Hey guys!
One month until race day! The course questions are starting to roll in, and I like to make sure everyone gets the same info. I'm going to paraphrase a few of the more common questions and publish the answers here. Keep an eye on this page as it may update with more info!
Keep the questions coming! Let me know if you'd like me to expand on any of the questions below as well.
Lastly, remember that I need at least five teams signed up by October 7th!
Will I be finished in 24 hours or less?
I believe the winning team will finish in 24 hours or less, however weather conditions can be harsh this time of year so there may be longer than expected sections. I suspect that the slower teams will be closer to 30 hours. The race course isn't setup to accommodate any cut-offs or fast-forwards, save one section at the end that some teams might miss if they really struggle. Race materials will highlight details on this.
Can I use a GPS?
Not unless it's an emergency. That is to say, I won't allow GPS use, but if you'd like to carry one for piece of mind then you're most welcome. If you use it I expect you to let me know and I'll issue a penalty time of some sort. If you end up using your GPS, expect the penalty to put you at the bottom of the standings for the finishing teams.
Seriously, that's a lot of biking... WTF?
You didn't think it was going to be easy did you? The most challenging part of the biking is the distance. The terrain is smooth and fast, with minimal topography. Again, you will be riding at night! Bring as much lighting as you can, it will help. If you aren't on your bike regularly, it's past time you started!
What distance / discipline breakdown is correct; the one of Facebook or the one on your blog?
The one on my blog is the current data. Sorry about the confusion, it's hard maintaining several sets of information! Please refer to the blog for any discrepancies.
What is the paddling like? Can I use my fast but fragile canoe?
It is river paddling, and for the most part you'll be able to paddle without hitting any rocks. However, there are a few spots where we did get fetched up. Some of those were even a surprise. If you've got a sharp eye and you're quick to hop out for a portage, you could use a fibreglass canoe. However, I believe there is a good chance you still might damage the boat.
There are some rapids, fortunately they don't surprise you. Depending on your skill in a boat you may have to portage these. The water level will also play a factor in whether or not these will be able to be paddled.
I'll do my best to keep you up to date on water conditions.
We're not very good navigators, how will we make out?
This is a difficult question to answer. As local adventure races go I'm comfortable stating that the navigation is not 'difficult.' However, as I'll mention below, the bike section is quite long which does compound the difficulty of the navigation.
We're not very good at technical riding, what will the bike be like?
You're in luck, this is perhaps the least technical riding I've ever seen on an adventure race. But... the bike section is ~100 km long. That is a shit ton of biking and it's uninterrupted. What that means is, if you make a mistake and you don't notice for a while you could get yourself lost. Therein lies the adventure!
For the bike, here are my suggestions:
- Get some long rides in before October 22nd!
- Get as many notes as you can on the map before the race.
- Make sure your bikes are in top shape before the race
- You will need bike lights, make sure they work.
- Have at least two reliable bike computers with odometers and speedometers. Pay attention to these during the race.
- During the race make sure to keep that map handy! Verify your position often.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Moose Knuckles AR 2011
When was the last 24 hour adventure race in Nova Scotia? I can't remember either! Better host one!
Date: October 22nd / 23rd
Location: Eastern Shore, NS (Full details TBA)
Duration: 24 hrs
Disciplines: Mountain biking (approx. 100 km), river paddling (approx. 45 km), trekking (approx. 35 km)
Team Format: Teams of 3 or 4
Cost: $240 (team of 3) or $320 (team of 4)
Prizes: Not many
Contact: Andrew (lowery.andrew@gmail.com)
Registration: Available online, or by contacting Andrew
Schedule: TBA, expect a ~10:00 a.m. start on Saturday Oct. 22nd, with registration the night before / early morning.
Accommodations: Race HQ will be Spry Bay Campground. They are expecting us. I'll allow teams to make their own camping arrangements in our block since local teams with support crews may not require it. Contact me if you have any questions about when you'll need the accommodations.
Required Gear:
At all times:
- Compass
- Matches or lighter
- Knife
- Whistle
- Cell phone (one per team)
Bike section(s):
- CSA approved bike helmet
- Mountain bike
- Front white light
- Rear red light
Paddling section(s):
- Canoe, one per team*
- ULC approved PFD
- Buoyant throw line
- Bailer
- Paddle
*Teams of four must provide canoe specifications to confirm recommended weight limits are not exceeded by the team.
Gear Bins: Each team will be permitted one gear bin no larger than 190 L. A secondary paddling stash / bundle will be accepted provided it only contains required paddling gear.
Support Crews: If you have friends or family interested in support crewing for you it would make my job infinitely easier. More importantly, it would be advantageous to you! Support crews are not only welcomed, but encouraged. If you're unable to source a support crew we'll be sure we can accommodate you. Be sure to let Andrew know of your plans for support.
Course Notes: I'll update this as things fall into place. Right now there is a lot of biking! Much of it will be very fast though, so don't let the listed distances scare you. The paddling will exhibit one of Nova Scotia's finest rivers. Racers should expect some action on the river depending on water levels. The Trek will be another highlight through technical and challenging foot trails. Of course the Trek wouldn't be complete without some bushwhacks that will leave the most grizzled veteran racers in tears!
Final Note: I'd like to advise against doing a google image search for 'Moose Knuckles.'
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Team Trail Shop Does the Paternity Test!
364 days of the year my father is Richard Wayne Lowery. As it happens, Murray has the same father. While neither Murray nor I have met Brian's father, judging by Brian's outstanding personality we're sure he's a great guy... 364 days of the year that is. For all you amateur dayologists who've noticed that our paternal notification is short one day on the year, this is because of Who's Your Daddy?, Eastern Canada's most attended adventure race.
Who's Your Daddy? is an 8 hour adventure race typically hosted in the Greater Fredericton Area by Natural Selection Adventure Racing, you may have heard of these guys since they host Race the Phantom as well, which is Eastern Canada's BEST adventure race. Like any race, Who's Your Daddy? is challenging for anyone, but it also provides a beginner friendly atmosphere for those new to the sport. Fredericton is currently the power house of the Adventure Racing populous, no question that that is a result of events like Who's Your Daddy? The course consists of a biking section (typically having plenty of trekking / hike-a-biking!) a paddling section and the infamous tire pull. Yes, participants are required to pull a large tire some 500 m... loaded with a keg! No easy task, which is why the male and female racers with the fastest times are awarded the title of 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' respectively as per the namesake of the race.
Somewhere in Oromocto, NB Brian, Murray and I got our maps nice and early with about 1.5 hours worth of planning time. Right away Brian had a firm grasp of the course remembering many spots from last year's race. I love working a map with Brian. He has an incredible ability to see the map for only a few minutes and then remember every detail and every move hours later. We decided to attack the bike course first since we're stronger on bike and we wanted to make use of that to get as many controls as possible.
It's always fun to start a race when everyone goes a different direction. Some teams went on the water, some went up through town and others like us went along the Trans Canada Trail. Oh yea... the Trans Canada Trail! If I were to describe my ideal start for an adventure race it'd go something like this: The Trans Canada Trail. We threw down mighty in our big rings to leave the start line in a cloud of dust and man grunts. We collected the first batch of controls without incident starting in Lincoln and heading back down the Waasis Rd to the next batch in Oromocto. Our success continued and our speed never faltered... until Murray and I heard Brian curse horribly as we descended an ATV trail en route to a few controls on trails that were underwater. As cute as it is to hear Brian swear in his gently accent, there was nothing cute about his demolished rear derailleur.
Unfortunately Brian's bike is a dual suspension, so we couldn't bypass the derailleur with a singlespeed set up because the chain length changes and in general it would just slap around and constantly fall off. This was a catastrophic situation for any race, let alone an 8 hr race where the slightest mistake could mean everything. For a the next two controls on underwater trails (that was some fun map work!) Brian ran with his useless bike. It wasn't working. Enter Mad Dog.
Murray is a calm, mild mannered gentle sort. Mad Dog isn't. Murray is easy to contain on the race course. Mad Dog isn't. Murray is happy to go at a reasonable pace while appreciating the overall goal. Mad Dog isn't. It was a perfect time to unleash the Mad Dog. It went a little something like this...
Andrew: Hey Brian, this isn't working. Murray is the strongest runner and he can probably keep up with us on the bike on these ATV trails.
Brian: If you think it'll work and he doesn't mind...
Andrew: Murray, do you think you can keep up on foot while pushing the lame bike?
Murray: Yea, probably.
It's at this point that I can see Murray is no longer with us. His left eye was twitching, his shoulders hunched up a bit and I swear he picked up a scent of some prey somewhere. Mad Dog grabbed the bike like a predator claws into a carcass and hammered along into the ATV trail like his life depended on it. This kind of behaviour is generally foolish on an adventure race, but we only had about 5 km to go before we were on paved roads. The plan was to let Mad Dog go crazy and then Brian and I could push him on the bikes once we hit the pavement for the ~6 km ride back to the boats.
It wasn't long before Brian and I realized that we couldn't keep up with the Mad Dog. This was a problem because Mad Dog wasn't really concerned with the rest of the controls we needed to collect, he was of a one track mind to run fast with the bike. Through an extraordinary effort of our own we managed to track him down in time for the final control in the woods. Trying to get Murray back was a bit of a task that fortunately ended with only a few bite wounds and no need for animal control.
Now it was time for Brian and I to pay Murray and Mad Dog back for the incredible feat of effort by pushing him on the lame bike. Fortunately the topography was mostly flat on the way to the final control on CFB Gagetown. The folks on the base thought it was strange that three guys covered in mud were biking around at ~30 km/hr with arms around one another, but we let them use their imagination. From the base it was all downhill to the tire pull.
Mad Dog apparently had a few minutes of glory left as he demonstrated how to successfully expend the most energy possible while pulling a tire loaded with a keg. Being team captain has some perks, most notably, I get to delegate who pulls the tire. Brian took our second pull while I ate food. Both Murray and Brian put in great times.
Next we were on the water. we made a few quick moves on portage for the first few controls portaging two islands. The mosquitoes were bad, but tolerable. On the second island we met a half dozen horses. I love horses so I called praise out to them, forgetting entirely that my big brave brother whom we occasionally call Mad Dog for his fits of insanity is petrified of horses. As fast as he could say "no man, what are you doing?" they were charging us. Some of our more dedicated fans may remember some cows chasing us down in Dalhousie, NB at Race the Phantom last year. Well, this time it was horses. No doubt they just wanted to see why some guys in tight clothes were dragging a boat across their yard... but it was still an intense couple of seconds when all the excitement of a truck commercial was charging at you. The stopped fortunately with about 25 m to spare, and Murray managed to keep from suffering a panic attack.
Our island hopping was done and we had to paddle down river to a larger island for the final three controls. It was here that we became reacquainted with Murray's Canoe. While stable as an ocean liner, it's speed could likely be matched with a bathtub... to say nothing of the two large men and one extra-extra large man occupying the thing. We gave it what-for and hit the island without any drama.
The first control was easy. Somewhere, on a direct bearing between the first and third controls was the second control. This is called a 'Line-O' and is usually a fun but challenging exercise. Then it happened. Every so often on an adventure race you're presented with something so awful that you forever compare future atrocities to that thing. We experienced 'that thing' on this island by means of mosquitoes. More mosquitoes than we'd ever seen before, and we've seen bad mosquitoes. This isn't your shirtless guy with a moustache in a tent type of mosquito infestation... this is wipe your arm and get a handful of 400 mosquitoes! You couldn't breathe without inhaling them, you couldn't stop moving or they'd plug your eyes, ears and nose. The only reprieve was swimming in hot stagnant bog water, but even then they'd still ravage your face and head. Trying to hold the bearing was nearly impossible.
On our first pass we missed the second control, but fortunately on the way back we found it. Motivation to get the hell out of Dodge came easily enough to rid ourselves of the mosquitoes. Congratulations Who's Your Daddy? participants,we've got a new bench mark for 'suck'!
The paddle back was against the current and while not terribly difficult, the heat and long day caught up to us. We tried singing some songs to stay strong, but we were fading. Even though we only lost about 15 - 20 minutes due to the bike malfunction, that is often enough in an 8 hr race to compromise your result. Plus our water speed just wasn't what it could be if we had a performance boat. We weren't expecting much when we made it to the finish line... it's impossible to tell your placing on a race like this! We were surprised to learn we were indeed the first team back!
We had a great day; we worked together, overcame a catastrophic bike malfunction, dodged some curious horses and endured mosquitoes of biblical proportions... and all of it was made that much sweeter with the win. Well done Brian and Murray... I had a blast!
Oh... I almost forgot... on our approach to the finish line the captain passing boat called something out...
Murray and I heard: "The guy in the back is doing all the work!"
Brian heard: "You're too low in the back, it's not going to work!"
Yes, I was in the back.
Who's Your Daddy? is an 8 hour adventure race typically hosted in the Greater Fredericton Area by Natural Selection Adventure Racing, you may have heard of these guys since they host Race the Phantom as well, which is Eastern Canada's BEST adventure race. Like any race, Who's Your Daddy? is challenging for anyone, but it also provides a beginner friendly atmosphere for those new to the sport. Fredericton is currently the power house of the Adventure Racing populous, no question that that is a result of events like Who's Your Daddy? The course consists of a biking section (typically having plenty of trekking / hike-a-biking!) a paddling section and the infamous tire pull. Yes, participants are required to pull a large tire some 500 m... loaded with a keg! No easy task, which is why the male and female racers with the fastest times are awarded the title of 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' respectively as per the namesake of the race.
Somewhere in Oromocto, NB Brian, Murray and I got our maps nice and early with about 1.5 hours worth of planning time. Right away Brian had a firm grasp of the course remembering many spots from last year's race. I love working a map with Brian. He has an incredible ability to see the map for only a few minutes and then remember every detail and every move hours later. We decided to attack the bike course first since we're stronger on bike and we wanted to make use of that to get as many controls as possible.
It's always fun to start a race when everyone goes a different direction. Some teams went on the water, some went up through town and others like us went along the Trans Canada Trail. Oh yea... the Trans Canada Trail! If I were to describe my ideal start for an adventure race it'd go something like this: The Trans Canada Trail. We threw down mighty in our big rings to leave the start line in a cloud of dust and man grunts. We collected the first batch of controls without incident starting in Lincoln and heading back down the Waasis Rd to the next batch in Oromocto. Our success continued and our speed never faltered... until Murray and I heard Brian curse horribly as we descended an ATV trail en route to a few controls on trails that were underwater. As cute as it is to hear Brian swear in his gently accent, there was nothing cute about his demolished rear derailleur.
Unfortunately Brian's bike is a dual suspension, so we couldn't bypass the derailleur with a singlespeed set up because the chain length changes and in general it would just slap around and constantly fall off. This was a catastrophic situation for any race, let alone an 8 hr race where the slightest mistake could mean everything. For a the next two controls on underwater trails (that was some fun map work!) Brian ran with his useless bike. It wasn't working. Enter Mad Dog.
Murray is a calm, mild mannered gentle sort. Mad Dog isn't. Murray is easy to contain on the race course. Mad Dog isn't. Murray is happy to go at a reasonable pace while appreciating the overall goal. Mad Dog isn't. It was a perfect time to unleash the Mad Dog. It went a little something like this...
Andrew: Hey Brian, this isn't working. Murray is the strongest runner and he can probably keep up with us on the bike on these ATV trails.
Brian: If you think it'll work and he doesn't mind...
Andrew: Murray, do you think you can keep up on foot while pushing the lame bike?
Murray: Yea, probably.
It's at this point that I can see Murray is no longer with us. His left eye was twitching, his shoulders hunched up a bit and I swear he picked up a scent of some prey somewhere. Mad Dog grabbed the bike like a predator claws into a carcass and hammered along into the ATV trail like his life depended on it. This kind of behaviour is generally foolish on an adventure race, but we only had about 5 km to go before we were on paved roads. The plan was to let Mad Dog go crazy and then Brian and I could push him on the bikes once we hit the pavement for the ~6 km ride back to the boats.
It wasn't long before Brian and I realized that we couldn't keep up with the Mad Dog. This was a problem because Mad Dog wasn't really concerned with the rest of the controls we needed to collect, he was of a one track mind to run fast with the bike. Through an extraordinary effort of our own we managed to track him down in time for the final control in the woods. Trying to get Murray back was a bit of a task that fortunately ended with only a few bite wounds and no need for animal control.
Now it was time for Brian and I to pay Murray and Mad Dog back for the incredible feat of effort by pushing him on the lame bike. Fortunately the topography was mostly flat on the way to the final control on CFB Gagetown. The folks on the base thought it was strange that three guys covered in mud were biking around at ~30 km/hr with arms around one another, but we let them use their imagination. From the base it was all downhill to the tire pull.
Mad Dog apparently had a few minutes of glory left as he demonstrated how to successfully expend the most energy possible while pulling a tire loaded with a keg. Being team captain has some perks, most notably, I get to delegate who pulls the tire. Brian took our second pull while I ate food. Both Murray and Brian put in great times.
Next we were on the water. we made a few quick moves on portage for the first few controls portaging two islands. The mosquitoes were bad, but tolerable. On the second island we met a half dozen horses. I love horses so I called praise out to them, forgetting entirely that my big brave brother whom we occasionally call Mad Dog for his fits of insanity is petrified of horses. As fast as he could say "no man, what are you doing?" they were charging us. Some of our more dedicated fans may remember some cows chasing us down in Dalhousie, NB at Race the Phantom last year. Well, this time it was horses. No doubt they just wanted to see why some guys in tight clothes were dragging a boat across their yard... but it was still an intense couple of seconds when all the excitement of a truck commercial was charging at you. The stopped fortunately with about 25 m to spare, and Murray managed to keep from suffering a panic attack.
Our island hopping was done and we had to paddle down river to a larger island for the final three controls. It was here that we became reacquainted with Murray's Canoe. While stable as an ocean liner, it's speed could likely be matched with a bathtub... to say nothing of the two large men and one extra-extra large man occupying the thing. We gave it what-for and hit the island without any drama.
The first control was easy. Somewhere, on a direct bearing between the first and third controls was the second control. This is called a 'Line-O' and is usually a fun but challenging exercise. Then it happened. Every so often on an adventure race you're presented with something so awful that you forever compare future atrocities to that thing. We experienced 'that thing' on this island by means of mosquitoes. More mosquitoes than we'd ever seen before, and we've seen bad mosquitoes. This isn't your shirtless guy with a moustache in a tent type of mosquito infestation... this is wipe your arm and get a handful of 400 mosquitoes! You couldn't breathe without inhaling them, you couldn't stop moving or they'd plug your eyes, ears and nose. The only reprieve was swimming in hot stagnant bog water, but even then they'd still ravage your face and head. Trying to hold the bearing was nearly impossible.
On our first pass we missed the second control, but fortunately on the way back we found it. Motivation to get the hell out of Dodge came easily enough to rid ourselves of the mosquitoes. Congratulations Who's Your Daddy? participants,we've got a new bench mark for 'suck'!
The paddle back was against the current and while not terribly difficult, the heat and long day caught up to us. We tried singing some songs to stay strong, but we were fading. Even though we only lost about 15 - 20 minutes due to the bike malfunction, that is often enough in an 8 hr race to compromise your result. Plus our water speed just wasn't what it could be if we had a performance boat. We weren't expecting much when we made it to the finish line... it's impossible to tell your placing on a race like this! We were surprised to learn we were indeed the first team back!
We had a great day; we worked together, overcame a catastrophic bike malfunction, dodged some curious horses and endured mosquitoes of biblical proportions... and all of it was made that much sweeter with the win. Well done Brian and Murray... I had a blast!
Oh... I almost forgot... on our approach to the finish line the captain passing boat called something out...
Murray and I heard: "The guy in the back is doing all the work!"
Brian heard: "You're too low in the back, it's not going to work!"
Yes, I was in the back.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Orienteering for Silent Witness Nova Scotia
Orienteering for Silent Witness Nova Scotia
Dates:
Wednesday July 6th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 13th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 20th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 27th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday August 3rd, 7:00 p.m.
All meets are at Shubie Park, meet at Fairbanks Center off Locks Rd.
Bring your compass… and maybe a headlamp!
Individual Cost: $10 per participant, kids 12 and under are free, Parents / guardians must sign waivers for minors
Family Cost: $20 for families of three or more
Series Cost: $40 for individuals, $100 for families
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SILENT WITNESS NOVA SCOTIA
Charitable receipts will made for additional donations in excess of $10
For more information Contact Andrew Lowery at lowery.andrew@gmail.com or 902-489-8096
For 48 women in Nova Scotia since 1990, their deaths came at the hands of their intimate partners, forever silencing their voices. The time has come to end their silence. Silent Witness Nova Scotia is a group of organizations and individuals working together to raise these voices.
www.silentwitnessnovascotia.org
Draw Prizes Every Night!
The Trail Shop will be donating an awesome prize for one lucky participant each night, and we’re working on a grand prize as well, be sure to stop in and say ‘thanks for the support’ at either their Halifax or Wolfville locations.
Halifax:
6210 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS, B3L 1A3
877-423-8736
Wolfville:
465 Main St.
Wolfville, NS, B4P 1E3
902-697-3115
Dates:
Wednesday July 6th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 13th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 20th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 27th, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday August 3rd, 7:00 p.m.
All meets are at Shubie Park, meet at Fairbanks Center off Locks Rd.
Bring your compass… and maybe a headlamp!
Individual Cost: $10 per participant, kids 12 and under are free, Parents / guardians must sign waivers for minors
Family Cost: $20 for families of three or more
Series Cost: $40 for individuals, $100 for families
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SILENT WITNESS NOVA SCOTIA
Charitable receipts will made for additional donations in excess of $10
For more information Contact Andrew Lowery at lowery.andrew@gmail.com or 902-489-8096
For 48 women in Nova Scotia since 1990, their deaths came at the hands of their intimate partners, forever silencing their voices. The time has come to end their silence. Silent Witness Nova Scotia is a group of organizations and individuals working together to raise these voices.
www.silentwitnessnovascotia.org
Draw Prizes Every Night!
The Trail Shop will be donating an awesome prize for one lucky participant each night, and we’re working on a grand prize as well, be sure to stop in and say ‘thanks for the support’ at either their Halifax or Wolfville locations.
Halifax:
6210 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS, B3L 1A3
877-423-8736
Wolfville:
465 Main St.
Wolfville, NS, B4P 1E3
902-697-3115
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Team Trail Shop's Race Report from the Pre-E2C
Mother nature supplied some serious 'tough guy' and 'tough girl' points on Sunday April 17th by means of torrential rain and crippling wind. Shawn Taylor and I, of Team Trail Shop, combine for over twenty years and in excess of 100 races worth of experience, yet neither paid heed to weather forecasts and were grossly unprepared for the annual four hour Pre-E2C. Shivering on the start line we were glad to start fast heading for the northern half of the course. Though strategic planning led to a slight detour to collect CP8 before heading north. It was only about 100 m extra distance, and the topography looked challenging for CP8, we felt it was better to get it early.
CPs 8, 5, 6 and 4 were collected with only a few minutes worth of fussing for CP6 at a false intersection. The dense network of trails at CP1 led to about 15 minutes lost time. Our original approach to CP1 had us within 50 m of the proper intersection, but we'd overestimated our distance travelled and we had to re-group at our last known point. It was frustrating, but we didn't have a good enough set of reference points to make any better of a decision at the time.
Heading east to CPs 2, 3 and 7 was when the cold began to have it's way with us. At each crest the exposure was brutal, and as luck would have it the rain hit it's hardest once we made it to the main road. Taylor had to keep moving to keep the cold away, but the effort was fast approaching uselessness. I kept reassuring him that he could have my rain coat if it got any worse, but I was beginning to think I was going to need it now that we were exposed. CPs 7, 3 and then 2 were collected without any trouble, and the three teams whom we caught at CPs 4 and 1 were caught again. Now all we had to do was run ~3.0 km south to the southern half of the course. The 3.0 km felt more like 30 km. The offer to donate my rain coat was officially reneged as I was starting to suffer from the early effects of hypothermia! Blood flow to the extremities had been reduced, and the legs were lethargic and stiff. Neither of us had much use of our fingers! While trying to get into our snacks it was like we had mittens on!
CP9 was collected easily enough, but even at a reduced pace we passed CP10, but we decided we could get it on the way back. There was some concern about finding the right 'indistinct trail' for CP14, but it was found right away and the control was collected in no time. That left only CPs 12 and 13. With some quick math it we figured that we had the time to collect them, but just barely. Back on the main road, I started cramping. It's no secret that Shawn and I are much better suited team-mates on longer races since Shawn is a considerably faster runner even after a winter off his feet with a high ankle sprain. As always, Taylor showed his experience by pushing just enough to bring me to the brink of agony before allowing some reprieve. I pushed (all be it slowly) through and we collected CP12 with no trouble. Just prior to CP 12 we met the eventual winners Mark and Dave who had about a 10 minute lead. The wind and rain picked up again, fortunately propelling us up the hill to CP13, but unfortunately the wind was still so strong that running back downhill was much more difficult that going up! Bad cramps became worst cramps for me, but the we continued north and collected CP10 as planned and rolled into the finish barely functional on account of the cold with four minutes to spare missing only CP11, a low value control that wouldn't have changed our placing in the No. 2 spot. Congratulations to Dave and Mark on the win!
Jodi Isenor hosts the Pre-E2C every year for us to shake off the winter cob-webs and get ourselves into gear for the E2C, a 24 hr rogaine hosted by the Halifax Regional Search and Rescue. Jodi always assembles a challenging but reasonable course, and it was nice this year to see some new faces.
Full results:
1 Dave/Mark 14/14 3h49m 4000pts
2 Andrew/Shawn 13/14 3h56m 3900
3 Lori/Troy 12/14 3h47m 3200
4 Coleen/Steve 11/14 3h52m 3100
5 Brian/Greg 12/14 3h53m 3100
6 Bruce/Conor 11/14 3h38m 2900
7 Anthony/Sascha/Tim 10/14 3h49m 2700
8 Mary/Paul 9/14 3h48m 2500
9 Colin/Ian/Jeff 7/14 2h42m 2300
10 2 Pinkies 9/14 3h46m 2000
11 Boomerang 8/14 3h13m 1900
12 Terry/Terry Edgett 8/14 3h48m 1800
13 Ellen/Jim 6/14 3h58m 1800
14 Grant/Patty 7/14 3h10m 1700
15 Nieforth's 7/14 3h47m 1700
16 Charadius 7/14 3h56m 1700
17 Robinson's 5/14 3h59m 1400
18 Glen/Roxanne 7/14 3h51m 1300
19 Jack/Vernon 6/14 3h11m 1200
20 Darlene/Vern 6/14 3h29m 1200
21 Amanda/Greg 5/14 4h18m 0
22 Alice/Dale 4/14 4h20m 0
CPs 8, 5, 6 and 4 were collected with only a few minutes worth of fussing for CP6 at a false intersection. The dense network of trails at CP1 led to about 15 minutes lost time. Our original approach to CP1 had us within 50 m of the proper intersection, but we'd overestimated our distance travelled and we had to re-group at our last known point. It was frustrating, but we didn't have a good enough set of reference points to make any better of a decision at the time.
Heading east to CPs 2, 3 and 7 was when the cold began to have it's way with us. At each crest the exposure was brutal, and as luck would have it the rain hit it's hardest once we made it to the main road. Taylor had to keep moving to keep the cold away, but the effort was fast approaching uselessness. I kept reassuring him that he could have my rain coat if it got any worse, but I was beginning to think I was going to need it now that we were exposed. CPs 7, 3 and then 2 were collected without any trouble, and the three teams whom we caught at CPs 4 and 1 were caught again. Now all we had to do was run ~3.0 km south to the southern half of the course. The 3.0 km felt more like 30 km. The offer to donate my rain coat was officially reneged as I was starting to suffer from the early effects of hypothermia! Blood flow to the extremities had been reduced, and the legs were lethargic and stiff. Neither of us had much use of our fingers! While trying to get into our snacks it was like we had mittens on!
CP9 was collected easily enough, but even at a reduced pace we passed CP10, but we decided we could get it on the way back. There was some concern about finding the right 'indistinct trail' for CP14, but it was found right away and the control was collected in no time. That left only CPs 12 and 13. With some quick math it we figured that we had the time to collect them, but just barely. Back on the main road, I started cramping. It's no secret that Shawn and I are much better suited team-mates on longer races since Shawn is a considerably faster runner even after a winter off his feet with a high ankle sprain. As always, Taylor showed his experience by pushing just enough to bring me to the brink of agony before allowing some reprieve. I pushed (all be it slowly) through and we collected CP12 with no trouble. Just prior to CP 12 we met the eventual winners Mark and Dave who had about a 10 minute lead. The wind and rain picked up again, fortunately propelling us up the hill to CP13, but unfortunately the wind was still so strong that running back downhill was much more difficult that going up! Bad cramps became worst cramps for me, but the we continued north and collected CP10 as planned and rolled into the finish barely functional on account of the cold with four minutes to spare missing only CP11, a low value control that wouldn't have changed our placing in the No. 2 spot. Congratulations to Dave and Mark on the win!
Jodi Isenor hosts the Pre-E2C every year for us to shake off the winter cob-webs and get ourselves into gear for the E2C, a 24 hr rogaine hosted by the Halifax Regional Search and Rescue. Jodi always assembles a challenging but reasonable course, and it was nice this year to see some new faces.
Full results:
1 Dave/Mark 14/14 3h49m 4000pts
2 Andrew/Shawn 13/14 3h56m 3900
3 Lori/Troy 12/14 3h47m 3200
4 Coleen/Steve 11/14 3h52m 3100
5 Brian/Greg 12/14 3h53m 3100
6 Bruce/Conor 11/14 3h38m 2900
7 Anthony/Sascha/Tim 10/14 3h49m 2700
8 Mary/Paul 9/14 3h48m 2500
9 Colin/Ian/Jeff 7/14 2h42m 2300
10 2 Pinkies 9/14 3h46m 2000
11 Boomerang 8/14 3h13m 1900
12 Terry/Terry Edgett 8/14 3h48m 1800
13 Ellen/Jim 6/14 3h58m 1800
14 Grant/Patty 7/14 3h10m 1700
15 Nieforth's 7/14 3h47m 1700
16 Charadius 7/14 3h56m 1700
17 Robinson's 5/14 3h59m 1400
18 Glen/Roxanne 7/14 3h51m 1300
19 Jack/Vernon 6/14 3h11m 1200
20 Darlene/Vern 6/14 3h29m 1200
21 Amanda/Greg 5/14 4h18m 0
22 Alice/Dale 4/14 4h20m 0
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
No Snow for Sno-Racin'!
There was no snow in porter's lake for Sno-Racin'!, but that didn't stop 18 participants from enjoying the beautiful weather. The 9.5 km run through Crowbar Lake Trails did still have some ice on the ground, but most avoided major drama. Surprisingly, the ice was still present after Jodi Isenor of Hoops & Yo Yo burned through the course in an hour and change. Karine Comeau, the other half of Hoops & Yo Yo finished in 1:24:13 to give Hoops & Yo Yo the fastest combined time for the run, the closest time to theirs being nearly 25 minutes later.
Notable participants were Wendi Brown, Karen Misner and Kate McCarthy of TeKamp's Champs; this was their first adventure race and it doubled as Wendi's bachelorette party! The trio stayed together on the run with an impressive time of 2:20:01, not to mention that they were expecting the trail run to be on crusher-dust trails!
Other notable racers were the Hammerheads; Grant Heddon and Jim Foster. While Grant is the only original member, the Hammerheads are Eastern Canada's longest serving adventure racing team, this being their 10th year. Jim McKim and Harold McQuade were the sole representatives from New Brunswick and raced as NSAR Crips.
The Myra Road trail systems notoriety showed itself during the orienteering stage as many teams struggled. The course was set-up to be difficult to favour the experienced navigator as the trail running stage favoured the experienced trail runner. In the end, Hoops & Yo Yo demonstrated that they had the most experience at both as the made short work of the O-course as the only team to collect all seven controls in only 2:26:00.
Stage 1 9.5 km Trail Run Individual Times
1st Men - Jodi Isenor (Hoops & Yo Yo) 1:01:33
2nd Men - Jim Foster (Hammerheads) 1:16:51
3rd Men - Shawn Taylor (Phat Daddy) 1:16:53
4th Men - Stephen Cooper (Eco-Challenged) 1:20:58
1st Women - Karine Comeau (Hoops & Yo Yo) 1:24:13
5th Men - Ian Clark (Eco-Challenged) 1:27:30
6th Men - Chad McNamara (Eco-Challenged) 1:30:48
2nd Women - Elizabeth Cook (Pinky and the Brain) 1:31:53
7th Men - Matt MacPhee (Pinky and the Brain) 1:33:10
8th Men - Grant Heddon (Hammerheads) 1:33:15
9th Men - Anthony Bell (We Are Cold) 1:33:30
10th Men - Harold McQuade (NSAR Crips) 1:36:15
11th Men - Sascha Richer (We Are Cold) 1:42:12
12th Men - Jim McKin (NSAR Crips) 1:46:38
13th Men - Tim Dine (We Are Cold) 1:55:43
3rd Women Wendi Brown, Karen Misner, Kate McCarthy (TeKamp's Champs) 2:20:01
Stage 1 9.5 km Trail Run Team Times
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 2:25:46
2nd - Hammerheads 2:50:06
3rd - Eco-Challenged 2:51:46
4th - Pinky and the Brain 3:05:03
5th - NSAR Crips 3:22:53
6th - We Are Cold 3:29:13
7th - TeKamp's Champs 4:40:02
Stage 2 Orienteering Course Score and Times
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 7 of 7 in 2:26:00
2nd - Hammerheads 6 of 7 in 3:46:30
3rd - Eco-Challenged 5 of 7 in 3:42:00
4th - NSAR Crips 5 of 7 in 3:52:00
5th - TeKamp's Champs 2 of 7 in 3:46:00
6th - We Are Cold 1 of 7 in 3:45:00
7th - Pinky and the Brain 0 of 7 in 3:50:00
Overall Standings
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 4:51:46
2nd - Hammerheads 6:36:36
3rd - Eco-Challenged 6:33:46
4th - NSAR Crips 7:14:53
5th - TeKamp's Champs 8:26:03
6th - We Are Cold 7:14:13
7th - Pinky and the Brain 6:55:03
Notable participants were Wendi Brown, Karen Misner and Kate McCarthy of TeKamp's Champs; this was their first adventure race and it doubled as Wendi's bachelorette party! The trio stayed together on the run with an impressive time of 2:20:01, not to mention that they were expecting the trail run to be on crusher-dust trails!
Other notable racers were the Hammerheads; Grant Heddon and Jim Foster. While Grant is the only original member, the Hammerheads are Eastern Canada's longest serving adventure racing team, this being their 10th year. Jim McKim and Harold McQuade were the sole representatives from New Brunswick and raced as NSAR Crips.
The Myra Road trail systems notoriety showed itself during the orienteering stage as many teams struggled. The course was set-up to be difficult to favour the experienced navigator as the trail running stage favoured the experienced trail runner. In the end, Hoops & Yo Yo demonstrated that they had the most experience at both as the made short work of the O-course as the only team to collect all seven controls in only 2:26:00.
Stage 1 9.5 km Trail Run Individual Times
1st Men - Jodi Isenor (Hoops & Yo Yo) 1:01:33
2nd Men - Jim Foster (Hammerheads) 1:16:51
3rd Men - Shawn Taylor (Phat Daddy) 1:16:53
4th Men - Stephen Cooper (Eco-Challenged) 1:20:58
1st Women - Karine Comeau (Hoops & Yo Yo) 1:24:13
5th Men - Ian Clark (Eco-Challenged) 1:27:30
6th Men - Chad McNamara (Eco-Challenged) 1:30:48
2nd Women - Elizabeth Cook (Pinky and the Brain) 1:31:53
7th Men - Matt MacPhee (Pinky and the Brain) 1:33:10
8th Men - Grant Heddon (Hammerheads) 1:33:15
9th Men - Anthony Bell (We Are Cold) 1:33:30
10th Men - Harold McQuade (NSAR Crips) 1:36:15
11th Men - Sascha Richer (We Are Cold) 1:42:12
12th Men - Jim McKin (NSAR Crips) 1:46:38
13th Men - Tim Dine (We Are Cold) 1:55:43
3rd Women Wendi Brown, Karen Misner, Kate McCarthy (TeKamp's Champs) 2:20:01
Stage 1 9.5 km Trail Run Team Times
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 2:25:46
2nd - Hammerheads 2:50:06
3rd - Eco-Challenged 2:51:46
4th - Pinky and the Brain 3:05:03
5th - NSAR Crips 3:22:53
6th - We Are Cold 3:29:13
7th - TeKamp's Champs 4:40:02
Stage 2 Orienteering Course Score and Times
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 7 of 7 in 2:26:00
2nd - Hammerheads 6 of 7 in 3:46:30
3rd - Eco-Challenged 5 of 7 in 3:42:00
4th - NSAR Crips 5 of 7 in 3:52:00
5th - TeKamp's Champs 2 of 7 in 3:46:00
6th - We Are Cold 1 of 7 in 3:45:00
7th - Pinky and the Brain 0 of 7 in 3:50:00
Overall Standings
1st - Hoops & Yo Yo 4:51:46
2nd - Hammerheads 6:36:36
3rd - Eco-Challenged 6:33:46
4th - NSAR Crips 7:14:53
5th - TeKamp's Champs 8:26:03
6th - We Are Cold 7:14:13
7th - Pinky and the Brain 6:55:03
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
An Effort to End the Required Gear List
To be required is to be essential or absolutely necessary. It seems in today's races, that the only thing essential about an item on a required gear list is that you need it to pass inspection before or during the race. The required gear list has manifested into a mix of items that truly are needed in order to participate, that are necessary by law, that might be handy and those that promote safety. Based on these categories, it is my belief that we can do away with the required gear list and proceed to a future with more streamlined pre-race proceedings and more room in our packs for stuff we actually use.
First let's consider equipment that truly is needed in order to participate. These might be mountain bikes or boats. We don't need to list these items. When a race lists mountain biking or paddling in the disciplines it's strongly implied that you'll need a bike and boat. For specifics, the rules can indicate whether cyclocross or road bikes are permitted; likewise for kayaks versus canoes and any paddle type restrictions. There is some grey area when it comes to races with a ropes section since the bulk of participants may not be familiar with what equipment they might need for such a thing. In which case, a concise note without the formality of a required gear list will suffice.* A special note for race directors: in your rules, be sure to include something requiring teams to have their bikes / boats with them when completing the appropriate sections. Advantageous position can be achieved by leaving your bikes / boats on course and finishing on foot for example. A 'no gear drop' clause can also cover this.
Secondly we've got the gear that is necessary by law. These would be bike helmets, pfds, a bailing device and tow rope etc. These can and should be covered in the rules. "A helmet must be worn at all times while on the mountain bike" means a whole lot more than the required gear list's stipulation that you have the helmet with you. Other items required by (Nova Scotian) law are matches, compass and a knife. A gentle reminder in the rules can make sure participants will carry these items as well.
The next required gear list items to discuss are those that might come in handy. Dearest race director, I do love you for what you do, but you're not my mother. And if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't listen to her either. Yes, spare socks might be useful for some participants, but I prefer to make that judgment myself. I also prefer to bring the bike repair tools that I deem appropriate. And if I want to catch some color during an adventure race, it should be my prerogative. Now, I will concede that since I've been racing for 10 years, that I'm a qualified participant to make these judgments. However, if the purpose of your gear list is to make sure that new participants have all they need then you'll fail at that purpose. If your race will have new racers, then you should have some kind of resource available (even a link to a website will do) that identifies typical gear used. These types of items can be suggested and advised as much as you like, but not required. The best resource for helping new racers in this department is to put them in touch with an experienced racer; as an RD you'll have enough correspondence to worry about. Give them my contact info if you like!
Lastly we have items that promote safety. Adventure racing is ridiculously dangerous. A raincoat, toque, some gauze and a triangular bandage will not change that. It's always been my theory that any injury I could treat with the meager required first aid equipment isn't worth treating in the first place. Any injury requiring treatment, in my opinion, needs a whole lot more... including first aid personnel; will they fit in my pack? Sure I know first aid, but I can barely state my name after 24 hours let alone practice sound first aid! Again there is some grey area here with a raincoat and toque whereby hypothermia is a considerable risk in any race. However, the consideration for these types of things with respect to liability is slowly changing toward less requirements equaling less liability. When requiring an item like a rain coat that has no standard for qualification, like a pfd or bike helmet, the race director actually puts themselves in a liable position by qualifying that item. Take note of that one RDs; protecting your participants may not be protecting you.
If you're brave enough to host an adventure race, it's your right to include a required gear list if that's what you need to satisfy your level of comfort. But please, if you do include one, do it because that's what you want and you believe it's necessary for your race, not because it's always been that way, or because you think people will show up without shoes because they weren't listed for them.
*For races with a ropes course I'll go against my usual advice and suggest that there should be a pre-race inspection of gear. My reasoning: the prussik, for example, is often used as a redundant safety device. Unfortunately most people don't realize that your prussik can't be 4 ft long because it will either get jammed in your figure-8 / ATC or it will be too high for you to operate if it does engage. It's a very annoying thing to be in a bottleneck at a ropes course while the rope staff have to reconfigure someone's gear on another team. The same goes for harness adjustment.
First let's consider equipment that truly is needed in order to participate. These might be mountain bikes or boats. We don't need to list these items. When a race lists mountain biking or paddling in the disciplines it's strongly implied that you'll need a bike and boat. For specifics, the rules can indicate whether cyclocross or road bikes are permitted; likewise for kayaks versus canoes and any paddle type restrictions. There is some grey area when it comes to races with a ropes section since the bulk of participants may not be familiar with what equipment they might need for such a thing. In which case, a concise note without the formality of a required gear list will suffice.* A special note for race directors: in your rules, be sure to include something requiring teams to have their bikes / boats with them when completing the appropriate sections. Advantageous position can be achieved by leaving your bikes / boats on course and finishing on foot for example. A 'no gear drop' clause can also cover this.
Secondly we've got the gear that is necessary by law. These would be bike helmets, pfds, a bailing device and tow rope etc. These can and should be covered in the rules. "A helmet must be worn at all times while on the mountain bike" means a whole lot more than the required gear list's stipulation that you have the helmet with you. Other items required by (Nova Scotian) law are matches, compass and a knife. A gentle reminder in the rules can make sure participants will carry these items as well.
The next required gear list items to discuss are those that might come in handy. Dearest race director, I do love you for what you do, but you're not my mother. And if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't listen to her either. Yes, spare socks might be useful for some participants, but I prefer to make that judgment myself. I also prefer to bring the bike repair tools that I deem appropriate. And if I want to catch some color during an adventure race, it should be my prerogative. Now, I will concede that since I've been racing for 10 years, that I'm a qualified participant to make these judgments. However, if the purpose of your gear list is to make sure that new participants have all they need then you'll fail at that purpose. If your race will have new racers, then you should have some kind of resource available (even a link to a website will do) that identifies typical gear used. These types of items can be suggested and advised as much as you like, but not required. The best resource for helping new racers in this department is to put them in touch with an experienced racer; as an RD you'll have enough correspondence to worry about. Give them my contact info if you like!
Lastly we have items that promote safety. Adventure racing is ridiculously dangerous. A raincoat, toque, some gauze and a triangular bandage will not change that. It's always been my theory that any injury I could treat with the meager required first aid equipment isn't worth treating in the first place. Any injury requiring treatment, in my opinion, needs a whole lot more... including first aid personnel; will they fit in my pack? Sure I know first aid, but I can barely state my name after 24 hours let alone practice sound first aid! Again there is some grey area here with a raincoat and toque whereby hypothermia is a considerable risk in any race. However, the consideration for these types of things with respect to liability is slowly changing toward less requirements equaling less liability. When requiring an item like a rain coat that has no standard for qualification, like a pfd or bike helmet, the race director actually puts themselves in a liable position by qualifying that item. Take note of that one RDs; protecting your participants may not be protecting you.
If you're brave enough to host an adventure race, it's your right to include a required gear list if that's what you need to satisfy your level of comfort. But please, if you do include one, do it because that's what you want and you believe it's necessary for your race, not because it's always been that way, or because you think people will show up without shoes because they weren't listed for them.
*For races with a ropes course I'll go against my usual advice and suggest that there should be a pre-race inspection of gear. My reasoning: the prussik, for example, is often used as a redundant safety device. Unfortunately most people don't realize that your prussik can't be 4 ft long because it will either get jammed in your figure-8 / ATC or it will be too high for you to operate if it does engage. It's a very annoying thing to be in a bottleneck at a ropes course while the rope staff have to reconfigure someone's gear on another team. The same goes for harness adjustment.
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