTdrL_cV2uF0wY722rri6mOkjOcw8u1YhO8zKKaIMrhY2Y67jOvGupMIE15lIqMx/s320/20171229_202601.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larger hip bags on MS-2.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOCsfjoOy6y4yXHhLTazqWvYM2YKVr00fKVpbbmVsd1glxhAN1myKTJVK6geSYskPJHYnsQAAuw8P_ZxFzoCgkuHEBFx5eBj7jNbAT7facfNomg9hFXad37ni64yOQlp0Oga599JdQsxg/s1600/20171229_202639.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOCsfjoOy6y4yXHhLTazqWvYM2YKVr00fKVpbbmVsd1glxhAN1myKTJVK6geSYskPJHYnsQAAuw8P_ZxFzoCgkuHEBFx5eBj7jNbAT7facfNomg9hFXad37ni64yOQlp0Oga599JdQsxg/s320/20171229_202639.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Camelbak" tail accumulator modification.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPnq9y8ie1aGE7RQa8EXjSeMBBlPKnicywjmVL3taXV2dtZCiBysK7frEcd4YCUbtdkbPjXnRsx3VxZomL2i8gxKFozUhRlM65eL29li_H3TWPRqwljiCnsGH1ajsGxaCsqow9C-v8Bvg/s1600/20171229_202833.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPnq9y8ie1aGE7RQa8EXjSeMBBlPKnicywjmVL3taXV2dtZCiBysK7frEcd4YCUbtdkbPjXnRsx3VxZomL2i8gxKFozUhRlM65eL29li_H3TWPRqwljiCnsGH1ajsGxaCsqow9C-v8Bvg/s320/20171229_202833.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MS-1 front, MS-2 rear bladder attachment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv9R_BAIrusweBzV_vsOcUA6lqEzrWETWKEgAoZZoeBL8rdoc5-4hy_p0DjnUEhOCOwtcPfF3Asi61wiOshqFtWeVpj1YWpQGXqA-74KG8GllQPA0Ys80h1tfvlfjIqUOWxoHtmQ6rbNa/s1600/20171229_202851.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv9R_BAIrusweBzV_vsOcUA6lqEzrWETWKEgAoZZoeBL8rdoc5-4hy_p0DjnUEhOCOwtcPfF3Asi61wiOshqFtWeVpj1YWpQGXqA-74KG8GllQPA0Ys80h1tfvlfjIqUOWxoHtmQ6rbNa/s320/20171229_202851.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2CuqhJlNRI9mfFV-SZtFZQoBG4tlQSanrSKigL6AyWQx1Rw1WHkPKpnOcBV5rSjFIMLh7_ZA8N6R7TSz4g7oSwD8v07Wrk2JfoJT7prkW432EszeYbtMVarqY4Dll-bBbVP_BLAvSW5s/s1600/20171229_202858.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: &quot; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2CuqhJlNRI9mfFV-SZtFZQoBG4tlQSanrSKigL6AyWQx1Rw1WHkPKpnOcBV5rSjFIMLh7_ZA8N6R7TSz4g7oSwD8v07Wrk2JfoJT7prkW432EszeYbtMVarqY4Dll-bBbVP_BLAvSW5s/s320/20171229_202858.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One concern I have on MS-2 is that the heavy duty mesh and rip stop nylon has been replaced with stretchy "cheaper Osprey looking" mesh. We will see if it holds up inside the pack.</td></tr>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
</span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> I
couldn’t let my old trusty MS-1 die so I tore out the old zipper and searched
all over for a new one.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I couldn’t find
the exact one, but I bought one that was a close second and sewed it back
in (I should have asked Mike where to get one).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It functions and looks good from the
outside, but I made a mess of the inside.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>If I would have taken my time I could have made it better, but it was
better than throwing an awesome pack away.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I can always clean up the inside later if I want.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I will use my MS-1 for training and my MS-2
for racing, which will hopefully extend the life of my MS-2. I could also sell a bunch of my Camelbaks and my MS-1 and buy some more Out There's!</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Our team almost exclusively runs either Out There Packs or Osprey Packs. We have a large AR team with around 30 members. I think Osprey is slightly beating out Out There as the most used pack on the team, but that is because our team is full of cheap bastards. I need to figure out that percentage. Rough estimate looks like a 60/40 split. Now that Out There is sponsoring Team BOR I think that balance will shift into Out There's favor. Why buy a pack that is not designed for adventure racing when Out There Packs are?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It seems like a simple decision to me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Alane Wollins new MS-2.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv-3g7pghUkiAL_VgRJBcAkUf1g7pX-hdMUcbjUzZRCUeChqvsMv0CkAdqF5ZUHyMQg_XRMK-JhTcwD-ZIQ3W2Bf_vWksNMv0lU5OucxhX3Ju4OzemR5MK1r_vD3hwuF63wyLkCRJa-mx/s1600/CIMG5066.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv-3g7pghUkiAL_VgRJBcAkUf1g7pX-hdMUcbjUzZRCUeChqvsMv0CkAdqF5ZUHyMQg_XRMK-JhTcwD-ZIQ3W2Bf_vWksNMv0lU5OucxhX3Ju4OzemR5MK1r_vD3hwuF63wyLkCRJa-mx/s320/CIMG5066.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">I think she loves her pack.</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I have asked the team to give me honest feedback on their
Out There and Osprey Packs and will post it here.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Osprey Packs = "Belt pockets, but not very big. Had held up really well. Has tiny pocket on shoulder strap, but can't fit much in it; It has whistle to satisfy AR requirements. About the right size for up to 24 hr race. Fairly simple; not a ton of different pockets. Water resistant at least. Not adjustable. Like the orange color!" JESSIE BROWN</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Captain Ahab, I’m still not convinced that the MS 1 can hold 24 hours worth of AR gear. If you have the cash to buy expensive packable gear (a fleece for example) and all the mandatory gear you may have to pack for a race that’s my AS 2 (? I think that is the one I use for 24 hour). So what I’m getting at is recommend that if your only gonna buy 1 bag then get the larger of the two. Also, I have had my MS1 for over 4 years and I have only had to do 1 repair and it was my fault. Not the bags. Hope this helps." LARRY LAZO</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3BpRk0Elnai8JH5NGhxSE4vREardEsIKO0ELkx_EgaVw8uWoAQDYqNGTqdlYIXh69fYCIem06owyrgvq7UsxeYJeoAP4DrP_BF-GwbY0LtOPUYQK3kWuL9o2V4feWufEDhzOBryssK_E/s1600/received_10213042355364949.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3BpRk0Elnai8JH5NGhxSE4vREardEsIKO0ELkx_EgaVw8uWoAQDYqNGTqdlYIXh69fYCIem06owyrgvq7UsxeYJeoAP4DrP_BF-GwbY0LtOPUYQK3kWuL9o2V4feWufEDhzOBryssK_E/s320/received_10213042355364949.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larrys MS-1. He also has and AS-2...spoiled brat!</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"I’ve used the MS-1 for up to 84-hrs. We had the ability to re-pack every 24-hrs. It worked great!! And it still had the ability to clip on lots of gear if needed. A larger pack could give you extra space, but extra space could mean just packing extra gear which just adds extra weight." PAUL FRISBEE</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Agree Paul. While I have not raced that long if you have the ability to repack for different sections that would make a huge difference. Also, good points on the outside of the pack. Mike made sure there were plenty of tie down points on the outside." LARRY LAZO</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Osprey 22L Talon. <a href="https://www.osprey.com/us/en/">https://www.osprey.com/us/en/</a><br /><br />Pros: large main pocket works great for storing large amounts of gear. Pack has a small outboard zipper pocket on top and one inside the main pack for storing smaller pieces (e blanket, lighter etc) so you don’t have to empty the pack at gear checks. Built in helmet carrying system. Integrated pole (think paddles or walking sticks) carrying system. Stiffer backing between the bladder and back keeps the pack fitting the same whether a full or empty bladder is installed. Many more load adjustments on the straps than any camelbak I have owned. <br /><br />Osprey will repair/replace the pack for free with their all mighty guarantee. As with most packs, integrated whistle. <br /><br />Cons: hip pouches are a bit small. Mesh on kangaroo pouch and hip pockets will tear over time with bushwhacking. Mesh tends to get sticky if you put empty gel wrappers in it. (Annoying thing, not really a con)" KEVIN MINTON</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_UEfoZm8iw2L-t43Fl58mwW9U-ZGjs9WVV32MnqlE8OL30ag7MFX59zb5vTnO0FSMbWKBOb51QEY2ZKsvI5OS9nyC5sw0jvi5kPexRIgy2wwbjZrc2Vb9Z702ivNbsAg9XY5nTyaw3Ig/s1600/FB_IMG_1514568785805.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_UEfoZm8iw2L-t43Fl58mwW9U-ZGjs9WVV32MnqlE8OL30ag7MFX59zb5vTnO0FSMbWKBOb51QEY2ZKsvI5OS9nyC5sw0jvi5kPexRIgy2wwbjZrc2Vb9Z702ivNbsAg9XY5nTyaw3Ig/s320/FB_IMG_1514568785805.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin's Osprey Talon 22</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0UcY-nM3HkEu-Z-ijISBx4dNHBz8qTdulZL1fuilexhUYKQAp_gFYKvOt80mj_eUaSGsoqTXaLVqgN4l8lvizedhXZF5vHrObgIrCwcMsOSJ5YtJ5oYaI_3nEwpdbVswD5WP3ORoxUv2/s1600/FB_IMG_1514569406460.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0UcY-nM3HkEu-Z-ijISBx4dNHBz8qTdulZL1fuilexhUYKQAp_gFYKvOt80mj_eUaSGsoqTXaLVqgN4l8lvizedhXZF5vHrObgIrCwcMsOSJ5YtJ5oYaI_3nEwpdbVswD5WP3ORoxUv2/s320/FB_IMG_1514569406460.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin's dog Osprey...Kevin likes Osprey packs we guess.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH6Knu2D3htKELJPobosYNSCJbcLYSyxYMWdEhe9dY9lH2gyEWzZIAgRkXkkB930VIJgRwJC-kEidGjmBhY_cv-OrbMXWScLvwRRsNlKXqGMwtK25r0YgqoGfiMTHBvzn6pkaXhmO_KHe/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH6Knu2D3htKELJPobosYNSCJbcLYSyxYMWdEhe9dY9lH2gyEWzZIAgRkXkkB930VIJgRwJC-kEidGjmBhY_cv-OrbMXWScLvwRRsNlKXqGMwtK25r0YgqoGfiMTHBvzn6pkaXhmO_KHe/s320/IMG_0338.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Team Mates Osprey (not sure of model).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Damn...now I have to buy an Out There AS-3! I also want the 45-L for backpacking - Ahab.</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-77409651140464034432017-12-06T19:50:00.002-06:002020-10-18T12:09:58.884-05:002017 Alpine Shop's Castlewood 8 by Captain Ahab<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2017 Alpine Shop Castlewood 8 by Captain Ahab</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After a crazy amount of switching
people around on the Team BOR teams (Sorry Emily and Erl), I found myself on a
two person male team (Team BOR - Quadfathers) with Paul Frisbee.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Having raced with Paul several times before
on 4 person teams I felt like we would have a really good fast race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The Team BOR teams consisted of 15 members
and one Off The Front racer, Lo Mattson.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Team BOR teams listed below.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team BOR – David Beattie, Amy Crews, Alane Wolins, Jessie
Brown – (the Team BOR name always goes to our fastest 4 person coed team, so no
hyphen needed.) (– 4PC)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team BOR – Oh My Quad – Cassie Bart, Robert Bart, John Naas,
Tim Johanns (– 4PC)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team BOR – Oh Quad Why? - <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jeremy Jamerson, Scott Herbst (– 2PM)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team BOR – Quadfathers – Captain Ahab, Paul Frisbee (– 2PM)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team BOR – 2Tops Racing – Larry Lazo, Karl Kilthau (– 2PM)
Too cool to have quad in the name?</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s BORing Off the Front – Steve Fuller, Loreen Mattson (– 2PC)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Still Married? – Reanna Person, Kevin Minton (– 2PC) Shouldn’t
this be The BOR Minton’s?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So
after all this teammate / team switching I started changing my race plans.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Instead of going easy, I decided Paul and I
could go flat out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I also decided that
since the start/finish venue requested no alcohol, I wouldn’t drink before or
during the race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have been testing
different medicines to alleviate the pain in my knees during races.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>During training I don’t use any meds and just
“listen to my knees.” If they feel good, I go hard, if they hurt, I go
easy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In the last few races I have tried
aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol (Acetaminophen), Alcohol, and Aleve (Naproxen). <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I don’t consume caffeine at all what so ever,
so I can’t try that; mainly because I have a crazy addiction to Coca-Cola.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I also don’t like using Western Medicine as I
think Western doctors push too many meds, so at Berryman this year I used
alcohol, which worked great removing the pain, but also made me very drunk
during one portion of the race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The
effects caught me off guard some, but we still had a very good race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the med side everything seems to just dull
the pain for a short time and have some serious side effects to the body’s
organs, but Aleve has been working the best.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>So I decided to pop two Aleve’s and give it all I had.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I also changed my plans of using tows as I didn’t
think we would need them, but this decision was a bad one as I will tell
later.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tried to pack as light as
possible so I could be the mule and Paul could be Check Point Charlie.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We didn’t really decide who would navigate as
both of us can.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We met the Team at Alane’s,
plotted the maps, picked a route, and crashed at my house.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In the
morning we quickly showered (separately), dressed, loaded the Jeep, and dropped
the bikes off at Castlewood.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We then
dropped Paul’s truck at the Learning Center (note: we were the only team that
followed instructions).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We got some Mc’Ds
and headed to the start.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>After numerous
pictures and the pre-race meeting we lined up for a team photo (thanks
SuperKate).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul then made the comment
that we should move up in the pack; we didn’t move up far enough.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fVInhlpR3NU497yToeCgXaRZz7G8HJ3bJ-Ukywo5FekIlcqzs66mCIEQ6ekjLA1oSJvLfF_SW_LsTqcyx1nijn3-ww7nVVvR9oGN0VCxgEJayDR702yquBJuL4zIX0CW_mb7AHbwY9L5/s1600/CIMG5049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fVInhlpR3NU497yToeCgXaRZz7G8HJ3bJ-Ukywo5FekIlcqzs66mCIEQ6ekjLA1oSJvLfF_SW_LsTqcyx1nijn3-ww7nVVvR9oGN0VCxgEJayDR702yquBJuL4zIX0CW_mb7AHbwY9L5/s320/CIMG5049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KF4EbHk6c4X4Uh3CRMfn1ZBIEwos-o5od4PZ2Lz3xI8htPQXtBtA75p5Mq6ZhRDXd3SqOvsL0LolXMjLe9HFKppg5QisJ2CEtC5ByODuKB57tEGAPcBi-Ol-RCbpsF6J8DHK575dEW2s/s1600/CIMG5052.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KF4EbHk6c4X4Uh3CRMfn1ZBIEwos-o5od4PZ2Lz3xI8htPQXtBtA75p5Mq6ZhRDXd3SqOvsL0LolXMjLe9HFKppg5QisJ2CEtC5ByODuKB57tEGAPcBi-Ol-RCbpsF6J8DHK575dEW2s/s320/CIMG5052.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
started running in a herd.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul ran like
a stallion, breathing effortlessly, legs and feet graceful as if he were
dancing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>His backpack small and light
clung to his back like a jockey on his race horse, and then there was me, hoofs
stomping, breath roaring, snot spewing, sweat dripping.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My back pack bounced around my back like kegs
of Budweiser on the wagon, pulled by the old used up Clydesdale they don’t ever
let you see.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We moved up the ranks after
passing several teams, but that passing was taking precious time away from
us.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We finally got into a good pace,
well my pace as I grabbed on to and held on to Paul’s pack.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As we passed Mickey, he said, “Oh look, Paul
is blowing up Captain Ahab early!” I thought, “Yes, yes he is!” We passed and passed
as teams turned off to CP’s 1 and 2.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our
plan was to hit CP4 first to avoid traffic, back track to CP2 and then cut
across to CP1, then 3, then 5.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I stopped
a little early to look at the map.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul
said we have to keep going a little to the trail.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I thought, “how does he know that, he has no
map.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I looked at the map and realized
Paul was correct. We ran a little farther and could see the CP from the
trail.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We ran up the reentrant to it
with only one other team.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We then took
the trail around to CP2 as planned and ran into a whole lot of BOR’s coming in
the opposite direction.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>With no time for
photos we pressed on to CP1 and saw Lo and Steve.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgjcqtyFbcaT8Ty_mdNePkUObjb25Js55_rKoA4ug-QSK4runrnt50pTZQj5SFnRY0933hTHSG4G-fCFmz_4T0LwfVZXBs1VKWXhDyQLxPJhIrG1w5XY4gp0ES25tdj5lZ6Dw5NbCx29h/s1600/CIMG5053.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgjcqtyFbcaT8Ty_mdNePkUObjb25Js55_rKoA4ug-QSK4runrnt50pTZQj5SFnRY0933hTHSG4G-fCFmz_4T0LwfVZXBs1VKWXhDyQLxPJhIrG1w5XY4gp0ES25tdj5lZ6Dw5NbCx29h/s320/CIMG5053.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We then took the trail to CP3.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I noticed a lot of the teams were moving
really quick.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul had a zippered glove
to stow the passport, but I noticed it took him some time to get it out, unfold
it, punch, fold it, and zip it back in.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Instead of taking the single track trail to CP5 we planned to take the
asphalt back to single track.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This was a
wise decision I think and we caught a lot of teams, but that meant a lot of
traffic and we had to slow down in a single file line.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I thought about passing, but I am not a real
fast runner, so I stayed behind a team that was running a little too slow for
me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The plan was to recover and then
pass.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We picked up CP5 and then ran in
the same line to CP6.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>From 6 we had a
slightly different plan than the others and we stayed on the trail and ran
around the woods as most teams ran through the woods.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We ended up at CP7 at about the same time as
the other teams.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We bushwhacked to
CP8.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started getting real tired as
Paul was moving effortlessly up the hillside.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I asked Paul to slow down and then I grabbed on his pack again.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At least the pack allowed him to tow me some,
but I wish we would have set up a running/trekking tow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We found CP8 then bushwhacked to the trail
that led to CP9.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That same trail took us
most the way to CP10.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We whacked up the
hill to the road, scaled the concrete wall, and then ran the road all the way
to CP11.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tlYSQwqNDfgP3RTNOUi-4BDHMxDFl1fdEZ9LGnTDFgnzxocip5wui2cLhlT9mgtKzjxUKjce-Y9tKYb8d0Pq9e2WEurMipjLxW952Y1HlyrHma7dtDloUpZggtMAC-uFaaZP-NqHKRL3/s1600/CIMG5057.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tlYSQwqNDfgP3RTNOUi-4BDHMxDFl1fdEZ9LGnTDFgnzxocip5wui2cLhlT9mgtKzjxUKjce-Y9tKYb8d0Pq9e2WEurMipjLxW952Y1HlyrHma7dtDloUpZggtMAC-uFaaZP-NqHKRL3/s320/CIMG5057.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>All this time Paul was calling
out the turns and strategy by memory!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He
then tells me he has a semi-photographic memory and I believe him because he is
right on the money.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think I should
have let him navigate and I should have been CP Charlie, but as I listen to our
breath I realize I still made the right decision.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We stop for a quick photo op at CP11 and move
down to CP12.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul says, “I don’t have
CP11!” I said, “Very funny! You’re f@cking with me right?” <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He says, “No.” We head back up the trail and
get CP11.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At least it was really close
by.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul blames it on Emily, I blame it
on Paul and tell him he can’t do that again.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We run back down past CP12 and I tell another team that all CPs are
optional hoping that us passing it confuses them and they don’t punch it;
sneaky right?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Extreme Electrical passes
us in the confusion and we lose about 3 spots.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We run to CP13 and transition fairly quickly into the canoe.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We get
into the water and Paul makes a few strokes on one side of the boat and then
switches and then does the same again.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
am confused on his technique and ask what he is doing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He says he is counting 5 stokes on each
side.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask if he is doing that because
he is tired.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We have only been in the
water a minute.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him to try 10,
15, 20, 50, 100, the more the better.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The less you switch the more you have your paddle in the water, the more
you have the paddle in the water, the faster you are.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him that I am really good at the
paddle.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him to trust me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him not to steer the front of the boat
unless I ask him to.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him to never
brace, just to J-stroke, and only if I ask him to steer the front.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him to stay in the current at all times
and tell him to avoid the “V”’s pointing at you and shoot down the “V”’s
pointing away from you.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him to stay
in the outer turns as that is where the current is.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I ask him to watch the paddlers ahead, paddle
consistently until you see their strokes wain or get sloppy, then their boat
will veer to one side, and then we will attack on the opposite side.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him to “hug” obstacles and avoid
canoes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I forget Paul really likes to
hug and hug is a bad description of what I am asking.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I say, “hug is a bad description as it
implies touching; don’t touch, get close as possible, with no touching, “intimidate”
will be our word.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul likes to get
really close to the other canoes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell
him that is bad when passing as the paddles get intertwined.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him to follow one side of them in
their wake and then pass wide, “Shake and Bake Ricky Bobby!” We get our
paddling in sync and I tell him that I am the Captain when paddling and he is
the Captain in everything else.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We pass
team after team and I know we are flying.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>To intimidate the other teams I watch their strokes and when I see a
weak stroke I tell Paul to attack and I start singing Gilligan’s Island or
Jimmy Buffett’s A Pirate Looks at Forty, which I pretty much know the entire
song by heart.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I see the teams looking
back and as they do their strokes get worse, so I sing louder.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We pass everyone we see!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We are killing it!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell Paul that even if he gets tired to
keep digging as after the canoe we don’t need our arms again, but to hang on to
the bike handlebars.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell him to use
his core and burn his arms.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul is a great sport and did well listening
to all my barking orders and my terrible singing, even not being able to
understand me saying “J-stroke.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Another
team agreed with Paul that it sounded like I was saying, “Help, joke on the
right” (I actually can’t remember what they said I was saying, but I believe
them that it was crazy nonsense).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I told
him no waving to anyone as it took away a paddle stroke and he smiled and said
there is always time to wave at kids.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
said that’s creepy and no waving allowed, but then he caught me waving to a
photographer.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We brought the canoe in to
Castlewood beach and threw it on our shoulders and walked into transition.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We had passed so many teams that I didn’t want
to lose the spots to transition, so I hurried Paul along in changing shoes and
eating.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He said he needed to eat and I said
me too, but let’s eat while we move.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Larry and Karl were there in transition, Mickey’s team had just landed, and
I really wanted to beat both of them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn4ANcxYUYdRrSkisWu33TJiJivthj4Cw4Hy03zcrqS6W6IbSElYFzDsvsgFrRLDztvOE9fx6g6Zdo0F5hRgOkAo-ZLvBHJqiCh7ZNBF7DD0-NXGUd7FZNvyJHB_KL4dJKv48Wnd1GUAI/s1600/24059659_10155935105568756_1354667938928583070_o.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn4ANcxYUYdRrSkisWu33TJiJivthj4Cw4Hy03zcrqS6W6IbSElYFzDsvsgFrRLDztvOE9fx6g6Zdo0F5hRgOkAo-ZLvBHJqiCh7ZNBF7DD0-NXGUd7FZNvyJHB_KL4dJKv48Wnd1GUAI/s320/24059659_10155935105568756_1354667938928583070_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As soon
as I we got on the bikes, with a mouth full of food, I realized I missed a CP.
Paul’s photographic memory kicked in just as I was finding it on the map and we
agreed it was just down the trail and we had barely missed it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We picked up CP15 and headed to
Grotpeter.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started to follow another
team instinctually, but Paul quickly corrected me to go to the trail head.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Here we had planned to go straight up
Grotpeter, but being familiar with the trail I decided to change our plan and
take the long switch back around.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>As we
did, I realized it was a lot rougher going uphill as it is going down and
thought I may have just made a bad decision and may have hurt some of Paul’s
riding power. We climbed to CP16 then descended Rollercoaster to CP17.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We easily found CP18 off the trail junction
and took the direct path trail cut off to the road.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I noticed Paul wasn’t moving very fast on the
single track, but he doesn’t ride single track often and is more a runner.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think on the road we will move fast again,
but on the way to CP’s 19-24 I notice Paul is struggling and I wish I would
have had a tow because I feel as I am moving very slow and have a ton of
energy.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I keep reminding him to shovel
food in when he can.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I try to hold his
bike as I eat and check the map and he punches CP’s.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our team work is still solid and we are
passing teams and not getting passed very often.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I just keep kicking myself for not having a
tow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We move slowly to CP24 and grab the
bonus map.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I look at the bonus map and
take off.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul is getting an Extreme Electrical
whisky hand out and he asks if I want some.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I hear SuperKate ask Mickey if he wants to strategize and I tell Paul to
move!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I want to get the CPs pretty much
in reverse.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I know these trails well and
take the trail directly to Cedar Bluff CP42, then CP40, then CP41, then
CP39.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I tell Paul to not let me forget
CP39.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We see Adam Rybar, a non-racer
this year, but a friend, and quickly say hello.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>This slight interruption messes me up and I say I don’t want to ride the
sand traps.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I say we have to go West to
avoid them and Paul looks at me like I am a mad man and says, “you mean East.”
I say, “sorry I have my map upside-down pointing in my direction.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul is right again and we avoid the traps
and make it back to CP24.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I am confused
as whether to stop here or not and they tell me we can move on to CP25.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I had almost lost Paul a few times back in
the Stinging Nettle, so I slow down a lot down the Al Foster and curse myself
for not having a tow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul falls farther
and farther behind and I start worrying that he is bonking.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He says he is cramping up and I tell him to
eat and drink and spin until we get back to single track.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I notice he is eating mostly sweets so I give
him some salty pretzels.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We move up Rock
Hollow to Zombie and get CP25.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Here we
had planned to avoid the single track and take Rock Hollow up, but I change our
plan to stay on the single track as I don’t want Paul climbing hard at the end
of the race.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hit tons of traffic and
Paul drops behind and teams start passing us a lot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the way up to CP25 I see teams
bikewhacking and tell them riding is faster.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I come around the switch back and their female team mate says isn’t that
the guy who just told us it was faster and easier to ride?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I say, “Yes, that was me” as I fly by.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I round the next switch back and giggle as I pass
them again and their navigator laughs too.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We ride on to CP26-29.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I can see
Mickey just around the switch back, but Paul just doesn’t have the gas to get to
them.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I see Larry and Karl and Paul
gives them an ass chewing for leaving their bikes behind, since that is the
mode of travel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I listen to Paul and
notice a lot of teams don’t have bikes.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We ride on and Larry goes the wrong way, so I know we have beaten them
as they are backtracking to a missed CP.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I really really want to catch Mickey’s team and beat them, but Paul is
seriously falling behind.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I stop leading
and pulling away and ride behind him, thinking it will be better for his mental
state.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I keep telling him we are almost
done.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One last big hill climb and we are
done.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He says, “There is no beer!” He
says it and I feel his heart break and his will to race is over.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>There is no reason for him to ride hard
anymore and I feel his disappointment.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We ride up Rock Hollow and I try to stay side by side with him or
slightly behind him and tell him spin until the last steep part and then push
until you cross the line.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I get in
position and push him up the hill the best I can.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We finish and Mickey rubs it in that he beat
us, I congratulate SuperKate, and I think we are the first BOR team in until I see
Jeremy laying relaxing in the grass.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3YcBJLFw03BPms1_Q89MfRnH5FSJjdiAh8mw__vFDOjOnY4jxf30mAcXg2IphoT164dhhg1yEYlZ0sdw4T5er71PHt04fH40bzQyJyrg-ytQidg0rnRRxeZGXFWa-8nQlUVLmHaZHQ1I/s1600/CIMG5060.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3YcBJLFw03BPms1_Q89MfRnH5FSJjdiAh8mw__vFDOjOnY4jxf30mAcXg2IphoT164dhhg1yEYlZ0sdw4T5er71PHt04fH40bzQyJyrg-ytQidg0rnRRxeZGXFWa-8nQlUVLmHaZHQ1I/s320/CIMG5060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul
and I had a great race, but we would have moved so much faster with running and
riding tows set up.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our effort in the
canoe got us the third fastest paddle split, with Jeremy and Scott getting the
fastest! GO TEAMBOR PADDLERS!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul and I
made small mistakes, which added up over time.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I thought about if I were a stronger runner, I should have been the CP
Charlie, and Paul have navigated and been the mule.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wish I could memorize the map like he
did.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I have never seen someone do that
before.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was amazing!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our strategy of going to CP4 first seemed
like it backfired on us some.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think
going around Grotpeter was a bad decision on my part.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I think Paul’s zippered glove took some time
and Jeremy’s retractable lanyard would have helped a lot.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I am thinking of having a mule bag with team
gear that can be passed along during different modes of travel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Paul could have navigated the trek and muled,
while I punched CPs, then on the bikes I could have navigated and muled, while
he punched CPs.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have eaten in
the canoe and early in the canoe.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
think the effort we put out in the canoe is what led to Paul’s bonk.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the bikes, Paul said he never had time to
recover from the cramping, and if I would have towed he probably would have
recovered.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I know grabbing on to his
pack as we ran helped me tremendously.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He
probably felt that 220 something pounds latch on to him like a leach, but just
holding on steadied my pace.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was a
great race, no navigation really, but fast, real fast! <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Writing this is making me want to do it
again.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hung
around, ate, met our sponsor Dr. Brian Laiderman of Optimal Performance Center,
showed him Amy’s butt, took some pics (none of her butt), and cheered our Team
BOR teams as they crossed the finish line.<span style="margin: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-W1LGwrviloicYEwIXMBhngfHaf6uMLWHHAYztc_meo10ohfbqGxyVRqeP3lHKqQkrX_P7G_gcgjhH-Hb9ttRWpupOnMxY2r8wc-q2fMsaQYExW1gjYA5PxPZKR4ehbBFiwVC4JhHhb/s1600/CIMG5063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-W1LGwrviloicYEwIXMBhngfHaf6uMLWHHAYztc_meo10ohfbqGxyVRqeP3lHKqQkrX_P7G_gcgjhH-Hb9ttRWpupOnMxY2r8wc-q2fMsaQYExW1gjYA5PxPZKR4ehbBFiwVC4JhHhb/s320/CIMG5063.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What great weather, fun race, and great friends!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I skipped the post-race party to go to my
wife’s company Christmas Party, got really hammered, got sick, screwed up my
recovery massively, and was sore for 3 days after, and contracted someone’s
illness and missed a day of work to feeling just plain poopy; so is an
Adventure Racers life!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God Bless and I
love all you crazy bastards; except Mickey and John…I hate those guys!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>– Ahab</span><br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-37270121941238554172017-11-10T20:06:00.002-06:002020-10-18T12:11:22.313-05:00The 2017 Fig 12 Hour by Captain Ahab<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Fig 12 hour 2017 by Captain Ahab</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisolwfzPckZOHVzFkxP6xSTghLl77GfGviSBwe_JpePX1tah6czr1H4FgbW1e1HByx9g6TnFogTm3aRFiUsDFeHnwWU1UsVh_D4gIYz3RsUK50kY0MfhhvIzgKwhugcnTRegY_VDQiaf9K/s1600/23167629_2095696850653511_6890096611756903266_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisolwfzPckZOHVzFkxP6xSTghLl77GfGviSBwe_JpePX1tah6czr1H4FgbW1e1HByx9g6TnFogTm3aRFiUsDFeHnwWU1UsVh_D4gIYz3RsUK50kY0MfhhvIzgKwhugcnTRegY_VDQiaf9K/s320/23167629_2095696850653511_6890096611756903266_n.jpg" width="179" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Robert Bart, Amy Crews, Dave
Beattie and I got a late start driving to the Fig in Eastern Kentucky.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Roberto Black Heart Bart, Crazy CP Pusher
Amy, and A-hole Ahab (Captain Ahab or me) would race, while Broken Arm Beattie would
sit this one out and volunteer.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We left
the driveway over an hour later than we expected.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Loading up 3 kayaks, 3 bikes, and gear is a
lot of work.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We stalked Team Off the
Virtus, I don’t know if that was their team name, but it sounds right to me, (Chuck
and Lo) for lunch,</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvNaICpvxGgXMAK4Jl-2yROVsRZsYpv-FE4kbhyphenhyphenWSaZAAhtaI9Cquqqfngr3cbIomVdIXqSm2NAUn4BrBk6oFUBGifEXQnIYnCM4kmIMjVgmQaBGHnVF71cTGG8h4I_xza_nEUJZnRD9/s1600/23155197_2095651893991340_7553028191526632899_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvNaICpvxGgXMAK4Jl-2yROVsRZsYpv-FE4kbhyphenhyphenWSaZAAhtaI9Cquqqfngr3cbIomVdIXqSm2NAUn4BrBk6oFUBGifEXQnIYnCM4kmIMjVgmQaBGHnVF71cTGG8h4I_xza_nEUJZnRD9/s320/23155197_2095651893991340_7553028191526632899_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> then dropped the bikes and the boats at their respective
drop points.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The night before I had
started to bring my gear upstairs when I noticed my rear wheel rubbing the
frame of the bike I use for adventure racing.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I saw that I had a broken spoke nipple from the Berryman Adventure.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It must have happened late in the race and I
didn’t even notice it, or Robert Bart broke it loading it on my crap rack (just
kidding Robert, but you did rip my grip, yes you will never live it down, yet
another joke).<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I spent most of the
night, when I should have been sleeping, fixing a wheel, realizing it was bent,
and then moving my tow, computer, map board, and other gear to my other bike.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Needless to say I was very tired the
following day.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I was starting to crap
out after the long drive and at the pre-race meeting I was wishing we could
just go to bed.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pb6YfczMMonP6ootu72xD0UkD8xcbnXFhXmlg0TxUf-EjRqfOMMQU6wYzILoY5KW54sDWjNSfKs5iV4vV-0vs1Rs5mxAGx7CbumSmOKvRa0Y2iy45nnzc9nrnturVnOSxJZadhpUaafT/s1600/23167904_2095696910653505_7367740387876006304_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pb6YfczMMonP6ootu72xD0UkD8xcbnXFhXmlg0TxUf-EjRqfOMMQU6wYzILoY5KW54sDWjNSfKs5iV4vV-0vs1Rs5mxAGx7CbumSmOKvRa0Y2iy45nnzc9nrnturVnOSxJZadhpUaafT/s320/23167904_2095696910653505_7367740387876006304_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY26FWD8nFRxDbeu407AJEz-pvNLMbRUR7THkxUBjK5C9IEKcd6aIgDTo4iigyzFRXgVn-YA_ZGhhSlgNhaC9QQ_qe2Ikcr3ZR3o4M7Bvk4y60-JxlVgaSuuR_0VoFbpTt3ghUWrqe0BNu/s1600/23172647_2095652707324592_2302567591697047380_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY26FWD8nFRxDbeu407AJEz-pvNLMbRUR7THkxUBjK5C9IEKcd6aIgDTo4iigyzFRXgVn-YA_ZGhhSlgNhaC9QQ_qe2Ikcr3ZR3o4M7Bvk4y60-JxlVgaSuuR_0VoFbpTt3ghUWrqe0BNu/s320/23172647_2095652707324592_2302567591697047380_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started plotting, my
head started spinning, and I quickly gave it up to Robert and Amy, which was a
good decision to let myself rest some.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>It seemed like it took us forever to plot and route and then I had
trouble falling asleep even though I was so tired; mainly because Beattie
snores almost as badly as Neil.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZGP0SS6I_dLMpIq0C-211IUtHW6oUkIR5nGesZrJOIJPDbD97e89PI3IigfOQlI3z6MBO7VnrP1nxYr1Um56-w8l1QmdR7cfISS-Hmd3mA_ZmR7xU1tp9JcBZ393ODQiTKdkb7D6qv8n/s1600/23172798_2095697010653495_2920516888576241183_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZGP0SS6I_dLMpIq0C-211IUtHW6oUkIR5nGesZrJOIJPDbD97e89PI3IigfOQlI3z6MBO7VnrP1nxYr1Um56-w8l1QmdR7cfISS-Hmd3mA_ZmR7xU1tp9JcBZ393ODQiTKdkb7D6qv8n/s320/23172798_2095697010653495_2920516888576241183_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span>Race
morning I think I looked like a zombie with only 8 or less hours of sleep in
the last 48+ hours.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6GgyH1wj6Q-eBeCHtUQcGOp8-nRBxXkuvxfdnp1lebLlvYBIq6G_jD_7u65iw-1XeI689TjcMXIIsmuMFH_gq5zycuZ8yVuflr040yeMp062L7DWXz57AxdBLqKJwUhnNnoMYNueRr_X/s1600/23131708_2095697083986821_764715396662090784_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6GgyH1wj6Q-eBeCHtUQcGOp8-nRBxXkuvxfdnp1lebLlvYBIq6G_jD_7u65iw-1XeI689TjcMXIIsmuMFH_gq5zycuZ8yVuflr040yeMp062L7DWXz57AxdBLqKJwUhnNnoMYNueRr_X/s320/23131708_2095697083986821_764715396662090784_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We started at 7am and ran directly
to the St Helen’s Post Office to mail postcards, which I thought was weird, but
it was the prologue to separate the pack before the boats.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We ran, and walked, back the way we came to
get to the boats, and at this point we were making relatively good time as I
think we were in the front portion of the middle pack.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hit our kayaks, mounted glow sticks, and
got into the water as fast as we could get Robert to move through his
transition’s multiple mental checklists.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We had to paddle upstream to CP#2 and we moved like turtles.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wanted to hook up the tows, but they wanted
to wait until we were going downstream.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Canoes started passing us and I realized individual kayaks were probably
a bad idea because one person is propelling one boat.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The canoe would have had 3 people propelling
one boat.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started doing weight, water
line length, paddle propulsion calculations in my head until my head hurt a
minute later.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I concluded 3 kayaks
equaled a bad idea.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I kept pulling way
ahead of them, especially because I was surfing a canoe’s wake and barely
putting in any effort at all, so I had to slow and let them catch up a couple
times.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Once we finally got CP#2, I gave
them no choice and hooked up the tows.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMQ4VZd2YpvvgbDfMF9rcD3Eh2G9SROR_fWc_Ut0Qzakl3iVvh2SecHZ1uKQYooH3sEjr0YEPh4FRbTqJpHxGxHlCiDaYOv9izSe7hjTn_EfJyU-qYuFARoH3gtED42Bo-slDxGwWBdLc/s1600/23275493_2095879047301958_2788209040667164859_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMQ4VZd2YpvvgbDfMF9rcD3Eh2G9SROR_fWc_Ut0Qzakl3iVvh2SecHZ1uKQYooH3sEjr0YEPh4FRbTqJpHxGxHlCiDaYOv9izSe7hjTn_EfJyU-qYuFARoH3gtED42Bo-slDxGwWBdLc/s320/23275493_2095879047301958_2788209040667164859_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4oJq7rBHP0gc2okQQqdG85-5oHJjo2-XUo3jYmoPxs8sWbeKKPGG1tCFdMf203LoAYyQCGf6j6cL4zcVW-DIEukAFw9cM3By8KZFTPMXNOSnXuK_7G8YjgBwBzwHy2oiTHipu6CGx4lv/s1600/23270422_2095878543968675_3441547963630644390_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4oJq7rBHP0gc2okQQqdG85-5oHJjo2-XUo3jYmoPxs8sWbeKKPGG1tCFdMf203LoAYyQCGf6j6cL4zcVW-DIEukAFw9cM3By8KZFTPMXNOSnXuK_7G8YjgBwBzwHy2oiTHipu6CGx4lv/s320/23270422_2095878543968675_3441547963630644390_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We then flew by every boat we saw, but I felt my strength waning after a
while. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I need to do that more often as
that was an awesome workout.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started
looking at the next upstream leg to CP#4 and started thinking it wasn’t worth
the time it would take to get there and I really didn’t know if my arms would
hold the tow that long.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amy piped up
that she thought we should skip it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
thought we are thinking the same thing, so that was an easy decision.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hit CP#3 downstream, skipped CP#4, and
then landed quickly at the TA.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We did a
pretty quick transition, but we started loading our gear up in the boats like we
were driving home and then I said, “We can do this later, let’s go.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We ran into town to get the
multiple points that earned you CP#5.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
ran first to a monument and for some reason I was looking for a CP flag and ran
right past it.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We had to write down what
war it represented and it was the Civil War.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We then ran to another monument and find out how many people lost their
lives in a fire, which was 7 if I remember correctly.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The story goes that Dave Beattie’s great great
grandfather was bootlegging Fireball whisky into dry county and accidentally
started the fire by spilling some of it on to his map, so he quickly changed
his last name from Beatty to Beattie to allude the coppers.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Those Beattie’s are ninjas like that!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6wUoPmJBM084XcqYpxs3LQFgRDGewFppxf2rZF9vq9oRuVPZan3h5MnVg8zg0ae-sc2PEgnSLv5dPdAs9PIld0faNKzNWdJLPT55xaEb0tHysnRxCFRIIoZkEWyrGl_0Xb5k3mPn6M3i/s1600/23331366_2095878607302002_1442725182696614298_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6wUoPmJBM084XcqYpxs3LQFgRDGewFppxf2rZF9vq9oRuVPZan3h5MnVg8zg0ae-sc2PEgnSLv5dPdAs9PIld0faNKzNWdJLPT55xaEb0tHysnRxCFRIIoZkEWyrGl_0Xb5k3mPn6M3i/s320/23331366_2095878607302002_1442725182696614298_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Next we
ran to a museum and counted military rifles.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The old man on the front porch told us it was 15, but I said “not that I
don’t trust you, but we will count them”…15.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We then ran to a church to read the cornerstone and of course the front
of the church was opposite of what I thought so we ran around the entire
building to find the 1896 cornerstone.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkDwlvRWNQuxT8lP9W32TBXdrAay-Yb_0P1QyAoH7FcubvjGC2Hq76TKWdg4GVxW2jLv8JtRhcyiPWzTnEl8cF1u_mWlzLL5_CrM_E6DyrW-f5HHpqE91oK-bJ4VLeGnmBuqV1ZUcK5ua/s1600/23215675_2095879417301921_6228374396646966672_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkDwlvRWNQuxT8lP9W32TBXdrAay-Yb_0P1QyAoH7FcubvjGC2Hq76TKWdg4GVxW2jLv8JtRhcyiPWzTnEl8cF1u_mWlzLL5_CrM_E6DyrW-f5HHpqE91oK-bJ4VLeGnmBuqV1ZUcK5ua/s320/23215675_2095879417301921_6228374396646966672_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We then ran to the coffee shop and found Afghanistan on the map.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We ran / walked out of town, stopping
periodically to stretch Amy’s groin (not as sexy as you think), to the bike
drop where we saw Beattie waiting for us.<span style="margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGolOLCDC0kq2ojb0ABUNBXY3NF1ahhT8OtJUaLsj9-C6ZQjdQ0q4MZLZxVwh7jjWi97avj02C80VMWrJ_V7gdhlacHevf3X6gQlpIO-xHvAcLlKrbea89GGP6acu5r0B3xfZke8ATViOh/s1600/23167567_2095698097320053_5151558815558663424_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGolOLCDC0kq2ojb0ABUNBXY3NF1ahhT8OtJUaLsj9-C6ZQjdQ0q4MZLZxVwh7jjWi97avj02C80VMWrJ_V7gdhlacHevf3X6gQlpIO-xHvAcLlKrbea89GGP6acu5r0B3xfZke8ATViOh/s320/23167567_2095698097320053_5151558815558663424_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfFWaaDqZUUFa7_u_0-3eM4khyphenhyphenC6RoEjcSdt0RakDGPN0_9Fa0t6kAxwpWCUGSJ2mn4_C_AcE-4rDssfGJsIfwbdK3wjkcspI-FzqLOo_iPlG8lqBndwpb9w0WwghkTYYLj_B0vBvkcX0/s1600/23132125_2095698157320047_6647261510212602918_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfFWaaDqZUUFa7_u_0-3eM4khyphenhyphenC6RoEjcSdt0RakDGPN0_9Fa0t6kAxwpWCUGSJ2mn4_C_AcE-4rDssfGJsIfwbdK3wjkcspI-FzqLOo_iPlG8lqBndwpb9w0WwghkTYYLj_B0vBvkcX0/s320/23132125_2095698157320047_6647261510212602918_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuE0BFA7KRIhj5bcET4qSajhyphenhyphenahY5NPqFN0EN4np8JOziQMGIKjk4N1TOoLR9dTXWNqIhtOn0w3g5FNsJdXvC5W0N0OIkLegIrXxi85-plzPesVMTwYPhoDBs6nQWYN1gaNlFuJhPVFlT/s1600/23231524_2095698163986713_1839568127733820405_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuE0BFA7KRIhj5bcET4qSajhyphenhyphenahY5NPqFN0EN4np8JOziQMGIKjk4N1TOoLR9dTXWNqIhtOn0w3g5FNsJdXvC5W0N0OIkLegIrXxi85-plzPesVMTwYPhoDBs6nQWYN1gaNlFuJhPVFlT/s320/23231524_2095698163986713_1839568127733820405_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We transitioned to the bikes and
quickly took a wrong turn as I was looking for a gravel road and it had been
asphalted over.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I had to keep reminding
myself that the map was old.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
corrected quickly and traveled down the road until it did turn into
gravel.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We hooked up the tow for about
10 seconds and I realized that the road was too bumpy and turned too often for
me to be in the tow reading the map, so I released and rode on my own.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Robert continued towing Amy only on uphills I
believe.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The ride was slow going.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We found CPs 6 and 7 easily.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJJE4CjZ_xdzTC9VjaMieVYVqNgTrNnw_3braoTmOHU1O9_bpxDc-giD_d2JzG_BYjELSrNxYlWVgxcyiqtGv74hoHzJ1VBvo_JTzX486XG79O63UluwHq2rfPxRXqBK9wBp0H82QVANo/s1600/23334296_2095879470635249_441921045594552779_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJJE4CjZ_xdzTC9VjaMieVYVqNgTrNnw_3braoTmOHU1O9_bpxDc-giD_d2JzG_BYjELSrNxYlWVgxcyiqtGv74hoHzJ1VBvo_JTzX486XG79O63UluwHq2rfPxRXqBK9wBp0H82QVANo/s320/23334296_2095879470635249_441921045594552779_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I looked back at Robert a few times and he didn’t
look so great.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMgGu8Gsfc9tGSdI-06ScmPlcYimvafT5QgyRoV8ymgnxzC1OygPNuQcyHMRFcSx_97bcv7SNx-Ld0c9E0aj44YCLMPMPa90aeCrp1SlNRmlv0DLhNjOpSL1GqYXv3YLvEFFXGOHDKXgm/s1600/23334279_2095878073968722_4006924919637365207_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMgGu8Gsfc9tGSdI-06ScmPlcYimvafT5QgyRoV8ymgnxzC1OygPNuQcyHMRFcSx_97bcv7SNx-Ld0c9E0aj44YCLMPMPa90aeCrp1SlNRmlv0DLhNjOpSL1GqYXv3YLvEFFXGOHDKXgm/s320/23334279_2095878073968722_4006924919637365207_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I asked if we all towed
if we could move faster.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amy mentioned
Robert’s rear tire needed air and she needed to adjust her saddle height.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We rode for some time until we hit asphalt
after walking a monstrous hill.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Robert
filled his tire and Amy adjusted her saddle.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We took off and I told Robert to do his thing since we were on
asphalt.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I thought we could all get in
tow and fly, but Robert didn’t look good.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I asked him how he was doing and if he thought we could speed up and
tow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He didn’t think we could go much
faster.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I knew he wasn’t feeling good so
we just rode on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Finding the road to CP8
was tricky.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We took a few minutes to
study the cliffs in the distance in the power line cut.<span style="margin: 0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hA5zClHtI5FLskVvQn-hOVD0OPfoRh-Zj_L91rb3Efb3hIBaHab5FICujvv9PLqPWYAmHdagF2j3QLWDTNwsUSYFbgoBAIEA6wnNfqqwT3wf8XxpPDpOalVEIjZA7di0E8XkQ2cuf2VX/s1600/23270173_2095879200635276_4783278411516791615_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hA5zClHtI5FLskVvQn-hOVD0OPfoRh-Zj_L91rb3Efb3hIBaHab5FICujvv9PLqPWYAmHdagF2j3QLWDTNwsUSYFbgoBAIEA6wnNfqqwT3wf8XxpPDpOalVEIjZA7di0E8XkQ2cuf2VX/s320/23270173_2095879200635276_4783278411516791615_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span>I then realized it was just farther up the
road and may be asphalt again.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Once we
got near CP8 it took a few minutes to find, but wasn’t that bad either. CP 9
and 10 were easy too, but getting out of that area took some walking up some
hills to get to asphalt. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The gravel
roads were rough.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We were briefly on
asphalt before turning back to gravel.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We stopped at the gate, climbed under it, climbed the hill and studied
the topo, picked a road and followed it to the TA.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5SBhBDNt517dl8gdjA_JOHitL6YYyYIB-imL_Kiq2vRXeIQux7V1-lFt6JuxjvdSyk4G2XJdYCL6A1wH3KiC1-NAQCPOEYIV7x7xUl_SL2WBgeaL-zAMjXz4TVK0ZEFYANv60z5go_Le/s1600/23213101_2095878847301978_1364689842369623204_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5SBhBDNt517dl8gdjA_JOHitL6YYyYIB-imL_Kiq2vRXeIQux7V1-lFt6JuxjvdSyk4G2XJdYCL6A1wH3KiC1-NAQCPOEYIV7x7xUl_SL2WBgeaL-zAMjXz4TVK0ZEFYANv60z5go_Le/s320/23213101_2095878847301978_1364689842369623204_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcaM0eTbb8U5GJcZ7ZB8bU_T63mk7OxtSFHnh0O2bUCtmMzcMwYMMBGpdWopV_EyARhRliETA8x5zrUysA0IxgPft93GKA8FBnhPvX-mLMUIXCfY4pfc5gObqZSspvyhTVixokf5Qi4Ks/s1600/23213209_2095878967301966_6590332374346011949_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcaM0eTbb8U5GJcZ7ZB8bU_T63mk7OxtSFHnh0O2bUCtmMzcMwYMMBGpdWopV_EyARhRliETA8x5zrUysA0IxgPft93GKA8FBnhPvX-mLMUIXCfY4pfc5gObqZSspvyhTVixokf5Qi4Ks/s320/23213209_2095878967301966_6590332374346011949_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We came into the next TA, dropped
the bikes, and changed into trekking gear.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We ate while we made a plan to attack 11, 12, 13 and then bail so we
could be back on the bikes at 5pm.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amy
wanted to get more CPs, but I roughly estimated that it would take us two hours
to get back at our current riding speed and if we traveled faster, then we
would attack a couple CPS in the twenties.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DrDwD8yVm_sJehPqFy1fqjk-ftDcYGpUg3-LxNxTo1SrnzVm9-LdUSqSkeXW9tD5RJr9jBIiymhR10ChFq_T5U3OP61xRzjjNOi6e-jzGdpIfiWpitPFcOx7K-Xw815wSI-x-oGtcRAx/s1600/23215449_2095879523968577_2936463629925421022_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DrDwD8yVm_sJehPqFy1fqjk-ftDcYGpUg3-LxNxTo1SrnzVm9-LdUSqSkeXW9tD5RJr9jBIiymhR10ChFq_T5U3OP61xRzjjNOi6e-jzGdpIfiWpitPFcOx7K-Xw815wSI-x-oGtcRAx/s320/23215449_2095879523968577_2936463629925421022_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We walked down the gravel road to a certain point shot a bearing and
pace counted directly to CP11.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We tried
the same to CP12, but realized there were things called cliffs that we didn’t
realized existed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Cliffs to us are small
and can be quickly walked around.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>These
“Cliffs” were massive 300+ feet tall, sheer drops, miles long, no way around,
no way down!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We kept trying over and
over to find a Jeep trail to drop down to the creek and neighboring Jeep trail,
but we kept overlooking massive cliffs.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Although it was beautiful, it really started pissing us off.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I finally saw another Jeep trail that would
take us down, but it was all the way back past CP11.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>So we back tracked, found the gravel road and
traveled forever down a steep ass rugged road that I told them I wouldn’t
mountain bike and it would give my Jeep a workout.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>When we were at the bottom we saw Chuck and
Lo and Chuck said to go grab 12.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>They
said they got one in the lower section of the cliffs (I don’t even know what to
call this…canyon is all that comes to mind) and were bailing.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our plan was to grab 13 and if easy then 12
on the way out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We made our way to CP13,
but I got antsy and checked a reentrant early even though I knew it was too
early.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I don’t know why I do that
sometimes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s like, “I’m here, it’s
here, I don’t want to come back, so look, damn it why did I do that?”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I take us to CP13 and dag nabbit it was super
freaking hard to get to!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was like
walking on the moon of Endor and I was a fat little Ewok.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Where is my Wookie to carry me?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvKn3HrHOahWaDQCNo5tjEmow7ORcw7FlKwQ03x_h-YuRu9NvrOpGdMsyo1BPk5Ffp_Uwk6XA6PYkQ9EHjK25tDk0xA9V2A9HU_9Zr74MiVEM22YickN607cz82NJ8MCIMT5EVmaxONUk/s1600/23213168_2095878490635347_8465495843884047231_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvKn3HrHOahWaDQCNo5tjEmow7ORcw7FlKwQ03x_h-YuRu9NvrOpGdMsyo1BPk5Ffp_Uwk6XA6PYkQ9EHjK25tDk0xA9V2A9HU_9Zr74MiVEM22YickN607cz82NJ8MCIMT5EVmaxONUk/s320/23213168_2095878490635347_8465495843884047231_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9i0A5Zaqgp-B39AK7j_ji28gCQzVQgvKHUMtMzqmS-nin0j-uQbtUMIJrKYozMIEndnicU5BX6-rsfRxjYUuYs1KA-WTnsADeb4JOPfd-ZR1D8qf4leqvy8LwQsar3_hI98zsG3E0QGP/s1600/23215755_2095879437301919_1842020638003146527_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9i0A5Zaqgp-B39AK7j_ji28gCQzVQgvKHUMtMzqmS-nin0j-uQbtUMIJrKYozMIEndnicU5BX6-rsfRxjYUuYs1KA-WTnsADeb4JOPfd-ZR1D8qf4leqvy8LwQsar3_hI98zsG3E0QGP/s320/23215755_2095879437301919_1842020638003146527_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span>Amy got all super pumped up, the adrenaline
started coursing through her veins, and she said she wanted 14.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I said I think we should bail, but she said
she wanted 14, the veins in her neck started popping out, her muscles started
tearing her green jersey, she said, “you won’t like me when I am angry” and I
heard her call me a FN P@ssy, and I gave in to her peer pressure out of fear.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I said we have to go fast and can’t waste
time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I started feeling mentally
exhausted.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We moved quickly and got
CP14.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Then Amy’s excitement got the best
of me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I felt her adrenaline in my
veins, I got all super crazy and said we were going to get CP12.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We went for 12, we walked forever, the map
wasn’t lining up anymore, and I told them we should bail.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I asked for a team vote and got no response,
so I said I am making the decision to bail.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>I thought I could head across the creek to the road that brought us in,
but it was blocked by a cliff.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We tried
a couple more trails and roads that weren’t on the map.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I then started looking at the distance we
covered, the time, and realized we just blew the race and there was no way we
would get to the finish in time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I saw a
hiker and asked if he knew where he was on the map, which he didn’t.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He told us the trail we were taking was a
dead end.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He took out a GPS and I said, “we
can either look at it and get back faster to eat and drink disqualified, or we
can find our way out, take longer, and possibly have search and rescue come for
us.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We figured out where we were on the
map with confirmation from the GPS.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>Somehow we had traveled up a different canyon.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Amy thought we could take a reentrant
out.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I told her we should back track to
the parking lot where we last knew where we were.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>She called me the P-word again and I gave in
again and we traveled forever by broken trail, creek, and cliff side to where
the creek was literally coming out of the cliff!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Beautiful, but damn really?<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Cliff-f@cked! <sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">TM</span></sup> I handed Amy the
map and followed the creek to the broken trail, to the creek, to the broken
trail, over and over until we found the trail we came in on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I could only think of the team that stopped
for a smoke break just beat us and it pissed me off.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Once I knew we were on the road on our way
out, I decided we would call the RD at 7pm to let him know we would be late,
but not to send search and rescue.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I
also decided we would just have a nice night ride back. It was a slow climb out
of that canyon and back to the bikes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>By
the time we transitioned it was after 6:30 pm. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the bikes we moved downhill the
whole time making good speed.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>My bike
was spun out and I couldn’t go any faster.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>The sun went down and my bike light wouldn’t work.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We called the RD as planned and I put my
headlamp on.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We decided to skip the last
mandatory TA and just get back to eat.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>It was actually a nice easy pavement ride.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One of the searchers came up behind us in a
pickup and said he had our 6, but Robert told him to check on the team that was
behind us, which was a great idea.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
crossed the disqualification “finish” line and I told the RD that we were
DQ’d.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He asked why and I said for many
reasons.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He said he would finish us and
remove all CPs for time penalties.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It
didn’t really matter to me; DQ, DNF, Finish with no CPs, all the same to me.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>I wanted to find the boats, load them up,
shower, eat and drink, and go to sleep.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>We quickly ate and did all those things.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxql9qMf6BBwUcTjex9TF1K6Y3NjbGJT0DP_RFoDrEiscK_xwlkq6FrBmq8ncO67QcDed26qx2SivNFm2IVrwf5T-aRq41vWiwtp3et9zlLB3rvOqubZoJwEMzNHWja-uirP2PteVqYRq/s1600/23331115_2095878460635350_362659039230577046_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxql9qMf6BBwUcTjex9TF1K6Y3NjbGJT0DP_RFoDrEiscK_xwlkq6FrBmq8ncO67QcDed26qx2SivNFm2IVrwf5T-aRq41vWiwtp3et9zlLB3rvOqubZoJwEMzNHWja-uirP2PteVqYRq/s320/23331115_2095878460635350_362659039230577046_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The next morning we went hiking to
the Natural Bridge which was awesome, drove home with broken egos, licked our
wounds, cursed the cliffs, and agreed we would come back to redeem ourselves
next year.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib161JOzj5nGRa_K24qCy2BVmh0nRJmWHEcogfg6P2eYifIjq3B8WgpionoFpCD2fm-g2_RiELY-ajA64Nx4Tmbx4bSjM8euDbRYCuvFrFJGtQnrPp30p617iO8MYvq-XyZs_KS_aB4C3t/s1600/23275462_2095879187301944_3326482371691819399_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib161JOzj5nGRa_K24qCy2BVmh0nRJmWHEcogfg6P2eYifIjq3B8WgpionoFpCD2fm-g2_RiELY-ajA64Nx4Tmbx4bSjM8euDbRYCuvFrFJGtQnrPp30p617iO8MYvq-XyZs_KS_aB4C3t/s320/23275462_2095879187301944_3326482371691819399_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In retrospect we were disqualified
for looking at a GPS, trying but failed to turn another GPS on, bike without a
headlight, I noticed Amy and I didn’t attach glow sticks to our life jackets,
skipped a mandatory TA, and used the phone to call the RD.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We should have skipped CP2 as it
was upstream and slow.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have
towed the boats earlier.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have
skipped CP5, although it was fun, it was a lot of work for one CP.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have towed more on the bikes.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have tried out the trekking
tows.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have stuck to our plan
and grabbed CP13 and then quickly scanned for CP12 and then got out of the
canyon.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We should have watched the time
better and stuck to our bail out hour.<span style="margin: 0px;"> I should have remembered to correct for declination. </span>I
should have handed the map to Amy when I felt fatigued going to CP14.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If we would have done those things we would
have had more time to get the last TA and some of the CPs in the twenties.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We would have actually had a good finish, or
we could have possibly fell off a cliff and died…Cliff-F@cked!– Ahab.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZrswCmsryq_hip8oD7DGP-loDpY8pIfTjXUxCG99ZsF0aDp2yTkb-YkpYIEZNF6ek4ldYsHWBRS2_096l4kxoVx3OyP4hdJ3Qr662hrzX9hAJgYDJ_dDvZ4AqcgNirHyEehsEvk-QSSu/s1600/23215651_2095878797301983_1195388691645367443_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZrswCmsryq_hip8oD7DGP-loDpY8pIfTjXUxCG99ZsF0aDp2yTkb-YkpYIEZNF6ek4ldYsHWBRS2_096l4kxoVx3OyP4hdJ3Qr662hrzX9hAJgYDJ_dDvZ4AqcgNirHyEehsEvk-QSSu/s320/23215651_2095878797301983_1195388691645367443_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4zu_DyTBCd1tfg-DXckhnk5a8066aTczb9wUW_pR9ZjhFbTHQvyx08KNbb273VoOJkor5psTA_Fdb5nEUPySaF7VMeol3vEcXzQRvcBpHiTYo5fOeeaQwcr3dOEk94CPhfape6nQ0H1G/s1600/23157167_2095878110635385_7481558794001433640_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4zu_DyTBCd1tfg-DXckhnk5a8066aTczb9wUW_pR9ZjhFbTHQvyx08KNbb273VoOJkor5psTA_Fdb5nEUPySaF7VMeol3vEcXzQRvcBpHiTYo5fOeeaQwcr3dOEk94CPhfape6nQ0H1G/s320/23157167_2095878110635385_7481558794001433640_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-90776118761383663622017-09-22T12:38:00.003-05:002020-10-18T12:12:20.722-05:002017 Berryman Adventure 6 hour and 18 hour races by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2017 Berryman Adventure 6 and 18 hour races by Captain Ahab<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Robert Bart, Jessie Brown, and
Captain Ahab (that would be me), set off to destroy the 3 person coed 18 hour
Berryman Adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would be
accompanied by Dave Beattie and Amy Crews on the 2 person coed 18 hour, and
Dave Cortivo, Alane Wolins, and Neil and Luke Dickhaus on the 4 person coed 6
hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert and I started out by
meeting at my house to rig a tow on his bike and to get there early to set up
camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We had to make a detour to pick up
Robert’s 4 part kayak paddle before heading to Bear River Ranch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-vnxFCQsFvoiD5ZecEsFLDhG-2WUVnqVTx7kXkcpBy9xh_L7zSS0QuhUSThueR4SQIdcLx03KNyQEKyI0CnvclDBsiRO4vOb99qOrqDDzsp3bouPqqSTTFeEBkGrYFejlZLzawCu5co1/s1600/20.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-vnxFCQsFvoiD5ZecEsFLDhG-2WUVnqVTx7kXkcpBy9xh_L7zSS0QuhUSThueR4SQIdcLx03KNyQEKyI0CnvclDBsiRO4vOb99qOrqDDzsp3bouPqqSTTFeEBkGrYFejlZLzawCu5co1/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jessie pretty much showed up at the same time
as us, checked in, and then we drove far down the gravel road to set up
Robert’s massive tent on rock hard ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a few failed attempts we managed to get the tent up and drove back
to headquarters, but we were stopped and told we couldn’t drive back and forth
to camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met the other BOR’s for
dinner and a toast, checked out the ring tailed lemurs, and after the mandatory
meeting was given by Kevin Edwards, we plotted our maps, and hitched a golf
cart ride back to camp to get some sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We awoke at 4:30 AM and drove
Jessie’s car back to HQ since it was down at camp anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then took the bikes with Robert’s truck to
the (4:45AM) bike drop which was a good half hour away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started noticing we were going to be real
close on time to make the 6 AM start, so Robert drove as fast as he could and
avoided killing both a deer and a skunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We made the bike drop as fast as we could and then started our way back
to HQ. We saw Dave and Amy coming in as we were headed out and knew they would
be late for the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived with
like 3 minutes to spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were given
coordinates to plot and Dave and Amy showed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We plotted and started in second to last place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BOR’s were bringing up the rear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I shot a bearing to CP1 and we
entered a reentrant fairly quickly in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert was holding the bearing as I navigated and I figured we had over
shot, but knew a road was ahead and when we hit the road it confirmed my
suspicion that we overshot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went back
up the reentrant a little bit and found the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Traveling back down the same reentrant we got to the road at dawn and
basically took it all the way to CP2 that was behind a house in a cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC1dYjPbuQPQiTf5eI2Elpy5sKlLwtwCJOogRGFcyyaMDT-p4i0j6GnRKiGfBxeASREaTQ90Jf7ROB-V3NFi0V9hyP9SfFjV6mKWbEG8BPFjvM69YUHz3_qvGrV61Hms6asJzO3OgjI14/s1600/18.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC1dYjPbuQPQiTf5eI2Elpy5sKlLwtwCJOogRGFcyyaMDT-p4i0j6GnRKiGfBxeASREaTQ90Jf7ROB-V3NFi0V9hyP9SfFjV6mKWbEG8BPFjvM69YUHz3_qvGrV61Hms6asJzO3OgjI14/s320/18.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We took the same road back some, passed a lot
of teams on their way to CP2 (including Virtus), which made me feel like we
made up some time unless they had already picked up CP3 since they were in any
order (but that route would have been a terrible idea since it was on the way
to CP4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then took a fence line that
separated the public land from private and a 2 person male team hopped the
fence and entered private property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
wanting to cheat we backtracked some and found the fence that went to public
land, jumped it and quickly within 3 steps jumped the same fence again as it
was the corner of the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed
the same fence up to the road and got CP3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figured if we would have just taken the road around the private land
that we would have moved much faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
we walked down the road we saw Dave and Amy in the distance behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured they took the road and made some
ground on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then noticed the
bastards were running!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WTH right? We
kept walking for a while until we could get into shouting distance, heckled
each other some and then we started running flats and downhills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We barely beat Dave and Amy and another coed
2 person team to the canoes (CP5) after picking up CP4 along the road on the
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we were using CP’s and routes
that we had previously plotted the night before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPt6udo3dtwGHnJ69hzSbhBsknCB6nt7gWhKZzr-vHrURItDKl_ZorvzI57pEXvbKftqOLPyGIsprU3bleEO6tW3zCC1_hRnaVnMOFcZ0NyuRLwh5h4QyDfTJ6P5t4ZgFO_Cr4qvu07x6/s1600/59.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPt6udo3dtwGHnJ69hzSbhBsknCB6nt7gWhKZzr-vHrURItDKl_ZorvzI57pEXvbKftqOLPyGIsprU3bleEO6tW3zCC1_hRnaVnMOFcZ0NyuRLwh5h4QyDfTJ6P5t4ZgFO_Cr4qvu07x6/s320/59.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jessie jumped in the middle of the
2 person canoe and set her butt down in the water that Robert was violently paddling
into the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I steered our way
terribly up stream zig-zagging to CP5, which was on an island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A female racer told me we would do better
with the two kayak paddles in front and the canoe paddle in the back, so I
decided that I would eat the bullet of sitting in the middle the rest of the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We trekked to CP6 on the island
while passing and repassing Dave and Amy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amy declared that it wasn’t a competition between us and I knew that was
complete bull crap because I have raced against Dave a few times and knew he
was out to beat us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure he knew I
was out to beat him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBD-qR5NePkQbuFAVdBKx0O6pWI8t8hqhc_xBsrkGjMqzypjemEhfLbryUCeQn90-Mj_ZGwIziA0yuAtxHJooDFxAC7UUxYgMavJcuC9W9TyrkHNIBpC3fyP0WpEvo441kJB1XvP1hVYXp/s1600/23.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBD-qR5NePkQbuFAVdBKx0O6pWI8t8hqhc_xBsrkGjMqzypjemEhfLbryUCeQn90-Mj_ZGwIziA0yuAtxHJooDFxAC7UUxYgMavJcuC9W9TyrkHNIBpC3fyP0WpEvo441kJB1XvP1hVYXp/s320/23.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Going downstream in
the canoe we kept this same passing repassing madness up with them, but we
noticed a white water turn ahead and I told Jessie to slow and not to enter with
the other canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave and Amy also
slowed and I shouted that if they didn’t shoot it, we would, and that we both
didn’t need to be in the turn at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t want both of our boats going over since I would rather have one
TeamBOR team do better than both going in the drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave and Amy shot first and made it with no
issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered at a bad angle, too
slowly, and hit a log.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had done the
same exact thing in a previous paddle and knew we were going over, so I
instantly jumped to the left and watched water come in and hit Robert’s
hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He jumped to the left and Jessie
must have also because we saved it from going over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t believe we saved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had some catching up to do to CP7 and some
bailing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We transitioned to the bikes and
decided to follow our route to CP14 first which was the hillier of the two
possible routes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thinking there was
to get the hard part over first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All 5
of us rode together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert towing me
and me towing Jessie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave towed
Amy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mentioned we needed another tow
so we could do a 5 person train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
tows worked out really well and allowed us to pass several teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got near CP12 at Clifty Hollow (Park name
eludes me) and decided again that it was trespassing to bushwhack from the road
although another team went ahead and did it in front of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 5 of us dropped our bikes in the park
parking lot a little farther up the road and traveled to CP8, which the night
before Beattie showed us that we mis-plotted it (thanks Dave!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the trail using the available park
map to the creek (Amy showed us that nifty trick...thanks Amy!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next we took the creek to the CP while seeing
a lot of teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good feeling when
you see a lot of teams because you know you are still in the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agreed we would take turns navigating and
finding CPs, but Amy was sniffing them out like a bloodhound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the creek to the reentrant that led
to CP9 and then took the trail/creek to the hillside for CP10.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We shot a bearing and pace counted to
CP11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessie took on her new pace
counting training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked Robert’s bearings
a couple of times and Jessie’s pace count a couple of times, but once I knew
they had it I trusted them fully and just navigated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so helpful to split the navigation
duties up like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I navigated with
the map and gave bearings and estimated distance in meters and I was also the
mule carrying all the team gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert
held bearings (and bike towed us) and Jessie pace counted and kept track of
eating and drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued the
same jobs the rest of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well
back to the trekking now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From CP11 we
navigated our way to the natural bridge and stopped for pictures and a
discussion on trespassing via a creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
stated that the creek was not trespassing legally, but Amy stated that the
boundaries and the rules of the race were clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agreed taking the creek to the CP was race
illegal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then voted to skip CP12 as
it was a long hilly bushwhack to it and back to get to the trail to the parking
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A two person coed team came out of
the creek from CP12 and we knew they had cheated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the trail back to the bikes and ate a
snack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Back on the bikes we met up with
Chuck and Kate from Team Virtus, Kate yelled something to the effect that we
were riding too hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was true as I
had to tell Robert to slow down a few times climbing the hills in tow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would come back to haunt me later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We split up from Virtus as we needed CP13 and
I believe they went to CP14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the
canoes CP15 we saw our 4 person coed 6 hour team and stopped to take a group
photo, which I ruined by having my life jacket on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cw4vVCV7vJNJE89qpd83z6ZJisDH5n_KjzHg8jV_O-JoXjSs-nl0EDNgoBlPSXbHN4e3yQenY62S7t-3rT0m0IvhVEULIZGBzBNb4l5MGdk60lUjlnXg0HrHjUxIHmW6jddn4oa4an52/s1600/55.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cw4vVCV7vJNJE89qpd83z6ZJisDH5n_KjzHg8jV_O-JoXjSs-nl0EDNgoBlPSXbHN4e3yQenY62S7t-3rT0m0IvhVEULIZGBzBNb4l5MGdk60lUjlnXg0HrHjUxIHmW6jddn4oa4an52/s640/55.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We then paddled to CP16, which was on a
stinging nettle island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to trek
to it and back to the boat, it wasn’t long, but it was painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried washing my legs off in the river to
soothe the sting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard Amy say she
was covered in seed ticks too; stupid island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I usually enjoy the paddle, but I was very uncomfortable in the middle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to keep switching from sitting in the
bottom, which hurt my shoulders, to kneeling, which hurt my knees, to sitting
on the bar, which hurt my butt and made the boat tippy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I spent most the time sitting on the
bar and kneeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got our
paddling team work down with Robert keeping the water in the river and paddling
less with his superior strength left arm dig, me synching my paddle with
Robert’s and not tipping the boat, and Jessie steering and paddling in synch
with our paddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only times we
veered off course is when Jessie took pictures, but I’m happy she did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our new paddling teamwork allowed us to leave
Dave, Amy, and Virtus behind and we passed two or three more teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up CP17 on another island that was
simple to see from the boat and Robert jumped out and got it and we were able
to pass two more boats that took longer than Robert to get the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit CP18 at the take out right before the
transition area and Robert noticed a spigot and we filled up our water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our transition was pretty slow and Dave, Amy,
Chuck and Kate caught us again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Back on the bikes we again took off
towing each other, except Robert, he doesn’t need to be towed, never, like
never ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up CPs 19 & 20
along the road on the way to 21 which was a parking lot to another park (name
escapes me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert and Jessie plotted
points 22-33 while I shoved my face full of food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been drinking “orange Gatorade”
Fireball Whisky since CP19 when my knees started hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We again made good time, but Virtus and 2p
BOR caught us again at transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BOR
and Virtus discussed our evacuation plans to be out of the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thinking 8pm, Chuck said 8pm, and Dave
said 7pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I changed out of my wet
chamois and threatened racing in my underwear and Jessie took some sketchy
pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRx4ZzDnhsVZWJqHZiij688DVeZ6WZG2S3ALBuJUeoZEfA8hD-sFI1jXDzix_EE8hEgYViZiOfhaYteSOdN91F28WMa3jcAFyXNoO1IpeYLozTRrMAna7y4zqOymaxUlQSIMxL6_WtgY34/s1600/65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRx4ZzDnhsVZWJqHZiij688DVeZ6WZG2S3ALBuJUeoZEfA8hD-sFI1jXDzix_EE8hEgYViZiOfhaYteSOdN91F28WMa3jcAFyXNoO1IpeYLozTRrMAna7y4zqOymaxUlQSIMxL6_WtgY34/s320/65.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We grabbed the park trail map
and set out after transitioning with Chuck, Kate, Dave and Amy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we headed down the trail to CP30 I felt
incredibly drunk and I started sweating profusely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started my usual drunken obnoxious taunting
of people and decided to pick on Kate some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had a lot of fun, but I don’t think Kate did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave and Amy disappeared, or I was too drunk
to remember them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We climbed up a steep
fallen tree covered reentrant and got CP30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At this point I started sobering some and we had previously planned to
hit CP29, but Jessie being of sound mind and strategy said we should try for
CP27 first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the map was still
slightly blurry I decided that sounded like a good idea and going back down that
reentrant would be no fun. So we left Virtus and bushwhacked down the side of a
massive hill to the creek and up a spur looking for CP27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked up to the trail and must have just
walked right passed the CP, confirmed my suspicion with another team, which for
some reason they didn’t believe me and set off in a different direction and we
went right to the CP…their loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
being totally sober and feeling much better minus some dehydration we shot a
bearing, pace counted, and bushwhacked to CP25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert led us through a maze of downed trees and we popped out in the
creek about 15ft from the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 2person
male team met us at the CP and I could hear them talking about evacuating the
park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard their navigator saying
there wouldn't be a chance to find CP26 by dead reckoning, so I told them to
follow us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We shot the bearing and pace
counted right to it and I told their navigator he owed me a beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were going to start heading back and I
talked him into going to CP24 with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4aIGxsJjWBveb0JIa__x7ugyTEHfeuf4NBwUbOcFQF-qrkvR0MrbJG1fHyGS8Ngsiq6EYYhSCK_Ta-irRgRj5V8yP0vvQHKgR6UFczEtnuKLll-zB9sJOtIkbJM2OKmjyDVCLUVvKVxf/s1600/67.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4aIGxsJjWBveb0JIa__x7ugyTEHfeuf4NBwUbOcFQF-qrkvR0MrbJG1fHyGS8Ngsiq6EYYhSCK_Ta-irRgRj5V8yP0vvQHKgR6UFczEtnuKLll-zB9sJOtIkbJM2OKmjyDVCLUVvKVxf/s320/67.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">They followed us to Cedar Creek and up a hillside to the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked if I like Blue Moon to which I
responded was my favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried
talking him to going to CP33 with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
looked really easy, but they left and started heading back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should have done the same, but instead we
walked and walked and walked the creek forever never finding the CP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to get into the mindset that it’s
just around the bend, but I knew we neglected pace counting and we may have
overshot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured we were getting
close to CP23 and a creek junction ahead would help me confirm that, but I had
went up a small creek looking for CP33 and noticed Robert and Jessie didn’t
follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came back to the creek to find
them both sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured I may have
pushed them too much and felt a mutiny coming, so I told them we were leaving
and gave Robert the duties to find an escape trail on the park map while I used
the map to navigate the creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a
super long way back walking in the large rocks of the creek bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was superior ankle training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also getting dark and we were
approaching our transition time we had previously set of 8pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We donned headlamps and finally met up with
some other teams also trying to find a quick way out, so we joined them in the hunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had cleared the trek, which was
impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we walked I told Jessie I
was almost out of water and very thirsty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She told me to drink everything I had and promised me she had enough for
both of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her she didn’t know
how much I drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept looking at the
creek thinking I am finally going to have to drink creek water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked along with about 2 to 4 teams still
trying to find the trail out of the creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I heard another team talking about their water situation and I piped in
that I was thinking of creek water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
agreed and we found a small clear pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I filled my camelback trying not to disturb the bottom I noticed many
minnows and crayfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That made me feel
better about the water, but I still put one iodine tablet in Robert’s 16oz
bottle and 2 tablets in my 100oz bladder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t want to take the time to read the instructions and getting the
tablets out of the bottle was a chore in itself that was accomplished using Robert’s
glasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert is an Eagle Scout and I
was a Boy Scout and we both have used the tablets as children and knew we had
to wait a half hour before drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
figured my “orange Gatorade” would offset the possible lack of tablets in my
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other team filled up quickly
and we found the trail out and Team Virtus, who told us they had found 4
CPs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing we had 5 CPs, I knew we had
beaten Virtus, but where was Dave and Amy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We transitioned back to the bikes
after a gear check of headlamp, headlight, and taillight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode with Chuck and Kate and I am glad we
did because I think I would have rode much slower without them as Kate kept
pulling ahead of everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TeamBOR towed
some up the hills to conserve energy and we found CP34 together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed Chuck had a suspect route planned
and I showed him my route that used all roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His had a portion of unknown and he agreed that they would follow my
route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hugely shocked and rode
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t follow us at first and
I thought Chuck had some master deception going on to get to the finish
faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I thought, “well we have
more points so it doesn’t matter,” and I had to find and try to get in front of
Dave and Amy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode on, and as we rode
on, I would feel like we were dropping Jessie and then she would fly by me like
I was standing still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Kate flew by
and I knew Chuck and Kate must have just taken time to mark their route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found the rest of the points mostly
together, which was a lot of fun because I had never had the chance to race
with Virtus before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting close to the
end we saw Dave and Amy and knew they were ahead of us and all I could do was
hope we had more CPs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I knew
we were getting close to the end I could feel a bonk coming on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since we got back to the bikes I felt
weak so every chance I got I would eat, but just in case on the very last hill
I thought it was better to ask Robert for a tow instead of cramping up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finish was basically right around the
corner and we finished with Team Virtus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dave was waiting there to see how many CP’s we had gotten and I was
relieved that we had found more than them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>TeamBOR is a team but we do try to beat each other and Dave has been
known to take out other BORs at finish lines on purpose; like he actually tried
to kill John Naas once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLGVaTzquDWYqVz0XsqdIs5ti3DddDR0OIhZZmF-iLYvMmZhRW0DcT6rfWdJczFYD1eBEK7M6_kquEtfxRUC8RjmDrDZjlk6xmXjVTPwEFwUiFOlADtXzIlSIRb4PD6kvJc0ZsgGY_c6-/s1600/78.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLGVaTzquDWYqVz0XsqdIs5ti3DddDR0OIhZZmF-iLYvMmZhRW0DcT6rfWdJczFYD1eBEK7M6_kquEtfxRUC8RjmDrDZjlk6xmXjVTPwEFwUiFOlADtXzIlSIRb4PD6kvJc0ZsgGY_c6-/s320/78.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We finished well under 18 hours, 48
minutes under, and I kind of wish we would have tried for another CP, but we
may have risked a time penalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race
was a hard 18!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I estimated we rode 43
miles (my bike computer showed 47, but it actually wasn’t working for a short
time, so I think we rode 50 miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
estimated we trekked 12 miles and paddled 10 miles…thoughts? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Found 31 out of 39 CPs, and only couldn’t
find one out of all that we attempted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
worked very well together and I think we had some of the best team work that I
have ever experienced in an AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
very proud of the effort that Robert and Jessie put in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We achieved 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> place 3 person
coed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had to do it over I would
have liked to had another teammate to make a 4 person coed just to avoid 3 people
in a canoe, I would have ate and drank earlier and more often, and I wouldn’t
have drank as much “orange Gatorade.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hmm…that last statement is most likely untrue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also probably should have written this
immediately after the race instead of a week later so my memory was clearer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the end, my new navigator friend
brought me an ice cold Blue Moon at dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We got our awards and bummed showers from my nav buddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then broke the rules and drove to the
campsite to sleep, and sleep we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
awoke, struck camp, went to breakfast, drove home, re-set up the tent in my
backyard to dry, and then went through all of the unpacking and cleaning while
my legs blew up in seed ticks, chiggers, and stinging nettle blisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then scratched and scratched and scratched
for about a week. – Ahab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-46588733804714237962017-06-13T13:17:00.001-05:002020-10-18T12:13:19.054-05:002017 No Sleep Adventure 24 & 8-Hour Race by Captain Ahab2017 No Sleep Adventure 24 & 8-Hour Race by Captain Ahab<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I wasn’t planning on competing in the No Sleep race. Frankly, the last couple years I have fell into a slump and haven’t wanted to race much. I heard that TeamBOR was fielding a 2 person coed with Dave Beattie and Jessie Brown and a 4 person coed with David Cortivo, Robert Bart, Amy Crews, and Steve Fuller. I asked my daughter if she wanted to sign up for the 8 hour and she told me no. I am still hoping my daughters will race someday, but anyway my hopes of racing were dashed until I saw a post that Amy needed to drop out. I quickly said I wanted in. Next I heard that Steve needed to drop out and we gathered up Alane Wolins. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzNv_8ibRF9b1c13fFyrhSCqvkzeRJgS6dS3Nv48xTSuObFOrpsrM2joTCnJSCYQvH9bevatSIRaAE6EdAWq3m_01RrKqImRgwdMObP2KJiv2yVdHrERPpOo_BrzKebMpkwTf_HgS05GF/s1600/received_10211706932702218.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzNv_8ibRF9b1c13fFyrhSCqvkzeRJgS6dS3Nv48xTSuObFOrpsrM2joTCnJSCYQvH9bevatSIRaAE6EdAWq3m_01RrKqImRgwdMObP2KJiv2yVdHrERPpOo_BrzKebMpkwTf_HgS05GF/s320/received_10211706932702218.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SKETCHY VIDEO GAMING</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6OspCezuB462qL5TuRr0gjQreS5UqvnCS-S_1EYlDpaVJJ-JeRqiV3mdXEOEJqbTZxGczvdCI9SUphGU496MQGqALFZ3O-sDL8xHoy0pGdeCyALw1YnYLO6KaE0OQClGnscgl-2wVOUy/s1600/FB_IMG_1497319104945.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6OspCezuB462qL5TuRr0gjQreS5UqvnCS-S_1EYlDpaVJJ-JeRqiV3mdXEOEJqbTZxGczvdCI9SUphGU496MQGqALFZ3O-sDL8xHoy0pGdeCyALw1YnYLO6KaE0OQClGnscgl-2wVOUy/s320/FB_IMG_1497319104945.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TEAM BOR LOST SOULS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I somehow bullied my way into being navigator, or I had pulled the shortest straw unknowingly. We left St. Louis around 1pm and drove to Shawnee National Forest and incorrectly set up camp (the biggest damn tent vacation home ever) at the race start. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlszxgo_-sfdCuousNFeCGi-unVk4fT6ilJX_JprQs74Iylmr2N_o-QGK-HsFKgwBoOZs9LqfAGtsKXi4Su_w5gLf3742E7s0H3PqsaKsHvly3cG_Czhj26SnK7KTQYF0wzdWjHaVcunO/s1600/20170611_072705.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlszxgo_-sfdCuousNFeCGi-unVk4fT6ilJX_JprQs74Iylmr2N_o-QGK-HsFKgwBoOZs9LqfAGtsKXi4Su_w5gLf3742E7s0H3PqsaKsHvly3cG_Czhj26SnK7KTQYF0wzdWjHaVcunO/s320/20170611_072705.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VACATION HOME OF THE GODS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We ate dinner and attended the pre-race meeting. I always find the meetings long winded and I really just want the map so we can get back early to plot and sleep, but it never seems to go like that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrvHFeBdT6TudoOGECsmnDSOqIsXjgHJSsJP6muJwu2cAA2Ou7yBf9GRGVvUgmIdGyRWqVPvbQi26LWgPOCqQwAvyAl9_NF8rkkVG9FF1QOAc1zxkyGZZRHvZO2fVmjHgiu5YtNU7VKdS/s1600/20170609_190029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrvHFeBdT6TudoOGECsmnDSOqIsXjgHJSsJP6muJwu2cAA2Ou7yBf9GRGVvUgmIdGyRWqVPvbQi26LWgPOCqQwAvyAl9_NF8rkkVG9FF1QOAc1zxkyGZZRHvZO2fVmjHgiu5YtNU7VKdS/s320/20170609_190029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PROPER RESPONSE TO TEAM NOAH SITTING BY YOU</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ5gZuh_VUjPszxRgUNfQomUZ1zH2NWb8DQ-zGt8g3F5Fpde_qV89et4vjWPvKQMMmm5Z1LFR78MulwUIWvOTGzX8wlhhktNOx8UX5ndfD3i61yxFCmoqmLfhuj4Q1uTmYEdHKjxtRxZO/s1600/20170609_190013.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ5gZuh_VUjPszxRgUNfQomUZ1zH2NWb8DQ-zGt8g3F5Fpde_qV89et4vjWPvKQMMmm5Z1LFR78MulwUIWvOTGzX8wlhhktNOx8UX5ndfD3i61yxFCmoqmLfhuj4Q1uTmYEdHKjxtRxZO/s200/20170609_190013.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TEAM KUAT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started to think sleeping was going to be shortened especially once I heard there was ropes practice at the start until 11pm. There was supposed to be a full moon, and I don’t sleep well in the light, but luckily our massive tent blocked the moon and all was dark. Since we had slept at the start we allowed ourselves to sleep until 6am, but other teams woke up earlier for the bike drop. I am a pretty light sleeper, so I was really happy that I actually fell asleep again. We slowly got up at 6, dressed, ate, dropped the bikes off, and had plenty of time before the 8am race start. I love being early and not rushing!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The race started by having everyone remove a shoe and the volunteers threw our shoes out into the field. We had to run, find our shoe, get it back on and run to the canoes. We then carried our canoes to the water and launched. Friday night we had planned to go either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the lake depending on wind direction, but since at race start they told us we had to cross the lake to the swimming beach, beach the boat, and pick one person to swim to the platform to get our passport, we threw that plan out the window. We hadn’t picked a person to get wet as we were told the night before, because we really didn’t know what to expect, so as we hit the beach I decided to just go for it. I dropped the map, compass, and my hat, and hit the water. I ran first, then walked to the first set of buoys. After that I had to swim to the platform. I first noticed that I had my sunglasses on and couldn’t put my face in the water. I then noticed that my shoes were sinking my legs, but luckily they made us wear life jackets. I climbed the platform, grabbed the passport, and zipped it up in my pocket against the director’s instructions to put it in my mouth. I jumped back in and thought, “Why the hell isn’t Robert doing this, he is the swimmer?” I swam and rolled on my back to kick my shoes off, but then decided it was really important to keep my shoes, so I rolled back over and swam back to the first set of buoys and walked in exhausted. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaw4Vt_Pvrjg7VhIjMo6DdEZbGhKpb-F2P9ynP-QzZu-S1VHr-Xs8R_T15GhJOutINN3dfAoh0jEowu-_6x_OkPYC4xvmI5uxq6JMwbP8zhhpDZtm5dIBEzCh1RuPI7-rmoqypTu750Q2/s1600/FB_IMG_1497359298569.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="720" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaw4Vt_Pvrjg7VhIjMo6DdEZbGhKpb-F2P9ynP-QzZu-S1VHr-Xs8R_T15GhJOutINN3dfAoh0jEowu-_6x_OkPYC4xvmI5uxq6JMwbP8zhhpDZtm5dIBEzCh1RuPI7-rmoqypTu750Q2/s320/FB_IMG_1497359298569.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DROWNED RAT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then paddled to CP3, then to 2, then across the lake to 4, then to a lily pad stricken area of CP1 where we had to wade through stinky muck that was sometimes neck deep. We damn near lost Cortivo to a lily pad hole, but luckily the swamp gases being violently expelled lifted him back to the surface, or he was so scared he farted so hard he lifted himself. Either way I got a nose full of foul odor and a mouth full of bugs and Cortivo lived to tell the tale, which you all will definitely hear, but his version will be much much better than mine. It will probably have swamp monsters and aliens in it.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We then canoed back to the start, which was the TA, dropped the canoe and switched to trek. We thought we had a solid plan to CP5, but after taking the trail to the first gate, we failed to find the second gate mainly because we followed the herd. I said we are going the wrong way a few times, and then said we overshot a few times, while we walked a creek forever, but Dave wanted to keep following and told me a few times it was, “just around the bend, just one more bend, just one more bend, just one more bend.” I had no idea where we were anymore because the map didn’t match the topography at all. I told Dave we had to go back to the gate and shoot a bearing. We walked back up stream and I looked for a side stream we had investigated earlier. Not finding the side stream I felt doomed that we were so far off we were going to get lost. Dave said he could take me to the gate. Walking back to the gate I was very skeptical and told him if he was 100% sure I would trust him, but I thought he was guessing. He pointed out the gate way down the field and I still wanted to go back to it and see if the road we took in was there, but I trusted him and we shot a bearing and went back to the creek. I noticed we walked off bearing and called “bullshit,” but when we compared all three compasses it seemed one out of three was always swinging. We chalked it up to iron in the soil and aliens (Klingons on Uranus aliens). We walked into the creek and I really felt it was the wrong way again, so I stopped us and asked both Robert and Dave to compare the map to the land topography and we all agreed to turn around and found it. We lost around an hour looking for it, but I needed it to shoot to CP6.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I gave Alane a very quick pace counting tutorial and read the bearing to Dave and Robert. We followed three compasses and every time one person veered off we followed the two that agreed. Alane counted and I estimated the distance and kept track of meters traveled with my ranger beads (I said RANGER BEADS!). We found CP6 exactly as expected and very quickly after crossing a few barb wire fences. We also found Team Noah and hugged and humped some. Alane re-set and I had her count down the reentrant to the creek and again we were spot on where I wanted to be. I had her re-set again and we traveled by creek in the direction of CP7, but she gave me a count that passed the CP and I had only moved one bead so I knew somehow her count got off. Just in case we back tracked and checked for it. I re-estimated and had her start over and we found it almost perfectly again. Dave and Robert had a nice break from following the bearings and I know personally that counting gets tiring, but I wanted her to count to CP8. We followed the trail and found the CP exactly on her count. Team Noah cheated and followed us most the way, but I tricked them with a sneak attack “orange Gatorade” that was actually Fireball! Kevin and Mickey smelled a trap, but didn’t warn poor Larry and he fell victim to my sinister plot. They past us, but we heard later that the Fireball slowed and angered Chief Larry Firewater. On the other hand, our team work of me reading the map, giving a bearing, and an estimated distance, Dave and Robert keeping the bearing, and Alane counting, really paid off. There is a few things we could do to even get better at this, but that is some secret shit we are not gonna tell you freaks. We then traveled to the bike TA watching Team Noah and some other 24 hour teams lolly gagging along like they had all the time in the world.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>On the bikes my legs were a little grumpy at first and we slowly made it to a “road,” I use that term loosely, that took us right to CP9. When we got back to the real road to go to CP10 we met up with a trio of beautiful young Sirens that missed CP9, but they tricked Dave into revealing its location. I stopped us where I thought CP10 was, but quickly changed my mind and wanted to go down the road farther, but Robert had traveled at least 10 miles down the reentrant looking for it. The Sirens caught us and realized it was farther down the road and left us. Robert traveled at least 20 miles back to the road and we caught the Sirens as they were leaving the CP and they were nice enough to return the favor and reveal its location. We started climbing hills and Dave needed a little tow, so he attached his bike to my tow and I stood and climbed past the Sirens walking their what appeared to be straight out of Walmart bikes (NO OFFENSE). We then had to find a point in the road where it turned sharply, which marked the point that we would bike whack to the trail, but when we got there the whacking looked too long and hard (no pun intended). We decided to find the secret road to the trail that Dave heard stories of, but we tried every one we saw and they were all dead ends. Luckily I knew where we were, and we decided to go back and look for the secret road again. We finally found it and it led us to the trail. I then asked Robert to investigate a rock face to see if it was a short bypass trail, but his Tricorder malfunctioned and he told me, “No.” We therefore rode down this terrible stupid trail that headed in the exactly opposite direction and finally found Tamara and Joe at the turn around. I said a whole lot of cusswords and then prayed we would find the correct trail. We then rode the lower section of trail along the bluffs, and although they were beautiful I hated them for making us go around and lose more time, so I cussed them too and thanked the Lord for their beauty, but told Him that it would be great if He could move them out of the way. As we left that trail I pointed out the bypass to Robert and scorned him for not calibrating his equipment better. We took the trail system past CP19 to the TA and dropped the bikes with no mechanicals, minus some intense frame rub on Robert’s bike. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO8TXrahMGBs-pa4IrBd3vmWvKHqA3tqRneTxIkUlvXF1-YmFXlikI9JdpXJ4ci4g3Zpqd03pRCKsUAWtEXHF7P8Kaj1694_e3s1_l8ThfzmXhI4zhXfbPXCpyNoXiKNNN8I5GYMmW2v2/s1600/20170611_152252.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO8TXrahMGBs-pa4IrBd3vmWvKHqA3tqRneTxIkUlvXF1-YmFXlikI9JdpXJ4ci4g3Zpqd03pRCKsUAWtEXHF7P8Kaj1694_e3s1_l8ThfzmXhI4zhXfbPXCpyNoXiKNNN8I5GYMmW2v2/s320/20170611_152252.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> W</span>e then had only 40 minutes out and 40 minutes back to complete the race and we knew there was no way we could clear. I figured we could get one or two more CPs. We shot for CP13 and took the wrong road the first time, and then the wrong trail the second time, but got to see the guy that got impaled and also got to see the lovely Sirens again (I'm really hoping for a team invite). Those tricky devils navigated past us probably when we were searching for the secret trail. A solo racer gave us a hand by putting us on the correct trail and we had to run up the hill to CP13. We then ran back and I thought about CP11, but Dave said he was done. We went back to the TA and Alane said we should bike to CP19 since we knew where it was, but I said, “No Dave is done,” and we finished with 50 minutes to spare. Tamara snuck off and got CP19 and beat us. Joe slammed that down Dave’s throat as he grinned ear to ear. I actually was pretty happy for Joe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbctCX4G5W9_mG2mps9Em9AXYoRy3UvU6PjNlEI_a5xz6ap5E3k0LBHCYxmIfOSsGHWqSG86i9ruGXBtstEiKZ0RXNnmCiX2rKEuadgM-Etlxlk3hgwJzZIMB3VFr0xWUhfKEaUnOEudKm/s1600/received_10211434793456906.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbctCX4G5W9_mG2mps9Em9AXYoRy3UvU6PjNlEI_a5xz6ap5E3k0LBHCYxmIfOSsGHWqSG86i9ruGXBtstEiKZ0RXNnmCiX2rKEuadgM-Etlxlk3hgwJzZIMB3VFr0xWUhfKEaUnOEudKm/s320/received_10211434793456906.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minton photobombing TeamBOR Lost Souls</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9KzJ7_4R-ZEwV2tWUAXXfGNv1nn4rgfCr3LWm5GHZ8azzSC9W7mqRK-HGJ_LOOY3-0VxLe1VXzg9oKE_FbDeCPaHr0LffTp8zwpPEXP7-dxPlFa84tT-zFALdzc19u-tCgdTuUTPPUzB/s1600/received_1603754892990128.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9KzJ7_4R-ZEwV2tWUAXXfGNv1nn4rgfCr3LWm5GHZ8azzSC9W7mqRK-HGJ_LOOY3-0VxLe1VXzg9oKE_FbDeCPaHr0LffTp8zwpPEXP7-dxPlFa84tT-zFALdzc19u-tCgdTuUTPPUzB/s320/received_1603754892990128.jpeg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">METROPOLIS</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We got cleaned up and then I got kidnapped by Black Bart. He took us all the way to Metropolis Illinois while threatening Kentucky if we were bad. He forced Sonic ice cream upon us and made us walk amongst some sketchy superheros and villians. I didn’t see SuperKate there so I felt it was survivable. He forced his camera upon a stranger to capture us in front of a villain named Superman. I prayed Batman would come and save me as I knew I had forgot to stop my Garmin tracking the race and it was sitting in my pack laying on the ground near our campsite. Black Bart then forced us to look at a mini boar named Piggy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNqRS1P47rLjvXPVUQYmEtChyphenhyphenYgemZFl87ewIBufy1aFposBPosd2RjzBrqc9a7DQgZMPZsfYZ9tqxkV4Abvr4h4W-1GHPngHSv3cd1M3HcBF96HhmvPOAIbeOYMkN_6UYO85y-6LKzAs/s1600/received_1603673546331596.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNqRS1P47rLjvXPVUQYmEtChyphenhyphenYgemZFl87ewIBufy1aFposBPosd2RjzBrqc9a7DQgZMPZsfYZ9tqxkV4Abvr4h4W-1GHPngHSv3cd1M3HcBF96HhmvPOAIbeOYMkN_6UYO85y-6LKzAs/s320/received_1603673546331596.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">PIGGY THE BOAR<br />
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Piggy squealed in disgust that we didn’t have our BOR gear on. Then Black Bart set a 20lb bag of ice on my balls and snickered all the way back to the TA as I threatened to jump to my death. We also saw some hoodlums putting an immense amount of trash in Kevin Minton’s truck bed, which we shammed them and told them they weren’t being nice. Probably the same hoodlums that spun gravel on a J-hook U turn.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After a few shots of whisky and a few beers, we watched the sun set and listened to Cortivo Radio Live. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXSJUgKvko4OrB-XKB1fmLBAphxJSUHvGte5FOg_gBFqYrAUP74H52WC4_FsevK6ePOwXFZJzgeNMGFX3C6MAkBkojxVCV5Fj3Hj9XUjeRm-hv29cvrO_c9QDD-VDD7HohnVYBQbO-O6L/s1600/20170610_202435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXSJUgKvko4OrB-XKB1fmLBAphxJSUHvGte5FOg_gBFqYrAUP74H52WC4_FsevK6ePOwXFZJzgeNMGFX3C6MAkBkojxVCV5Fj3Hj9XUjeRm-hv29cvrO_c9QDD-VDD7HohnVYBQbO-O6L/s320/20170610_202435.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
He spun tales so tall that the only one that believed him was me; well because 90% of the stories involved me and I was there. We fell asleep spooning like the Three Stooges; wait that’s a lie. We fell asleep individually and were awoken at 3ish AM by the dreadfull sound of Mickey’s voice, which sounds like a young boy kicked in the nads, while scrapping his nails on a chalkboard. He wanted a bike since Chief Firewater had broken his derailleur in a mad Fireball rager. Dave fell out of his hammock, Robert jumped out of his shuttle craft, and I leapt to my feet on the portico, tripped over the tent rope, and took the map board and tow off my bike. Alane stayed silently in her reading room. We checked on vomiting Kevin and made sure they had fluids, and food. Chief Firewater yelled at me a few times that he didn’t like my orange Gatorade and they disappeared into the darkness. You could hear a high pitched boy yelling demands, vomiting, and a crazed Feather not Dot Indian (Native American) screaming Fireball fading into the distance.<br />
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We asked the race director about TeamBOR’s location and they said, “they are here.” I thought that is us, and asked about Team Virtus as we were concerned about losing Chuck and losing his whiskey for future rides.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgek5OZBAkYStOEpDprxe0mMFOiowCSj7UonW8LTKJc88QIN46thzTFT7EHqBg94q1R4XNZwZ6jlCMm_dZwoW915NAI8UGmzMzh82iRsrR_fcMqjiXUH4P-ZlLFMzZOCvZL_5urswwrWiN/s1600/received_431278490576749.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgek5OZBAkYStOEpDprxe0mMFOiowCSj7UonW8LTKJc88QIN46thzTFT7EHqBg94q1R4XNZwZ6jlCMm_dZwoW915NAI8UGmzMzh82iRsrR_fcMqjiXUH4P-ZlLFMzZOCvZL_5urswwrWiN/s320/received_431278490576749.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">TEAM VIRTUS<br />
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They said they hadn’t checked in yet because SuperKate made a detour to Metropolis (Something about a mandatory meeting). <br />
I asked about our other TeamBOR and I got a funny look and they said, “they are here.” I asked for clarification and they said, “they have been here for an hour.” We looked around confused and then Jessie literally walked right between all of us like a zombie making a b-line for the human fecal troughs, aka pooping facility. We yelled at her and asked where was FN Dave Beattie? She said that she had no idea and thought that she was gonna quit. We told her to go to the bathroom and wake up. Apparently, Dave told her that he was going to change his shoes and snuck off for a nap and she fell asleep in her trunk waiting on him. We went looking for Dave and found him in the parking lot. We got the two back together and made sure they were ok and gave Dave a smack in the butt and they were back out racing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmacUchlRbFq12J4H5yM7nJMGJBpwOdXmiVD_nht_sjGMn-TpYeAijgjgXxmQ9Kd67jgzaRUzswPQK796ybCNbbKCPoD4IFPNxpL9kEpdUNb8Tz9473juGllAdO8vVP7amHlicCBdskMw/s1600/received_1603673076331643.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1080" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmacUchlRbFq12J4H5yM7nJMGJBpwOdXmiVD_nht_sjGMn-TpYeAijgjgXxmQ9Kd67jgzaRUzswPQK796ybCNbbKCPoD4IFPNxpL9kEpdUNb8Tz9473juGllAdO8vVP7amHlicCBdskMw/s320/received_1603673076331643.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">TEAM BOR<br />
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We then went back to bed and awoke to the finishers coming in. We stayed for the awards, stole the 24 hour racers breakfast, and found out that Dave and Jessie took 2nd place in their division with a one hour mid race nap. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wNfc-DREk8IqPwFasqKjUPsi__ELfEBTijs2TvsCq9OcV4kbWlFw4ztJYuypQuOV5apkAGhSzzXPDViXf5ad-rg0XGKDf05e_YzLKXHuKGWxEhi87WxqmfAw3lwuBDYy_x9t_M7ZekhJ/s1600/videotogif_2017.06.12_13.12.34.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wNfc-DREk8IqPwFasqKjUPsi__ELfEBTijs2TvsCq9OcV4kbWlFw4ztJYuypQuOV5apkAGhSzzXPDViXf5ad-rg0XGKDf05e_YzLKXHuKGWxEhi87WxqmfAw3lwuBDYy_x9t_M7ZekhJ/s320/videotogif_2017.06.12_13.12.34.gif" width="240" /></a></div>
We made a caravan of cars home, <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpd0s3-FzeBDyBpomB-gLPgzIapvKlPt2Ojs_4tZzIBVALui9OO1HNxx7-GEoCuzJEGYngp6adwjKBviVmGFz0gnXRfiJja-T-usbj5sEdRSTQLuEd1pqn-1sPEHHaEJYt8-2Go2Q9pLrS/s1600/20170611_084909.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpd0s3-FzeBDyBpomB-gLPgzIapvKlPt2Ojs_4tZzIBVALui9OO1HNxx7-GEoCuzJEGYngp6adwjKBviVmGFz0gnXRfiJja-T-usbj5sEdRSTQLuEd1pqn-1sPEHHaEJYt8-2Go2Q9pLrS/s320/20170611_084909.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
we past Chief Firewater’s tribe riding slow and in war formation as I ducked down behind Beattie, and the rest is just a memory. – Ahab.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuFys59Ro0hK0W2LQySd1X6BnnxdIT4Gr_oPEsmqvqQalODp1ji2rNrO5-ghaPNF6Nbt507Oc9f8tB-wk4wgXRyTj2WZsWJnPHOutDBwjVXqXHHEKDvgcNFts6FzPWzCMvMZGXAUEPy7s/s1600/FB_IMG_1497363466143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="720" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuFys59Ro0hK0W2LQySd1X6BnnxdIT4Gr_oPEsmqvqQalODp1ji2rNrO5-ghaPNF6Nbt507Oc9f8tB-wk4wgXRyTj2WZsWJnPHOutDBwjVXqXHHEKDvgcNFts6FzPWzCMvMZGXAUEPy7s/s320/FB_IMG_1497363466143.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90MbZRoXCOWwSA3gottIExiA8Vo0Y3Ik_hJiR1sqHVJmi4ZBHKnD1f2GdTOGBnoXPTqJwpqmZzLRXxUhzAD89Gi46Fv6RBF4jtnfJu0E2OfglMk-2EYHNuTpRWiDBZBkSE-fnxdJvEjaH/s1600/FB_IMG_1497359292208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="720" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90MbZRoXCOWwSA3gottIExiA8Vo0Y3Ik_hJiR1sqHVJmi4ZBHKnD1f2GdTOGBnoXPTqJwpqmZzLRXxUhzAD89Gi46Fv6RBF4jtnfJu0E2OfglMk-2EYHNuTpRWiDBZBkSE-fnxdJvEjaH/s320/FB_IMG_1497359292208.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcbU8LGajKeNLxJ66mya5G70najGpvR6vQ8QudV9gZrKoKdMJyzpFLpB705TZw2nXgUTbql5u3uX8jqvPaj07Xgn-d-260dghZp1zSOjUrWLKtqfxCjROsJMZBTdp1_Dx1ReS3wR3UXn0/s1600/FB_IMG_1497359223358.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="720" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcbU8LGajKeNLxJ66mya5G70najGpvR6vQ8QudV9gZrKoKdMJyzpFLpB705TZw2nXgUTbql5u3uX8jqvPaj07Xgn-d-260dghZp1zSOjUrWLKtqfxCjROsJMZBTdp1_Dx1ReS3wR3UXn0/s320/FB_IMG_1497359223358.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRp8Tq5b8m8zEu6FKETogYcEu38lIoZOZyqEJ_qPvaAU0nbqbmbMJRPCodFwGPG77c-8QMdxGOUnJcod4JrZRZq0GFwua7HEbqG8bGP2pnfvIBDEq6L8sifgQqb-PrhCPOACGWHXS5j5IL/s1600/received_431278447243420.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRp8Tq5b8m8zEu6FKETogYcEu38lIoZOZyqEJ_qPvaAU0nbqbmbMJRPCodFwGPG77c-8QMdxGOUnJcod4JrZRZq0GFwua7HEbqG8bGP2pnfvIBDEq6L8sifgQqb-PrhCPOACGWHXS5j5IL/s320/received_431278447243420.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KEVIN MALFUNCTIONED</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXRYXClQ-CqbNBVtuLXqN28V-SEjVTpXDmx87L53cPKs954BM2Q35vjEug_D_kjJxcm6u3Rdd8mfu8mnYFRWwKAJWOEoZrZW_BdIWloKLW0BtjEmkRE9FfkjkjhZe9ncdER2UtzkPfF9O/s1600/20170611_105924.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXRYXClQ-CqbNBVtuLXqN28V-SEjVTpXDmx87L53cPKs954BM2Q35vjEug_D_kjJxcm6u3Rdd8mfu8mnYFRWwKAJWOEoZrZW_BdIWloKLW0BtjEmkRE9FfkjkjhZe9ncdER2UtzkPfF9O/s320/20170611_105924.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$2.75!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzK2yPTsY85fqu8ILXz6w7A5z8imnPw43rYTGRdrwWaxs9xgAibQA8R-ZB8wNxfGqeso6ebLHIUR8UzBZEVJi6oII0RFp68mEYYtVcaWrQHn_isZXjzXESUlsVdYjrmKPXhbgY_yxbyAK/s1600/FB_IMG_1497363450059.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="720" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzK2yPTsY85fqu8ILXz6w7A5z8imnPw43rYTGRdrwWaxs9xgAibQA8R-ZB8wNxfGqeso6ebLHIUR8UzBZEVJi6oII0RFp68mEYYtVcaWrQHn_isZXjzXESUlsVdYjrmKPXhbgY_yxbyAK/s320/FB_IMG_1497363450059.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACNZZCz5SUuYuPzD0rX8z-iEXK2TlnpJFhFNRr4jMOSq3Ge9rfaotKBKN1UGleLtmij14gqYHuqhw90WIXqQJr2tf94R7rXruRHE3tNd2j0w1hpoA3eOccUv-OsxKXvtUQvaAV1RaMQYm/s1600/FB_IMG_1497359236961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACNZZCz5SUuYuPzD0rX8z-iEXK2TlnpJFhFNRr4jMOSq3Ge9rfaotKBKN1UGleLtmij14gqYHuqhw90WIXqQJr2tf94R7rXruRHE3tNd2j0w1hpoA3eOccUv-OsxKXvtUQvaAV1RaMQYm/s320/FB_IMG_1497359236961.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-40978920502784085332017-05-18T13:25:00.005-05:002020-10-18T12:13:54.524-05:002017 The Epic by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2017 The Epic by Captain Ahab<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I signed up for The Epic early and
immediately regretted my decision because I knew I couldn’t take it easy on
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year the Epic or “Ogre”
was the challenge of the year for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
trained hard, finished, and dropped off most of my racing shortly after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year I didn’t train half as much and was
recovering from injuries that took me out of my running training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew going into this year’s event that my
cardio was in bad shape, and I hadn’t had a chance to get in a long ride, so I
would be in pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also hadn’t been
weight training, but my legs felt strong to me, so I thought I would try my
best and if all else failed, then just finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It pretty much rained solid a few
days before the event, so the course was shortened to take out the highest
water crossings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was happy to hear
that I no longer had to ride 150 miles soaking wet and only would have to ride
130.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tanya (my wife) and I drove down to
the event in the rain, checked in, ate dinner, went to the pre-race meeting,
and crashed at the hotel, all the while it was still raining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tanya started telling me it would be nice to
stay in the hotel for the weekend or go home early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her I had pre-paid the hotel and I had
driven all the way, so no matter what I was starting in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met some out of town racers that asked me
questions about my bike set up and what clothes I was going to wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them didn’t think tights were
necessary, but I told him I wouldn’t be riding fast enough the whole time to
keep warm while soaking wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He almost changed
my mind to wear shorts, but I stuck with my plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wear a water “proof” jacket over my jersey
and let my tights get soaked over my shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I planned to ditch the jacket and tights if I got hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose to wear my summer mountain bike shoes
because I knew my feet would be wet instantly and my boots don’t drain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Larry Lazo told me we had to crush
the start and stay ahead of most the pack, but I knew that meant me too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I wouldn’t be able to hang with him
for long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started and instantly soul
crushing realities started coming into my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My legs were already burning, I was overheating, I couldn’t see due to
the rain and gravel crap, and I couldn’t hold Larry’s pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that to finish I had to slow down
and recover and find a pace I could live with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had an extremely hard time of recovering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I ate enough that morning and I
didn’t eat enough at check point one, even though Tanya was trying to get me to
eat more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I was drinking
enough, but since I was soaked through I couldn’t really tell if I was sweating
(my jacket was not water proof).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found
a pace I was comfortable with and I kept my clothing as it was because I feared
getting hypothermia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew there was
nothing I had to change into that would keep me dry, and wet and warm is better
than wet and cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hail pinging off
my helmet made me laugh until it hit me in the face and went through my helmet
vents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was short lived, but the wind,
rain, and lightning were fierce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
decided it was safer to keep riding and keep my rubber tires on the ground
instead of my metal shoe cleats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
meant there would be no hill walking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Eric Reber caught me struggling
before check point one and I told him that I was having trouble recovering. He
was sore from well over 200 miles the previous week, so he said he would ride
with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice to have someone to
suffer with that didn’t mind the slow pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We rode quite a bit with Jeff and Carrie Sona on their tandem and I got
to witness their insane downhill speed and subsequent splashing and parting off
the waters at the crossings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d follow
them down and take Jeff’s lines and then pass them uphill and then repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt safer following them at speed through
the water crossings than doing it on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figured if they survived, then I would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still was very concerned about the
crossings after last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eric and I
stayed together until CP1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At CP1, Tanya
started talking to me about quitting again and I thought Eric left before me,
so I took off in a hurry avoiding Tanya and looking for him, but as I got off
to walk a water crossing I saw him coming up from behind, so I waited for him
to catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode a pretty chill
pace, but even at a slower pace we still had to walk crossings as they were
getting much deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While descending, along came up a
bunch of riders going the wrong way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were all telling us to turn around and go back to CP1 because the road was
flooded so bad it was unpassable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think this was somewhere around mile 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eric wanted to ride down to look, but a lot of riders said it was a long
way back up, and I saw Emily Korsch and Erl in the group, so I immediately
turned around and told Eric that if they didn’t cross, then we weren’t going to
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, I told Eric I was
concerned that a herd mentality was happening as no one knew where we were
going, so we stopped and looked for an alternate route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t find one so we caught back up to
the herd stopped at a road talking with race officials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group rode back to CP1 together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standing at the gas station/quickie mart I
was starting to shiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed others
shivering and a large mass taking over the gas station and eating all their
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gas station floor looked like
it had flooded from all the racers walking around in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to shoot a couple texts to Tanya to
let her know I wouldn’t be making CP2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The cell reception was terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At this time the race officials told us the race was over due to unsafe
conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave us three choices; one,
call and get a ride back, two, wait for them to shuttle us, or three, ride
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw about a dozen riders talking
about riding back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it was about
28 miles back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eric said that didn’t
sound like a lot, but it would be in the extreme conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt bad, but made sure he had a ride back,
and then I left him there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided I
paid too much, spent too much time, and drove too far to quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shot Tanya a text to meet me back at the
Start/Finish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmehcdmQMHAJx2zyt_8ALh54aMtS_z3rKO25KqvkjdW6ya2pH6w-DvFkeq6mWsAMcupoWjnpM6Tx-GfzA9oQIL8IOnOh4teZJeyWtZtIZi9_QnBLvnL580JWVXTL7DG3pLX8RKCo2dVFA/s1600/20170429_112708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmehcdmQMHAJx2zyt_8ALh54aMtS_z3rKO25KqvkjdW6ya2pH6w-DvFkeq6mWsAMcupoWjnpM6Tx-GfzA9oQIL8IOnOh4teZJeyWtZtIZi9_QnBLvnL580JWVXTL7DG3pLX8RKCo2dVFA/s320/20170429_112708.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We took the asphalt back to
gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The asphalt had me thinking I
was feeling better, but once back on the gravel I started feeling bad again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It continued to rain and the wind and
lightning picked up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The miles were
slowly ticking off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pretty much had to
walk every water crossing and one or two had almost swept me off my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs started cramping and I cursed myself
for not buying water, Gatorade, and food at the gas station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode on without any fuel and water,
thinking if I get desperate there is plenty of rain to drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gravel started getting eroded off the
roads from the down pouring rushing streams that were now on both sides of the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was neat to see, very loud, but
very hard to ride when the streams crossed the road and made tons of
potholes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs started cramping
really bad, which made me walk a hill, but the lightning convinced me to jump
back on the bike quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could feel
my skin chafing on the seams of my shorts on the top of my thighs and I
thought, that’s a first.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around 3 miles
to go the front tire flatted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly
changed it and didn’t feel anything sharp in the tire, so I chalked it up to a
pinch flat from hitting all the potholes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About a mile later the rear flatted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I found a long skinny sharp rock that pierced and stuck into the tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was riding through standing water almost
constantly, hitting potholes, and a million sticks, and a piece of gravel
flatted me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was changing the flat,
trying my best to keep gravel out of the tire, the wind and lightning became
incredibly fierce, so much so that I started thinking about shelter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked around for twisters, didn’t see any,
looked around for shelter, and decided the thick woods was my best bet, but
stayed put, and continued the flat repair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
the flat fixed I got back to riding and knew I was really close to the
Start/Finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to pass a truck
and the guy kept waving to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought
he was directing me to turn, which matched my Garmin, so I started to turn and
he jumped out of his truck and acted as if he was going to stop me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then could hear him yelling that the power
lines were on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked him what
the other racers did and I told him I would step over them like they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After crossing two down lines and a tree I
was on my way again. I started to feel the back tire going flat again, but I
could see the Start/Finish so I kept going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A lake stood in the way of the finish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought, “This will be cool and get some
cheers” as I plowed into the water and rode through at about top tube depth,
but no one noticed my efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned
to finish and the finish line was destroyed, most people were already gone,
some people were huddled under the shelter, and Tanya was standing there
saying, “Thank God, you are crazy!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think she meant that she was thankful I was back and not so thankful I am
crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked in so the race
officials knew I was alive and then Tanya told me all about the storm that
knocked everything over and flooded the grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed 72 miles, so I didn’t even complete
the 80 mile course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hated cutting it
short as I really wanted to see if I could recover and ride the rest, but by
the look of things, the race director made the right call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAy75Tulz7F5dERc3B3c7x_OYmKoPpSSbhUhQO4Vxk1S7u6fbV4tyEBemiWwWkXNO3suTSSkG46m6YjNb2iO9d6K4TrWpDAV52bDLhn8FLGW6vQc2xKzjNliyNVf6cvcJZKwCqJybt7SK/s1600/20170429_062714_1493587007029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAy75Tulz7F5dERc3B3c7x_OYmKoPpSSbhUhQO4Vxk1S7u6fbV4tyEBemiWwWkXNO3suTSSkG46m6YjNb2iO9d6K4TrWpDAV52bDLhn8FLGW6vQc2xKzjNliyNVf6cvcJZKwCqJybt7SK/s320/20170429_062714_1493587007029.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before it blew over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We had
another night in the hotel pre-paid so we stayed and chilled out. In the
morning I changed my tires back to heavy duty CX tires and found a half inch
thorn in the rear gravel tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate
breakfast and did a little shopping, but it was still raining, and I thought we
better get home before roads close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tanya likes highway 70, so we took that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was packed with traffic, but I may have done some off-roading to go
from highway to service road to avoid it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we got home we started to hear of all the flooding and road
closures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we took 70.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an Epic wet adventure. – Ahab.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFvFr618Y0gsmx5cF_lOoUX7qAY9PGnpeyzbtyb8SOCDvleQ4YQwylInpEawz739IDIBImcrJ2UnipMxsd7qc1nRXUYCMu6wyMiHexcPk2NzSBfxR7wwmwtX3OYJfMj-uTjQHzqFMcj_J/s1600/image2-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFvFr618Y0gsmx5cF_lOoUX7qAY9PGnpeyzbtyb8SOCDvleQ4YQwylInpEawz739IDIBImcrJ2UnipMxsd7qc1nRXUYCMu6wyMiHexcPk2NzSBfxR7wwmwtX3OYJfMj-uTjQHzqFMcj_J/s320/image2-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highway 44</td></tr>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-46635133635326715302016-12-22T10:05:00.001-06:002016-12-22T12:16:39.722-06:002016 MR340 by Robert BartMy MR340 Adventure<br />
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Warning: This is a long account.<br />
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“This is crazy,” was the first thought that went through my head after I clicked the registration button. What was I thinking, signing up for a 340-mile paddle race (from Kansas City to St. Charles) when I’ve only been paddling for about a year and a half. I assured myself if I planned this out and paddled as much as possible, I could do this. “I could do this.” I had already begun building a suitable boat, and with the full support of my wife as my ground crew, we began planning. Also, thanks to a good friend of mine (Neil Dickhaus) I had a training boat for practice, and as time would tell, a race boat because my boat would not be complete by race day. Thanks go out to Neil for allowing me to keep and use his kayak for so long a period.<br />
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I managed to get 77 miles of paddling in before race day and learned a great deal about what it would take to complete this adventure. We went to classes at the Alpine Shop in Kirkwood, Missouri and discussion forums in Kansas City, both put on by veteran racers. Slowly we began to learn what it takes to race the MR340 and develop a plan. I didn’t really get serious about planning this out until about a month prior when I DNF’d the Missouri Freedom Race put on by midwestpaddleracing.com.<br />
That failure, however, only strengthened my resolve to complete the MR340. I did learn several valuable things from that race. I now knew how fast I could average on the Missouri River, how often I needed to refuel, when to apply sunscreen, what type of clothes to wear, how the boat needed to be loaded, and what needed to be in the boat. Planning now progressed quickly because I had good data and a desire to prove to myself and my wife that this could be done.<br />
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There are eight required checkpoint stops on the MR340. I stopped an additional six times to meet my water and food needs. Each stop in the plan had mileage, ETA, and what supplies would be incoming. Meals were planned around my paddling stops. Most stops were quick swap of supplies and back out on the river. A rudder was added to the boat to allow paddling to focus only on forward motion. A new custom deck bag was made to store items for easy access. A phone mount and charging setup was installed to provide GPS data and tracking for the race directors and friends. Texting in and out at check points is a requirement of the race, and a good way to let my wife know when to expect me. If cell phone signal was lost, the contingency was to follow the plan based on the last known departure time. My wife also mapped and printed directions for all stops since cell coverage wasn’t guaranteed. I also carried an extra day’s worth of supplies in the case of vehicle failure.<br />
.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qc7Z4ov5xUM7ns-A30kT9OOBjE60cMx1ShX4tyRzBV16c-PvTOP_wpontrEdKjSCnncQhuCbFZvST4mgbVAgTHThQsWpFkAWm_Zj18-xijmjyEybW5_h6XuYedGt0lsfXY-Y9WGOlpQS/s1600/13716009_1182324868466468_1799213742243329467_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qc7Z4ov5xUM7ns-A30kT9OOBjE60cMx1ShX4tyRzBV16c-PvTOP_wpontrEdKjSCnncQhuCbFZvST4mgbVAgTHThQsWpFkAWm_Zj18-xijmjyEybW5_h6XuYedGt0lsfXY-Y9WGOlpQS/s320/13716009_1182324868466468_1799213742243329467_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Finally, it’s time to race! We headed toward the race start at Kaw Point in Kansas City on Monday morning. It was recommended that we stage the boat as early as possible that day, in order to get a good spot. Security arrived around noon to start watching over boats. When we arrived around 1pm, we found that there was already a flurry of activity and over one hundred boats already staged, including some really neat prototype boats. My favorite was a four person pedal drive boat that was over 25 feet long. The pedals are turning in my head already for a similar type of build (once I finish my current boat…). We managed a spot right off the water that would make things easier the next morning.<br />
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With the boat staged, it was off to the hotel a mile away for check-in. This event has become so large that they had to move the check-in and mandatory safety meeting to a nearby hotel. We’re several hours early for the safety meeting so we decide to head to a nearby grocery store for some last minute ice for the cooler, and tomatoes. We ended up in an area of Kansas City known as little Mexico, which means lots of chilies and everything has a Mexican twist to it. So my tomatoes that we needed for my BLTs were tiny, but no less tasty.<br />
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After the final supply check, we headed back to the hotel for a pasta dinner prior to the safety meeting. Turns out you can have chicken Alfredo with asparagus, without the chicken or asparagus. So the hotel comped our meal. They were really overwhelmed by our crowd of 2000 people I think. We finished just in time to head downstairs to the massive conference room where the safety meeting would be starting momentarily.<br />
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The safety meeting was an hour long affair praising all the sponsors and the 120 volunteers that make this race possible. Too many sponsors to list but the title sponsor was Missouri American Water. Next were the required gear check and finally the safety briefing detailing locations of dredges, bad idea shortcuts, and turbulent water at some of the checkpoints. All checkpoints would have a bright yellow flag during the day and a blinking blue beacon at night.<br />
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After the safety meeting we headed back to our sleeping accommodations for the night. I loaded as much gear as I could into the boat so there would be less to do in the morning. This included my deck bag, PFD, emergency supplies, navigation lights, and phone mount. Our budget was tight this year, so we stayed in the back of our SUV. This was a bad idea. It was hot and noisy. People were coming and going nearly all night long, closing doors, and arming cars. A train also passed every two hours. So next year we will stay at the hotel where the safety meeting was, or in a camper maybe. Ear plugs are a must for sleeping in the car<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6z1smV217Byn2eJNt7QSM0YiBaFV7_cCR8wNCeCmoUN5KQcwD7L5YwJeZnz8CCIJNB-oPpSXwqRUygR8ZGD_ehplZdgWU40TeJ7XukAAkek0HQ7sFFKqeQn_qewSF6Pq7TeACLHp82Vd/s1600/13716015_10153970639528882_3875322780352500002_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6z1smV217Byn2eJNt7QSM0YiBaFV7_cCR8wNCeCmoUN5KQcwD7L5YwJeZnz8CCIJNB-oPpSXwqRUygR8ZGD_ehplZdgWU40TeJ7XukAAkek0HQ7sFFKqeQn_qewSF6Pq7TeACLHp82Vd/s320/13716015_10153970639528882_3875322780352500002_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>The next morning, we are up at 5am. It’s time to slip into the day’s paddling clothes and move the remainder of my gear (mostly fresh food and water for the morning) down to the boat. Also had some banana bread as a snack to hold me over until it was time to eat breakfast on the boat. By 6am we are ready to launch the boat. So we carry it the last little bit down to the ramp and get in line. This is where one of the tips from the group forum paid off. It was recommended we launch the boat by 6am to avoid the huge line that develops closer to the 7 A.M. start. We were able to launch by 6:07 A.M. So I had plenty of time to paddle over to the opposite bank, eat my breakfast and watch the madness ensue as everyone tries to crowd onto the ramp and get their boats launched. Also had some time to talk with a few veteran racers to learn about their plans for the race and checkout their gear setups.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnElmezWkek6zgkiGtwhuKHF10pNcKoap_x54L81-bf7YB3OCXddPqYhO-ljvNqVrWnngyzhf4lfdIOebDduC1sQSoLvr8y3ddqcugoTCwXsLUqsWvmNI8VjZjsUvquvaH_JDgqvdLA3M/s1600/13700062_10153970639868882_5662501559504727235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnElmezWkek6zgkiGtwhuKHF10pNcKoap_x54L81-bf7YB3OCXddPqYhO-ljvNqVrWnngyzhf4lfdIOebDduC1sQSoLvr8y3ddqcugoTCwXsLUqsWvmNI8VjZjsUvquvaH_JDgqvdLA3M/s320/13700062_10153970639868882_5662501559504727235_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>The cannon fires at 7 A.M. after a prayer and the national anthem, and we’re racing! I hang back a bit to let the crazy fast racers go. I have no hope of keeping up with them so why would I want to get in their way by being on the front line. It helps ease the congestion and allows me to position myself for the entry into the mighty Missouri River. The start of the race is actually on the Kansas River and just a few hundred feet to the Missouri River. This is important because the Missouri River moves much faster and when entering from a slower moving river, it can spin you right around. Not a good thing when there are 400 other boats around you all trying to do the same thing. Fortunately, everybody makes it through safe and sound. The safety boats again have nothing to do this year but watch and cheer.<br />
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I pass a standup paddle board (SUP) with three people onboard. Two of which are paddling and a third who is sitting in a lawn chair playing a banjo and singing. I can’t help but wonder to myself if I will see these guys again or if they will even make it. (Update: This was Shane Perrin (81) (the oldest racer in the MR340) and crew who are ultra-endurance standup paddlers who have already paddled the Mississippi end to end and done the Texas water safari. They finished this year’s MR340 in 81 hours. Impressive! Never underestimate jovial octogenarians.) I can’t help but wonder the same thing about myself either. The reality of it is, at this point I still have over three hundred and 339 miles to go. Yes! I will make it I tell myself. I’ve tasted the Missouri River in other races. I know what to expect. I know how to deal with barge wakes and capsizing. I know how the channel and its navigation beacons work. I know how wing dikes and bridge pilings work. I’ve trained repeatedly in the heat. I am prepared! Only time will tell if it’s enough.<br />
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The first CP is Lexington at river mile marker (MM) 317. The race started at MM 368. That’s a 51-mile paddle right off the cannon. If I paddle at my usual (for the Missouri) 6.5 mph, I should make Lexington by 3pm. Luckily, there’s a convenient boat ramp at Fort Osage to stop at right around lunch time. Not an official checkpoint, but a necessary stop to refuel water and pick up a nice fresh lunch of chicken gyros made by my wonderful wife. This was planned as a quick stop to swap my adventure pack for a fresh one which had all my water and fresh food supplies. I drink the last of my water from the previous pack, stuff trash in the pack, and get it off my back before I roll into the stop, aiming for the TeamBOR flag we made as a marker to help me spot her.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxDPpJXYS0lo-91j8D3yoLE1gcOQ2wo_JaXGApCP07zjeK0tXnwO_XunY-VO750ptgxKx2Q9xisBy0tJWcqlfqt0DlRlVNv7MQQMFDlDIUnbfCSSS5uz9qwYjLgbudof5iqtgh6Ys2KlQ/s1600/13707514_1182324835133138_580372942269712664_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxDPpJXYS0lo-91j8D3yoLE1gcOQ2wo_JaXGApCP07zjeK0tXnwO_XunY-VO750ptgxKx2Q9xisBy0tJWcqlfqt0DlRlVNv7MQQMFDlDIUnbfCSSS5uz9qwYjLgbudof5iqtgh6Ys2KlQ/s320/13707514_1182324835133138_580372942269712664_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><br />
As I come in, my wife steadies me. I toss her the spent pack and she tosses me the fresh one. She then pushes back out away from the boat ramp and yells good luck and I love you. Just like that I’m back out paddling only having lost a couple of minutes. I wish I could say all the stops will be like that.<br />
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We didn’t plan to stop at Lexington, but I decide to text my wife and let her know that I’ll stopping in about half an hour for some fresh cold water. I text her half an hour before each stop as a notice of when I expect to be there so she is ready for me. We swap packs, say a few encouraging words, rest for a moment, then back out on the water. A smiling, happy wife is a wonderful thing. It’s twenty-three miles to Waverly, the next official CP at MM 294. This was one of my mini goals. It was exciting to see the mile markers drop below 300. Still 265 miles to go though. I’m just paddling the river one mile at a time. One beautiful bend to the next.<br />
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There’s been a thunder storm brewing behind us on the river for the last hour or so. This is the first major test of my resolve and skill. We all begin to pick up the pace as the storm gets closer and closer. Then the wind picks up and the water starts to get choppy. The boats are getting hard to control and I consider pulling over to wait it out. I’m only two miles from Waverly so I decide to tough it out. So do the other boats around me as well. My legs are getting a great workout right now as they are constantly working the rudder to keep the boat pointed down river and the waves that keep crashing over the boat. Eventually, I make it to Waverly about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and without much from the storm but some wind and a show. GPS says I pushed it to a max speed of 8.1 mph. So I take a break at Waverly to stretch and decide to eat one of my delicious brats while I wait. Cue the rain. Fortunately, it’s not a down poor, but good thing I packed the rain coat. They warned us that getting soaked by the rain can cause you to go hypothermic after the storm abates because of the cooler temps that usually follow. I take off in the rain wearing the rain coat as my wife sarcastically asks me why I decided to do this race. I smile and stuff another bite of brat in my mouth and say I love you. The water is now calm enough again and she pushes me off. Before I get too far, I yell back to her and ask for a huge protein bar at Miami. She acknowledges and I paddle off for what seemed like an hour before the storm finally gives way to clear sunny skies.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9J6VSQqM8EKij7H1EgKHo86HZ0W4TrXs4y5iBDocUmaEM4hmAprAVpQpWWLWwkq40T-aKav-raWHKI4o50gJ6yQA_idI0pj02rAxB_hyzhz0qqqKkfEU5I03QLlCBP652AlmB00Do1VTo/s1600/13775807_10153970646018882_7174699282899435945_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9J6VSQqM8EKij7H1EgKHo86HZ0W4TrXs4y5iBDocUmaEM4hmAprAVpQpWWLWwkq40T-aKav-raWHKI4o50gJ6yQA_idI0pj02rAxB_hyzhz0qqqKkfEU5I03QLlCBP652AlmB00Do1VTo/s320/13775807_10153970646018882_7174699282899435945_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Then mother nature decides to show us the most beautiful and complete rainbow I’ve ever seen. I enjoy it for a moment while I remove the rain coat and stow it for later. Several paddlers pull out their cameras and snap shots. One more stop to go for the day, but it will be midnight before i get there.<br />
The evening is nice and cool compared to the day, now that the sun is setting. I see Hill’s Island and its nice warm inviting fire coming into view. There are a few boats there pulled up on the sand. It’s not an official checkpoint, but they always send a safety boat there to start a fire to let weary paddlers rest or spend the night in the quiet dark away from trains, cars with alarms, and other noises of life. For a moment, I consider staying the night because it does look really inviting considering just how tired I am. I ultimately decide to press on into the dark of night. For the next two hours I find myself wishing I had stayed back at Hill’s Island and cursing myself for not staying and the absent full moon. They told us there would be a full moon each night. Where the hell is it? Then, around ten o’clock it finally shows itself and I greet it with wonderful relief. I have failed to keep up with the other night paddlers ahead of me and all I see are their dim navigation lights in the distance. So seeing the moon is like having a companion for the night’s travels. It doesn’t talk back, but stares at you and helps you find your way.<br />
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I can now see the beacons and mile markers on the north bank and know that I have gone almost one hundred miles. No barges or dredges tonight, just some startled channel catfish. I wonder just how big a fish needs to be in order to push my boat around and force me to make a course correction. I can finally see the blinking blue beacon that signifies my stop for the night. Miami is in site! So I text my wife to let her know I’ll be in around 12:15 A.M. Thank you Monster Energy for keeping me awake. I pull into Miami where my smiling wife and a handful of volunteers eagerly await my arrival. It’s a wonderful thing to have volunteers to help you out of your boat and haul it up to a waiting area for you. My wife helps me out of my PFD and backpack and shuts off my navigation lights. I change out of my wet clothes, eat the protein bar I requested, and use the bathroom. Thankfully all the plumbing is working correctly after 17 hours of sitting in a kayak. The race directors warned us that if we didn’t go like we normally do, that something is wrong and we probably wouldn’t make it to the finish line. Off to sleep then.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV46GX6PYJV8zJbbwEg4bxYilggV8jQRm_Ayj4YTSDgM2WPKRWibwu_HRg-PpEKR-Su1S22nE3O54gRcejwKLMGOzArF_ZuRfHCCXSJdGQPzzPqcKYrQW6cGMI2Bv3BLAoGeBjgA30cU-/s1600/13690648_10153970640358882_1382259259624664624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV46GX6PYJV8zJbbwEg4bxYilggV8jQRm_Ayj4YTSDgM2WPKRWibwu_HRg-PpEKR-Su1S22nE3O54gRcejwKLMGOzArF_ZuRfHCCXSJdGQPzzPqcKYrQW6cGMI2Bv3BLAoGeBjgA30cU-/s320/13690648_10153970640358882_1382259259624664624_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
The plan is to sleep for the next four hours. Despite being incredibly tired, sleep doesn’t come that easy. Miami is a noisy checkpoint. There are people scurrying everywhere. Volunteers and boy scouts serving food. Vehicles are coming and going, RVs and generators running all night. The port-a-loo is metal with a metal door that goes CLANG every time someone uses it. I’m also laying across the back seat of our SUV. So, even with ear plugs to drown out the noise, it’s still hot and I’m uncomfortable. At some point, we move to a quieter place away from most of the noise, but my sleep still isn’t great. I’m awake just before the 4 A.M. alarm goes off. I tell my wife it’s time to get ready and get back in the boat. No procrastinating here! We both swing back into action and I’m ready to go with fresh supplies and back on the water by 4:45 A.M. I think I was back on the water earlier but that was my official checkout time.<br />
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The early morning paddle is calm, serene, and refreshing. This is my new favorite time to paddle. I see barges tied up on the north shore just as the morning sun begins to light the sky. The race directors warned us about these, because there are at least five of them. “Always give barges, even parked ones, a wide berth” they say. It’s only an hour now to my first stop of the day at Dalton Bottoms. Next year I may try to make it here the first night even though it’s another twenty-three miles. It’s a great stop with plenty of amenities and it’s quiet. I arrive as planed at right around 8am. My wife is ready with a smile my breakfast and fresh supplies. It’s a quick stop and back on the river. Breakfast is a delicious surprise of two sausage egg and cheese biscuits from McDonald’s. She had bought them and wrapped them in aluminum foil to keep them warm. These are always a morale booster for me. A perfect way to start off the morning! One of my side goals for today is to keep my feet dry. Yesterday they were soaked and took forever to dry out overnight. Let’s see how long I can keep them that way.<br />
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The next stop is Glasgow at MM226, only 13 miles downriver. I’m now under two hundred miles to go! Next is Franklin Island after another 30 miles. Not much to report as it’s pretty much the same as the first day. I also get to paddle with some TeamBOR friends for a while in the afternoon. Chuck Voshen and his wife in a composite canoe are there to keep me company. They are doing great. We see more of a safety boat today as we pass by a dangerous area the RDs told us to avoid. Last year a paddler lost his boat trying to take a short cut behind Franklin Island. He was unhurt, fortunately, but his race was over and his boat never found. Franklin Island is only a little further even though it isn’t an official checkpoint but at MM196 it’s a good place to refuel for the next CP at Katfish Katy’s at MM180. Katfish Katy’s restaurant is closed this year, but the new owners allowed us to use the space as a race checkpoint. This has been a checkpoint since the very first year of the MR340.<br />
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This is where it starts to get interesting on the second day. I will pass the first active dredge I’ve seen on the river in just a couple of hours. They warned me about this as I left Katfish Katy’s. It’s not the dredge that worries me. It’s the barges actively moving between the stationary dredge and the shore line. My heart begins to race as I begin to hear the incredible noise it generates long before I even see it. It’s probably another 20 minutes to half an hour before it comes into view, and realize that I’m still almost an hour away. It’s still too far away to even tell if there’s a barge parked there or not. The river is very straight through this stretch. I’m continually watching the other boats in front of me to see what they are doing. I also check behind me frequently for a barge coming to drop an empty container. As I get closer I realize that it is actively filling a container already and there’s a barge docked. So I’m trying to estimate in my head just how full it might be and when that barge is planning on departing. I look down at my watch and notice that it’s a little after 5 P.M. and I’m wondering why the barge is still operating. We were told that they cease operations at 5pm. They must be finishing this load before quitting for the day. The noise is quite loud, even from the far side of the river. I’m almost on top of the dredge now and watching intently for signs that the barge is ready to depart. The container looks like it’s almost at the water line. It’s got to be full. I’m expecting it to start moving any moment.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CCPDJiIiEOd_9Wn5IiCt_vNYFBXpAYXim41I6QVGJGFJ3lyi6t3uTSxeZw6p8pHh7wTJF1Oi3ioCh45m27Gw1EshrVJNU9BfUhnKYAVHbYfRkDoA5nk3kviQOGkhBeDxTCxGmnM3Xgj/s1600/13770420_10153970646083882_6542506172404223818_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CCPDJiIiEOd_9Wn5IiCt_vNYFBXpAYXim41I6QVGJGFJ3lyi6t3uTSxeZw6p8pHh7wTJF1Oi3ioCh45m27Gw1EshrVJNU9BfUhnKYAVHbYfRkDoA5nk3kviQOGkhBeDxTCxGmnM3Xgj/s320/13770420_10153970646083882_6542506172404223818_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Fortunately, the barge never moves. I breathe a sigh of relief as I pass out of earshot of the dredge and I think I’m home free. However, around the next bend I see the barge that is headed up river to meet that dredge. I’m already calmed back down from the dredge encounter and I remember to turn around and check the last navigation beacon I just past. It’s solid red, which tells me that the channel is staying on the left side of the river. I’ve still got about half an hour before I intercept it, so I casually make my way to the opposite side of the river because I still want to take advantage of the channel for as long as I can. I finally reach the barge as I reach the far shore. There are no wing dikes to hide behind so I pick up a little speed and head for the point a few hundred feet behind where the barge is now and angle my kayak perpendicular to his wake. We exchange waves as we pass and I’m not worried because he doesn’t seem to be pushing very hard. His wake isn’t bad at all and soon I’m back to paddling down a calm river and enjoying the view of the cliff faces in the setting sun behind me.<br />
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My next stop is Cooper’s Landing at MM 170 and its almost dark. I pick up my night paddling supplies, get my navigation lights turned on, and my supplies sorted. We’ve also been told the race directors have an agreement with the barge operators to cease operations after dark during the race. Very nice of them to arrange this and one less thing for us to worry about while night paddling. I hear another paddler pull in and shout “Where’s the Thai food!” Cooper’s Landing has a restaurant that serves delicious Thai food but I have elected to avoid this because I already know what effect Thai food has on my system so I push off and say my good byes to my wife. She doesn’t even get half way up the ramp before I come back in. My rudder is stuck on the deck because the rope that allows me to drop it has come untied. I have her drop it and stow the rope on deck. We’ll fix it at Jeff City when I pull in for the night. I also plug in my power bank and charge my phone while I still have a little light left. I seem to be able to get about 18 hours of battery life. It’s a good thing I packed power banks that my wife has been keeping charged for me.<br />
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It’s now dark and I can see the faint glow of the navigation lights of two boats in front of me. Someone on the north shore is having some fun lighting fireworks as we pass. So I take the time to enjoy it as I put on some bug spray because the mosquitos seem to be bad this evening. I miss and accidentally spray myself in the face. I know… it’s harder than you might think, in the dark, to see where a spray nozzle is pointed. Lots of water spit into the river and I find my spare gloves and wipe it off after realizing that everything else is already covered in bug spray. I think I’ll look for some bug spray wipes for next year. After the bug spray episode, I start hearing high pitched sound pulses around me and I realize that I’m surrounded by bats who are devouring the bugs on the river. I manage to catch a few in my spot light. They are quick and their little ultrasonic echoes are kind of cool when you can hear them. I don’t need any bug spray after that.<br />
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My listening to the bats is interrupted by a gaggle of geese having a rave party somewhere on the north shore. I shine my light in their direction but never spot them as they go quiet at my light. Maybe the bug spray and monster energy is making me hallucinate because I also spot the bright lights of a barge headed towards me a long way up river. A few paddlers pull up next to me and we talk about the barge so I’m hopeful that I’m not hallucinating because they see it too. Nothing on the geese though. We watch the navigation lights of a boat closer to the barge and note that they pass to the left of the barge because we didn’t lose their navigation lights during their transit of the barge. Closer and closer we get and I start to hear the rumble of the barge’s engines. My nerves are on edge as I start to pass it but then I realize that its actually anchored to the south shore and the hum is just its generators keeping its beacons shining bright.<br />
<br />
Faster paddlers continue to pass me all night long but we exchange quick conversations as they pass and the moon is now back to keep me company. Cloud cover had obscured it for about an hour during my barge transit. Hours seem to pass as I haven’t seen anyone in a while and my only company is a large fish that has come to investigate me and my little kayak. I must have startled it when it bolted off with a huge swirl of water that rocks my boat. I wonder for a moment just how big that fish would have to be in order to push me off course like that. Maybe I’m hallucinating again, but I don’t have time to think about that now as I see another set of bright lights up ahead. Is it my CP for the night, Jeff City! No, it’s not blinking blue and it’s only eleven pm as I check my watch. I have at least another hour to go. It’s a parked dredge and I’m already much closer to it than I thought because its beacon lights are not very bright compared to the barge I just past. Nothing to worry about, just steer clear of it. There’s plenty of river. I prefer passing dredges at night anyway. There’s no active barge traffic lumbering about on the river. Even if it wasn’t very well lit, the very prevalent sound of rushing water is a good indicator of something breaking the surface of the water nearby. Perfect time to turn my headlamp on and scan the water to see what it is. Most of the time it’s just some rocks or trees near the edge. A couple of times it was a buoy marking the inside edge of the channel.<br />
Its eleven thirty and my monster energy drink is gone. Don’t worry I tell myself. I planned it that way so I could sleep at the next stop which is only about forty-five minutes away according to my GPS. The moon is bright overhead which is useful because something curious is going on up ahead. There are two boats floating crossways in the river frantically shining their lamps around. I turn mine on too out of curiosity because I don’t see anything. Just then I spot a dark, black, rectangular object sitting over the water not rocking like the other boats I see. What is it I wonder. It’s not moving nor does it have any navigation lights, it’s just there quiet like a stone. So I shine my massively bright head lamp in its direction but still only see a dark black, ominous rectangle. Just then it starts moving, but its moving so incredibly fast I can’t even move my head fast enough to follow it with my headlamp. It’s not bouncing around like you would think a boat would move on the water. Its movement is smooth and uninterrupted and it’s also not making any noise that I can discern. Even as it passes on the other side of the river, it’s dark, quiet and more importantly there’s no wake. What is it, I wonder. Did I just see a UFO! Or maybe some top secret military vehicle! Am I hallucinating?<br />
<br />
Another boat pulls up alongside me. It’s a two person racing canoe. “Did you see that black object moving super-fast across the water” they ask me! “Yes, well I guess I’m not hallucinating if you guys saw it to,” I reply. They also thought they were hallucinating. Relieved, but also a little bit disappointed, we paddle on spurred by a glimpse of the blinking blue beacon that signifies our CP at Jeff City. However, it disappears again and again taunting us as we go around the next couple of bends in the river. The Jeff City bridge has also come into view, along with an active barge moving just under the bridge. It’s nice to know that not all the barges stop for the night. Fortunately, the CP is on the opposite side of the river. I move to the other side of the river and text my wife to let her know I’m half an hour out. She doesn’t reply like normal because she has prepared a bed in the back of our SUV for me to sleep on and has fallen asleep testing it out. Thankfully she has set an alarm based on my planned arrival on her que sheet. By the time I’m on the shore at MM 144 and out of the bathroom, she’s there to greet me and help me to the car.<br />
<br />
I strip down and change clothes to dry out. This is when we discover that I have a nasty heat rash on my back. My wife snaps a photo to show me what it looks like then sends the picture for analysis to my teammates watching my progress. While she heads back to the boat for my first aid cream, they confirm its heat rash and nothing major to worry about. Also, it doesn’t hurt at all. It only itches a little. I’m already asleep by the time she gets back and only vaguely aware of her rubbing it on the rash.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjueTnaeL6fpK8OKVxmaV6FZPp3JM4Gd4mimwHoRvJIr7p1Zqy2CT_llaJSXXVYDmYubzy3RlImj1rM3K0ziKfvLnNRFAZwwziPuqujeAs39QJVn-oeFJN3qPrNKyjqHMTH9KbTKHRcjq/s1600/13781888_10153970646008882_6193174220242283869_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjueTnaeL6fpK8OKVxmaV6FZPp3JM4Gd4mimwHoRvJIr7p1Zqy2CT_llaJSXXVYDmYubzy3RlImj1rM3K0ziKfvLnNRFAZwwziPuqujeAs39QJVn-oeFJN3qPrNKyjqHMTH9KbTKHRcjq/s320/13781888_10153970646008882_6193174220242283869_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>I decide to sleep in a little longer and wake up around 5:00 A.M. well rested and ready to go. Apparently I slept very well. So well in fact, that when I was walking back to my boat, I asked about the fire truck sitting there with its lights flashing. Apparently, while I was snoring rather loudly, they got a report of a capsized canoe that wasn’t so lucky with the same barge that I passed right as I was pulling into Jeff City. She lost control of her canoe in the barge wake and capsized. However, another kayaker saw it happen then lost sight of her after the barge passed. Fearing the worst, they call the safety boats and the Jeff City fire department was there almost immediately with their boats and massive search lights. They quickly located her on a nearby sand bar where she had decided to stay the night and dry out. I slept through this entire event and got some really good sleep. I must have been really tired.<br />
<br />
I eat a quick bite of banana nut bread from my wife’s food stash as we’re getting ready to paddle again. I skip the morning monster energy and don’t need the navigation lights as its almost light already. I’m about two hours off schedule so I take my breakfast along instead of picking it up at the next CP in four hours at Chamois MM 118. My wife also expertly adjusts my food plan to account for being off schedule. We had discussed what to do in this eventuality (plan B).<br />
The paddle to Chamois is again a calm and serene morning paddle marked only by passing of some sort of processing plant along the river around MM 130. A gentleman is waving us away from it with a glowing red flashlight and warning us to steer clear of the parked barges there. Thank you for your watchful care whoever you are. The whole morning paddle to Chamois is uneventful with the exception of the bright morning sun! We are paddling due east all morning long and the sun is directly in my face and the glare from the river is almost unbearable. I paddle along the shore line on the channel side as much as possible to cut down on the glare. However, it can’t be avoided when the channel decides to change sides and cross the river. “Why did the channel cross the river?” I ask myself and some nearby paddlers is a composite canoe. “To get to the other side”, I laughingly say. They chuckle a bit to, but it’s a sad laugh as the sun is still beaming us brightly in the face and it’s starting to get hot out. The heat hasn’t been a problem for me so far, but today looks to be different because the heat has come much earlier than yesterday.<br />
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Chamois isn’t an official CP, but it breaks up the long seven-hour paddle from Jeff City to Hermann, which is now only about three hours away. I’m grateful for the ice water my wife has put in my pack and all the chilled snacks. They help me deal with the heat. I also rejoice a little as I’m now less than one hundred miles from the finish. My friends in the composite canoe stopped for a swim and some shade at Chamois. My stop was a quick refill of supplies and back out on the river. The blueberry pancake bites my wife had planned to make for me are replace by some delicious blueberry muffins with some fried bacon and hard boiled eggs. My wife has also anticipated the heat and packed me with two extra bottles of Gatorade.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKe-zHj8qK4lhd1ccJ2bSjCL5X3xQPt9zIGVoWuSodhOnaj1qYlI36fGhFqwmlZYS7S_ccpquyVQLK1FuQ2cjs1vs7rVu8MKqW-5BrzW7Z-Jo-xmrep-hoQ9YTRb224MVmLyhQxg06xi6/s1600/13697122_10153971150718882_7464731126698207219_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKe-zHj8qK4lhd1ccJ2bSjCL5X3xQPt9zIGVoWuSodhOnaj1qYlI36fGhFqwmlZYS7S_ccpquyVQLK1FuQ2cjs1vs7rVu8MKqW-5BrzW7Z-Jo-xmrep-hoQ9YTRb224MVmLyhQxg06xi6/s320/13697122_10153971150718882_7464731126698207219_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Gatorade wasn’t a big part of my plan, but it will be next year. However, all the sugary sweet stuff is starting to wear on my throat and I can’t drink anymore Gatorade. Maybe I’ll try some sugar free stuff before next year’s race. A hot tip from one of the veterans I spoke with during one of the early prerace discussion forums was to bring along a tooth brush and tooth paste. Brushing your teeth regularly will help reset your tolerance for sweet stuff. The minty freshness of the tooth paste does help and I’m able to make it through the rest of my Gatorade without incident and maintain my hydration and electrolytes. My urine is still the appropriate color so I know I’m not in trouble. Despite my good hydration and the first aid cream on my back, the heat is really starting to get to me. I open my sunscreen stick only to find that it has melted from its normally viscous solid state and is oozing all over. Fortunately, it still works and when I’m done I stick it in my cooler box on the deck which I hope helps to solidify it for next time.<br />
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I also have some good conversation with the frantic paddlers that saw the ominous black object last night on the river. They tell me that they were the ones very near to the object. They also claim to have narrowly avoided a picnic table floating in the water that night. They claimed it was a john boat with two occupants, no navigation lights and a big, but quiet motor. We decide they must have been doing something illegal and the presence of several paddlers on the river must have spooked them, but I still like my description better.<br />
<br />
I finally get into Hermann at MM 98 and my wife restocks my supplies while I take a much needed bath in the river to cool off. I’m not the only one either. I spend about 10 minutes just sitting in the water next to the ramp. I also learn that lots of people are calling it and quitting the race during this hot stretch. I’m now about two hours behind schedule and feel like my strength is failing me and for a moment I consider this fate as well. However, my wonderful wife is there with an army of volunteers to pick me up and smile at me and tell me just how good I’m doing. I know I look terrible and that her smile is probably hiding some immense worry for me in my current state, but her encouragement and beautiful smile is enough for me. I tell myself I can do this and I’m more determined than ever to make it to the next stop in Washington. So I push off and continue on. My wife has also offered me an alternative to think about as I paddle on to Washington. She suggests I take a break at Washington and get a shower and sleep at her mom’s house nearby. Deep down, I think she knows that I won’t take this option. It’s only much later when I reach Washington, that I learn just how much her smile was really hiding.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr79jpoNTS76owtzZS7z8KBdlCfSUAOwsO8YkkwVk5ZRGNZ1djn9oDjay-6ufJvOIpEvu6nmgfUYxbvrHAFJIL4IQDIvP8fN6SRhYHWxda30Gt7E0SGpm2Ym3IFgpfvhnnslhqH92l-Rl/s1600/13775478_10153971098583882_2208306390424781158_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr79jpoNTS76owtzZS7z8KBdlCfSUAOwsO8YkkwVk5ZRGNZ1djn9oDjay-6ufJvOIpEvu6nmgfUYxbvrHAFJIL4IQDIvP8fN6SRhYHWxda30Gt7E0SGpm2Ym3IFgpfvhnnslhqH92l-Rl/s320/13775478_10153971098583882_2208306390424781158_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
The temperature is slowly starting to drop and while it’s still hot there’s a light but much needed breeze. I also have found a couple of nice paddling companions. An older gentleman from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in a hand built traditional style Nunavut canoe that he built in a community college class back home. I want to take that class! We exchange conversation about boat building and I get to talk about my strip built kayak project that’s still in work. I also get to paddle with two friends from Kansas City in an old vintage aluminum canoe outfitted with a custom built rudder. These two are quite brave and awesome at the same time. One is an ex-marine who never backs down from a challenge. The other is an eagle scout who was just as prepared for this adventure as I am. Their boat numbered 1369 (use your imagination for what that means, hint: separate the first and last two digits then apply some meaning to those two double digit numbers) is aptly named “Boaty McBoat Face” because they wanted the record to show that “Boaty McBoat Face” completed the MR340 unsupported. They are mountain bikers and hockey players who’ve carried two beers with them for the entire journey for toasting at the finish line. They flag down a safety boat on the way to Washington. They ask if everything is alright and if they need some water. However, they are only interested in some ice to keep their toasting beer cold. I will spend the remainder of my adventure paddling with and getting to know them. The conversation makes the time pass more quickly and we are no longer focused on the heat, which has now dropped considerably into the mid-90s and is cooling off quite nicely.<br />
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Another barge has appeared down river and the four of us discuss what to do about it. No one seems to know what to do. So I quickly look behind me and spot the last channel marker. It has a red checkered pattern, so I look where it’s pointing across the river on the right side and spot a green checkered channel marker right where it should be. I explain to the others where the channel is and where the barge will be right where we are in about fifteen minutes. We decide to make our way off channel to the right and continue paddling in the slack water. We also give ourselves room to negotiate the barge’s wake. The Canadian in the hand built canoe is much lighter and far more maneuverable so he has no trouble with the wake. My friends in the aluminum canoe are far heavier and seem to cut right through the waves. My foot operated rudder makes it easy to steer into the wake, but the nose of my boat is far pointier so my boat dives right through the waves and water continually crashes over the deck. Just another barge on the river at this point, no big deal.<br />
We can tell we are getting close to Washington at MM 68 as we can now see the top of the Washington hospital. However, we are starting to encounter more frequent boaters out of Washington who have no regard for paddlers and whom fly right past us at full throttle. Some produce wakes much worse than any barge that we’ve yet encountered. Then comes the barge right as we’re approaching Washington, and there’s no time to get over to the enormous sound they’ve created for people to play in a calm water area. Since we’ve learned how to expertly negotiate barge wake, these boats are no problem. The only issue is that they come at you with such speed that you don’t have the time to react like you would with a barge. I text my wife but still have no signal, the water is very choppy and only the Canadian and I pull in for resupply.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYqXOOCtZzDvzDiXInfY2ev0V8gyQQpq0i94R-rVKtF0Nj9lyEwAup-yv3-REXcBZFYPqdM7V8EmPOR_JKqgjAnLQqCOBBsbmHmv0xVRUq8k9ccVYPDkHaMAQwEOQ95RGmUjG4imvOI_o/s1600/13692548_10153971150703882_3712079489960368874_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYqXOOCtZzDvzDiXInfY2ev0V8gyQQpq0i94R-rVKtF0Nj9lyEwAup-yv3-REXcBZFYPqdM7V8EmPOR_JKqgjAnLQqCOBBsbmHmv0xVRUq8k9ccVYPDkHaMAQwEOQ95RGmUjG4imvOI_o/s320/13692548_10153971150703882_3712079489960368874_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Washington isn’t an official CP this year but it’s a good place to resupply between Hermann and the next CP at Klondike Park. My mother-in-law and daughter are also there waiting with my wife to welcome me into Washington. My wife looks very much relieved that I’m in better spirits now and I find out that she was supper worried about me and cried most of the way to her mom’s house nearby. Thankfully they are there to help cheer her up and made me some mini pizzas for dinner. I also reboot my phone and my signal comes back. I have a bunch of texts from my wife. If only I had a signal, I could have reassured her. Maybe… I remember she has had less sleep than I have. All appears to be well now. Except for two stupid guys on jet skis that are making waves right near the boat ramp. The water is already choppy and these guys are just making it worse. After a quick scolding by my wife, they scurry off up river to play somewhere else. Way to go honey! As I prepare to get back in the boat after a resupply and I hear my mother-in-law say “I told you he wouldn’t take it. He’s going to finish this thing!” My Canadian friend has wandered off the ramp up into town to look for his crew. I don’t see him again for the rest of the race.<br />
<br />
After a quick good luck, a hug and a kiss from my wife, daughter, and mother-in-law, I’m back in the boat and angling to catch my friends in Boaty McBoat Face. They aren’t far off and I catch them in less than half an hour. I have less than fifty miles to go! I also attempt to eat the mini pizzas my wife made for me, but I can’t seem to eat them. They aren’t tasting very good going down but force one down anyway because I know I need the calories. I’m also aware that I’ve not been eating enough of my snacks this afternoon and I try to eat something else. Did I mention how much I love brownies and cookies. I also have a root beer with dinner that hits the spot.<br />
<br />
I finally catch them and ask if they can turn on my navigation lights. I didn’t notice my wife turning them on at Washington because they tell me they are already on. I also learn that their front red and green light is broken so I stick close to help make them more visible. The time passes quickly and before we know it, its 9:00 P.M. and we’re at the next CP at Klondike MM 56. I also get a call from my parents who thought I was finished because the Raceowl app that I’ve been tracking with hasn’t been able to update my position since I lost signal.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFqdwfec3X8W4bMmxsOHhM7ooXjIhmxYzKrSKnyBAbkkH5L7unu8AlbbBicQhTZHojsFk5LM6hSXEvkO7tp3ZjSyyoE77G8IIy1Qa1lG9upuGWFQeJ4d5877hWYCtFKjiiHs3qw-SpPon/s1600/13718734_10153970639383882_5884049415274081779_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFqdwfec3X8W4bMmxsOHhM7ooXjIhmxYzKrSKnyBAbkkH5L7unu8AlbbBicQhTZHojsFk5LM6hSXEvkO7tp3ZjSyyoE77G8IIy1Qa1lG9upuGWFQeJ4d5877hWYCtFKjiiHs3qw-SpPon/s320/13718734_10153970639383882_5884049415274081779_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
It’s the final stretch and we leave Klondike Park around 9:15 P.M. with another group of paddlers (four boats in all) ready to finish this race. My wife shares my extra monster energy drinks with them and they are very envious of my support crew and tell her how wonderful she is for helping others out. We start to talk with the two other boats and get to know them a little bit. The plan was to stick together and finish in a group, but these two other boats are clearly faster than us and they soon pull away without noticing us slip back and are only dim specs of light in the distance. Boaty McBoat Face and I stick together after having repaired their front navigation light, they are good company.<br />
The miles are ticking away slowly but we know we’re getting close. We hear helicopters coming and going from a nearby hospital which we can’t quite see. We have a hard time finding the channel because the navigation beacons aren’t showing themselves very well. Even though we use our headlamps to scan the shore, we can’t seem to locate them. We elect to stay in the middle of the river and just listen for rushing water. We pass under the first of three bridges and another paddler catches us on the other side of the river. So we head that direction thinking we might be on the wrong side of the river for the channel. It was a good thing too, as we hear the sound of rushing water ahead of us. We turn on our headlamps and begin scanning the water in front of us. It doesn’t take us long to realize we are about 30 feet from the most enormous wing dike we’ve ever seen! It’s just this huge boat crushing wall of rock! We make a hard left turn and start paddling with all we’ve got left. We’re yelling and carrying on making a bunch of racket as we keep an eye on that ever looming gigantic wing dike. The other paddler who just past us slowed down, I guess watching us and wondering what was going on. It seemed like this wing dike went on forever. We we’re paddling as hard as we could and finally passed the end of the wing dike, adrenaline coursing through every vein in our bodies.<br />
It was 1 A.M. Friday morning and we were now resting and laughing as we conceded that the wing dike may have simply been a ripple in the water and maybe we just hallucinated the whole thing. We couldn’t take that chance though; the risk was too great. We paddle on as we see the second of the three bridges and soon a casino. It’s on the wrong side of the river so it’s not our final destination. <br />
<br />
We are all really ready for this adventure to end. It’s been a long voyage and we’ve had a great time. Let’s get out of these stupid boats before we fall out and take a nap with fishes. The miles are creeping by and a text from my wife lets me know that we’re behind schedule and I estimate back to her that I think we’ve got about 45 minutes to go. This will put in around 2 A.M. Friday morning.<br />
We’re completely exhausted but we keep paddling as the Ameristar casino and the final bridge at the finish line slowly come into view. I text my wife excitedly, we’ll be in right around 2 A.M. just as I estimated. We see that final blinking blue beacon and know that our journey is finally about to come to a close. We’re too tired and exhausted to be saddened by this. Finally, we’re at the shore line but there’s no dock, just some wood buried in the mud and several amazing volunteers, my wife is there excited to see me, and Dave Beattie, one of my TeamBOR teammates, has come to support me (literally). I can’t stand on my own at this point, but the volunteers know and expect this. One steadies my boat and two other literally pick me up out of my boat and let me rest on the back so I can swing my weary legs out into the water. They haul me up onto the dock as still more volunteers come down the bank to haul my boat up to the waiting area.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zUTAr6jkC7YuQxcfunvIgZKiNayEY8NH2lhyKcC8AdpIXqZ2sqemCMF14MN2YA6VPZ5qdf_VhyphenhyphenTPzspUyHfQ6dsL6Foaux_XwhAA-yvWK-7g6mcdId4CI4ZNZou2NhP0AFTFDz15NDDW/s1600/received_191859951279409.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zUTAr6jkC7YuQxcfunvIgZKiNayEY8NH2lhyKcC8AdpIXqZ2sqemCMF14MN2YA6VPZ5qdf_VhyphenhyphenTPzspUyHfQ6dsL6Foaux_XwhAA-yvWK-7g6mcdId4CI4ZNZou2NhP0AFTFDz15NDDW/s320/received_191859951279409.jpeg" width="240" /></a> still can’t stand on my own. So my wife under one arm and Dave under the other slowly help up the steep bank. They let me walk the last few steps to the finish line marker where I’ll get my photo taken by yet another wonderful volunteer. I’m so tired that I forget about my post-race beer plans. I say good bye to my new friends in Boaty McBoat Face as one’s family has shown up to pick him up. The other’s family won’t be there until morning as she is seven months pregnant and doesn’t like night driving. I shake his hand as its time for me to load up and go home to rest. My wife brings the car closer so we can load the kayak and Dave helps me get it onto the kayak cart I made for portaging. Thankfully Dave is there for one last request and helps get the boat up on top of my SUV then he heads out after a very grateful hug from me for his support. I know he has to be to work in about six hours. We get the boat tied down and depart for home.<br />
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I vaguely remember eating some QT taquitos with my wet feet hanging out the window and a few stops as my wife needs to rest because she has had even less sleep than I’ve had. We finally make it home to my mother-in-law’s and decide to leave everything in the car and just go inside, somehow manage showers (more likely just standing under the warm water believing to myself that I have somehow managed enough strength to wash) and then off to sleep. We wake up having slept through most of Friday and realize that it’s already 4 P.M. Just enough time to eat something and head back to Frontier Park for the awards ceremony.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpANT_eHt9xYZ4iifvVQ0tCKu5vk1eWGnMwlbG7UVm60mvbJERUCB23aw_FGVoYFAeFJVNg4OUOKh8P0WLAX6VhGFYo6LLdIw9Owaxb38O9uQD5mxPWK948E8JYzP5m98DIaP9fp5k5Cqe/s1600/received_191859961279408.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpANT_eHt9xYZ4iifvVQ0tCKu5vk1eWGnMwlbG7UVm60mvbJERUCB23aw_FGVoYFAeFJVNg4OUOKh8P0WLAX6VhGFYo6LLdIw9Owaxb38O9uQD5mxPWK948E8JYzP5m98DIaP9fp5k5Cqe/s320/received_191859961279408.jpeg" width="320" /></a>The race was won this year by a group of 12 women in a very large dragon boat in 48 hours. They even tipped over once. Everyone cheers for them and all the finishers as they are announced one by one. However, no one gets more cheers and certainly no one deserves more cheers than the 120 volunteers and the countless support crews that made this race possible. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart to all those who helped. I also need to thank my wife for being such a wonderful and amazing support crew. Without your watchful care, I’m sure I would have failed. For, even when my strength failed me, you were there to pick me up and tell me what I needed to hear (hard as it was) to keep me going. We finished this race together, one journey on land and one in the river, but still together. My only job was to keep paddling, you did everything else. My journey may have been 340 miles of river, but yours was double that through many dirt and gravel roads lost to all but time in the middle of nowhere often in the dark. I think you deserved that medal just as much as me.<br />
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The medals carry a heavy weight to them as they are harder earned than most save for Olympic medals. I wear it with pride and a smile on my face.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-hEhvJEsvyigl4RN8_MzAGl9c7xj5_ZJkbAIFlT95A08roaZ0iNWwhV_PeD6mh93S0HVx4lcC-B-uc28-Z4G9cAXmWMjRF5FfFKiaA8EcVGfRAn775GZ1sIARWy-4Kb16e6UehyphenhyphenBY9wS/s1600/13754389_1185745884791033_8650950678903075100_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-hEhvJEsvyigl4RN8_MzAGl9c7xj5_ZJkbAIFlT95A08roaZ0iNWwhV_PeD6mh93S0HVx4lcC-B-uc28-Z4G9cAXmWMjRF5FfFKiaA8EcVGfRAn775GZ1sIARWy-4Kb16e6UehyphenhyphenBY9wS/s320/13754389_1185745884791033_8650950678903075100_n.jpg" width="175" /></a> I finish 340 miles in 67 hours. I’m 54th in the solo kayak division and 115th overall, but my goal was simply to finish. For that I am happy. One final note, when I cleaned up the boat my boat numbers peeled right off. I think that was the boat’s way of telling me no more. So I thank it one last time as I send it back to its owner and thank Neil Dickhaus one more time for allowing me to use his 14-foot Venture Islay kayak. I plan to get mine done for next year’s race because we’ve already decided that we’ll be back for 2017 MR340!<br />
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<br />TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-25819780326199968702016-12-08T12:24:00.003-06:002020-10-18T12:15:11.298-05:002016 Castlewood 8 by Reanna PearsonCastlewood 8 from a true rookie.<br />
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In August of this year I laughed at the idea of doing the Castlewood 8 adventure race. <br />
That Friday night our friends Robert and Cassie Bart had met us for dinner. After some delicious queso and great conversation, I found myself agreeing to a fourth margarita and to sign up for this year’s Castlewood 8. Even in my tequila haze, I wasn’t sure I would be able to follow through. The last two years Kevin has encouraged me to sign up but there’s always been late nights at the animal hospital, exams to study for, or kennel duties that got in the way. I hadn’t ridden a bike in over 2 years and my main source of exercise was walking the dog. There was one thing that motivated me the most to join the race - I was sick of listening to Kevin’s AR stories. Don’t get me wrong, Kevin is a great story teller. His ability to spin a tale is one of the many things I love about him. What bothered me was I wanted to be there with him to share these experiences instead of listening to them after the fact. That night, after closing down the restaurant, we parted ways with the Barts and Kevin and I walked home. I asked him, “Do you think I could really do the Castlewood 8?” Without any hesitation he said, “Absolutely, but you have to start training.” The next day, though, I opted for an ibuprofen and bloody Mary instead of a morning jog.<br />
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Nevertheless that night did plant a seed in my head. What would happen if I did commit to this? I had three main fears. Fear number one: I would embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people. Fear number two: I would have to hike-a-bike the whole mountain biking section. Fear number three: Kevin would realize I’m a lost cause and never race with me again. After a large amount of internal debating I finally put on my big girl panties and decided to go for it. One evening in September I told Kevin to sign us up for Castlewood 8, because the only way I was doing it was with him as my teammate.<br />
I’m a true AR rookie. I have the physical abilities of a newborn calf. Once I decided to go for it I started a jogging routine. Kevin and I kayaked a few times. I knew my weakest point was mountain biking. It’s been two years since I’ve been on a bike. We managed to get in one practice ride at Creve Coeur that was just enough to remind me how much the saddle destroys your ass. Seriously I couldn’t sit down properly for three days. It wasn’t until we tried towing that I thought I had any chance to finish this race. By then race day was around the corner and all that was left to do was to throw myself into it and hope I didn’t end up dead or permanently maimed.<br />
Friday evening we picked up our maps from Alpine Shop. We meet up with many of the other teams and the fantastic members of Team BOR. Talking to everyone was very encouraging. We couldn’t stay long though because there were points to plot and gear to check and double check.<br />
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That night it felt like I had just drifted off when the alarm went off at 5 AM. I stumbled out of bed to get the dog walked and cats fed and then we were off to the bike drop! Frankly I was more excited to get to McDonalds for my pre-race coffee and biscuit. It’s a good thing I got my coffee when I did. I had heard of the pre-race poop before, but I never understood the importance until that morning.<br />
Once we were waiting to start, I couldn’t focus on what was being said over the megaphone. I fidgeted with my jacket and hat and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to wear either. Already mini bottles of butterscotch liquor were being passed around by Team BOR. Kevin noticed my nervous energy and reminded me of our only goal – to have fun.<br />
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Finally it was go time and the only thing I had to focus on was putting one foot in front of the other…then I saw the hill. Hunter’s Ford Road was something<br />
straight out of my nightmares. Kevin had me hold on to the back of his Osprey pack to jog up the monster. I could have died right then and there if Kevin wasn’t there encouraging me. Somewhere along the way we met up with Team Virtus. The guys are rapidly becoming my favorite group of adventure racers. It’s hard to focus on the suck when these jovial fellows are singing, joking, and Bob Jenkins is showing off his ability to urinate while still rambling up a monster hill. Speaking of urinating outdoors, of all the trials I anticipated and agonized over, I did not foresee what would be one of my greatest challenges. Turns out, I’m not very good at peeing in the woods. By the time we got to the Allentown Access Boat Ramp I needed to make a pit stop but that proved to be more difficult than I thought. First off, I had no idea how far I needed to go out into the woods to pop a squat. What was the proper etiquette? After I meandered roughly 500 feet into the bush I found a decent downed tree to hide behind. Next was the challenge of getting my bushwhacking pants, my tights, and my bike shorts down while simultaneously going into a squatting position without falling over. FYI, I fell over. Finally I got situated only to discover that what happened so naturally indoors was not going to happen out here. In a mild panic I wrangled all my layers back up and headed out of the wood to catch a canoe. <br />
It was just in time too, because I found out that my fiancé had secured us the last two paddles. The guys left behind were kind enough to push us off the boat ramp and we set off for a trip down the majestic Meremac River. Having never canoed before, there was some zigging and zagging on our way to the bike drop but overall it was an uneventful journey. We were able to take in all the scenery that the Meremac had to offer including outhouses, plastic barrels on sand bars, a red camaro that was stuck halfway down a cliff by a tree, and a dead bloated deer under a bridge. Very romantic.<br />
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At the halfway point we began to see the back of the pack ahead of us. We were actually gaining on them! My arms were trying to give out by then but I decided to take a page from Team Virtus’ book. I began singing random songs at the top of my lungs. This took my mind off of my fatiguing muscles. Before long we saw the ramp and made our ungraceful approach. Once we hit land I realized two things: my legs were no longer working right and I really needed to piss. After punching the checkpoint I was following the navigator over some rocks to get around the canoes. I was going slow and looked up to see him leaving me behind. At that moment I slipped and hit my right knee hard on a bastard rock. I’ll admit, I’m not proud of what I did next. As people were asking if I was ok I quickly got to my feet and yelled at Kevin. At that moment I experienced the reality of my first major fear. I embarrassed myself in front of a group of people by being a total ass to my teammate. <br />
I immediately apologized to Kevin and we made our way to the bike drop off. I took a deep breath and walked into the woods to attempt a potty break once again. This time was more successful but with one hitch – I peed on my pant leg. Lady luck was with me though because it was my right side that I was going to zip off anyway for the mountain biking section. After some grub we were on the bikes. Ironically the next checkpoint was near a perfectly good indoor toilet. <br />
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From the moment the pavement hit trail at West Tyson I knew I was in trouble. We followed other teams up the hill and before long we started falling behind. I must have worn out my legs in the first 5k because I was not making much progress on the rocky terrain with my bike alongside me. I have never felt that kind of fatigue in my muscles. I was walking like I was drunk. Going uphill, everything from my lower back down to my calves was on fire. At a certain point Kevin offered to take my bike as well as his and I reluctantly gave in, feeling defeated. My second fear came true – except I wasn’t even hike-a-biking. I was barely able to walk up these hills! With my hands free I chewed on some energy bloks and those seemed to help. Finally we reached a crest and I was able to take my bike back. The sections I could ride were few and far between and the way my legs were I was very afraid to ride them. The time between CP 7 and 8 is a bit of a blur. I think I was just zoned out and cursing the trail every few feet. Once we made it to the picnic table I wanted to throw the bike back down the mountain, but because it was a loaner I refrained (thank you the Captain Ahab for letting me use your bike by the way!) It was great to see Amanda and the other volunteers up there. We set off on foot and got a few more CPs. Punching a few spots on the passport seemed to wake me up. <br />
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After CP 17 my navigator said, “I think we are going to try for something stupid on the way to 15.” To preface this part, you should know that Kevin often says something like this and it usually ends badly. Unfortunately this time I was too zoned out to object. Kevin’s stupid idea was for us to red line to CP 15 through a reentrant and up a steep hill. Halfway through this hike my shoes were slipping around on my feet because of the slope and I had to stop to tighten them. At this point I was tired, frustrated, and feeling sorry for myself. I was having trouble taking my gloves off to tie my shoes and I lost my shit. Kevin straddled the log I had collapsed on, bent down and tighten my shoe laces. As he trying to cheer me up tears were welling in my eyes. Any other person would be surprised or weirded out by my crying on a log in the middle of the woods, but I’m pretty sure Kevin was expecting this at some point. Honestly I think he was impressed that I lasted this long before the tears came. With Kevin’s help I pulled myself together we tried to scramble up the steep hill out of the reentrant. <br />
It was so steep and the ground was so loose that I couldn’t get any footing. I tried to bear crawl up it and slipped even further. I started to panic that I would be stuck in this hell hole forever. Kevin told me to sit down, grab the stick to my left and try again. Turns out you have better luck getting up square on your feet then trying to crawl up. I feel like this is some vast metaphor for life, but at that point I just wanted to get the fuck out of there. Finally we got on top of the saddle we were headed for and Kevin said that we could either go down the other side for the checkpoint or head back to the trail. That’s when I made what Kevin called a “tactical decision.” I looked down the hill and said hell no. We also tried and failed to get CP 12.<br />
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At this point I was a bit discouraged. I wasn’t feeling good about my performance and I was worried about the second leg of mountain biking. Around this time we ran into Team BOR Fresh Meat with Dave Beattie, Leah, Devon, and Bart. They looked as miserable as I felt. I told Kevin how I felt and he said that this race is supposed to be hard. I looked around and most of the faces I saw either looked tired, confused, or, for those headed downhill on Chubb, terrified. While I was feeling alone in my misery, actually everyone was suffering just like I was. This was a very uplifting thought. <br />
Finally we got back to the bikes and I somehow managed to not die on the way back down the mountain. Kevin even managed to show off a bit over the rocky terrain. We ended up coming down at the same spot we went in and I got to enjoy the indoor bathroom. The effect on my moral was remarkable. Also knowing that the mountain bikes section was over was a big relief. We loaded our bikes on the canoes and made the quick trip across the river to the gear check that we passed with flying colors.<br />
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There is was great to see Tamara Taylor there to see us into the next leg of the course. This leg of the race was my favorite because of one piece of equipment – the tow. Thanks to Kevin’s massive quads, we made good time though the Route 66 State Park, knocking out checkpoints one by one. Then we raced back to The Legends and we were making such good time I forgot about the last major challenge in this race until we were right under it. The race finale was a endless hill into the manicured community of The Legends. Halfway up I didn’t think we were going to make it. My legs were beyond useless. Kevin stood up on his bike and powered down. I haven’t mentioned yet that Kevin was doing all of this while battling a sinus infection. Why I was trying to stay upright on the bike he was burning his lungs. When all seemed lost the amazing volunteers including Tamara pulled up beside us and started honking their horns and shouting encouragement. We made it to the top, coasted down another hill and right back up the next one. Next thing we saw was the Alpine Shop Arch. At a respectable 7 hours and 30 minutes we ended our race.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOUuAF7gYITvATEeGL7cmR9CjYZycZHvJHu5IHjoqe8xDrJ5Usf5UqAm1GD9RsQJTINyf30m49V349YfGDO-y0qYCoBKjiTgXb-ijQ2UkZrD5lZo0SW_W9Q3QzaXa4uFPx-48svX2ose3/s1600/FB_IMG_1480889852283.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOUuAF7gYITvATEeGL7cmR9CjYZycZHvJHu5IHjoqe8xDrJ5Usf5UqAm1GD9RsQJTINyf30m49V349YfGDO-y0qYCoBKjiTgXb-ijQ2UkZrD5lZo0SW_W9Q3QzaXa4uFPx-48svX2ose3/s320/FB_IMG_1480889852283.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Our ending photograph shows Kevin and me with helmets askew and thousand yard stares. We were both so happy to be done. After changing and loading bikes I was just able to grab the last baked potato for us to share. There was one last great moment in store. The members of Team BOR all stood up after the awards. In a mock ceremonious tone, Captain Ahab declared there was some unfinished business at the table. I turned to Kevin just in time to see him pull out a shiny new pair of plastic blue testicles on a keychain. If he had been on one knee it would have been just as romantic as when he proposed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YGwxD0PQMmzIFkqykdMUDlWqJliuH8scIaRXQXXo5tCJr7h2C6wi2g6Jiqu3LwKPQVcWyxShfVd_0f-kuvPz9ls3vIHpRMoFEsQor8WVMghbcDS_8lTy81Wdm7mhOQqxloqO_kcB87VM/s1600/cimg5017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YGwxD0PQMmzIFkqykdMUDlWqJliuH8scIaRXQXXo5tCJr7h2C6wi2g6Jiqu3LwKPQVcWyxShfVd_0f-kuvPz9ls3vIHpRMoFEsQor8WVMghbcDS_8lTy81Wdm7mhOQqxloqO_kcB87VM/s320/cimg5017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Afterwards there was a good little bit of bull shitting between all the racers before we went our separate ways. Although I was half comatose I had to appreciate the community aspect of the sport.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The next morning I woke up sore all over and asking Kevin when the next race is and if he would do it with me. At Castlewood 8 we didn’t clear the course, I embarrassed myself and had to hike-a-bike for 90% of the mountain bike sections, but my last fear was completely unfounded. Kevin said, “Absolutely, but you have to start training.”<br />
<br />
Note from the Captain: Reanna did wonderful for a true beginner in his race. I had a great time watching her push herself to her limits and then beyond. Hopefully we can work on things like peeing in the woods for the next race. Thanks again Alpine Shop and Osprey packs for a great race!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-3300822594564851192016-10-28T15:24:00.001-05:002020-10-18T12:16:43.707-05:002016 BT Epic by Captain Ahab<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 BT Epic by Captain Ahab,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 2016 BT Epic was the first race
I have ever really wanted to quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
raced it two times before and registered a third time, but wasn’t able to go
due to illness in the family, so this should have been my 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It clearly should have been
easier since I knew what to expect, but it turned out to be something I never
expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my first BT I hallucinated,
but crossed the line in 7hr 47 min, in my second I cramped, had to recover
using yoga, and finished in 6 hr 43 min, my 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> should have been sub
6 hr, but would be riddled with problems that would lead me to coming the
closest I have ever been to just calling it quits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I have suffered and endured a lot
in races, and a lot in life period, but this situation almost got the best of
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I started off race day still
recovering from the last weekend 30 hour Adventure Race, but I had made sure to
rest well all week especially since I had caught a cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slept at home like I normally do and drove in
morning of, arriving early as usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only thing to note is I forgot to put my number on my bike and had to scramble
at the last minute to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Climbing
the gravel hill I noticed immediately my knees were still sore from the AR and
I was sucking snot like crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew
that I was going to have a hard race and needed to quickly find my pace and
comfort zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dropped back some before
hitting the single track, which was actually a mistake since I started passing
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode for a while and waited
for traffic jams to bump air and drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I then took a second to stop to remove my jacket and eat, and was upset
that at least 20 riders passed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got
moving again, dropped the front big ring, and started feeling in the grove and
felt I was finally moving at my pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
started getting aggressive on the downhills and worried I would flat and then
at around 19 miles I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly
threw a tube in and thought “well I’m still in this” and hurried on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only about a mile later I flatted again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I patched the tube and thought “well I’m no
longer going sub 6, but maybe I can still beat my last time.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started nearing Berryman and felt it going
flat again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped at Berryman and
removed the tire a 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some nice individuals came over to inspect my tire as I rooted through
my pack looking for another tube that I swore I had brought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t find it, so I looked at the
patched tube and noticed the patches had fallen off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sanded the pinch flat area once more,
cleaned it, and applied two more new patches. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man told me my tire was good and my patches
sucked, and another man came over with a floor pump and loaded me to 40
psi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought that should be enough not
to pinch flat again and I could endure a rough ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whomever you two are, I thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I left Berryman and rode for some
time until that rear tire started feeling sloppy again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of my friends from opposing teams had
already passed me and others were coming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told them what was going on, but I was too frustrated to take a tube
or more CO2, so I would run flat, pump it up, ride, run flat, pump it up, ride,
and repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept doing this for a
while until it got so annoying I was going to quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it to the spring and filled some water
and decided to catch Derrick Boos, who had earlier offered me his spare patch
kit, so I could take him up on the offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having more patches made me feel a lot better about finishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race was over, a nice day long trail ride
was over, now I just wanted to finish before dark since I hadn’t brought
lights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped and re-applied
patches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had two more of my patches
left and then Derrick’s entire kit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
rode more in the cycle of flatting and pumping, I got mad and rode flat for a
while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started losing count of my
flats and my arm was burning from pumping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I started thinking about
quitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I’m hurting I usually
think of someone I personally know that has inspired me to try harder in my
life. Someone who got a raw deal in life, but keeps going no matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know a few of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People that beat cancer, had heart surgery,
had back surgery, people that just had a raw deal, but people that keep
running, keep pedaling, keep smiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wasn’t hurting though, I was just flatting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept telling myself, “it’s just a tire and you can fix it, well keep
fixing it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started thinking that my
tubeless wheel must not be meshing well with the tubed tire that I installed
shortly before my AR, after I slashed the tubeless in training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was glad that I hadn’t had this problem in
the AR. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought, “Well this is now
going to be just another adventure.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
started thinking about what I was doing wrong, why was it not holding air, what
could I do to finish?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then heard my
old Marine dad say, “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many times have I heard that growing
up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started thinking about improvising
a tube boot to protect the tube I had patched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In my mind it worked well; take my small knife, cut out the presta
valve, cut it length wise and then wrap it around the tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided enough was enough and went for a
fifth total tire breakdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided
this time to look for a safe, shaded, semi-clean spot to sit and work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took the wheel off and got to work, but
then thought this would be an ideal time to eat and drink too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said a prayer of thanks and that I would
not get anymore flats and I would finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started cutting up the tube, it was so ugly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People stopped to see what I was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told them it was a desperate measure and I
was improvising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They offered help, but
I told them I would see them in a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
couldn’t get the “tube boot” to fit, so I threw it in my pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought about the ole fabled leaves and
dirt trick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat there and ate and
looked through my bag and remembered I had shoved another tube in my saddle
bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed it out swapped it with
the patched one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked it all over
to make sure it held air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really
wanted to protect it with a boot or patches as sometimes I put a small square of
tube or leather around the Presta valve to keep from getting valve cuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to just install it and check that
it wasn’t pinched. I pumped and pumped and pumped until it was hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got on the bike and it felt squishy, got
off and pumped, got on and felt squishy, got off and pumped until it felt
solid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Improvise failed, but it gave me
time to recover and become calm enough to remember I had another tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started thinking that was the fifth full
tire off rim change, and probably the seventh full flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I was going to pinch flat again and
thought “time to adapt.” I changed my riding speed and style to protect the
rear tire at all cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I wouldn’t
“overcome” until I crossed the finish line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTzaEzaDAnmKdfjUn1OGKBAhYBwTNk8ZcRgpAsQPybybxkj_7snsI5dveCPCsByhqw1RC-ujoq3LIYQQMaJnCFhyphenhyphenSyuDR0MdcinMYy3pH6Fn1_mlwxSQxPfOV7tjGHXsVYNAZdaaegHvR/s1600/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTzaEzaDAnmKdfjUn1OGKBAhYBwTNk8ZcRgpAsQPybybxkj_7snsI5dveCPCsByhqw1RC-ujoq3LIYQQMaJnCFhyphenhyphenSyuDR0MdcinMYy3pH6Fn1_mlwxSQxPfOV7tjGHXsVYNAZdaaegHvR/s320/Capture.JPG" width="280" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I rode for many miles and felt the
squishiness returning, or it was just in my head, but to be sure I pumped some
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came across riders with broken
chains, derailleurs, fingers, and I was still headed to the finish and they
were headed back for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was glad I
only had flats and wasn’t them, but then I crashed right before a rock garden. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I normally ride them, but I decided at the
last minute to stop, unclip, and walk, but I couldn’t unclip and fell over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laid there stuck to the bike and I couldn’t
get either foot to release.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you never
had this happen to you, you don’t really understand how hard it is to unclip
horizontally or upside down with one foot pinned to the ground and the other in
the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought someone is going to
come by and run me over, like I almost did to both a guy and girl when they
crashed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept trying to unclip, but it
started feeling nice laying there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
could just lay here, rest, find a road near by later and quit.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then heard my dad’s voice, “Get
up!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard that a lot when I was
learning to walk again as a 4 year old with nine toes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laughed to myself and said “you have nine
more toes and Derrick Boo’s mother fn patch kit, get unclipped and get up!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I moaned, cussed, moved around like a snake
that someone was pinning to the ground with their boot, but finally got
unclipped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got up and decided this
finish is for my old man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode the
rest of the “race” without any issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
rode determined not to flat again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
tire held, my body held, my spirits lifted, and I overcame at 7hr 8min!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used 3 tubes, 4 CO2s, an entire patch kit,
and probably wore out a brand new pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks
dad for being a hard ass Marine and never letting me quit…Semper Fi!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dad, after the race, I took a shit,
and yes, I felt better!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Love you, Ahab<o:p></o:p></span></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-73570662554003245602016-05-25T13:16:00.005-05:002020-10-18T12:17:27.889-05:002016 Chubb SHART by Captain Ahab<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 Chubb SHART by Captain Ahab</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Team Virtus came up with the idea
of creating Shared Adventure Race Training courses or SH.A.R.T.s. The first one was set up in Lost Valley and
was designed to be a mountain biking course with very minimal bushwhacking. It was a great idea, so I started thinking of
doing a SHART too. I have always loved
the Chubb Trail for its difficulty and different terrains. It is also fairly remote, so it doesn’t get a
lot of use, until lately. 20 years ago I
wouldn’t see more than one other person on it.
Now there are lot of people using it and they are a mix of trail
runners, mountain bikers, and equestrians, but it is mostly used as a hiking
trail. Most people hear Chubb Trail and
wince. I wanted to try to get people out
there, and it fit in with making my Epic Chubby course that I have dreamt of
for years. I set the course to be an
advanced course that would take approximately 8 hours and travel a distance of
20-26 miles. I wanted it to be a mix of
biking and bushwhacking, but also be able to be completed by advanced trail
runners. Yes, you had to have
orienteering experience or you wouldn’t be able to find CP1.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1VVYOymA5OK86_X5yFrud73X6T4_lyWovgpBavDBLtejYzzABV1lvjGj12Jvero4KSYCgmHzE1XzlmeG_2J9YTaMKRmxND1U6L-bvPQtA0XwKtpctk83Kwv-ye-dnGieOtW3vWsyBsCi/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> The
start was at the West Tyson Chubb Trailhead.
You were to travel up the trail by bike (or foot), to the second turn in
the trail. The circles on the map were
pretty large so you should have been looking at the center of the circle for
the CP placement. The clue was
boulder. You should have rode through a
boulder section of the trail, got off your bike and bushwhacked in the CP’s
direction, down a small cliff, to another boulder with the CP tied to a tree,
which was growing out of the boulder.
CP1 was easy unless you didn’t know what the CPs looked like or how
small they were, which is why I posted pictures of the CPs beforehand, and each
CP was double marked with green duct tape.
Collect the letter from CP1 and you have (I). </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcPACvCQCJoaQRUEqkWmdPDfmw_AA-eOjRTJS-erwcsAWgH7oVtYtsigABylf4b5YdjUWuwYfevfmCRRpTV-0Tlz-T2wagxzQ_IkzVcTImcfZbj5bwkrdVyGQ2HJMd1v1d0pM7IzeAoAN/s1600/IMG_2998.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcPACvCQCJoaQRUEqkWmdPDfmw_AA-eOjRTJS-erwcsAWgH7oVtYtsigABylf4b5YdjUWuwYfevfmCRRpTV-0Tlz-T2wagxzQ_IkzVcTImcfZbj5bwkrdVyGQ2HJMd1v1d0pM7IzeAoAN/s640/IMG_2998.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> From
CP1 you could either go back to the trail and ride to the CP2 area, or
bikewhack across to the trail closer to CP2.
I did the course 3 times and each time I did the course I decided to
leave my bike on the trail and walk back to it and avoid bikewhacking. Counting the switchbacks should have landed
you near a sharp switchback and a Southwest turn. If you didn’t count the switchbacks or check
your bearing on the trail, then you probably picked the wrong one and never
found it, as Neil and I found out when we were taking the course down. It took us three or four times to dead reckon
from the switchback to find it. CP2 was
navigationally difficult so if you found this one, then kudos to you. You were to find the correct switch back and
bushwhack to large boulders, which the CP was tied to a tree growing out of the
boulder. CP2 gave you the letter
(P). </span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1VVYOymA5OK86_X5yFrud73X6T4_lyWovgpBavDBLtejYzzABV1lvjGj12Jvero4KSYCgmHzE1XzlmeG_2J9YTaMKRmxND1U6L-bvPQtA0XwKtpctk83Kwv-ye-dnGieOtW3vWsyBsCi/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1VVYOymA5OK86_X5yFrud73X6T4_lyWovgpBavDBLtejYzzABV1lvjGj12Jvero4KSYCgmHzE1XzlmeG_2J9YTaMKRmxND1U6L-bvPQtA0XwKtpctk83Kwv-ye-dnGieOtW3vWsyBsCi/s320/IMG_2999.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> From
CP2 I bushwhacked back to my bike awaiting on the trail. The first two times I either hid my bike or
locked my bike to a tree, but the last time I just let it sit near the trail
and when coming back to it we dropped too low and had to walk the trail back to
them wondering if they were still there.
You were supposed to ride the trail and count the crossings until you
got to the picnic table. This was a
super easy check point, but the map wasn’t totally updated to the new trail
re-route, so it could have caused you problems if you saw two trails on your
left and only one on the map. Anyway you
took the trail and found CP3 (O) tied to a tree in a pit. If you had eagle vision you could see it from
the trail.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxfDA_NmiPy40-0VUhlTTv5CpWbHOTlE0bRqXzgt_4u4t8BiDrQgFDLLiByNNZa_Cue9aORaezjT2xlCmsHjDECWNhts0ZPAJwfNoymM6qtoQaL-6ONITqg2ThmQfnc3rtPY-5xeriMZe/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxfDA_NmiPy40-0VUhlTTv5CpWbHOTlE0bRqXzgt_4u4t8BiDrQgFDLLiByNNZa_Cue9aORaezjT2xlCmsHjDECWNhts0ZPAJwfNoymM6qtoQaL-6ONITqg2ThmQfnc3rtPY-5xeriMZe/s320/IMG_3005.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxfDA_NmiPy40-0VUhlTTv5CpWbHOTlE0bRqXzgt_4u4t8BiDrQgFDLLiByNNZa_Cue9aORaezjT2xlCmsHjDECWNhts0ZPAJwfNoymM6qtoQaL-6ONITqg2ThmQfnc3rtPY-5xeriMZe/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXluaw1A6BoVq4TvDqSGg5vKH_9quStYJQl0Ihgt2DAi3ILp3xoDma4MZ9K6dVzvWuz_pWXjdqdx3FrAHm4cp2mA3fHPEx7izewC6S0RsRQpuzcim8xUpIOEXFaHpE1ErCNnKT-Jbg5g4/s1600/IMG_3020.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> A short
ride to a switch back took you down the “steps” and a short bushwhack back up
towards the trail you just rode down would take you to a boulder field and CP4
(O). This CP should have been easy, but
I heard some had problems finding it.
Once you found the boulder field, the CP was placed on the largest one
with a tree growing out of it. Now for
CP5, the mother bushwhack. The first
time I went to CP5 I locked my bike to a tree at the steps and bushwhacked
across some serious elevation to the creek and up to the CP. On the way I snapped my shin on a rock and
nearly fell to my death. I found out
weeks later that I lightly tore my Achilles tendon in the process. CP5 was supposed to be extremely difficult,
which it was, but Neil approached it by riding alongside the prairie to the
creek and then bushwhacking up the creek past the creek junction to the
monstrous hill with the little cliff face on top. The CP was atop the cliff face and gave you
(P). This was the best approach, safer
and faster. He then took the creek back
to his bike waiting in the prairie. I,
on the other hand, had to climb all that elevation back to the steps to get my
bike back. The next time we took Neil’s
way again. If you took the creek back to
the prairie and backtracked some to the next creek you could take that one to
the water fall and find CP6 (E). CP6 was
supposed to be really easy, but the vegetation grew in and made the creek exit
hard to find. If you got to CP6 you got
to walk on one continuous piece of rock that was slippery as all can be but
amazingly long and was also part of the beautiful rock formation that was the
waterfall. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> CP7 was
deviously laid out on an island. WTH you
say? Well this is TeamBOR. TeamBOR stands for Balls Out Racing. CP7 on an island is BALLS OUT. You may have gotten to the area and realized
the only way to get the CP was to swim.
I think your heart either sank and you skipped it, or your adventurous
spirit kicked in and you swam across. I
hope you did the later. The current was
strong and you had to swim hard. If the
water was low enough you could wade across.
I waded twice and swam once. The
island was full of Stinging Nettle and you were to find a boat abandoned on the
island. I was afraid the boat would
disappear in high water so the CP was tied to a tree nearby; CP7 (D). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Swim
back to your bike and ride to CP8. The
clue was, “this is where you store your clothes camping.” You are riding along the trail and see a
camper in the woods. You can tell the
flood relocated it here. You now have to
explore it. You look through all the
drawers, closets, and then remember that SHARTs revolve around pooping and look
in the head and find the CP8 (M) hanging from the towel rod above the toilet. The third time I went to it I was amazed that
it was hit by high water again and was in way worse condition as it was before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Leave
the camper behind and now make the choice to be the real deal, or a sissy, and
decide to grab CP10 first (Sissy!), or ride to CP9 first (Balls Out!) and get
them in order, knowing full well that you will have to ride back to CP10 and
then back past CP9 to CP11. I did this on
purpose to make you decide whether or not you had the balls to ride the rock
garden over and over. Neil had the balls
the first time and rode to CP9 first, making me proud. The sissy way did cut a lot of miles off the
course and would have made your time much faster. If you skipped CP9 (Y), then you really
screwed yourself because it was really easy and a beautiful little swimming
hole with clear flowing water and a nice sunning rock. <br />
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You then rode back the way you came and took
the trail to a swamp and easily found CP10 (P).
You then had to ride back past CP9 to the Castlewood Loop through the
“sand pits of hell” to get CP11 (A), which was under an elevated car tire. CP11 navigationally was easy, but someone
really buried it in a brush pile under that tire and you had to be pretty
flexible to get it. From CP11 you had to
decide to ride back the way you came in the sand or ride on. If you chose to ride on you found out that
the trail is super muddy all the way to CP12 and the sand may have been easier. I don’t think either way saved any time, but
may have saved your sanity. CP12 (N) was
in a ruined barn.</span></div>
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</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXluaw1A6BoVq4TvDqSGg5vKH_9quStYJQl0Ihgt2DAi3ILp3xoDma4MZ9K6dVzvWuz_pWXjdqdx3FrAHm4cp2mA3fHPEx7izewC6S0RsRQpuzcim8xUpIOEXFaHpE1ErCNnKT-Jbg5g4/s1600/IMG_3020.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXluaw1A6BoVq4TvDqSGg5vKH_9quStYJQl0Ihgt2DAi3ILp3xoDma4MZ9K6dVzvWuz_pWXjdqdx3FrAHm4cp2mA3fHPEx7izewC6S0RsRQpuzcim8xUpIOEXFaHpE1ErCNnKT-Jbg5g4/s400/IMG_3020.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> You
then rode the rest of the trail to the Lone Elk Chubb Trailhead and bushwhacked
down a small reentrant to CP13 (T). It
was placed here just to make you ride the entire trail. After that you rode the entire trail back to
the picnic table. Hopefully you took the
dry shorter High Water Route, but if it was dry the Low Water Route is more
fun. At the picnic table you should have
turned onto the fast and dry Flint Quarry Trail and took it to Mimi’s Overlook
Bench. It was easier here to bikewhack
carefully down the hill to CP14 (S) and then out to the trail and then take the
trail to the road and the road to the finish at the West Tyson Trailhead. Bikewhacking here did cut off some sweet
single track, but saved you a terrible climb back up to your bike. Your CPs spelled out, “IPOOPEDMYPANTS” and
you probably did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> In
conclusion, I received many complaints that I made the course too hard and too
long and people are afraid of Chubb Trail.
I thought this was adventure race training. I wasn’t aware that adventure racing was easy
and short. I am also on TeamBOR and we
are Balls Out, so it was supposed to be hard and long, no pun intended. For you cry babies out there, maybe stick to
golf. The results follow.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">1</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> place Neil Dickhaus</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2. Lo’s Team</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">3. Amanda and Dave</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkpRNtO-fHMf24j-YzNS7yjMbuMi93_xGVdV_gkfte8Qug5levbRFYoirpt8gKjUm82aMStKIOnxj3wKzwr7FwpCKZk5M08IKY_ofDFRciaHGVSdWmAnBG6s-1YvmQnRjX39SLU8ZjYkV/s1600/IMG_3027.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">4. The Barts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">5. The Vohsens</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">6. Anyone else who tried and didn’t send in their results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Last place. Losers that didn’t try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Stay
tuned for the Grant’s SHART designed for beginners. It will be a road biker’s introduction into
finding CPs and may have a shorter family friendly course in between. I may set up the Chubb SHART again in late
fall and keep it up all winter as it will be easier without vegetation. I will move the water CPs to dry land. There will hopefully be a Chubb SHART Two
that will be a summer course designed to be a water world nightmare and yes
boats will be required. - Ahab.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-25935808385687207512016-05-09T13:49:00.003-05:002020-10-18T12:18:09.187-05:002016 Cedar Cross by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 Cedar Cross by Captain Ahab. Hopefully add pics later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Cedar Cross…hot; and the best gravel ride I’ve done so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I’ve only done 3 official events, so I am
a nube, but it had lots o’ single track and I am a mountain biker so it is the
best!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drove down the morning of and
had plenty of time to get ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2wrSK_gN4Rd28BFVCNPmW7NbkihtcGyvKgK3W-66XZa_CdNal-25vyrheudGUlwwTpTSPn5TH_U2WEEvLydpTlyi819tP6wAdXMGbpFIPnn3pLYAzVnBG2MvHC25l5qufahKKk-k5E6b/s1600/13139262_1804225576467308_1494560328046061552_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2wrSK_gN4Rd28BFVCNPmW7NbkihtcGyvKgK3W-66XZa_CdNal-25vyrheudGUlwwTpTSPn5TH_U2WEEvLydpTlyi819tP6wAdXMGbpFIPnn3pLYAzVnBG2MvHC25l5qufahKKk-k5E6b/s320/13139262_1804225576467308_1494560328046061552_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9HxxrRCNfjsfGr8tURi1-9cNzE0BX8TC9-xKf3f-WdMOODzwz37RMY30lA_6fUzAzsVWiszt_KDPfmGX8mY02-nzMXrX8Ynh7zgGBlt70HclyK6fnv4d3OTnOaH-6eqkSwEhxY7EmHT2/s1600/13165998_1804225569800642_787330679769791128_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9HxxrRCNfjsfGr8tURi1-9cNzE0BX8TC9-xKf3f-WdMOODzwz37RMY30lA_6fUzAzsVWiszt_KDPfmGX8mY02-nzMXrX8Ynh7zgGBlt70HclyK6fnv4d3OTnOaH-6eqkSwEhxY7EmHT2/s320/13165998_1804225569800642_787330679769791128_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFvxTXIZzSdgS6o2_Nhw4CKFtj1uKxxJOZC0XWnIuhgtelszqpSEv5MlFt60rSsZrDlbLJiS2pNztDst7FmM8xFl5WSCH3p4WXn4Ae3MKSvMFBGa9LPxC4F2V8ZZbQEl3nIOVcTmg_PoR/s1600/13174116_1804225589800640_3113909447211862415_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFvxTXIZzSdgS6o2_Nhw4CKFtj1uKxxJOZC0XWnIuhgtelszqpSEv5MlFt60rSsZrDlbLJiS2pNztDst7FmM8xFl5WSCH3p4WXn4Ae3MKSvMFBGa9LPxC4F2V8ZZbQEl3nIOVcTmg_PoR/s320/13174116_1804225589800640_3113909447211862415_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WTLFTi0a13yj2uj4_9G91ntmtY63r-xOfFfplqjFuzX9xGrZnMduz0j6n7R6d9lv2aatvbUFhmDGVYEPSldpRCi_6-BtusR5DXCtEsELdJLpD26jsOaewdWvXgWl6ZAil_q3oNY2QE68/s1600/13177218_1804225599800639_5388945960597386521_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WTLFTi0a13yj2uj4_9G91ntmtY63r-xOfFfplqjFuzX9xGrZnMduz0j6n7R6d9lv2aatvbUFhmDGVYEPSldpRCi_6-BtusR5DXCtEsELdJLpD26jsOaewdWvXgWl6ZAil_q3oNY2QE68/s320/13177218_1804225599800639_5388945960597386521_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u8XexRkS17hEFe3LqwkYEQWve192ldhxVmjDwZm3Jos-h4ar98Zd0w9_UdK5WT2fqUqyfCeB9y-pY9zU90AF3tB8gzyLj7xKNqbEs888f9VuONeqc05QKQdw2rYdtrpN6NERXoX2L1KO/s1600/13173838_1804225623133970_2902253053485295100_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u8XexRkS17hEFe3LqwkYEQWve192ldhxVmjDwZm3Jos-h4ar98Zd0w9_UdK5WT2fqUqyfCeB9y-pY9zU90AF3tB8gzyLj7xKNqbEs888f9VuONeqc05QKQdw2rYdtrpN6NERXoX2L1KO/s320/13173838_1804225623133970_2902253053485295100_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>Some home-wrecker
chick named SuperKate made me stand in line and sign a waiver or something that
stole my identity because I didn’t read it as usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably should have because it probably
had cool verbiage hidden throughout that other races don’t have, like you can’t
sue if your “vag” cries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there was
an awesome shortened version of the National Anthem followed by a more awesome
full version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell, next year, just play
it twice, it will be a Cedar Cross thing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have been down the last few years about the future of America, the
younger generation is a bunch of sissys, but this is “Merica” damn it, so play
it loud and proud and make ‘em sing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
liberals, socialists, and communists, need that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to see some red blooded American up
there standing by Old Glory with his helmet off, hand over his heart, maybe a
fried opossum leg in the other, or an AR-15, or both, singing as loud as he can!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m too amped now, so I will come back to
this after I go shoot something and drive over some foreign car with my
Jeep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you get the picture that the
guitarist playing the anthem got me pretty pumped up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You had this ol’ fashioned conservative about
to wet himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing I wasn’t “packing”
or we would have had a false start.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGrKD1mraefiQZ-FaYExO6ItI_JBaaW8pHQgU3dnCUtoy6qEgKfxdzywKbSv66_HmGyvb7Gse8L0sKGWAsIMZPXYEFKftdqP0OLQq6g2FFWtVCpp2JQ-T0wZJ0W8kWwKzMDQ41istO_v_/s1600/13138841_1804225749800624_7045433046295382704_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGrKD1mraefiQZ-FaYExO6ItI_JBaaW8pHQgU3dnCUtoy6qEgKfxdzywKbSv66_HmGyvb7Gse8L0sKGWAsIMZPXYEFKftdqP0OLQq6g2FFWtVCpp2JQ-T0wZJ0W8kWwKzMDQ41istO_v_/s320/13138841_1804225749800624_7045433046295382704_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf8j1n4FAZgSGJUN_KTUmmFXb0GiZ4poSvWHAtRh1oYhfLKrHQ7hdOdVrabgpJINHXHnvh_qzqhX0qQxXk0BCFglhf-xyndDK8HZ3vV8shoI_E8OLzbOeiTkimHo2K5a1DWZAtOLrdBnR/s1600/13179108_1804238649799334_8120463147106483465_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNf8j1n4FAZgSGJUN_KTUmmFXb0GiZ4poSvWHAtRh1oYhfLKrHQ7hdOdVrabgpJINHXHnvh_qzqhX0qQxXk0BCFglhf-xyndDK8HZ3vV8shoI_E8OLzbOeiTkimHo2K5a1DWZAtOLrdBnR/s320/13179108_1804238649799334_8120463147106483465_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
race starts and I am still debating on racing or riding with friends, but we
are following Chuck’s awesome Wrangler, and I’m all pumped up as mentioned so I
take off and think I’m racing this, Ogre legs be damned!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am making a great pace and then hit a water
crossing at around 5 miles and blow out the front tire with about 8 other
riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a couple nice slaps on the
ass as riders pass and they probably don’t realize how much I appreciated
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take an eternity to fix the flat
cause my adrenaline is rushing and my hands are shaky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get mine fixed and ride off as hard as I can
to catch the rest of the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so
far behind now that I realize the race is over for me, but maybe I can catch
Larry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really didn’t want to ride the
whole thing alone after riding Ogre alone, so I am really giving it hell trying
to catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass a ton of people that
I passed at the beginning and see a large herd going into a gas station at like
12 miles or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that’s
way too early and keep cruising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then
think I saw Dave Beattie in that pack, but all I can see is one Noah jersey in
a sea of black momentum jerseys and other black jerseys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Noah jersey has a back pack on and I don’t
see a second Noah jersey so I conclude it’s not Dave and Amanda and I charge
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the streets in town and get
all confused and miss my turn and someone with a Garmin tells me I am correct
and then fails to tell me I am not correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t realize until I ride all the way to the end of double zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turn around and curse him, thinking he may
have done that on purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then think,
“dang it Amanda is wearing a black Maplewood jersey so that could have been
them.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I get
back on course and pass everyone I passed before and I get heckled by Renee and
Derrick for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell them flats and
bonus miles suck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on, pass
Momentum slowly, and lead them past the turn, which we pretty quickly figure
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass Renee and Derrick again and
again get heckled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now my AR
navigation skill is lacking and failing me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I catch Steve Fuller at the bridge, which I almost die on by getting my
front wheel stuck in the wood slats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVyoNusRwnXWSwLVUU_3GOsq2sJc2lC3Mile_LbvX99Erg-tl42uwRd3aGByrFnCG5OaLbpm9GAEzbk4fuFKsb8VuLZYzYAHA_Te5x9iEB1N0gBNFa45IOQT1o-onYkB5TLXTkhjsEUtW/s1600/13124552_1804225793133953_1812264015830631105_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVyoNusRwnXWSwLVUU_3GOsq2sJc2lC3Mile_LbvX99Erg-tl42uwRd3aGByrFnCG5OaLbpm9GAEzbk4fuFKsb8VuLZYzYAHA_Te5x9iEB1N0gBNFa45IOQT1o-onYkB5TLXTkhjsEUtW/s320/13124552_1804225793133953_1812264015830631105_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span>He
tells me, that he just saw Dave and Amanda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I feel like I am really pushing hard and decide that catching Larry just
isn’t going to happen unless he has bad luck, which I don’t want him to have,
so I decide that if I can catch Dave and Amanda I will finish the ride with
them, so I don’t have to finish on my own again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see the two climbing a hill and reel them in
and as I get on Amanda’s side, I say, “Do you know how FN long it took me to catch
you guys?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We ride
some knarly single track together and have to walk some to avoid flats, but I start
feeling all peaceful inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually
ask myself, “What is happening? I feel warm and happy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think my heart has grown 3 sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I am at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then think, “oh yeah, I am a mountain
biker!” A roadie keeps complaining about the single track and how she is
holding everyone up, but I tell her she is doing fine, stay calm, and watch
your line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, “Bob Jenkins you
marvelous bastard, you figured out how to trick roadies into riding
singletrack!” We come across an apparent roadie discarding his rear derailleur
and bits of chain into the trail system from a single speed conversion. I am
about to blast him Captain Ahab style for littering on God’s and America’s and
my single track and then Amanda very politely asks if she can pack it out for
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pick it up and shove it into her
pack and he says he had nowhere to put it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good thing Amanda was there and she has more patience…well more
everything than me, except anger, I’ve got plenty of anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amanda says to remind her to kick Bob Jenkins
in the balls when she sees him next and I think, “That is so going in the blog!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR7W5iXX5861ATi6epwxBbQsHSIyAkWrH_k6LL7Kg6duJY3cNUqu51UZ_SB8sUpPM7wdFRkMyjEzgJSetPJlYQe9bpf6DuSB_hauSj3rIALADJrCDrJ3Ga513WZsW0973TRZpHeb88QfT/s1600/13178592_1804238633132669_2395624112312101410_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR7W5iXX5861ATi6epwxBbQsHSIyAkWrH_k6LL7Kg6duJY3cNUqu51UZ_SB8sUpPM7wdFRkMyjEzgJSetPJlYQe9bpf6DuSB_hauSj3rIALADJrCDrJ3Ga513WZsW0973TRZpHeb88QfT/s320/13178592_1804238633132669_2395624112312101410_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span>I turn the corner and find Alice of the Lo
and Alice tandem team down on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She tells me she thinks she broken her shoulder against a tree and is
going to pass out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tells me, Dave,
and Amanda to leave her there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell
her there is no way I am leaving her there, that I will help her out of the
woods, or I will camp right there with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I get her on her feet and tell her that I am a big fan of the Lo and
Alice tandem team and it is an honor to help her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just been joking with Lo that since she
was injured and I had just finished the Ogre that I was looking forward to
riding tandem with Alice, so she could do all the pedaling and I could drink
and heckle other riders, so I got a picture of us walking in tandem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl90HFAjF8GmjGmMOj5bJIY0sgeOlEDhfzE_9g0hWL_nkDzvjzK1PhX5-IoZ4LXg8kz1WFLlyb3GexOA6_ncfTGNgno5GbP4v8l4sB7wMzBq8f2mGee0R6iDsiWR1qGyOeXqdPmjF8HMZl/s1600/13091883_1804225769800622_5382162111874292854_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl90HFAjF8GmjGmMOj5bJIY0sgeOlEDhfzE_9g0hWL_nkDzvjzK1PhX5-IoZ4LXg8kz1WFLlyb3GexOA6_ncfTGNgno5GbP4v8l4sB7wMzBq8f2mGee0R6iDsiWR1qGyOeXqdPmjF8HMZl/s320/13091883_1804225769800622_5382162111874292854_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span>We drop Alice off in a good spot with one of
her teammates for pick up and head on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We finish the single track with a nasty rocky descent, and I actually
decide not to ride it in fear of flatting and then some ol’ boy just smashes
down it and gets to the road, throws his bike to the ground, throws his arms
up, screams, “hell yes!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am extremely
jealous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wait for what seems like an
eternity, not knowing that Amanda is helping another rider with a flat and that
dang ol’ Renee passes me again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are
now back on gravel and ride for an eternity in the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am doing great consuming plenty of liquids,
but I can tell I need much more than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I feel my lips drying and blow my breath from my mouth to my nostrils
and can tell my core body heat is disgustingly hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drink more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not doing a great job of eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am eating only enough to ride with Dave and Amanda, but am worried
that at any moment they will sprint and I will bonk, so I try to force myself
to eat more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also try to ride just a
little faster than them to make them ride faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let them catch up and then ride a little
faster, just to see what they have in the tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amanda is really flushed and I can tell she is hurting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to be helpful and give her
suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She drinks more, and I try
to get a laugh out of her, but I start fearing for my life, so I give it a
break after I get a little smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
a long time we catch Mickey and Kate at a gas station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Bob had told us there would be $100 bucks
if we beat them, but I know that Amanda needs a break and if I go for it, it
will be a sprint to the end with just me and Mickey and the odds are greatly
against me unless I go back to the Jeep and get my machete and hack one or both
of his legs off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus I really wanted to
watch Amanda and Dave fight their demons and make sure they finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave and Amanda eat a real meal and I think I
should do the same, but I want to finish on my packed food so I just drink more
liquids and drink another beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OMG I forgot
to mention the awesome beer stops before in the single track!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an awesome idea!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus TeamBOR got special whiskey shots at
Chuck’s Whiskey Tango spot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How could I leave
that out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am an idiot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amanda,
Dave, and I ride off in search of the nuclear reactor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amanda is coming back from her trip inside
her pain cave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoy watching her
misery and her beating it back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the whole point of TeamBOR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Push
yourself past your physical, mental, and spiritual level and Amanda is doing it
right before my eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not worried
about “Ninja” at all; that’s Dave Beattie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He seems fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you would have
told me last year that I would finish the Ogre and then the very next weekend
finish the Cedar Cross I would have called you a damn liar and slapped your
mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been in the pain cave
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last time I remember being there
Dave and Kevin helped me get out of it on New Year’s Day on Berryman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ride on and take the mandatory nuclear
reactor selfie blinded by the sun and my ears are ringing from the nearby power
lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAeOI6-f8WNxx7jDFOHcrStNQJqI39QrLduf8OOAFxHKgLtC2q3cP6WFDi00Zb_UvgMxkVP2GEBGYya2NU-OwnMXLsRbSRuSx9Oshxk394uzJSgyJ1Cu2-YceqQ65e6zPyBITmVx1ur-O/s1600/13118900_1804225649800634_3513715732063765641_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAeOI6-f8WNxx7jDFOHcrStNQJqI39QrLduf8OOAFxHKgLtC2q3cP6WFDi00Zb_UvgMxkVP2GEBGYya2NU-OwnMXLsRbSRuSx9Oshxk394uzJSgyJ1Cu2-YceqQ65e6zPyBITmVx1ur-O/s320/13118900_1804225649800634_3513715732063765641_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikhih3r7Mwt-tHa9a6_6XV2_uFqZjlLb51QF-Li1w406z8XaG_Q9934bi91BEYFlz9Ed73jZpguYCqC8bgKZJXw-xJJ9KXLWXABN6QOtciVwR0gkQHyladsCsfzcHQvtirFguybtRWP0U/s1600/13124834_1804225629800636_5328167109066285650_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikhih3r7Mwt-tHa9a6_6XV2_uFqZjlLb51QF-Li1w406z8XaG_Q9934bi91BEYFlz9Ed73jZpguYCqC8bgKZJXw-xJJ9KXLWXABN6QOtciVwR0gkQHyladsCsfzcHQvtirFguybtRWP0U/s320/13124834_1804225629800636_5328167109066285650_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRugVh5uAh8kCFDLArLxn83EPNoTm7XiGritFnQ-CPQ-KC_iEfkdlCJk7R1SZ-OyLQGa2AMuNmhjL33Ck_IXZabeDI4ood5aVZkiiY8RJJx5SfP_zL1vGaDcstbsp85lGseSeCTxLI4lHH/s1600/13138906_1804225669800632_2058034507340188992_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRugVh5uAh8kCFDLArLxn83EPNoTm7XiGritFnQ-CPQ-KC_iEfkdlCJk7R1SZ-OyLQGa2AMuNmhjL33Ck_IXZabeDI4ood5aVZkiiY8RJJx5SfP_zL1vGaDcstbsp85lGseSeCTxLI4lHH/s320/13138906_1804225669800632_2058034507340188992_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotqspgqTR2RhtelsMzCYSH3sJkmQK6PuklKCdoLn7XLckOHPvXLj0KLYwyU_qik9f0TbV9GmC2yrIJFtXNpThuVMJ-nwUdV91IShDcSWpSRc0sB1Sj5b1OniRguN3WKpGnSiSFOTISKTC/s1600/13151858_1804225656467300_6480890506471226822_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotqspgqTR2RhtelsMzCYSH3sJkmQK6PuklKCdoLn7XLckOHPvXLj0KLYwyU_qik9f0TbV9GmC2yrIJFtXNpThuVMJ-nwUdV91IShDcSWpSRc0sB1Sj5b1OniRguN3WKpGnSiSFOTISKTC/s320/13151858_1804225656467300_6480890506471226822_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>We hit 101 miles and realize
Amanda just rode her first century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
tell her I have to take a picture and then neglect to tell her that my first century
was so, so, so much easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K_F0FWTS1Jl8qn-AQO6l99ilBQSX4DCs3pYCR1I1jEXHJubmJp3aB3GF8e1QC1MIq6TKRHsE7rc4qNAHGCc1F9Nn1k0AnsznPHR2M9meebD7vcFTzKzpWFpk8m94ogK4HM5vFj-ELn56/s1600/13173838_1804225679800631_6655878631393290306_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K_F0FWTS1Jl8qn-AQO6l99ilBQSX4DCs3pYCR1I1jEXHJubmJp3aB3GF8e1QC1MIq6TKRHsE7rc4qNAHGCc1F9Nn1k0AnsznPHR2M9meebD7vcFTzKzpWFpk8m94ogK4HM5vFj-ELn56/s320/13173838_1804225679800631_6655878631393290306_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span>We ride on
and I start hearing grumblings from “Scrappy Lappe” ™ of this is boring,
stupid, and Dave starts singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, “Oh shit here comes the mutiny.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amanda, says the soldiers, “just go on without
me” line and Ninja smacks her back with authority “NO, WE ARE FINISHING THIS
TOGETHER!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stay out of that quarrel
and ride on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last miles seem to have
been deviously laid out to be all uphill after riding a good portion of flat
Katy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start loving Bob even more
because that’s something sick I would do to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell them we are all crossing the line
together and that they are finishing, but don’t crash into each other because
that would suck. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cross the finish
together and then the icing on the cake is that I find out that’s Ninja’s first
Cedar Cross actual finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– Ahab <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCyV11UUw2eSVpv0QKKxpaBif2vG8IRbvXOZdNQ6Ub9XPGyYVVBKT6HFsDRXX1bBDY2YsV5aWH87KGnSWa44VYOv1QHus7f-QWm1Z2j7yKWt1eplNojYMRr6SFyH33hhm8Jdm4GAXzuUW/s1600/13118963_1804225709800628_8987628775186485427_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCyV11UUw2eSVpv0QKKxpaBif2vG8IRbvXOZdNQ6Ub9XPGyYVVBKT6HFsDRXX1bBDY2YsV5aWH87KGnSWa44VYOv1QHus7f-QWm1Z2j7yKWt1eplNojYMRr6SFyH33hhm8Jdm4GAXzuUW/s320/13118963_1804225709800628_8987628775186485427_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-10441064008982535032016-05-04T15:36:00.002-05:002020-10-18T12:18:47.413-05:002016 “Not the O.G.R.E” by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 “Not the O.G.R.E” by Captain Ahab (I will add pics later...maybe)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I first
heard of the Bonkhard O.G.R.E (Ozark Gravel Road Epic) I wanted to do it, but didn’t
have the correct bike, or the legs, or butt for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My longest ride was sub 100 miles on a road
bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chickened out the first two
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started riding a lot more in
those years with longer distances and started feeling stronger. Then I decided I
was going to do it and with no research into gravel grinding I jumped and
bought a used Scott Comp CX bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
found out shortly after that Bonkhard was pulling the races and that bike
pretty much got stashed away for a while until I started riding gravel with
friends and even raced a CX event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
then started figuring out a CX bike wasn’t a gravel bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of Bonkhard’s abandonment, I never
got to do the LBL, which I so was ready for, and I never got to do the Perfect
Ten, even though I would have raced it as a not-so-perfect 9-1/2 due to my lack
of toe situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when I saw the
return of the “O.G.R.E.” I cringed and signed up and prepared for death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
trained hard all last year and through the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thankful Kevin Minton and Dave Beattie, “sort-of-TeamBOR”
members, Team Virtus, and Off The Front trained all winter long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to hop from ride to ride to keep
training as much as possible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was feeling
incredibly strong until I messed up my leg’s tendons in the beginning of April
setting up the Chubb S.H.A.R.T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey
(TeamBOR for adventure racing and the “Freaking Momentum Guy” for bike racing)
kept me serious about the Ogre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He kept
stressing Tour of Hermann, so injured I rode day 1 of it and didn’t come back
day 2, but I thought I could do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
after some x-rays and consultation from the doc, I agreed to no running, cross
train into swimming, and upper body workouts, and to ride the Ogre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Mickey hits me with all the crazy
specifics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crew…?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crap; I didn’t think I could get anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place to stay. Ugh, hotel I guess; maybe the
wife will crew if I have a hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bags;
dang those bags are expensive, make mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tires, buy gravel tires. Cue sheet and Garmin, wing it, I am an
Adventure Racer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With a
week to go to the race, Tanya, my wife, is a go for crew, and finds us an
awesome condo to use and I cancel the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not mentioning who’s it was, but thank you so much, you know who
you are!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decide to take our newish
Wrangler instead of our other 4x4’s, because she can’t drive a manual Cherokee,
and the Trailblazer is acting up; this will become important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am against taking it because I know it’s
going to get filthy and that sort of stuff is the Cherokee’s business for now
until the Wrangler is paid off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus the
new car smell will be destroyed by my funky after-race smell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We leave early Friday and head down to the
Ozarks and Tanya is getting car sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is going to go great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
arrive majorly early, but drive past the event listening to Siri and down a one
lane dirt road and creek crossing; Wrangler off-road check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a dead end and we back up until we can
turn around and find the race start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
find out we are too early, head to the condo, have fun trying to find it since
Siri keeps getting us lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We eat
dinner, go to registration, talk to Larry and Mickey, listen to the safety/race
briefing and go back to the condo to try to sleep through the thunderstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wake up at 4am, and drive back to the start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEpWzY6l5aDhqWI9zi7Gc_E9-PRqbOL0KZxwz5xrWEezudC-2drLY4ml3N6kYzpqPgZ3EolQjrgQyk0BNBEpHJT_2tERBvVtG8XJMNW3UbSU2ty24E14L1-lTdCPsI3rGUSzCQyk9yP92/s1600/13174129_1802399009983298_9087350217643854256_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEpWzY6l5aDhqWI9zi7Gc_E9-PRqbOL0KZxwz5xrWEezudC-2drLY4ml3N6kYzpqPgZ3EolQjrgQyk0BNBEpHJT_2tERBvVtG8XJMNW3UbSU2ty24E14L1-lTdCPsI3rGUSzCQyk9yP92/s320/13174129_1802399009983298_9087350217643854256_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are
getting my bike ready as Mickey comes barreling in and gets stuck in a
water/mud hole and tries to blame it on his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we stop getting ready and pull him out; Wrangler
rescue vehicle check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey, Larry and
I line up at the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am surprised Mickey
is so far back in the pack with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlQTVpjIRyVUB2lTqzDaW7kKdSOXB7v45L322bNFJ1maT9_168Bupp2_qECmVPfuLjoWp7LR9BMhgq56qPyBQqyM5ApeQVy4evKvmX9SfitYTo4QFUpnpTsaH2jg3D5dmDQhHl5cC2Z0C/s1600/13087395_1801529470070252_267637249980849500_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlQTVpjIRyVUB2lTqzDaW7kKdSOXB7v45L322bNFJ1maT9_168Bupp2_qECmVPfuLjoWp7LR9BMhgq56qPyBQqyM5ApeQVy4evKvmX9SfitYTo4QFUpnpTsaH2jg3D5dmDQhHl5cC2Z0C/s320/13087395_1801529470070252_267637249980849500_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDeq5bLfnsjVCo0ECOzNkiPv-FAS963fxLCx-da6VlheuB7AWshngNG16PVngI6jpwVc5X8vNehns9TNIyrTJPUTay5s-c3kwi1dpZSfzvR0H4N4_kJBF0UEyy5rMXSNZI2hKznJrNIuh/s1600/13179113_1802399019983297_2897535525332117035_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDeq5bLfnsjVCo0ECOzNkiPv-FAS963fxLCx-da6VlheuB7AWshngNG16PVngI6jpwVc5X8vNehns9TNIyrTJPUTay5s-c3kwi1dpZSfzvR0H4N4_kJBF0UEyy5rMXSNZI2hKznJrNIuh/s320/13179113_1802399019983297_2897535525332117035_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4v4zY2jkRz7qRBplk8vDNiqi753maeqDPsSsuaYoxwxyB82JpHbd1p7Og6dZEGuZbt4DRsYhEvTgj3OQ8RHxKSTSTbtM4wD70HjM0_dWqIDss-RcP2issIrBs2gL1lBgmGFxoJ-Ov6xo/s1600/13151474_1801529463403586_2760116296849801863_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4v4zY2jkRz7qRBplk8vDNiqi753maeqDPsSsuaYoxwxyB82JpHbd1p7Og6dZEGuZbt4DRsYhEvTgj3OQ8RHxKSTSTbtM4wD70HjM0_dWqIDss-RcP2issIrBs2gL1lBgmGFxoJ-Ov6xo/s320/13151474_1801529463403586_2760116296849801863_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAfT2NJQoGtFq-tzKXs-TcFo7pMJYQIj2bZ1bXaBhNqddKkK6yduzkVamTU86WpizqNVmhX96h1HctMa5p4LpCMVfQBVQq5rWylYN_tntbtkGX0yaZ69LtOC4Dqvg8DZCkajGY8DfEfUK/s1600/13118843_1801529483403584_8445202986239586389_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAfT2NJQoGtFq-tzKXs-TcFo7pMJYQIj2bZ1bXaBhNqddKkK6yduzkVamTU86WpizqNVmhX96h1HctMa5p4LpCMVfQBVQq5rWylYN_tntbtkGX0yaZ69LtOC4Dqvg8DZCkajGY8DfEfUK/s320/13118843_1801529483403584_8445202986239586389_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>They
start the race and we are off and in a matter of seconds someone already has a
flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey is hauling some serious ass
up some monsterous hills and I am trying my best to hang on and draft him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never look back for Larry, for fear that I will
die in this speedy pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey starts
to lose me on a hill, but somehow I catch him later and draft him for a few
minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can tell he has no idea I’m
behind him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that I cannot hold
this pace for long and wait until he climbs the next hill like an insane man. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I give the hill my best, but when I get to the
top broken bikes are all over to my left and someone is hurling their breakfast
on my right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey is flat out
gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure the front pack dropped me
so I start trying to hang with the second pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know that I will soon be dropped from this pack because I know I can’t
keep attacking the hills like this for long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I keep telling myself I soon need to get into my pace and make this my
race or I am going to bonk and not finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Crap; Bonk; oh yeah eat and drink and take care of yourself” starts
entering my mind along with “don’t crash into him or that tree.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start thinking “ride smart and don’t flat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then think, “Oh shit I didn’t pack my
tubes!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cursed Mickey’s tow out of the
mud for making me forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am around 12
miles in and know I am not getting those tubes until mile 26.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on and try to avoid every rock which
is really hard on gravel and I keep out of the saddle to reduce my 35’s rear
tire from pinch flatting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure the
40 in the front can take it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was bombing
most of the water crossings before, but now I am riding slow through them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My average speed drops way down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make it to the CP and no Tanya and my heart
sinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear her yelling from far away
and go and get my tubes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get water,
electrolytes, and food and take off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8BKHyQLFuGaInrXuQ8bMrLK4eMV7EvgXaWLAKeqegvg697vGl3sFT74ZXq3qCBIsOykqmL9oL_IMhZ6E3xLSWtYTy7KMG06_YVjBvzRGS-_S4mBx5f-uPd5w78y04Xg6QTxAs-S-RGlR/s1600/13177247_1802399029983296_2694508251881784946_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8BKHyQLFuGaInrXuQ8bMrLK4eMV7EvgXaWLAKeqegvg697vGl3sFT74ZXq3qCBIsOykqmL9oL_IMhZ6E3xLSWtYTy7KMG06_YVjBvzRGS-_S4mBx5f-uPd5w78y04Xg6QTxAs-S-RGlR/s320/13177247_1802399029983296_2694508251881784946_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPUDk9Y7v83cxak5kLLeZ_5EqOde7QWbyxVyR8k9KPgSRSQQdmWC3_ZF_sTxs2OZmz9IxFqqa7-QAW42fzSJB4x4V9IM_wrcnC-clfzEO_Es1-4QGuOUvwVA_mkH_InK0WsNCZJPapOpH/s1600/13174176_1802399043316628_5274598575841985262_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPUDk9Y7v83cxak5kLLeZ_5EqOde7QWbyxVyR8k9KPgSRSQQdmWC3_ZF_sTxs2OZmz9IxFqqa7-QAW42fzSJB4x4V9IM_wrcnC-clfzEO_Es1-4QGuOUvwVA_mkH_InK0WsNCZJPapOpH/s320/13174176_1802399043316628_5274598575841985262_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
next 25ish miles I am trying to regain speed, but the wet gravel is sucking my
life force out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start thinking “I am
soon going to walk hills I can’t ride fast and that’s when I will drink and eat
and check the cue sheet.” So far the race markings have been pretty well placed
and clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I come across down riders
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most are flats and
breakdowns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are sick and some are
peeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I come across a guy sitting and
ask him how it’s going and he doesn’t respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ride by and notice he has blood on his knee the size of a softball,
but since he doesn’t say anything back I leave him there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I come across a young rider just hoppin back
on his bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says he broke his rear
derailleur off and converted to single speed, but his chain keeps hopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I offer to ride with him to the CP, which is
really close now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talk about his bike
and I tell him I don’t have the tool he needs on me, but I have it in my
Jeep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ride together until a massive
hill, which he rockets up and I tell him I can’t hang and to have a good
ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask are you going to finish as a
single speed and he tells me, “Yes, I am going to finish.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pull into the CP and Tanya is like an Indy
500 pit crew and changes out my liquids and food, takes my turtle neck and
stowed rain jacket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start leaving the
transition and see the newly converted single speeder getting ready to leave
too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, “Damn my transitions
are fast.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaMQiL0OvwbzV9SljpLsbLYLgqtMklFde1FkTJaT7C0qt3KT_6rCJNyhkWL-Cox000eAAry5ecdpG6XWRQePki3EL0p6e7GXBJZ9fQtU8REjV4-tLHYu3m4XnMG9_Ge46ySmjPy0ddjxX/s1600/13087729_1801529506736915_1559292510473275672_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaMQiL0OvwbzV9SljpLsbLYLgqtMklFde1FkTJaT7C0qt3KT_6rCJNyhkWL-Cox000eAAry5ecdpG6XWRQePki3EL0p6e7GXBJZ9fQtU8REjV4-tLHYu3m4XnMG9_Ge46ySmjPy0ddjxX/s320/13087729_1801529506736915_1559292510473275672_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
rocket down the highway and stupidly pass two riders with Garmins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am reading the cue sheet and looking at my
mileage on my bike computer and my Garmin Vivoactive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left turn is coming up soon in two
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fly pass a left turn and look
back wondering if it was my turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mileage is incorrect, couldn’t make out the street sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accelerating downhill, look back other riders
are checking the sign and Garmins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ride on, get to my mileage and there is no road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Shit!” I overshot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pull out the phone to check Strava, Strava
confirms, turn it off to save battery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
head back and am pissed off!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get to
the turn, 5 extra miles!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no
markings, but the sign confirms and I head down the road with Wolf Pack Racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wolf Pack drops me just a bit and all of a
sudden they are all in the middle of the road yelling to me to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stop and see the new single speeder laying
on the ground and he is in some serious bad condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave Frei from Alpine Shop is there and
riders are scrambling to call 911, but there is no service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I check my phone too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We send the strongest riders off to get
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am told the mail lady has
gone to call too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see a female racer
is checking vitals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see the single
speed with a broken handle bar and confirm that is the same rider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of take charge of shitty situations
and start barking orders; hence my Captain Ahab moniker. I tell them not to
move him, hold his head, even though Hunter is already doing a great job of
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask who knows CPR besides me and
almost everyone raises their hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
thank God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask if anyone has medical
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a doctor and a
vet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thank God again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mail lady comes back and I ask for an
emergency blanket and First Aid kit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
won’t give me the kit and tells me, “but the ambulance is coming.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell myself not to kill her and remain
calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask for gloves and alcohol wipes
because I can hear him gurgling and think I am going to have to start CPR if he
stops breathing. She throws me alcohol wipes, but nothing else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask again for a blanket and she says she doesn’t
have one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said, “Give me those beach towels.”
She says, “They are dirty.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said I don’t
give a F#@k; I’m trying to keep him from going into shock.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take them from her and think about taking
the kit from her too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She takes off too
worried about finishing her route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
decide to let her live and let her go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
cover him in the towels and Emily and Earl show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily’s got her E-blanket and we cover him up
with that too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell him I am going to
clean his mouth off just in case he needs help breathing, but I tell him to
keep breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hunter checks his teeth
and makes sure he didn’t swallow his tongue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I clean his mouth as best I can and tell everyone to tell me if he stops
breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he stops for a second
and I give him a sternal rub and he gurgles and wrenches his body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lady doc comforts him and gets him to lay
back down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see his eyes are
rolling back and he is not reacting well to my voice and responds better to the
doc, so I step away to do something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We think about blocking the place where he crashed because it is
extremely dangerous, so I jump and do it and then someone else says the ambulance
has to get through and he moves it back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I go and grab his bike’s race bib and put it in his left sock for
identification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rescue truck shows
up and we help them turn him to look for back injuries and find his wallet and
ID, which I give to the Paramedics when they arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone works together to backboard and load
him and they are gone taking him to the ambulance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take his bike and ask a guy if I can leave
it at his house for safe keeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
the police arrive we ask them if they can take the bike back to the last race
CP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of us ride off together and I really
really want to quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drop from the
pack so I can pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask that he makes
it and recovers fully, I then kinda have it out with the Big Man and tell him
what I thought of what happened, but then thank Him for making me get off track
to be there for him, and for all the riders, adventure racers, and first
responders that stopped to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask
that no one else gets hurt and He tells me to suck it up and to finish for the “single
speeder.” (I am not using his name without permission.) So I am now somewhere
around 60 miles and I should find Tanya around 76.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know she has to be worried because I am
about an hour off my pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try texting
his bib # in, but I have no service still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think I need to concentrate on taking care of myself, so I drink all
my fluids and eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride and ride and
ride and the suns out and its getting hot and I’m getting dehydrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I notice the markings and flags are gone and
figure I just entered an Adventure race and have to navigate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass a turn just barely and correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride with Kevin from Dirty Dog Pack and
tell him my frustrations with the course, what happened to the kid and that I was
really down and was thinking of quitting earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He climbs away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see Frei heading back and ask him if it’s a
loop and he says yes, but he short coursed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figure he is going back to check on the single speeder because that’s
just how Dave is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone knows he is F-ing
amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on and on and it seems
like an eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass a church and
think about finding water, but I skip it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ride more and find another church and search it for a water spigot,
but find none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride on and walk up a
huge hill that Tanya is standing at the top of cheering me on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask how is the “kid”? Someone says he has
been life-flighted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
to tell Tanya what happened and a race official and Tanya tells me Mickey is
there but he is at mile 110 and is feeling sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see him in the distance and we wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell Tanya I am finishing for the “single-speeder
kid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tells me someone has been
stealing course markings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am at mile
88, even though I have 5 extra miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ride on to the loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride fast out of
the gate and then slow when I see water and hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride smart and walk hills and eat and
drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pass and get passed repeatedly
by Extreme Electrical and Kevin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make
the loop and get back and Tanya refills my gear again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey has recovered and is long gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride back the way I came trading places
with E.Electrical and Kevin again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
markings are back and I make it to the last CP at mile 125.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tanya changes out my food and fluids and some
awesome guy lubes my chain and I am out on the road again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably had the fastest transitions than
anyone that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My longest one was
telling the accident story at mile 88.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ride into the night and find it really difficult to see the cue sheet without a
head lamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lose a lot of time coming
to complete stops to read the cue sheet with my bikes headlight or my phones
flashlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I continually check Strava
to make sure I am on course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin and I
continuously leap frog each other and he is awesome each time and tells me I am
on course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am faster than him in the
flats and downhills, but he can climb and I can’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We leapfrog into the night and we talk each
time we pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was amazed to hear that
he never walked once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also told me of
some awesome adventures he had done alone and with his team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin is an awesome guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start double guessing myself that the end wasn’t
near and start slowing to eat and drink more instead of hammering down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also keep checking the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit concrete and drop the hammer and right
before I knew it I crossed the finish line at 158 miles (7 extra).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t my best effort, but all in all I gave
it my all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could I have finished
earlier? Probably.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I could have
finished under 13 hours instead of 15, but I could have also took that header
in the creek and been life-flighted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like I said I didn’t finish for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ride on “Single Speeder!” – Ahab.</span><br />
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-76197123176998885402016-04-02T21:13:00.001-05:002016-04-02T21:15:44.917-05:002016 Chubb SHART<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 Chubb Trail SHART by TeamBOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Start at West Tyson County Park Chubb Trail Head. If you
can’t find this (Kevin), then quit now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Please follow all Park rules and laws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">SHART (Shared Adventure Race Training) developed by Team
Virtus, and continued by TeamBOR was designed for Adventure Racers, Mountain
Bikers, and Trail Runners with orienteering experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chubb brings it all, so be prepared for slick
rocks, technical single track, horse crap, mud and sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be prepared to leave your bike behind, so bring
a cable lock to secure it to a tree, unless it’s a piece of crap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be prepared to get wet, bring a dry bag for
your gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the Chubb is wet, West
Tyson will have slick rocks and Lone Elk and the river bottom will be muddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>West Tyson drys quickly due to the rocky
trail system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lone Elk and the river
bottom and the Castlewood Loop will be wet for days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trail system is mostly used by hikers
and trail runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may encounter
equestrians and mountain bikers also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The SHART will be up until the second week of May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The river flood has brought a lot of debris
and knocked down trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flowers are
blooming and the water is flowing, so this is a great time to test your metal
and enjoy the outdoors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going to
add more water features, but I wanted to save some for next time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Collect the letters at each CP and send the
answer to </span><a href="mailto:TeamBORAdventureRacing@gmail.com"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri";">TeamBORAdventureRacing@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
to prove you completed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t tell
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send pics too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Advanced Adventure Racers can download the Clue Sheet and
map pdf’s <a href="http://www.teambor.com/chubb-shart.html">http://www.teambor.com/chubb-shart.html</a> and not read any further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Beginners read on for Clue Sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also read the gear list at TeamBOR.com, you
may need some of this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP1 which is on top of a
boulder (small bushwhack).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP2 which is on top of a
boulder (small bushwhack).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP3 which is in a pit
(very close to trail). Don’t trespass (Ninja).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP4 which is on top of a
boulder (small bushwhack).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Leave your bike behind and bushwhack to CP5 which is on top
of a boulder on top of a cliff face (large bushwhack). Don’t Trespass (Ninja).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Bushwhack back to your bike and take trail to CP6 or
bushwhack to CP6 first and then get your bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s at a small water fall in the creek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put your gear in a dry bag and if you are
tall wade, if you are short swim, because there is no other way! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CP7 is by a boat, if you can’t swim you will
need one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP8 which is where you
would store your clothes if you were camping in a RV park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP9 or 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CP9 and CP10 can be achieved in any order,
but the cool kids will get CP9 first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They seem out of order but I wanted you guys to get extra training in
the skinny rock garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CP9 is in a
beautiful lil swimming pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a
swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CP10 is in a very small marsh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walk the tight rope log to it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is under an elevated car tire. Enjoy the
sand getting there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to CP12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to decide to backtrack through the
sand or go forward and hope the trail is better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You decide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CP12 is in an abandoned barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due
west is a big barn too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to the Lone Elk side of the
Chubb Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey you are half way there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Small bushwhack required to CP13 which is in
a small reentrant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot all the way back to CP14,
which also requires a small bushwhack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The CP is on top of a boulder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Take the trail by bike or foot to the start, which is the
finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check your shorts!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Send comments, concerns, to
TeamBORAdventureRacing@gmail.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-41138868073282828372016-03-21T21:24:00.002-05:002020-10-18T12:20:22.286-05:002016 Physically Strong Adventure Race by Amanda Lappe2016 Physically Strong Adventure Race by Amanda Lappe. <span style="color: lime;">Comments in green by Captain Ahab.</span><br />
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This year, Team BOR was fielding three teams for the Physically Strong Adventure Race, an 8-hour in Mendon, Illinois. I raced with Mickey, Captain Ahab, and Kevin in the 4p coed division. <span style="color: lime;">Neil, Dave B, Amy, and Robert on another team and Larry and Karl.</span> Since Kevin, Dave B., and I had a trivia night Friday night, we didn’t get to the Saukenauk Boy Scout Ranch, where the race started, until about 2 am Saturday morning. Thankfully, Mickey and Captain Ahab drove up at a reasonable time on Friday, plotted our maps, and took our bikes to the bike drop.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWK-tOkPnoAXVw8OHr2syWJ6dGwttOFlc-UqZ76vxElS4SdTBrQLr34UCDKzVjMgqpSGzMVgwJm7GFR9WpzgmUQVgQbvA4pDwBJqrHneWhWEfoJlBU55G59xoQKzBaCxmANT3oJ_EdJU2/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWK-tOkPnoAXVw8OHr2syWJ6dGwttOFlc-UqZ76vxElS4SdTBrQLr34UCDKzVjMgqpSGzMVgwJm7GFR9WpzgmUQVgQbvA4pDwBJqrHneWhWEfoJlBU55G59xoQKzBaCxmANT3oJ_EdJU2/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" /></a> Not-so-thankfully, Mickey’s alarm went off somewhere in the neighborhood of 4:30 am, <span style="color: lime;">(4:19)</span> despite breakfast not starting until 5:30. I guess it takes Mickey a while to get his hair and makeup done. After grabbing some breakfast and a brief pre-race meeting, which included learning which checkpoints that didn’t have markers, we took off on foot. After about a 2-mile run on gravel roads, on which the guys immediately dropped me and Mickey carried my pack, we passed TA1, where our bikes were waiting, and quickly found CP1, a ridge point. We bushwhacked to CP2, clue “cedar grove,” found the grove and looked...and looked...and looked. We re-attacked from the creek and looked some more. We backtracked to a pond <span style="color: lime;">(2 or 3X)</span><span style="color: black;">,</span> I shot a bearing and pace-counted, ending up at the same cedar grove where we initially thought it was. All of the other teams were also milling around in the woods, searching for CP2. After about an hour and a half of fruitless wandering, we decided to pull the plug and head back for the bikes. It was a hard decision to give it up, especially after spending so much time looking already, and on such an early CP in the race, but we decided if the other teams were also having difficulty, the CP was likely missing. We veered a little far west on our trek back to the bikes, ending up on the gravel road leading to TA1. When we got to the TA, we were disappointed to see that there were only 6 bikes left and 4 of them were ours. The volunteer informed us that nobody had found the CP and that it had likely blown away in a storm the previous night. <span style="color: lime;">I thought that we had no chance to make up ground and thought let's just put the best effort in no matter.</span> We had a quick transition and took off down the gravel road toward CP3, an out-and-back on gravel roads to a creek crossing. We passed a number of teams going the opposite way who had already found the CP. Next, we biked to TA2, the canoe put-in. After a gear check for patch kit, headlamps, and bike helmets, Mickey and I launched one canoe and Captain Ahab and Kevin another. Mickey and I did well in the canoe last year, but were NOT in sync this year. We zig-zagged all over the place and Kevin and Captain Ahab tried to ram us a couple of times. We found CPs 4 and 5, which were on opposite sides of the lake, easily and then returned to the TA.<span style="color: lime;"> I always love the paddling sections and I think we were moving pretty fast compared to other teams except Larry and Karl who were also moving fast.</span><br />
The next section of the race was where we went through thornbush after thornbush. Tall thornbushes, short thornbushes. Fat ones and skinny ones. Lots and lots of thornbushes. <span style="color: lime;">You forgot the thorn bush that snagged my face and Mickey saved me by pulling it out.</span> CP6, a reentrant, was on the other side of the main area for the boy scout camp, so we walked/jogged our way down the gravel roads, past the climbing wall. We got a little turned around, but quickly realized the right direction and found the CP, passing the other Team BOR 4p team in the process. <span style="color: lime;"> I was just concentrating on moving fast when Kevin started videoing and then I had some fun fooling about with Kevin, waving to our other team with 4 bent fingers on one hand.</span> <br />
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We ran into Karl and Larry on the way to 7 and Larry shared some really good beef jerky (seriously good. I’m going to have to buy some of that). The six of us stuck together to CP7, which was a log across a reentrant. <span style="color: lime;">Don't die Larry! Oh Larry your balls are out racing, literally, your tights are ripped!</span><br />
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We separated from Karl and Larry between 7 and 8 when they kept going in the correct direction while we back-tracked, thinking we had already passed it. After finding CP8, we made our way back to TA3, which was the canoe put-in where we had left our bikes. Knowing that we would be facing the rock wall next, we opted to leave our trekking shoes on for the short ride to the wall. When we arrived, we saw Hunter and Karen from Off the Front sitting at a picnic table waiting for their teammates on the wall. Kevin had been dreading this part of the race all day and when we were informed that instead of actually climbing the wall, we would be traversing the perimeter of the wall sideways only a short distance from the ground, he gave the volunteer what was likely to have been a very sweaty hug. None of us had any issues on the wall, but a member of Off the Front had tried unsuccessfully several times and each time, had to start over. <span style="color: lime;">Three points of contact, all in the legs repeated in my head, and a lot harder than I thought it would be.</span> As soon as our last member finished, they did as well, so we were all swapping to bike shoes and putting on helmets at the same time. Team BOR left the rock wall first, beginning a long bike-heavy segment of the race. <br />
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We raced to CP10, a punch with no marker, off of a logging road, with Off the Front breathing down our necks. We continued further down the logging road until we saw Karl and Larry’s bikes on the side of the road. We left our bikes with theirs and headed down a steep hill, amid much commentary by Kevin and I about the fun of trekking in cycling shoes. We made our way up and down creek banks and through thorn bushes toward CP11, while we could see Off the Front on top of a spur, watching us. There was no way to avoid giving away the location of the CP though, so we punched it and made our way back to the bikes. <span style="color: lime;">Sorry Larry and Karl we couldn't help you either.</span> As we were riding into a cornfield where CP12 was, we passed Toporadicals, the leading 4p coed team, as they were leaving. We were excited that we seemed to have made up some time. After riding to the edge of the field for the punch and back, I can say that if I never have to ride my bike through a corn field again, I’ll be fine with it. <span style="color: lime;">This is when I knew we had a chance, but I needed to eat and drink, but couldn't.</span> Off the Front were still close on our heels and would remain so for the next two CPs. We made good time to CP13, a long out-and-back on gravel roads to a punch under a bridge, again passing Toporadicals as they were leaving and Off the Front as they were arriving. The members of Off the Front are all very strong on the bike and they caught us at CP14. We took a strategically-timed food break <span style="color: lime;">YEAH</span> to let them choose a direction and get them off of our tail. They opted for the shorter, but rougher route, continuing down the abandoned road and facing a likely bike-whack before they would rejoin gravel. We took the same route Toporadicals had before us, going the long way around on gravel. We caught up with Toporadicals on a trail through the woods and our team was mixed with theirs as we continued down the trail. <span style="color: lime;">Is t</span><span style="color: lime;"><span style="color: lime;">his</span> about where I ate a NUUN tablet and almost choked to death?.</span> Off the Front came in from another trail at the same time, and all three 4p coed teams arrived at CP15, a skills challenge, at the same time. The task was to set up a tent as a team, including the rain fly, and then to put it back into the bag. We randomly chose a tent, which ended up being larger than the other teams and included a ground tarp. I liked this challenge a lot better than the ones last year because it necessitated teamwork. Kevin and I immediately started spreading out the tent corners, while Captain Ahab started putting together poles. I learned on this challenge that while Mickey is a great teammate and navigator, he is not a camper and is not much help in a tent challenge. <span style="color: lime;">I have had a lot of tent set up practice and Mickeys height was good for the rain fly. He just needs to learn right side out. All three teams were fast!</span> After we set the tent up, put the rain fly on upside down, and got everything folded up and put in the bag, we hopped back on the bikes, only to see Off the Front speeding away first, followed by Toporadicals. Us and Toporadicals took a wrong turn on the way to CP16, but we corrected quickly and headed down a Jeep road toward the lake. We crossed the pond dam and located the orange trail. CP16 was just a punch hanging from a tree, which we found easily. On the way to CP17, we made a wrong turn and again were passed by Toporadicals, but they overshot the CP and kept riding, while we found it. Kevin dove into a brush pile <span style="color: lime;">TREE MOUNTAIN</span> for the punch while Mickey kept whisper-yelling at us to be quiet. We were trying not to get our hopes up for a win at this point, but with Toporadicals out looking for the CP we had just gotten and no sign of Off the Front, we were starting to think there was a chance. <span style="color: lime;">Mickey said we just secured the win and I wasn't sure that the Topo's hadn't been somehow lightning fast and got the CP.</span> We hustled to CP18 and then backtracked down the orange trail to the suspension bridge. We had to cross it twice last year, once in the dark, and I wouldn’t have been disappointed to miss out on it this year. It’s only a few inches wider than a set of handlebars, so the best way to cross it with a bike is to stand the bike on its rear wheel and walk behind the bike, holding it by the bars. In the meantime, the bridge is rocking wildly from side-to-side. <span style="color: lime;">No one jumped on it this year. Whoever did that last year was a jerk!</span> As luck would have it, at the point we were crossing the bridge, the wind picked up and it started snowing. On the other side of the bridge, we followed the trail up to gravel and went around the campground to the yellow trail, which Mickey and I could not locate last year, causing us a lot of fruitless bike-whacking. With a much more efficient route this time around, we quickly punched CP19 amid increasingly large snowflakes. We hustled back to the start/finish area and learned that we were the first 4p coed team to finish and 3rd overall, which qualified us for nationals with $400 toward entry and we’ll get regional qualifier jackets. We also received medals and some unique wood plaques. <br />
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Congrats Rib Mountain for taking the overall! They were on fire all day. We got plates of food and warmed up next to the fire while we waited for the rest of the teams to finish. It was fun to talk strategy with the other teams while we stuffed our faces. After the rest of the teams made it back, we had the second-annual Team BOR group shower in the women’s shower house and everyone smelled the same afterward because I’m apparently the only one who brings soap. <span style="color: lime;"> I had soap and shampoo thank you very much, just had to put on spare race clothes since I forgot casual clothes, so I got to ride home in a chamois again.</span><br />
Physically Strong is a fun semi-close race and word on the street is that there will be 12- and 6-hour options next year. The organizers put on a great event with a challenging course and lots of food at the end. <span style="color: lime;">Thank you very much Race Organizers and volunteers!</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime;">Our other teams did awesome as well! Larry and Karl made a great comeback after being dead last! </span><br />
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<span style="color: lime;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: lime;">This was Amy and Robert's second AR ever! CONGRATS!</span></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-45330061698413324422016-01-22T12:02:00.000-06:002016-01-22T12:02:58.157-06:002015 Castlewood 8 by Amy Crews<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Castlewood 8-hr: A
Beginner Perspective<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Amy Crews<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am 36 years old, I work full time, have a 10-year old
daughter, and as of December 6, I love Adventure Racing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been interested and excited about adventure racing
for several years now. For me, it was a natural progression of fitness
activities: running on pavement to trail running, to obstacle courses. After
doing the Warrior Dash and MS Mud Run, I was ready for the next challenge. I
went to an orienteering meet, and was preparing myself for an adventure race.
Unfortunately, I lost track of that goal for a few years, until one day in
November while browsing through a Facebook feed, I noticed someone had posted
about the upcoming Castlewood Race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
immediately lit a spark inside me that I had not felt in a while. I poured over
the race page, looked at past stats, and decided that I wanted this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By that time, the slots were all filled up; I
had to find a team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I emailed the race
director, Emily, and waited by my phone for a response. That same day, I got a
response from Team BOR’s Kevin Minton, that they had a slot available on a
recreational team. YAY!!! I had described my fitness abilities and weaknesses
in my email, and Kevin said that they were just out to have a good time, and I
shouldn’t worry about whether I could keep up or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I worried anyway! I needed gear,
feared<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>embarrassment for not being in
good enough shape, and was still struggling a bit with previous injuries. I had
this story in my mind, that all adventure racers were in top shape and everyone
would be better than me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The few weeks leading up to the race, I picked up the pace
on my workouts, and started riding my bike more. I knew I was not in shape to
be competitive, and lacked confidence in my fitness, but at the same time, I
knew that I had the mental fitness for this, and that was I ready and willing
to give it 120%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The night before I was able to leave work early so that I
could make the 1.5 hour commute. I had everything packed for the weekend for
both me and my daughter, and we left our small town to head to the big city. By
my excitement level, a non-adventure racer would think that I was going on a major
vacation or something. When I went to sign the waiver, Emily greeted me
enthusiastically with a big welcoming smile. What a sweetie! Not only did she
help me find a team at the last minute, she was nice too! So now that it is the
night before and I am connected with Kevin, I confess to him that I have one
gear issue: I didn’t have a good pair of trail running shoes. I didn’t realize
it, but my old Salomon trail running shoes (which I had not used for over a
year), were pretty much worn out. I talked with Kevin about whether to buy a
new pair of trail runners, or just deal with my Brooks road running shoes. We
both agreed that buying a new pair was bad, and I would survive just fine in my
regular Brooks shoes. Ok, that is settled (Phew – I was stressing for the whole
drive up. Setback #1 averted). He gave me his home address, and went to his
house to plot points and do a gear check. I had my daughter with me, and
luckily Reanna is amazing and she was willing to play Xbox with her for a
couple hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A small dose of butterflies finally went away when the three
team members and I were doing gear check, and everyone was laughing, laid back,
and they all convinced me that they were all just out to have a good time.
Phew! We made plans for the bike drop, hung out for a while, then my daughter
and I headed out to my parent’s house in St. Charles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliRhoRrF8-FNNGwIsCZgU0XwhxbiADD_ONAlURAkGhnMB4hT5OvX3uHwhxNJU8X0xswvB7vWF03cRQLXeNk8mNCeUrg7GBFyzPQo0lKnhmCOZvXHgzdVl-S-dn2cFwiEXsONRavh10okZ/s1600/Picture5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliRhoRrF8-FNNGwIsCZgU0XwhxbiADD_ONAlURAkGhnMB4hT5OvX3uHwhxNJU8X0xswvB7vWF03cRQLXeNk8mNCeUrg7GBFyzPQo0lKnhmCOZvXHgzdVl-S-dn2cFwiEXsONRavh10okZ/s1600/Picture5.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race day is finally here. It was about an hour drive to the
Wyman Center, and an extra 10 minutes to stop for one last minute purchase:
body grease stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had learned the
night before that it is pretty normal to put everywhere where your clothes
might rub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no clue what exactly to
get. I ended up getting a $10 container of diaper rash ointment. Future Setback
#2 averted. I arrived at Wyman Center, and as luck would have it, my teammate
John Naas pulled in right behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After doing some last minute gear fiddling and ointment application, we
headed up the hill. I found it amusing how John was not phased at all by me
using my new ointment in front of him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I greeted the handful of people I knew, but took most of the
time at Wyman Center putting on my ankle braces (a chore). As Emily was reading
off the rules, and giving everyone the surprise news that there are buses
waiting for us, and we are headed to Pacific Palisades, I realized I had left
my hat, required gear, in my car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave
Kevin the ‘Oh Sh**’ bad news, and we ran for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I was parked very close and it was
on the way to the buses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Setback #3
averted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We loaded up on the back of the
last bus and made our way. The emotions are a slight roller coaster, but not
near as much elevation gain as the hills I knew we were in for on the bike
portion!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQO6kJEviZzo2Zto3OQkGrRaHeXsRRI9YUtUH3hqO5Ngg8twP70D5_E3-4V_CSQCyOBWNYM1nAVAvVKqvRUFgXYPi8Q_JQ72IZ6BpSwLdmOIdpaEiJZJxYhbulM_gXuDrovqaFG8dXoom/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQO6kJEviZzo2Zto3OQkGrRaHeXsRRI9YUtUH3hqO5Ngg8twP70D5_E3-4V_CSQCyOBWNYM1nAVAvVKqvRUFgXYPi8Q_JQ72IZ6BpSwLdmOIdpaEiJZJxYhbulM_gXuDrovqaFG8dXoom/s1600/Picture1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was in the 30s that morning, but expected to climb to the
60s. I wasn’t phased by the temperature -it was perfect racing weather. The
guys had told me stories about previous Castlewood races that ended in frost
bite, and that was one more thing that we didn’t have to worry about today.
Setback #4 averted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After arriving, I knew I had to pee before we started, while
it was somewhat easy. I don’t mind going in the woods, but wanted to avoid
stopping later if I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugh! Of
course there is a line for the women’s restroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was about to go to the woods when a couple
girls in the line beat me to it and put me in front of the line. I thought to
myself that these girls going in the woods were hard core, and it was one of
many things that made me feel like I was in my element that day! (Mild setback
#5 averted). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The race began. Seven checkpoints of orienteering went
great. Kevin was navigating, I was punching the card, and Paul was reading
clues. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vegetation was covered in
frost, which is always a cool site to see. No major setbacks. Kevin was navigating
and we found them all and were happy with our time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will spare the details on the jokes that
were flying, but let’s just say that it was inspired by John’s pants, and
certain flavored drinks that were mandatory. We did the loop successfully, and
started getting ready for the paddling portion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kevin reminded me, thankfully, to punch the CP at the TA. I think I
would have forgotten to do that. Experience averted setback #6! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj418O-TzT_65AMZrLkdxozlDDF6wSqx1Nj6kAGsUOKPxe_c_qYG1kS1-qGHiSL-tQgODfznrj5nf8FeS8QPxxE5yToAxhV-_bBiVo6JmO9D5mzA-b0Q2KNiCdgdszp4AB_xRw1sBl-ojxL/s1600/Picture7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj418O-TzT_65AMZrLkdxozlDDF6wSqx1Nj6kAGsUOKPxe_c_qYG1kS1-qGHiSL-tQgODfznrj5nf8FeS8QPxxE5yToAxhV-_bBiVo6JmO9D5mzA-b0Q2KNiCdgdszp4AB_xRw1sBl-ojxL/s1600/Picture7.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all prepared for the paddle, had a sip of flavored
beverage, and lugged the canoes over to the boat ramp. Wow, after growing
accustomed to my kayak, which I can carry easily alone, I forgot how heavy
canoes are! By now, the teams were spacing out, but there was still a line to
get in the water. Once we were in, we paddled strong for the whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I practiced my J-stroke, and managed to only
mildly zig zag the course. I had waterproof gloves that I used for cold weather
kayaking, and they worked pretty well, but not perfect. My feet were soaked,
and my toes and fingers were cold, but it was tolerable and there were better
things to think about than that! The fog rising off of the river that morning
was gorgeous, and canoeing in the cold is actually pretty fun. The flavored
drinks must have given us a sugar high, because we got very hyper! We were
talking like pirates, sinking Irish bar songs, playing bumper boats and just
being generally very silly. Absolutely no whining from Team BOR! I was slowly
realizing that adventure racing is not necessary serious! For a beginner, it
was the perfect team for my first race. Overall, canoeing went well with no
setbacks, other than the other canoe that we bumped into like twice. I don’t
think they were mad, luckily. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxnbGMbzAZRxy2lIumXo4Vl4uvi3UGL_GgXcLVPcuYeWMGHNQUpNI6y2AJ84R8z66o5ddfYdNGdx51ZpOaPSNAIou-p97W2oN9ujdzFadMU5U_rRtN-FFAVv330gxa_ahr_FWLhEciUHu/s1600/Picture6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxnbGMbzAZRxy2lIumXo4Vl4uvi3UGL_GgXcLVPcuYeWMGHNQUpNI6y2AJ84R8z66o5ddfYdNGdx51ZpOaPSNAIou-p97W2oN9ujdzFadMU5U_rRtN-FFAVv330gxa_ahr_FWLhEciUHu/s1600/Picture6.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After paddling for what seemed like
a couple hours, we arrived at the next TA. Gear check happened here, and we
checked out. We adjusted gear leisurely, didn’t stress for time, and made our
way to the big hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where the
maps that we had received the night before started, so we knew there was a
large hill right off the bat. Makes sense – have to climb out of the valley. I
decided to go ahead and eat a snack and gel pack - I knew it was going to be a
tough climb for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were climbing,
one funny guy driving his car up the hill yelled out at us, ‘You guys are
crazy!’. I made it most of the way, but ended up walking the very last
bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t the only one, which made
me feel better since I was still worried that I would hold the guys back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it though, and continued on. The next
few CPs were fun, and I was having fun being the punch card person because it
added even more adventure to the adventure race. For example, to get across the
interstate, we had to follow the creek under the bridge. We found the CP
hanging from the bottom of the bridge, but we were on the wrong side of the
creek. It was probably less than 50 feet from me, and the most direct and
quickest route, was through the creek, which was scoured out right in my path.
I figured my feet were already wet from canoeing, and it wasn’t THAT deep, so I
dropped my bike and went for it! Through the pool, water up to my thighs, over
the flood debris, and Punch! The guys thoughtfully and sweetly grabbed my bike,
and I met them further downstream. After than fun punch card adventure, we had
some creek to travel through, and then found a spot to get out of the creek –
straight up the 4-5 foot creek wall. We made it out though – it was a good
lesson in the importance of teamwork. It was also my first lesson in the
benefit of having a lightweight bike, which I do not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it up the next big hill slowly but
surely, will never forget bike whacking up that massive Eureka hill after
missing the CP, had a quick celebratory dance at the teepee, had an exhilarating
end to the bike portion, and made our way back to TA 2 at Wyman, bikes
completely muddied from the downhill mud ski (Kevin rode quite a bit of that
actually!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By this time, we were all in GREAT
spirits, other than the slight realization that there were teams that had
already completed the entire course by the time we started the trek. Oh well! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trek begins. It is my biggest
fear, since I had not been running for at least a year. Turns out, that after
the adrenaline and endorphins kick in, that I can jog way more than I thought I
could. Plus, a lot of the trekking portion is on steep slopes, rocky creeks, or
other areas where jogging would not have been ideal anyway. With the biking
portion, there were short periods of high intensity work on the hills. With the
trekking portion, there were long periods of medium intensity work. Time flew
by. We were feeling a little tired at times, but were careful to stop for
nutrition frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no
bonking, but there was towing. The card punching was definitely challenging.
Running a little ahead to punch the card, even if it means down that steep hill
and back up, when you are already tired, while your teammates rest or plot the
next point, is normally the reason why a team would give this job to the fit
person. Paul normally has this job and I definitely appreciated him, once
before for carrying my bike, once for a tow, and once again, when he helped out
with punch duties when times got tough!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We remained tough, jogged more than we thought we would, all had a great
attitude, and eventually we found all of the CPs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, by the time we got to the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
to last CP, which was very close to the Wyman Center (the end), I was
definitely starting to feel the pain of old injuries creeping up on me, and
couldn’t jog anymore. I told the guys that my mind wanted to run, but my body
was telling me no. But, I am determined to finish strong, so the last 10
minutes of the race, I was all set for a strong finish and had mustered the
energy. As we half jogged half hiked up the last hill, suddenly, we saw a Team
BOR friend. So what did we do? We stopped and chatted it up! Once again, I
realized, for like the 20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> time, that it wasn’t a race after all!
When Kevin said that they were just out to have fun, I guess he really did mean
it!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All my nervousness, butterflies,
fears, etc., was really, truly, finally totally proven unnecessary. We finished
around 2:30, not knowing whether we were in last place, and not caring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hugged, and enjoyed the after-race-glow
over some well-deserved food and drink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, we made it; off to the morals
and lessons learned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Team
BOR is awesome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It
can be as competitive as you want it to be, and you don’t have to be in
excellent shape to finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My
first team based race was great, and I learned a lot about thinking of the
team, before yourself. In other words, lose the ego and let a stronger member
tow you if needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It
IS important to be prepared, even if you are not racing competitively. Setbacks
can often be avoided. If you are unsure of your gear, don’t be afraid to ask,
even if you are worried that you will sound silly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Adventure
racers are nice and friendly, and if they see you stopped, they will always
stop and make sure that you are safe before they proceed to pass you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 3.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
love adventuring racing!s <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-43784132810886646262015-12-19T23:55:00.003-06:002020-10-18T12:21:11.017-05:00Tuning Tips by Captain Ahab<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Tuning Tips From Captain Ahab 11/13/2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have been thinking of making a How-To
DIY series video for TeamBOR’s YouTube Channel for some time now, but never
have got around to it, and since I am more of a writer than an actor I figured
I would just write down some instructions for you all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now here is the warning; this is how I tune a
bike, I am not a paid professional bike mechanic, but I have built and tuned
many bikes and probably will tune a bike better than you will get it done in
most local bike shops (I have seen many local bike shops turn out some
horrifying work, but to be nice I won’t name names.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like tuning a bicycle is very artistic
and mechanical at the same time and is why I enjoy it so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love to have a couple drinks and un-wind
while tuning a bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only wish my
hearing was good enough to play loud music and hear the tune of the bike, but
since I am partially deaf I have to play the music low to hear the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you get good at tuning, or drink more,
hearing the bike becomes less of an issue; although your results may vary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do have a mechanical background and have had
many many hours wrenching (and building) on just about anything; including cars,
Jeeps, bikes, boats, houses, and airplanes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Word to the wise; make sure you use your bike stand and if you don’t
have one I suggest buying one, but in a pinch you can use a hanging bike rack
off the back of your car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bike stand
will make your life easier and is worth the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are on the trail, then get a buddy to
hold the rear tire off the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now here
is the second warning, if you are not good with tools, have little patience, or
are not sure about your ability, then turn back now and head to your bike
shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you think you have what it
takes, then keep reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
instruction will be based from a 3x10 mountain bike (normal rise derailleurs,
trigger shifter, Shimano), but once you get it down, you will be able to tune
any bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not suitable for
children as I speak of drinking and perhaps self-inflicted pain from here on out,
so if you are looking for G rated instructions, then please stop reading (I did
edit out some profanity…kind of).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Step 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a Phillips Screw driver and stick it
into either of the two screws on either of the derailleurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t matter which one. Now turn it ¼
turn clockwise and with your other hand smack the living sh!+ out of the hand
that is holding the screw driver and repeat to yourself that you will never do
that again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repeat this process until it
sinks in your brain that these screws are end stop screw adjustments and are
not “tuning” adjustments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you feel
the urge, go ahead and punch yourself in the face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let it sink in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Step 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s look at that front derailleur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get the correct Allen wrench and disconnect
the cable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s lefty-loosy
idiot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well now your sh!+ out of luck
and committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get a beer and have a
drink and breathe deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer and Yoga
will help you maintain your balance through the next few steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put the rear derailleur in the small outboard
ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Push that front derailleur out with
your fingers while pedaling the crank with your hand…not your foot dumb@$$.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let the chain go into the big outer
ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now look at the alignment of the
derailleur with the chain and chain ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is it straight?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at the gap
between the bottom of the derailleur and the top of the chain ring. Does it
have about 2-3mm of gap?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, you are
going to have to unclamp that b!+ch and re-position it so it does line up with
the chain ring and have the correct gap. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good luck and God be with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that the derailleur is clamped correctly,
push that thing out as far as possible and make sure the chain doesn’t come off
(outside of) the big ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where
the screws come in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Select the H or High
screw and turn it until you get the chain in the big chain ring without it
falling outside or making a sh!+ ton of noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It needs to be pretty much centered on the chain and the chain shouldn’t
be rubbing on the derailleur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now let go
of the derailleur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did it pinch your
finger? Good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have another drink and
breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the chain when cranked
should be in the inboard little ring or “granny” or low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put the rear derailleur in the inboard or big
ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust the L screw until the chain
doesn’t fall inside the frame side, nor shifts to middle, nor make a sh!+ ton
of noise while cranking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now crank and
push it out to the big ring, now let it go and go to the little, repeat as
necessary while making micro adjustments to the screws until it is right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may take you hundreds of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get it right!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Use your vision, hearing, hell smell the thing if it helps you, but get
it right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have just adjusted the
stop screws that keep your chain on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
take your screw driver and put it away or we will be slapping your hand
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn the barrel adjuster on the
shifter all the way in and then back it out one full 360 degree turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grab the cable and pull with one hand and
while shifting to release all the tension on your shifter with your other
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cable should be pulling out
and getting longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure you crank
until the chain falls into the little front gear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attach the cable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put the rear derailleur in the middle
ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now crank and shift to middle or 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did it shift?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I bet it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, turn the
barrel adjuster out until it does, or runs true on the middle ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now crank and shift to the outer ring or 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have to adjust the barrel again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repeat until you can shift into all three
gears with ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are having
trouble, then you did something wrong and will have to start over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Step 3: Now let’s move on to the
rear derailleur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we have to talk
about smacking your hand again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Disconnect the cable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crank and
the derailleur should drop with no spring tension to the little outboard gear
or top or high normal (not Shimano Rapid Rise or low normal).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had a few Rapid Rise derailleurs, and
although the concept sounds solid, I found the delivery of shifting
unacceptable while riding, so stick with traditional derailleurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A note about SRAM derailleurs, they suck,
and sometimes the screws are backwards.) Now adjust the high screw so that the
chain is centered on the smallest ring and doesn’t fall off into the frame, nor
upshifts to the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> smallest while being cranked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With your hand push the derailleur up to the
big inboard ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust the other screw
“L” so that the chain doesn’t fall off into the spokes, nor doesn’t stop in the
second biggest ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note: if you do
this correctly invest in a chain whip and take your cassette off to get rid of
that stupid plastic spoke protector, because it’s lame.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make the chain run centerline on the big
inboard ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let go of the derailleur
and crank it back down to the little outboard ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn the shifter barrel adjustment all the
way in and then one full turn out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hold
the cable and gently pull while shifting, pulling the cable out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your rear derailleur has a barrel
adjuster, then turn it in and then 1-1/2 turns out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your derailleur has a screw that pushes
into the derailleur hanger, then adjust this until about 1 chain link drops
between the bottom of the cassette and the top of the top derailleur jockey
wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connect the cable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put the front chain ring in the big ring, the
rear is in the little ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shift one gear up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust the barrel on the rear D first (if you
have one) to make it shift up one gear smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shift it all the way up to the big rear
ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shift the front to the inner
little ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust the rear barrel
until it shifts smoothly to this ring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Go back and forth a couple times to make sure it shifts inboard and
outboard smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now put the front
inboard and the rear outboard and crank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does it make noise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well it cross
chained and you shouldn’t ride like that anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the fasted way to break your
chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your chain should always be as
straight as possible when riding, but this configuration does not have any
cable tension on it and is best for storage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now put the front in the middle ring and shift the rear up and down or
in and out, which ever saying suits you best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It should be shifting relatively well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If it doesn’t you screwed up and need to start over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it’s skipping a little or hanging up some
on one gear use the barrel on the shifter to correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may need to use the shifter barrel to
correct some while riding also, but when you get good at tuning this will not
be needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You now can tune a bike, so
go ride it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">NOTE: Buying a good repair manual
is a good idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mountain Bike
Maintenance by Mel Allwood is a good tool to have in your box. – Ahab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-46306066022145455272015-10-30T14:16:00.002-05:002015-10-30T14:16:47.446-05:002015 BT Epic by Kevin Minton.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2015 BT Epic by Kevin Minton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>4 AM
came way too early on race day as it always does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After loading up the truck I headed out to
race HQ at Bass River Resort just outside Steeleville, MO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After getting checked in, setting camp and
doing some socializing I lined up for the 8:30 start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few announcements later and a
shotgun blast - we were off on the course in a mass start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode for what seemed an eternity on the
dirt road leading out from the campgrounds at Bass. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, after thinning out a bit, we dumped
in on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything just seemed
to be flowing well at this point, the trail was in good shape and the weather
was near perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My legs were fresh and I was ready to take on the BT Epic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hung with a good group for a few miles
until one of the guys flipped over the bars (he was okay) and caused us a bit
of a slow down on a downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept
motoring on and ran into another rider down on the side of the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure who it was, but she was bleeding
pretty well from the knee and looked a little shaken up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were half a dozen people around her and
yet nobody had a first aid kit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
came by I heard them asking for one so I stopped and handed mine off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on the bike and I managed to hook up
with another guy and we put the hammer down on the next sections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to catch back up to the original
group we were riding with and we tagged along with them until we hit aid
station 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not sure what distance that was at,
maybe 10, but I was still feeling good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt so good I yelled out my number, thanked volunteers and kept right
on going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here it was a small
stint on paved road with a little incline, then back to the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love going back and forth with other riders
and just having a good time on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I managed to have a little spill on this section. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came up a switchback and dropped my front
tire off the downhill side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a
really good look at the leaves when I face planted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To save face, I casually sat up and proceeded
to take a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After eating a bit, I jumped
back on the bike and took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
sweet single track brought us to the next aid station, Berryman campground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
loaded up my bottle and got some spare food at this aid station, but it was not
without incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the bright idea
of tying my drop bag string so nothing would fall out on the trip to Berryman
in the trucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out, this is a
horrible idea as I couldn’t untie it at the campground and those stupid bags
are really strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did eventually
break into my bag, and was on my way in about 5 minute’s time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next section was very fast with some nice
smooth downhills and short little climbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This section really seemed to fly by and next thing I know we were
climbing the jeep road and hit the next aid station. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I spent
around 5 minutes here eating a Payday and talking to some friends from OT100. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next I was headed off down the dirt road and
eventually another section of trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was a longer section of dirt road leading to a section of the trail
that contained the infamous “Three Sisters” hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been dreading this all day as I have
never ridden these hills and no one really had anything good to say about
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reached the trail and took the
left, then leaned in for a nice right sweeping turn and the front tire washed
out on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t go down and kept
riding, but thought something was off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Went into the next turn and the front tire washed out again, confirming
my suspicions of a flat tire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
cursing the rocks I jumped off the bike and set to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasted about 10 minutes changing the tube
just making sure I wasn’t going to pinch it again so I didn’t have a repeat of
the OT100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I got the wheel back on
the bike, I took off to conquer those hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turns out I didn’t really conquer the hills like I had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These hills are no joke steep and had some
very technical switchbacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode what
I could ride and walked what I could walk and made it through all three hills
and down into Bass River campgrounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all that my legs were feeling a bit drained, but I was still in
good spirits until I pedaled out into a field and a headwind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damn you Mother Nature!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who puts a headwind in a mountain bike race?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personally, I blame the race directors and
there sadistic sense of humor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
about a half mile on the gravel/pavement I came up to the last aid station that
was conveniently located about 300 feet from the finish line…. and BBQ… and
beer… and warm clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so close,
yet so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead I gnawed on some
gummy bears and got the scoop on this last 8-9 miles of trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point I have to mention that I have
no watch, cell phone or odometer, so I have no idea what my pace is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask a volunteer as I am heading out if he
knows what time it is and he responds with 1:35. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1:35?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m five hours and five minutes into the race and have 8-9 miles left to
go to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as I don’t do
anything dumb, I know I will break my 7:00 hour goal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more, there is a small chance I could
break 6:00 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BT Epic had other
plans though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming up out of the aid
station was a monster of a paved climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After suffering up that there was another ridiculous climb, but this
time dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After we dropped into the
trail there was a nice bit of single track that included this really nice rock
ledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I glided over the edge with ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so excited about clearing this that I
turned around to consider a rerun. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was my own folly that caused me to smack a small rock off the side of the
trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went over the bars and got up
with a much smaller ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some
expletives I rode off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mile later I
hooked up with two guys named Matt (could have been one, but pretty sure there
were two of them dressed exactly the same) and joked around with them while
pushing as much as we could to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At this point I knew I was going to be close to 6 hours, but figured I
would be a few minutes over and had accepted that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit the top of the last hill and one of
the Matts gave a warning that this section was really washed out last time he
rode it, but that didn’t seem to matter as those guys took off towards the
finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to feel left out I jumped in
right behind away we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That final
downhill was a blast and way too short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We popped out and made the quick left into the finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I dropped my bike by the food tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point the biggest thing on my mind
was getting BBQ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two years ago there was
no food left when I finished so the thought of a hot plate of meat at the
finish line kept me hustling throughout the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw a few of the Team Seagal guys and asked
if they knew what time it was – 2:28 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Had I actually broke six hours?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone
pointed out I could go to the timing stand and see live results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low and behold, I had finished in 5:56!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty excited to have crushed my
original goal by an hour…and still got BBQ and beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g0HOlq7aaP2PznaSu18u6-SBvvMERIrnwK-pSW9dKjVn55WhnLgUKHie-VFNa61jzIQpYB_dAek8tmbYITT0_0g3sfru1jfUr-2TIglxYb3QNEW-uSVheFCS_C4NteUW6ZNWsG4aNk-b/s1600/2015+BT+Epic+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g0HOlq7aaP2PznaSu18u6-SBvvMERIrnwK-pSW9dKjVn55WhnLgUKHie-VFNa61jzIQpYB_dAek8tmbYITT0_0g3sfru1jfUr-2TIglxYb3QNEW-uSVheFCS_C4NteUW6ZNWsG4aNk-b/s320/2015+BT+Epic+pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-8124174568605927472015-10-20T21:26:00.001-05:002020-10-18T12:21:48.969-05:00Adventure Racing Gear 101 by Captain Ahab<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Since Robert Bart has been getting
ready to start Adventure Racing he has asked TeamBOR many good questions that I
thought would be good topics for a blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He recently asked us what kind of bikes do we prefer, which running
shoes do we wear, what kind of pack should he buy and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So let’s start out with what kind
of bike do we prefer for Adventure Racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well Adventure Racing usually requires a mountain bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never been in a race where road bikes,
hybrids, or cyclo-cross was allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
that’s easy; a mountain bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
what kind of mountain bike best fits AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That depends on what kind of rider you are, but in my experience I have
seen a great deal of racers using aluminum hardtail 29ers with 3x9’s or
3x10’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is also what I prefer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well aluminum vs. carbon or steel; I’ve broken my carbon frame and I
truly believe aluminum is more dependable and if I need to shave grams it can
come off my fat gut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Carbon is also at the hands of volunteers loading trailers some times; you may end up with some chips. </span>Your bike is also going
to get wet, super wet, even inside the frame and steel rusts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see…hardtail; why; cheaper, simplicity,
weight, and hill climbing ability, but if you have a good full rig with a rear
lock out go for it, but I personally have had too many technical issues with
full suspension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>29er…definitely
29er…it’s faster, rolls over objects better, higher ground clearance, yes you
lose some turning ability from a 26er, but the speed you gain is so much more
of an advantage; plus the big tires should make your hardtail float if it falls
out of the canoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, my 29er
floats!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could go with a 650B, but as
I own one of each of the 26er, 650B, and a 29er hardtails, I can tell you that
all the media hype of the 650B being the best of both (26 & 29) worlds is
well media hype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion it is a
trade-off between the 26er and the 29er; you lose more than you gain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now let’s talk gearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is where it is truly up to your
ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man (or Woman) of Steel, get a
singlespeed since there is not much to break and is lighter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a step down to a 1x11 or 12, but I wouldn’t
pick a 1x9 since I personally have one and think it would kill me in an AR, but
if you have the legs then get it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next
let’s talk about my nemesis 2x10…I kinda want to curse right now because I hate
my 2x10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always seems to be cross
chained no matter which ring I am in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
want to ride big front ring / big rear ring while climbing and I should be able
to, but it is too crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can do this
on my 3x10 in middle front ring and big back ring and it should be about the
same gearing, yet I haven’t totally checked yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will check and get back to you all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That big 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> ring adds some weight
but if you hit pavement you won’t spin out and if you have legs still, you can
haul some booty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The middle front ring
is your workhorse, keep her there as long as you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That lil ring I love to call “Granny” well
she is my best friend long into the race when my legs are thrashed and all I
have left is spinning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granny always
gets me to the finish line if necessary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this you can get into all the crazyiness
that make up a mountain bike. Brands, Cross-Country vs. Trail vs All Mountain,
Shimano vs Sram, bar width, saddle comfort, pedals (refer to pedal blog), tubed
or tubeless, and the list goes on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is where you find out what works for you by trial and error,
expensive trial and error, fun, expensive, trial and error.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Running shoes…oh how we hate
running shoes! The necessary evil. I am speaking for our team now, but I
believe everyone would agree for road running the lighter the shoe the better,
as long as your feet don’t hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
Brooks Glycerin 13 have lasted a couple years and just now are starting to
hurt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would consider them medium
weight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would definitely get another
pair; they are expensive but the quality is there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get Saucony and Asics too that are
good road running shoes for cheaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
you won’t be running on pavement much in an AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have tried a few shoes in AR. North Face Gortex Hedgehogs are heavy
and the soles tend to crack, but they have good traction and are warm and dry
until you step into a deep puddle and then your feet are wet for all eternity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just say no to Gortex! Multiple (packed) pairs
of good synthetic or wool socks will get you by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have two pairs of these Hedgehogs and have
retired them to walking the dogs and later grass cutting shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Naas will appreciate that in this
situation North Face has failed the teenage girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asics trail shoes were actually not too
shabby, but you have to deal with those pesky laces and the heal backs blew out
rather quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saloman’s don’t have
traditional laces. Instead they have “speed laces”, which make transitions
super-fast and easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So go Saloman!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now which one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have three pair of Saloman’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have two XR Missions that I use to trail
run in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are light and comfortable
and have average grip, but they wear out quick; too quick!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The back of the heal always comes off! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use my Speed Cross 3’s for AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are narrower, and lower, which I kind of
don’t like, but the traction on them in mud while bushwhacking is
remarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, they are slipper
than grease on wet rocks and roots, so be careful not to bust your butt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Speed Cross are built better than the
Missions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wish Saloman would make
their shoes with a little better quality so they would last longer, but I think
they are the AR shoe for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Packs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to have a pack?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Have you seen Dora leave on an adventure without her Back Pack?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure your pack holds at least one 100oz
or 3 liter bladder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should select
your pack by the length of the AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have done short sprint 2-5 hour AR’s that my Camelbak Mule was perfect for, but
it’s too small for an 8 hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking
of Camelbak, their quality is excellent and they have all kinds of cool
features, except most of their packs lack front food pockets, minus the Octane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I run an Outthere MS-1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is perfect up to a 24 hour race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the light weight, simplicity, and
front grab bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think their quality
could be better though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thinking of
getting an AS-2 for longer races, but I am worried about quality and the AS-1
that I have been shoving gear in on my teammates back confuses the hell out of
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too much going on there on that
pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We actually talked about giving
each pocket an address so he can yell out, “put in pocket C4!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So 8-24 hours equals 18-22 liters of
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure your pack has exterior
attachment points for helmets, shoes, and paddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am keeping my eye on the Osprey 22L that
Kevin Minton is running and thinking of it’s big brother instead of an AS-2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will let you know what I decide when I
cross that bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, make
sure you pack fits you and has a good chest and belly strap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pack needs to ride high on your back for
running and riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will hate life
if it keeps getting stuck on your saddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also needs to be snug to your belly and chest for running so it
doesn’t bounce the life out of you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So Robert, I hope this helps you
out a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can always check out
our gear lists on </span><a href="http://www.teambor.com/gear.html"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri";">http://www.teambor.com/gear.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
and remember if Captain Ahab can’t break it, then it is approved!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I have to go and update the gear lists I
bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– Ahab.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So the chain ring update is the 26er 1x9 is a 34 x 11/34, the 650 2x10 is 38 (big)x11/36 and the 29er is 32 (middle)x11/36. I thought they were only 2 tooth difference, not 6, so that is why it cross chains and makes me feel like I need to drop to granny.</span></div>
<br />
<img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-VGM9pgCydELphJaonDgjyKT4NqoDuvmn7V1llQ79bf4Sd_IUO4y1TlsprUBzQBHUykofeuLEvG4K6u81Bt1j0bt6bhIqcQG30l1b8_sBM5QXrB6iZb3-RePOLvT00AI1eHmugXdRJt2/s320/DSCI0010.JPG" style="left: 459px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 806px;" width="96" />TeamBORhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13975973658137072787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049495888704545353.post-203486626953384572015-10-12T21:45:00.003-05:002020-10-18T12:22:36.506-05:002015 Burnin at the Bluff by Captain Ahab<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2015 Burning at the Bluff by Captain Ahab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">TeamBOR headed to the 2015 Burnin
at the Bluff as two 12 hour teams and a solo 12 hour racer; Dave Cortivo (Beastmode)
and Captain Ahab (Capt. Ahab) as the alpha male team, Amanda Lappe (SheRa), Dave
Beattie (Ninja), and Neil Dickhaus (Compass) as the coed team, and Kevin Minton
(Keith, Grannyless, or Sasquatch) as the solo “I got this sht” racer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know all the team categories we
entered but Dave and I were Burnin Virgins, yet all of us were Burnin Virgins,
so I was greatly confused. I estimated the course to be 12 miles, but then read
online it would be 13ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then estimated
that Kevin could manage a 10.5+ average mph (1Hr14m/lap) if he was doing one
lap, but since he was all alone I knew he would drop it down between 9.5 (1Hr22m/lap)
and 8.5 (1Hr32m/lap) mph averages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
betting if I could ride hard I could pull a 9.5 mph average or “balls out” a
10.5, but I knew I got to rest in between laps. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured I would then slow to 6.5 avg mph and
have an overall 8.5 average mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I based
that off my BT Epic experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
thought Amanda would be behind me, followed equally by Dave B, Neil D, and Dave
C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought all of them would be around
7.5 average mph (1Hr44m/lap) on their first laps and then would drop to 6.5
(2Hr/lap).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that since I am an
Adventure Racer all that technical jargon should have been metric, but since I
am an American the metric system doesn’t register in my mind as of yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So the race starts out with an
awesome run and straw jump through thick smoke grenade action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beastmode, Sasquatch, and Ninja are in the
lineup, while the rest of us jealously watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They take off and I am still confused on the route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me, SheRa, and Compass talk estimates and I
exaggerate to them like normal so their times will seem slower so they ride
harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also do this in AR so they
think they have less time and speed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is mean, but it works as long as I keep the time right in my
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get ready and wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around 1HR26m Kevin emerges from the woods
and I help him get food and drink and he is back on the course in a hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then at about 1HR40min (Sorry if I get the
times wrong, we will append this when the results are posted.) Ninja pops out
of the woods and SheRa takes off, I yell at her to hurry because I was gunning
for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like an eternity
before Beastmode pops out and Neil tells me I can catch Amanda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it had been about a 2-5 min gap and
knew I would have to work hard to catch her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told Neil that I may not be able to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I decide I am going to go “balls out” since everyone else is killing
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fly down the street, almost miss
the trail, nearly hit the camera man, and on the second switch back barely hold
onto trail and have to unclip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride
hard and can hear my breathing over everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep a watch on my bike computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Dropping below 8.5 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep seeing 12.5-14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hit a big double track hill and start doubting if I am on course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slow and start to think about turning around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I just go for broke up that hill hoping
for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I come around a corner and
slide out and boom I am down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit my
lower abdomen on the bars and thank God it wasn’t my boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see a water hole ahead and know I am gonna
crush it and see SheRa in front of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
pass her at about 7.5 miles in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I start
hauling again and it gets rocky and I start bombing the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some badass goes to pass me and I lose my
line and get my front wheel stuck between two rocks and go over the bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a little cut on my shin and press on,
but my rear tire is rubbing the frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
stop, re-set the wheel and ride on, but with no such luck; the wheel is
bent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get off and start stomping and
kicking it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amanda catches me and asks
what’s going on, I tell her and take off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ride 3-4 miles with the tire rubbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another camera man asks if I have another wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him I would fix it at camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make it back to the transition at
1Hr23min.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cortivo takes off and I go
into repair mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True wheel, break
nipples, think about stomping it again, true wheel, bump air, get food, water,
electrolytes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Beastmode is back in a hurry, I
don’t even catch his time and I take off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That stinking switch back gets me again and I go off the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can feel my rear wheel bottoming out and
think I need to add air, I will stop over there, crap it’s flat at only 2 miles
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, fix flat fast, ride, crap need
more air, add another CO2, feels squishy still, crap lift ass off seat over
every bump, rock, root, insect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pick
it back up and go walking over the rock garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somewhere within the reach of the end my back tire washes out and I
scream like a two year old girl skinning her knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure everyone heard that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I re-injure my cut up knee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get back at 1Hr40ish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6eXnFAhJTd6UsTRJ5bvnRhGNoH3yL9G5Zm7sgAouteSJPioXzCqcA7jBiRK1jNfnuIZw4P4i5Ht_CB75d6uTHS9gtuCoeOheNQmGnDWK1DVSMtJOFy_Lmmcno08rLxoJSxKgFNSVZgok/s1600/IMG_2089%255B1%255D.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6eXnFAhJTd6UsTRJ5bvnRhGNoH3yL9G5Zm7sgAouteSJPioXzCqcA7jBiRK1jNfnuIZw4P4i5Ht_CB75d6uTHS9gtuCoeOheNQmGnDWK1DVSMtJOFy_Lmmcno08rLxoJSxKgFNSVZgok/s320/IMG_2089%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj10fkrOyrEDtXAWqDCUJhU-cpfppPXeB1FP_wnNleVPQYXN6m4Y_8DskdtB0jGHu5s8JbpBPVy59aIUUHzlOV2m9GBhZ4tLlotSisdOl_HPgH3V68vFd_3LobVqsjAkz2X_uc4xKlY0v/s1600/IMG_2087%255B1%255D.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj10fkrOyrEDtXAWqDCUJhU-cpfppPXeB1FP_wnNleVPQYXN6m4Y_8DskdtB0jGHu5s8JbpBPVy59aIUUHzlOV2m9GBhZ4tLlotSisdOl_HPgH3V68vFd_3LobVqsjAkz2X_uc4xKlY0v/s320/IMG_2087%255B1%255D.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Beastmode surprises me with a third
lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thank him in my mind, so I can
add air to rear tire, get food, drink, and clean out my wounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now a little jealous of SuperKate’s
10-stitch shin, because I can see it requires no stitches and just needs to be
cleaned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thankful I don’t have a
Mickey Collarbone and get ready for the next lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figure this time I am going all the way to
the finish so I better ride better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kevin gives me the ride smart, have fun speech which really helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take a caffeine infused Stinger and ask him
if that is considered doping since I don’t drink caffeine anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neil tells me that Dave will not complete
another lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him I was already
happy with what he put forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wait
and wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now getting nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neil told me Dave would be back at 5pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now 5:30ish and Dave comes running out
of the woods pushing his bike with his chain around his neck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He runs all the way around the transition
area as the announcer and everyone else is cheering him on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think, “that was bad ass!” “I wonder how
long he ran?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take off with Kevin’s
speech in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that I will
slow down just some, take care of Samantha and stop raping her and maybe she
will take care of me and keep me vertical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We make sweet love and ride on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
seriously doubt I can take another fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I now have my AR pack on, and although it is heavy and is making my back
hot, it gives me comfort that I have my tools, tube, pump (no CO2 left), water,
Gatorade, electrolytes, and food with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus my pack is usually with me and I feel naked without it.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> I pass Kevin as he is doing yoga on the side
of the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep my speed up until
that rock garden and walk it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep
reminding myself, me and Samantha, ride strong, ride smart, have a good lap, no
mechanicals, have fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get back in the
dark around 1Hr30m or 7pm, and my teammates are cheering me on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I race to the TA, where Amanda fills my
pocket with CHeeze-its, hands me two Snicker’s bars and kindly opens one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a Gatorade in my cage and take off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hit that trail hard and remember the switch backs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second one nearly gets me again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell myself again ride smart, and I go into
BT Epic mode, which is eat and drink early and often while walking up-hill if
you can’t ride uphill and eat and drink and ride like a beast on the flats and
downhills and no matter what keep moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am pretty sure that the water hole is about half way so I know if I
make it there in good time, then I can take it easy to recover some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have until 9:30pm to finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I have it as long as I don’t bonk,
crash, flat, or break something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride
with Samantha and tell her I will get her wheel fixed, she says no she wants a
new one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree to buy a new wheel and
then she demands a wheel set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I give in
and even make the stupid promise that we would try out tubeless if she just
holds on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus rides above us on a
cloud and star painted full suspension 29er and instead of making fun of me
like at the Epic, he is kind and cheers me on but keeps telling me to ride
safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell Him thanks for everything,
but I kind of like it when He is mean to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He laughs and shows off and rides across the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make it to through the rock garden by
walking and come out on the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
take a quick break to pee and think of walking and peeing, but remember in the
Epic that didn’t work out so well for my shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I look up at the stars for just a moment and capture a mental image and
carry on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now am getting passed a lot
and am wondering if Kevin rode another lap and would pass me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is responsible and asks if I am ok,
but I don’t think anyone is sincere until Jeff Sona (I am pretty sure it was
Jeff, but it was dark) asks and tells me we were almost finished. I walk up the
big hill and ride hard to the TA and finish and request beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">SheRa and Capt. Ahab take a partial
epic running victory lap. We all had a fun evening and morning of telling each
other our stories and get yelled at by other campers that they were trying to
sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the TA the music and
party roll on way after we go to bed and I lay there rushing with caffeine and
think I should have went back to the party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I rode the 2014 BT Epic in 6Hr43m
and if I remember correctly it was 56 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess I could re-read the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I rode Burnin at 6Hr16min at 56.3 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am still hoping for a sub-6 at Epic this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really amazed and proud of how well
everyone did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SheRa and Ninja had fast
clean laps with no mechanicals or crashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kevin to my knowledge had no mechanicals, although he may have broken
some ribs while soloing 5 laps or 70 miles!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neil had two flats and then navigated back via bushwhacking…AR Style
Points!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beastmode ran a freaking 5K
carrying a bike and still came in around 2hr30min!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Amanda said, “No one is going to quit!”
– Ahab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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