Lighting recommendations

This is a recommendation I gave on lighting for overnight racing;

There is quite a bit, the most important being lights. You will need at least 3 flashlights (per person) - and these will be used on bike and foot. This is the light you want

http://www.botachtactical.com/inbo4ledfl.html

Don't bother purchasing cheap lights - they cannot handle the rigors of adventure racing, this light will. You will also need batteries, for that get a 20 pack of C123A (the batteries these lights take)

http://www.botachtactical.com/rarl3liba10.html

You will also need a headlamp - I use this one

http://www.botachtactical.com/pemyoxphe.html

I was able to find this with a C123A battery option, but no longer can find this (instead you use Lithium AA's). The last part you'll need is the ability to mount lights to your bike and helmet. The best mounts (and only) I have found are at

https://www.fenix-store.com/index.php?cPath=92

Squiggy Classic 2009

This was going to be a fun race for me and it was on a Sunday, so all the usual Saturday conflicts were not a problem. Greg and his son Drew (14 years old) picked me up at 4 AM and we headed over to Tampa. The race started with a short bus trip to the start and an awesome orienteering course. The first flag (FP1) was missing and after I was positive this was the case I yelled for all racers that it was missing and we should move on. It was kind of like restarting the race at CP1 – so if a flag is going to be missing the first one is the best one. We moved fast through the O course and nailed pretty much each one then jumped on our bikes for the next leg of the race. We had one soloist (Frankie) traveling with us, and we only made one mistake, turning short on a dirt road between bike points 4 and 5. At that point Team Shake-A-Leg Miami passed us.

We had one team-mate hurting a bit, and there was not much chance even perfectly healthy to catch up to SAL Miami, but we were still moving OK. We were drawing out a lead on the other teams – so it looked like a 2 team race. I was enjoying the single track, and the navigation was not that tough. We made it to the boats, finished the Funnelator – hitting Greg with a water balloon on the second try. Drew was nauseous on the paddle, but I was feeling pretty strong, so was able to hammer the paddle. We did see SAL Miami returning from CP3 as we were leaving CP5 – which meant they had at least a 20 minute lead at this point. We were able to see the positions of all the other team as we returned from CP3.

After we returned we got the final special test reserved for the front team. We were going to bike the dash run, which turned out to really be a hike-a-bike. The terrain was basically cypress knees for the first mile. After that it was ride-able. I ended up with a flat with just under a mile to go, so I ran the bike and did a pump/ride combo. We had one last thing to do at the end, the obstacle course, which was really a chance for me to get covered in dirt. It was a bit backed up, but there was no threat of another team catching us, so that was no problem.

In the end we finished in second – a great showing for Team Pangea. I really recommend this race, Michael Moule and Kip Koelsch know how to design a course to be challenging but at the same time fun. The park is absolutely gorgeous – lots of interesting terrain and wildlife.

The PQ Video - MUST WATCH

The previews for the TV Special on PQ Montana are out - they are at

http://www.ecoprimalquest.com/media/videos/pq-montana-video-promos.php

pretty great filming..... I'll have race report on The Squiggy Classic - which was so much fun soon!

BOAR - Pangea Adventure Race

I almost did not get a chance to make this race. As it was having cross country with the kids in the morning and a soccer match in the late afternoon - nearly kept me from racing, but i was able to come and do the sport course. Even though I was racing solo I did race most of the race with other teams, and I only broke away when I had to so I could get to my car by 2:30 (which left me enough time to go home, shower, change and get to soccer by 4 PM). The highlight was the paddle (which was really a long portage). It was so much fun I went out the next day and picked up the controls with Greg and we trekked the entire paddle leg. I also stepped on an alligator by accident during the flag pickup (he was little and not too happy about being stepped on). Here is a GPS of our flag pickup including my picking up some of the bike controls.