This is my site on my experiences with adventure racing. You may see many of these articles published elsewhere as I write for a number of navigation, outdoor, and adventure magazines (normally in condensed and edited versions). This blog contains the full unedited versions of these stories.
We just recently hosted a Solar Power Forum here at Daytona State (I worked on hosting). The question I get A LOT is why is Solar power not taking off as fast in Florida as it is in other states - well here is one answer as to why Florida is lagging behind "non-sunshine" states;
1. A Solar PPA (or Power Purchasing Agreement) is an agreement where a company places a solar system on your property and then you pay (at a reduced rate) for the power it produces. The company maintains, insures, and monitors the system - and pays for the installation up-front. This model has become very popular in many states.
2. Florida faces some challenges with PPA - Florida does not allow third party ownership PPA model and it is the only state where this is not even in debate. A court ruling from 1981 ruled that if a provider sold power to a single (defined as one) buyer - they would be considered a public utility (and all that this means). In 2007 the Florida Energy Commission recommended changing the statute to the governor, the recommendation was never taken up in the legislature. (http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/843/MP_kwk5_a_.20090;jsessionid=32EDE11200E39248219052EC724AE9CA?sequence=1 )
3. The point that the group was making - was that until PPA becomes a viable option in Florida, we will not see widespread adoption of solar power within the state of Florida. They encouraged everyone to contact their elected officials to "move" on this issue.
After running the 8 K through the marshes of the St. John's - I guess running is a strong word since much of it was slogging through mud that sucked you in to the tops of your ankles - we were the second team to reach the boats. We had taken some good shortcuts that allowed us to get ahead of faster teams. The first team, Oscar and company was heading the wrong way on the river, we really needed to portage 1/4 mile back the way we came to Lake Cone and get in their.
Manny was just behind us with about 5-6 more teams close on their heels. I saw a small cut-through portage that would gain us a little bit of ground and get us out of the water too shallow to paddle. The first 3 steps into the water were solid and then the ground just dropped off completely. I was in a muck hole up to my neck. Luckily Jim was able to hop in the boat before he too got sucked in. I held on to the boat to stay above water and told them to paddle and toss me the rope we had been using to portage. The muck was bubbling up in front of me as I tried to move forward. A little to our left Manny was in the same predicament. I told Jim and Wanda to paddle hard and I would tow behind the boat trying to get my legs onto a plane with the water instead of straight down. A couple of minutes of that and I was now horizontal in the water (instead of vertical) and crawling across the black gook and water. Another 2 minutes and the ground was solid enough for me to pull myself into the boat and we were paddling. By this time the 5-6 teams that were behind us were now 5-6 teams in front of us.
And so goes adventure racing. We made some really good navigation choices on teh next 3 controls and another strategic portage (leaving CP9) that put us back in the lead for a few minutes.
This is how the day would go for this race. I think that at least 8 teams led this race at some point during the race. We had a tight group of strong teams with no one team able to pull ahead for much longer. In the end - it was Utility Mutants who would use their strong biking to get ahead of the pack. Nature Calls was on their heels for second place, and we pulled in third (FL Xtreme II) - with three more teams right on our wheels. We battled the marsh - had an incredible paddle, biked through some incredible headwinds. The navigation was relatively easy making for a tight race field and a tight finish. A beautiful day, an incredible area, - all made for an outstanding experience. Thanks to Manny for a course map (shown) and Pangea for a well set race - results are here http://www.pangeaadventureracing.com/event-details/events/2011-boar-ar
Team Pangea Racing with Greg Owens and Nikki Carlson.
Here is the article on the UCF Adventure Race. There were 20 CP's placed around the UCF campus and 3 challenges. The challenges were the ropes course, Paddle and Puzzle, and an Orienteering/Compass course. The compass course was the only one to give us trouble, you had 2 use compass bearings and pacing to get through a maze of small flags - picking up letters at each flag you landed on and then unscrambling them to make a word (K E T C J A were our letters). The flags were really close together meaning a small bearing error would take you to the wrong flag. It took us 3 tries to finally land the successful word.
We blasted through all the other challenges (morse code decipher, balance puzzle, riddles, math problems, blindfold maze, complete the lyrics) quickly and had a nice fast time. For an example here is the paddle puzzle - O T T F F S S E _ - fill in the missing letter.
UCF provides a great venue and it was pretty cool to see a lot of younger racers get enthused about adventure racing.
Well the first (for me) of the season was a blast! This year I am racing with Florida XTreme 2 as part of the Pangea series (and preparing for some big races including the Idaho 7 day). Jim and Wanda are great team-mates - fast and fun. The TCAR started at South River Outfitters (http://www.southriveroutfitters.com/) in Stuart FL.
It was a cold morning - but it was projected to warm up nicely (mid 60's). A short run was followed by a paddle. We were first into the water (even though we were 4th coming into the boats). We had a decent paddle - though a lack of a middle seat really meant Wanda was not able to contribute to much to the effort. A big strategic move was hopping out of the boat at CP8 and running to CP12 and back to the boats. That move probable saved us 10 minutes in the race, though did slow down our paddle a little. We were still 7th coming out of the water in a really tight race. Eco-choice had come out of the water 20 minutes earlier (they are a really fast paddling team).
The next leg was the trek and we moved into a quick run making quick work of the next few CP's working with FL Xtreme 1. Also here Jim and Wanda's local knowledge of the park helped. We got to the paddle board section with a few other teams and sent Wands (the only one who had used one before) out on the short paddle board loop. Jim got to the do the short swim (it was cold) to pick up one CP on an island. As we hit the TA - we saw Super Frogs heading south on bikes - they had already picked up the one CP north of the TA. FL Xtreme 1 and 2 headed north to CP16 (an out and back loop).
We simply flew through this bike leg. The navigation was relatively straightforward and Jim and Wanda's local knowledge allowed us to choose some pretty optimal routes avoiding bad trails. We caught up wit Super Frogs 3 controls from the finish line and we knew it would be a head to head sprint to the finish line. At the next to last CP we were able to get about a 20 secod jump on them by spotting an open gap joining the trail we were riding on and the trail that the control was on. We dropped the bikes as i shouted out commands - drop the bikes! straight in and left! Back out! I appreciate my team putting up with me. I could tell Wanda was hurting (at least until she looked behind and saw Super Frogs right on our tail), but it was not a long sprint. Tem feet from the finish Wanda clips another bike in the TA and goes over her handle bars. I hop off my bike and grab her as we run to the finish. 3 hrs, 48 minutes, 18 seconds.
Sine we had plenty of time - we grabbed the map and passport and headed out to do the Sport course that had started about an hour earlier. That was fun too, I got to try out the paddle boarding (so did Jim) as we did that course. We also got to have a little extra paddle challenge. On the sport paddle we passed a 2PF team (Real Deal Double D) - both cute girls struggling a bit on the paddle. We tossed a tow rope on their boat and towed them most of the way through the paddle - which is really more challenging than it looks and it looked challenging.
A video would be worth more than a thousand words. Here is a recap of the race. The elite race started at 8 AM with a quick run and 5 checkpoints taking teams to the water and a beautiful morning paddle. The 5th checkpoint was the most challenging and some teams had to take multiple attacks to successfully find it in the open woods. The paddle also proved to have some navigation challenges (keeping a few teams out there for hours) - but the top teams moved through it in under 2 hours also completing the paddle challenge (a marked paddle course).
The elite teams then ran back to the main TA picking up 6 more checkpoints along the route.
After completing the run-paddle-run the elite teams were out on the challenging bike course. Even though this was a short bike by elite course standards, it also had a spiderweb network of trails and very challenging navigation.
Meanwhile the sport teams were gathering for a long pre-race in preparation for the sport course. The teams would split into two groups, one doing a bike-paddle-bike, the other doing a bike-run-bike. Teams would complete one section and then return to the main TA for the passport to do the other leg.
In the end it was a beautiful day for racing and plenty of teams cleared both courses. Results are at the Pangea Web Site - http://www.pangeaadventureracing.com/ The next race is the Treasure Coast Adventure Race - I should the race from the perspective of a racer as I'll be out there with Jim and Wanda, team Florida XTreme.
This is a companion to my guide to 24-36 hour races available at http://eaglinar.blogspot.com/2009/12/beginners-guide-to-24-36-hour-racing.html
Getting Started
So you are ready for your first Sprint Race. Great - here are some things that will help you get started. We will work through some items like the team, gear, training, and the race day. The most important thing to remember about adventure racing for the new racer is that it is a team sport. Every team will be made up of individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. It really does not matter how you perform, what matters is how the team performs, so here are some hints and help.
Picking your team-mates - As a rule of thumb you should have team mates that are both physically and mentally compatible. Physically compatible means you are have about the same physical capabilities. If you are a strong runner and a weak biker - then you will want team-mates that are similar. The results of picking team-mates that don't match your abilities is frustration, when you want to run and your team-mate must walk. There are ways to overcome this, towing is common and there are chances to rest your team-mates, like when you are paddling. Mental compatibility is also important, if a person drives you crazy when you are not racing, they are only going to be worse when you are racing - it is never a good idea to push this issue and have them find out how you feel when you are in the stress of a race. That said - there are usually lots of chances to find races that work well with you.
Training - There is a huge misconception that you have to be a top level highly fit athlete to adventure race. This is simply not true. The folks you see on the podium race after race do train to be fit, but they also train for technique and teamwork. My rule of thumb for a Sprint race (about 3 hours) is you should be able to comfortably be able to run about 5 miles at your own pace, be able to bike between 10 and 20 miles, and have some experience paddling a canoe. If you can do this - you will be fine physically to complete a 3 hour race. As you move to longer distances, you will do longer workouts - but save that for when you start moving towards elite class.
The most important part of training is improving your skills. If you have a chance to paddle canoes or learn to improve your paddling form - take it. Paddling a boat is very much about technique and form and less about muscling a boat through water. As for biking, practice off-road mountain biking (single or double track) every chance you get. Road cycling will build muscle and endurance - but I've seen plenty of roadies slow to a crawl when they hit single track. The most important skill is navigation - AR is all about the map and compass. Go orienteering with your local club (Florida Orienteering in Florida) and practice map reading every chance you get (Get rid of your GPS and use a map).
Gear - There are 2 types of gear, mandatory and luxury. You must have the mandatory gear - usually a backpack, hydration system, compass, and first aid. Of course the mountain bike is another piece of gear. In the race I recommend only carrying what you need, which is typically the mandatory gear. You can carry some food (maybe 1-2 gels for a 3 hour race) - but you really will not need a lot of food. On hot summer days you WILL need plenty of hydration. I use Gatorade for my hydration - but as a rule drink what you like to drink, nearly all sport drinks work great and as long as they don't upset your stomach are fine.
Day of Race - Don't get nervous about race day. Keep a list of what you plan to bring, and simply have it in a bin ready to go. If you are missing something don't sweat it - you can usually find someone with a spare at the race or in most cases you really don't need it anyway. When you get to the race site you will register your team, setup your transition area, go to the pre-race, and then start the race. As long as you have all your "stuff" together in a bin this is all pretty easy to handle. You'll also likely have a cooler with fluid and some food (food mostly for after the race). During the race (for my team) - all food and fluids are TEAM property - if someone needs something the team supplies it.
If it is your first AR - go out and have a good time. Adventure Racers are a very friendly bunch. We compete - but in the end we are all friends and you will immediately feel the sense of camaraderie at an adventure race. If you need or are missing some critical piece of gear - chances are another team will spot you the spare equipment. That is just the way we are - so go out and have a great time.
I was not able to make it out to the regular orienteering at Kelly park because of work, but I was able to make it to pick up flags. It was pretty exciting due to the fact that I need to run in under 2 hours (back to the Kelly Park entrance to finish before it got dark. The course was great - and i did take a little video to show how the woods in Wekiva looked
The course required some really technical orienteering with challenging controls that precluded the use of trails (and a lot of landmarks). Also the challenge of tying the flags while running made it a lot of fun. And since I am putting up orienteering video - I have to post a link to my favorite Orienteering Video - this one really captures the spirit and the reckless abandon of orienteering - and defines it as a sport that can be pretty extreme.
note: maps to come after i get a chance to scan them.
I had the pleasure of racing with Nature Calls (Lori, Manny, and Greg) this year in the Turkey Burn. I have raced along side of them dozens of times and we had always planned as racing as a team - and now we did it. The Turkey Burn is the season finale for Pangea Adventure Racing, and with course setter Dave Brault always has a solid combination of paddling, trekking, biking and challenging navigation.
It was quite warm at the 4 AM start and we took off with the lead teams on the first bike leg. There were 4 points and teams could do them in any order. We chose to go 1,2,3, and 4. As we approached CP1 we gathered a cluster of teams. I had not paid good enough attention to my odometer and we pulled up in a spot that looked like the correct spot, but was actually short (by nearly a kilometer). Manny pointed out where he thought we were and I did a measurement on the map, comparing it to my odometer and figured it out, but not before losing some precious time (best guess - about 15 minutes). Well, better to make the mistakes early and then have time to recover. The remaining 4 CP's were straightforward, though the trails were challenging in the dark. After CP4 we had a pretty healthy bushwhack to the main gate, and we arrived in time to see Punch Junkies, Florida Extreme 1 and 2 heading out on the next leg a 6-7 mile run to the boats.
CP4 -> CP3 -> CP2 -> TA -> CP5->CP6->CP7 - Paddle to CP18
This was going to be the longest leg of the race. We headed out at a good speed. We had over 2 1/2 miles of road running before we would get into the off-road portion of the run. As we ran along, we got a light rain which turned pretty heavy for about 30 minutes - basically enough to drench us - but being fairly warm it was pretty refreshing. We nailed CP 5 and CP6 which were very easy finds along the Florida Trail. As we approached CP7 we could see at least 2 teams in the distance not moving - which is usually a sign the control is hard to find. We got to the spot as they left. I immediately attacked the area where I though we would find it, but no luck. We tried a different attack measuring from a trail intersection to the east, we headed in looking for the "marsh" it was on, still no luck. It was now starting to get a little light out. I took another attack point from the trail intersection NE of the mapped location. After about 10 more minutes Greg catches a glint of white and finds it - essentially in the first place I had looked. At least 3 teams (Hoof-hearted and Utility Mutants found it and passed us during the search) It was hung very low and I was too hasty in my first search.
As soon as we punched we headed to the north trail and west to the boats. We got there just as the sun came up over the horizon. The paddle down Blackwater Creek was amazing. We had a good current, great scenery, and perfect weather. As we turned a corner to approach CP8, we saw 2 teams coming back the other way - they had missed it and had to turn around at CP9. We continued on to CP10 where we had to go by foot to CP11. This was an easy find and there was a faint trail leading us essentially all the way there. Once we made the turn into the Wekiva we learned that the current direction is important - what was an easy paddle was now pushing against the strong current of the Wekiva. The next 3 controls were essentially the same as the controls from the SCAR earlier this year and we found them easily. From there is was a sprint to the take-out. The strong paddling team of Eco-Choice passed us along the way and they were moving very fast on the water. At the take-out we read the map that gave us the location of CP18, it was not far and after a little out and back for this last control we were in the TA getting ready to bike. Everyone was still feeling strong - so that was good news. Punch Junkies had nearly a 30 minute lead at this point, Florida Xtreme 1 and 2 had a bout a 20 minute lead, and Eco-Choice and Hoof-hearted were about 5 minutes ahead. Utility mutants were also very close behind us - this was about the half-way of the race, so it was really looking like a good tight race.
The bike leg was next and I decided to do this counter-clockwise, 2 reasons - one section had a better backstop in the reverse direction (CP30 to CP29 to CP28) and also I wanted to know where the other teams (who I believed had gone the other direction) were. The CP30 to CP29 worked perfectly, the faint trail was there and even ride-able through most of the trail. We bushwhacked to CP28 - found the E-W trail, I should have aimed off here, but instead was going for a direct hit, so I did not know whether to head east or west. I played conservative and we headed east for 200 meters, and then came back and found it easily. (this is an orienteering trick, it works to find the control, but does cost some time). The riding to CP27 and CP26 was very fast. It did slow down a bit from CP26 to CP25 with quite a few downed trees and my personal favorite - cypress knees in the trail. About 1/2 km from CP25 heading for CP24 the road turned into sugar and we were forced to ride in the low palmettos to the side of the road. This was sandy and rough and also dangerous as there were plenty of cactus spines and other tired puncturing threats. We had passed the other teams going the other way between CP26 and CP25 - they were all within 5 minutes of each other.
CP24, 23, and 22 just required us to stay on the bike trail. No easy feat since it was very overgrown. This only required bashing through overhanging palmettos and tree limbs (the outside of my hands are all cut up since I did not put on my bike gloves). At one point I tried to bike across a wooden footbridge only to discover it was as slick as ice and I went down hard. A quick bone check and I was back up and fine. Greg was a bit nauseous as we had been pushing a tough pace through all the soft sand. After CP19 we hit pavement and we literally flew to the barn on the road and hard packed McDonald road.
At the TA we changed shoes and headed immediately back out on bike for the orienteering. I like orienteering sections in adventure races, they are my strength and I feel very comfortable with an orienteering map. At the barn we dropped bikes and settled into a light jog. CP31 and 32 fell quickly. The field leading to CP 34 had just been mowed and we plunged into the woods from the field at a good trot. We spotted the first ditch and saw the second ditch near where we found the first one. I saw a ribbon on a tree and checked it out - it was the biodegradable ribbon that Pangea uses to mark control points - however there was no flag. As we were searching I decided to call in. On the phone Greg informed me that he had left an extra piece of ribbon there and that the flag was out there - but not in that location. We were only about 100 meters away and found the flag quickly after that (amazing how much a piece of ribbon can throw you off) - and headed back out. I attacked CP33 from the trail intersection east of it - and Hoof-hearted was coming from the west (they had passed us at CP34, sneaking in and out of the woods without us seeing them).
They passed us again heading for CP35 - but we took a very good attack point from the North that landed us dead on CP35 very close to when they got to it. We were now neck and neck. They ran faster to CP36, but attacked it from the north (I attacked from the east) and we punched at the same time. They moved very fast on the trail heading for CP37, tried to use the ditch to attack it, I used the western trail intersection and again we were at it basically exactly at the same time. As we approached CP38 they ran right past the dirt mound (the description was Dirt Mound North Side) - and that gave us the chance to punch it and move quickly on. Both CP39 and CP40 went very quickly (easy finds) and though Manny was suffering, we kept a solid pace to the bikes. Ten more minutes of hard riding and we were at the finish line, nearly an hour behind Punch Junkies - but only minutes behind Florida Xtreme and Hoof-hearted in what I knew would be a tight race.
PS. Both Hoof-hearted and Florida Xtreme had suffered a bit with control CP30 which had been stolen by some mischievous folks who were out there. This gave them a time credit that put them within minutes of our finish time (11 hrs, 25 minutes, 9 seconds). This is the 3rd race in a row where the final time was less than one minute difference between teams on the podium.
Big thanks to both team-mates and competitors, and especially to Dave Brault for an incredible courses - this was one of the best course I have raced having incredible elements that truly challenged all teams to their max. Also congrats to all the Sport teams - they had a real rough time with some of the stolen controls - but made it through the hardship like real troopers.
Here is a Google Plot of the first 3 legs of the race. Manny has a tracker - it lost batteries for the last bike leg and trek leg. It does show our strategy for CP7 - after not finding it from the first attack point to the east, we went to the intersection NE of the control and re-attacked it, finding it on that try.
This ended up being a pretty action packed weekend as I was competing in the Central Florida Ragnar Relay. Competition is too strong a word as this was really a chance to go out and have some fun running. For those who have never heard of the Ragnar ( http://www.ragnarrelay.com/ ) it is a 12 person relay race that cover roughly 200 miles in 36 legs. Each runner runs 3 legs with about 8 hours to rest and do other things between legs. It is a blast ! I was running for Team Helping Hannah raising money for Hannah ( http://helpinghannah.wordpress.com/ ). A lot of the teams out there on the course were working with different charities.
The Ragnar Team is split into 2 vans - with 6 people in each van. Van 1 (aka the wimpy van) does legs 1-6, 13-18, and 25 - 30. We called them the wimpy van as they had a lot shorter legs in most of their runs than van 2. Also we had one injury before the race, so van 2 was going to cover it 18 legs with 5 runners. I was the lead runner for Van 2 so I got to start with leg 7. Cindy LaVigne was the wrap-up runner so she got to transition to the other team.
My first leg was a double, I was going to run legs 7 and 8 and 7 was a fun and easy jog up the Suncoast Parkway Trail. Followed by a shorter leg that took me along SR 50. (You can see the entire course at http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/florida/course_maps ). Here is are my first 2 legs run back to back for a total of 11.9 miles - not too bad ending up in Brooksville.
After that it was supporting the other 4 van runners on their legs which meant driving to the next TA and being ready when they came in to switch runners. At TA 12 we would switch running duties to the other van and get a pretty long break. That last leg had Cindy running down the Withlacoochee Trail to the small town of Lacoochee (folks from the Swamp Stomp might remember that leg). A train decided to park on the track blocking the route and Cindy got to take a detour and do some off-road as she had to run around the train to get to the TA.
We got a little opportunity to rest, but we headed for the next major TA (TA 18 in Mascotte). We had time to stuff ourselves with catfish and ribs at the Rainbow Diner and Mascotte and then try to get some sleep before we started the next 6 legs.
I love running at night and it was roughly 11 PM when I started out on the 7.8 mile leg 19. It was essentially straight down SR 50 to Clermont. Jim "Topless" was supposed to take over for me at leg 20, but I was feeling so good with the cool air I waved him off at the TA and continued on to complete leg 20 which was only a 6.3 mile leg.
That had made for a 14.1 mile run, and I was a bit tired. Jim had a 9.1 mile leg that was coming up - so it was good to give him a bit of a break on this leg. I also got to bike the last leg of this section (3.6 miles) ending up at the West Orange trailhead in Apopka. We saw some old friend there and chatted for a while before finally heading to the lat major transition at the Municipal stadium in Sanford. Here I was able to get some good rest (if not sleep) to prepare for my final leg - and 8.8 mile jaunt from Sanford to the Dollar General store in Osteen. I was able to get a hot shower (stadiums have locker rooms !) and even a decent breakfast before this last run. The last leg I had would take me 8.8 miles from downtown Sanford to SR 46 and then up SR 415 to Sanford. It was hot, there was lots of traffic, and a headwind - and I was tired. I settled into a nice easy pace and about 90 minutes later I was handing off the slap bracelet to Topless who would run the next 8.0 mile leg (and later a 6.8 mile leg).
Linda was there with the kids at the transition. had familial obligations for the rest of the day - so had to cut out at that point. The team finally made it into Daytona Beach around 6 PM that evening, and from what I understand the almost 1000 runners that were in the Ragnar had a pretty rocking party. Now if i can find a team for the next one from Miami to Key West ....
For anyone considering this - it has a lot of elements of adventure, is a lot of fun - and I suggest doing it if you get the chance.
This was a day made for racing, and the Pangea Lighterknot was just the race to make it all fun. It was early morning meeting team-mate Dave Brault at 4 AM to drive up to Princess Place for the race. We got the maps about 6:15 and settled into my truck to plan our route. We expected the race would begin with a prolog and it did; 3 bike orienteering points and 3 foot orienteering points. Each of these took roughly 20 minutes and we were the 3rd team off the prolog and headed for the paddle.
Once we hit the water we headed south towards the saltwater marsh and maze of canals that had CP2, 3 and 4. We stayed on the east bank to get CP2, which was a good strategy. Continuing south to look for a cut across channel to get across the marsh turned out to be a bit more paddling than if we had simply doubled back and used the channel to the north of CP2 (see aerial map). We also overshot the best channel and had to double back a bit just to get to a channel that would take us west towards CP3. We arrived at CP3 just behind Primal Instinct (Jim and Carolyn). We snagged CP4 and were quickly back out to the main channel for the open water paddling. Once we hit the open water it was simply a sprint (really not much navigation required) to get CP6 (out and around the northern peninsula), CP5 - across the mouth of Pellicer Creek in a small creek, and the farthest control CP7 (in a small shallow ox-bow). We hammered the paddle back and were the second team out of the water just behind Primal Instinct.
At the TA we simply dropped our paddle gear. I had pulled off my extra clothes (it was chilly at the start) while running from the paddle to the TA, and all we had to do was drop our extra gear and get the next passport for the trek. We chose to trek second to use the cooler morning weather to help our run, and also to prevent having to change from run to bike shoes. I believe we left just after 11 AM. We had pre-planned our trek to do CP11, 13, 12, 10, 9, 14, 15, and 16 in that order. This appeared to be the best route and though it was a little less conservative than the reverse route - I felt confident we would be able to navigate the terrain without issue. We settled into a low jog, we were a couple of minutes behind Primal Instinct out of the TA. We had about 3-4 teams (including Florida Xtreme) that were also just minutes behind us. The Google Map attached to this blog has the route we took and some thoughts on the navigation.
All of the controls were relatively easy, the only challenging terrain was the creek crossing approaching CP14 from the east, and a short bushwack east of the power lines as we headed to the N-S trail we would use to get to CP16. CP16 was the most challenging of the CP's - requiring the use of the 2 spurs to center yourself in the re-entrant before plunging into the palmettos. We made the jog back to the TA and were the first team to arrive. We wasted no time switching into bike shoes and yelled bye to Greg who was giving the pre-race to the Sport teams.
I figured we probably had a 2-3 minute lead on Primal Instinct at this point as they had not arrived at the TA - though I knew that Jim would easily navigate the foot section and our difference in times would simply be the difference in pace and a few course routes being optimized. We started off the bike heading for CP19. This was a logistics error - since CP18 was a simple out and back on hard packed surface we should have hit it first and then headed for CP19 - though it was a close choice and if the trail from CP17 to CP18 was a good surface, that would have been a better route (it was NOT a good surface). The first part of the bike CP19 - CP20 - CP21 went very fast as the controls were close and the riding good. It was a long route from CP21 ro CP22, but the riding was also good along the loop road. From CP22 we headed to the pavement of Old Kings Road and the entrance to the Florida Agricultural Museum - still good riding, and picked up CP23 easily. After crossing the land bridge our trails turned into sand. We dropped into a low gear and chunked through the sand - using the edges of the horse trails to try to get solid traction under our tires. This held a risk as there were lots of cacti and sand-spurs on the sides - so you always have the risk of a flat tire. CP24 to CP17 was pure punishment for our earlier pace. We did ride most of it - but not much faster than we could have run it. I was hoping that as we left CP17 and took the trail towards CP18 we would get some solid ground. This was the Hominy Branch trail and it had been thoroughly chopped up by all the horse traffic. We could still ride, but not very fast. I did stop to help a lost team just before we hit CP18, they were thoroughly lost and it was the right thing to do.
From CP18 we pushed at 100% towards the finish line just seconds after Primal Instinct came in from the other direction. They had gotten CP18 first and even though the route from CP17 to the finish was also sandy - it was much shorter. They had reached CP17 seconds behind us and had made up the time finish from that last control finish line.
The thrill of the competition made the entire race worthwhile, not to mention the awesome course and terrain. This was the second (sprint) race in a row with a finish that was less than a minute gap. I was quite happy and that was made better by the good food that we had at the finish also (salad and pasta tastes pretty good after a race). I also felt that I was fully recovered from the Coast to Coast that was just 2 weeks earlier (58+ hours of continuous racing). Next up is the Ragnar Relay and the Turkey Burn - both exciting races. See you out there! Here are some video scenes from the race, and a map of the course (I'll also scan my race map and post it).
Saturday was about orienteering and a great challenging blue course at Moss Park. I flipped positions with Chris Johnson a few times on this - which also makes it a fun run with a little friendly competition.
CP2 - There was no obvious attack so I pace counted from the intersection and cut in. The forest had a lot of downed trees. I over shot and had to double back using the trail to the west as a secondary attack - finally finding it. note: Chris Johnson used the subtle trail bend in the N-S trail, an excellent attack and maximizing trail running. A really good approach.
CP3 - due east to trails, up to mound ridge and along west side of ridge - easy find.
CP4 - South of mound and across rough open to E-W trail. Trick was finding subtle trail entrance to use as attack point. Trail did not go far - but due east bearing led to control.
CP5 - Easy run, though placement was a bit south of where I thought it should be, too close to lake. Ran into Chris here approaching as I was leaving control.
CP6 - Real long run from CP5 to CP6. Chris passed me on trail. Attacked by taking subtle northern trail off main trail and heading due north with wetland as backstop. Area was quite thick near control and placement seemed too far east. Took extra 5-10 minutes to find. (note the well hidden location too)
CP7 - Chris passed me again on way to CP7. Rootstock gave easy attack into open mixed palmetto scrub. Easy find.
CP8 - Stayed on trail until Distinct Tree (Split Oak) was visible and atacked from due west - easy find, open (Orange) areas were distinct.
CP9 - Tried direct route - woods were a lot thicker than mapped so bailed to trail, found bend and took easy route from south.
CP10 - Long run across berm to other side, CP10 was not there so headed in with Chris and one ROTC runner.
All in all an extremely challenging course, good distance with a lot of tough control locations.
SUNDAY
After a great bike I took the family to Scott's Corn maze. http://www.longandscottfarms.com/fall_maze.html It was a bit hot - but it turned out to be a blast working our way through the complex maze looking for all the checkpoints.
It had been nearly 2 1/2 years since the last Florida Coast to Coast. When Julie Ardoin (partner in last C2C and Primal Quest 2008) called I knew it was time to get moving. We were joined by Mitch and Joe (also alias Jim, John, and a whole host of other names I called him by during the race) who were both newcomers to long course racing, and crew Johnny, Jamie, and Ellie Sheriff.
We arrived Wednesday with enough time for dinner and then the 8 PM pre-race and notification that the race would start the next morning at 4 AM. Since I was fully expecting to spend a long night plotting and then up early - this was no surprise. Good news is that the first leg (a 7 mile run) would be in darkness and more important cool weather. After map-marking the team was able to get to sleep around midnight, I packed and had everything ready to go so that I could simply get up and head outside for the race in the morning. Good thing, too since I woke up at 3:35 and the team were all still completely asleep. We still made it outside in time for the pre-race and after the pre-race we were off and running.
Leg 1 -
This was the most uneventful leg. I am still amazed at how many teams really rush the first leg. We decided we would run this leg (as did most of the other teams). The cool weather, easy terrain (road), and easy pace made this a very enjoyable morning run. In just about one hour we covered the 7 miles and arrived at the TA where our crew had the boats ready by the water. This was going to be a long paddle. We had done this one in a past C2C - needless to say Lake Rousseau was not my favorite paddle - mostly because the last time I paddled it I ended up swimming twice due to the abundance of submerged trees and logs. We took the prescribed route down the canal, south on the Withlacoochee, and into Lake Rousseau. The paddle actually went quite well (still a couple of bumps). The weather was good and we saw and chatted with a few teams along the route. After passing Dunnelon - we headed north up the Rainbow River, one I had not paddled before. Beautiful clear water - nice breeze, simply great paddling. At the Rainbow Spring springhead - Mitch got to go for a little swim, and retrieved a punch that was underwater in the spring. We would paddle downstream about 1 mile and then start the next section - the tubing section.
The tubing section was going to be fun. We had about 4 teams that all had about a 15 minute lead on us at the boat to tube TA. We figured out a way to link the tubes together to make it a "kinda boat" - and sure enough before we got the bike TA, we had caught up. This section was a ton of fun - and we were really happy with the way the race had been going.
Once the next leg started - it was going to get interesting; coming up next, the first bike leg, we estimated the time to complete 6-7 hours, the actual time would be much closer to 12. It started out quite well, we got into a good bike line and headed for Pruitt Trailhead. An easy right turn and and a left we were on the trail. Pruitt Trail is a nicely packed limestone road that goes nearly all the way to Santos. The first control was at the same location as the 2008 C2C. It only took a short while in that race, and we were in and out of the control in minutes. We were back onto the trail and heading for the next CP (OP USARA). I had measured the distance my attack point at 2.2 km so when my odometer hit the distance we stopped and took a quick look around. Based om the map the control should have been on the north side of the trail and visible. Nothing. We moved on about 100 meters, searched, no control. We kept this up for about 30 minutes and soon other teams started to show up. We saw Green Paw (who we had passed at the last control go by - they had found it). We kept at it for another 30 minutes, still no CP. At this point I knew we would need a different approach, looking at the (vague) contours on the map. Using this we searched south of the trail and soon found the control and were on the way to the next one.
The next CP (OP Adventurous Concepts) also looked challenging and it was. We met up with Super Frogs who had been looking for it, and led them back to the location. It was also challenging and we were soon joined in the search by Scurvy Knaves and Pangea. We did find it, and I also convinced Greg (Pangea) and Jim (Scurvy Knaves) to go back to the previous control that they had not found. We moved on and headed to the Quarry (picking up another CP on the way) where Elias told us we could move on to the next CP. We headed that way - it was in the tangle of trails that is Santos - the clue was the sinkhole near the corner of Dr. Ruth and Cow Bone. Since the provided map was useless we simply headed that direction (generally) and asked riders we passed if they knew those trails (most of which did).
Now here is something about Santos and Ocala. Even though it is a small community (compared to Orlando). This is probably because it has an awesome mountain bike area. Moral of that story - we need more mountain bike parks in Orlando. OK now on to our story...
OP Howl at the Moon was supposedly near the intersection, and the description (in Sinkhole) seemed obvious since there was an awesome and obvious sinkhole near the intersection. We searched. More teams arrived, and we searched. After 90 minutes it started to get dark and I realized that searching the sinkhole would be impossible in the dark. We moved on going north on Dr. Ruth - we were bailing. As we moved north we crossed a second intersection of Dr. Ruth and Cow Bone, and Sinkhole trail was also near this intersection - so we spent another 30 minutes searching Sinkhole trail and that intersection. Eventually we bailed on that control too. We headed for the ropes - where we ran into all the other teams we had been searching with. They had taken Cowbone north and told us the CP was literally on the trail.
We did the climb (which I always enjoy). Since I had rigged a Froggy Style ascent I moved quickly up the rope. Since I was frustrated by the control searches - I was determined to "corner the ledge" without help. This is making it up the last 4-5 yards of the ascent without assistance - which are always challenging. I made it and was back in pretty good spirits after the rappel back down. The ropes were on a massive (40-50 ft) bridge abutment that was going to be part of the barge canal that never happened. It was a really cool place for a ropes course.
About the ropes course
Just south of Santos are several bridge stanchions, built in 1936 for a never completed bridge over the never completed cross Florida barge canal.
Teams ascended up 45' on one of six ropes we had setup in the middle of the ledge, then moved to one of two rappelling ropes on each end of the ledge to get back down. The first team came through about 5pm on Thursday and the last about 7am on Friday. Between 9pm and 11:30PM Thursday we were very busy, having at times, six racers ascending concurrently.
We went back to get the missed CP - and sure enough it was right on Cow Bone trail. As we headed back out there was a trail stopped on the tracks. We ended up going around, and getting back on the course. At this point I'll make a long story short. The next 2 controls were sheeer disasters. We never found either one - even though one should have been incredibly easy. Some other teams came by - but they decided to not even try to get these. After 2+ hours searching for OP Mighty Dog with Manny and Lori from Nature Calls, we finally decided to head straight to the TA and even skip the 2 bikewhack controls. This was a low point for the team, but I figured some food and rest in the TA would help us out - and it did. From here we portaged to the Silver River, flew through the paddle, exiting and portaging the 3+ miles back to the TA. We were in such good spirits that we asked if we could go back on the bike and pick up the 4 controls we had skipped. Elias said we could, but they would not count - so instead we prepared for the the next leg - a really LONG trek.
Things would get more interesting - We would be the 4th team out the TA, shortly after Pangea, Green Paw, and the Dominican team all of which which had so far cleared the course.
Here is a map of the Silver River area, TA, Bikewhack, and paddle.
It was about 9:15 when we headed out on the trek. Since the approximate distance was 25 miles we were calculating about 7-8 hours to complete the trek which would put us in around 5-6 PM within the daylight hours. It started off well, the first part of the trek was all road and there was no significant navigation. we easily found the turn leading to Lake George. Here I could tell our pace slowed significantly slowed on the trails. It also turns out that the trails it was on were not on the map, though the trail leading towards it were not.
We ran into Pangea (who had been searching for a while here) - while we were searching a few more teams arrived including Scurvy Knaves. This one just required deduction from the clue (Intersection of Forest Roads) - we narrowed in on it by staying right on the trail network - which worked fine. Leaving the control and heading north we had a major water crossing - so our feet were going to be wet. About the point the socks and feet dried out, we had another water crossing. This is also where Pangea (who we had passed) caught up to us. They were having some team issues at the time (it happens) - but they obviously resolved them as they took off at a fast pace heading out towards forest road 86 (Hopkins Prairie Road). As we approached the road from the trail we had to cross a large dirt mound to get to the road. My team asked me why the large mound. They had just seen a TV special on the pythons in Florida so I said "It keeps the pythons off the Florida Trail - maybe we'll see some on the road". I had them believing this for a while, but eventually they figured out I was joking,
This road (just follow it on the map) went on forever. About half-way through the trek we did have a water drop. This was good for 2 reasons (1) we were out of water, and (2) it gave us a mental break from the long endless trek. By the time we reached the water, both my feet and Mitch's feet were in bad shape - his worse than mine. We had been reduced to hobbling along at about 2 mph. I had already abandoned the idea of going for the next control and we were simply focused on getting to the TA. About 1/2 mile east of the water - a truck pulled up to us. It was the medical crew for the race (THANKS ROY !!). They had ice for our water - really - ice ! and they also patched up our feet. I now knew that we would make it to the TA and even going for the second CP was again an option.
As we approached the turn for the second CP I polled the team. We had been out on the course more than 9 hours (approaching 10). Pangea and 2 other teams had passed us and had disappeared into the distance. We were still moving incredibly slow, the feet were really hurting and I know I was feeling serious leg fatigue. We decided to head straight to the TA. We walked and walked and walked and it seemed like the road went on forever. We finally arrived around 8:30 PM - almost 12 hours of trekking. The team was beat and there was no way we would be able to keep everyone solid without some sleep.
We ate, got rehydrated, and took about 90 minutes of sleep in the TA. When I woke up I felt like I had gotten a solid 8 hours - really! I was eager to get on the bikes, and we were soon off. Mitch was still sleepy so we put him on the front of the bike line - and he took off. We hit SR19 and were doing 21-23 mph. We flew to SR 40, took the left and headed east - still flying along. The turn into Lake George WMA was easy to find, and we soon caught up with team Nature Calls. We both had agreement as to the location of the next CP (OP Hammer Nutrition). We both agreed that the control was somewhere Northwest of the intersection of 2 easily identified forest roads - as it plotted obviously on that corner. So we searched. I found trails - so I searched them. We searched the field. We searched the forest behind the field. We searched the culvert and ditch. I finally had enough and called Dennis on the phone. He reminded me that he had said it would be on the northeast (northEAST) corner near the intersection. After that it took a few minutes (and a reminder from Manny what northeast means) to find the control. This was a major "Argh!" - but we had found the control and headed out. Manny was feeling bad - so we headed on and out to US 17.
Now Mitch was falling asleep on the bike. If I could find him some coffee he knew he would be OK until daylight. I had just finished my last caffeine from my pack, so our only option was to find this on US 17. We checked out every store, but did not find one open until the corner of 17 and 92, which I knew would have something open at 4:30 AM on a Saturday.
The next control was a breeze, on a kiosk and easy to find. We nailed it and moved northeast on US 92 to the entrance to Rima Ridge. As a team we were starting to fatigue, Mitch was fighting sleepmonsters, and I was frustrated with the team for no particular reason other than just feeling grumpy. At one point heading for OP CFAR - Julie and I sat staring off the road.
Ron: "That is our trail".
Julie: "Ron, that is not a trail".
Ron: "Julie, really that is our trail, we need to go that way".
Julie: "Ron, there is nothing there."
We looked at the non-trail for about 10 minutes, when I decided to bike on it - and yes it was a trail. It just did not look like one.
We easily nailed OP CFAR and moved on with a group of teams towards the TA. The sun was coming up and being a very regular guy (if you know what I mean) - I needed to use a bathroom. About the same time I thought this we came upon a port-o-let. How lucky is that?
Another couple of miles we were in the TA where we heard that Green Paw was out and Pangea was in the lead. No explanation, just that a team member had bonked about 3 miles from the TA and they were out. I knew them and knew it had to be serious for them to be dropped at this point in the race. We could not worry about this - it was time to bike the final 5 miles to the Tomoka River and the next to last leg of the race, the Tomoka Paddle from SR 40 to High Bridge.
This was a beautiful morning paddle and I wanted to do it in less than 3 hours. The river was very calm and beautiful and I had done this paddle a few times before. To keep the boats together Mitch and I hitched a rope onto Julie and Joe and they were able to get a little bit of tow - which also allowed Julie some sleep. As we approached the intracoastal we had to disconnect the boats. Here you often get large boats flying up and down the river - the Pamlico has about 5-6 inches of water clearance. This is great for comfort and speed = but it means that if you have waves (and no spray skirt) you need to be able to maneuver the boat quickly to prevent a capsize. A xouple of boats gave us a challenge, but none of them pushed enough of a wake to prevent us from simply rolling with the waves. - We paddled hard and finished in 2:57.
It was a simple trek - 7.2 miles right down the beach. Running was really out of the question with Mitch's feet. We settled into a nice little walk. Along the route people asked what was going on and i would stop and explain the race. I would then run/jog to catch up. As it turns out running (for me) was much less painful than walking. I got into the habit of running up to the team, chatting with folks on the beach - running and catching back up, repeat. The 7 miles took us right around 2 1/2 hours to complete. Pizza and beer and sleep awaited us. We congratulated Pangea who had a well deserved win, never giving up and making the extra effort to clear the course.
It was a great race and a great time., My team was wonderful - Mitch was an awesome paddle buddy. Julie and I work great together, she keeps me from going loopy on the nav (even though it may look like I'm irritated, I still appreciate her making sure I am not doing something stupid). She and Joe made a great race pair. And our crew (Johnnie, Jamie, and Ellie) were the picture of awesomeness. When we hit the TA they were ready and anticipated everything we could need or want. I know that have 4 racers simultaneously wanting things - where are my batteries? do you have an apple? how about a pepsi? etc.... and we always had what we wanted.
See you next race !
P.S. Great post-race quote from Mitch. "Normally I don't like finisher medals for races - but holy shit I'm keeping this one!"
When I saw a posted to Facebook for team-mates I got a quick reply from Dave Shuman of FIGJAM. We had raced together many times, but never on the same team - so this was a good pairing. After a message from long time friend and racer Greg Corbitt - and we had a 3PM team.
The race started at King's landing, my worry was that we would have super-hot weather, but it looked like the temps would barely crack 90 (which for Florida summer weather is quite cool). The race started with a little navigation course with some dead reckoning bearings all taken from a common start location. After the first one I could see that we would be able to hit 2 of them without having to return the the bearing point, since the clue on one was "along river" - another one was going to put us real close to the river - and that worked quite well, simply hitting the one close to the river and then following the river to the other CP. These did require somne getting wet (it was on the far side of the river - no problem). Since we only had to do 4 (of 5) we headed back to the bearing point and used the road and some pace counting to get us the the 4th control.
We were the first onto the next leg of the race - though I knew we would have teams very close on our tail. CP8 was easy (on the river), but CP9 had us taking a bearing and heading inland. The bearing quickly took us back to the river - where we could see the control dangling over the river on a tree. Instead of punching we headed back to the boats. One team (Florida Xtreme 1) avoided the dead reckoning on land and simply stayed on the river - which gave them a solid 5-10 minute lead. That was fine - I do not like to lead early in the race - it uses a lot of energy for potential mistakes that other teams behind you can learn from.
We headed for the long control of the out and back paddle - which gave us a chance to see where the teams were. It looked like it was Florida XTreme out front - then about 6-7 minutes back was us, followed by Green Paw, and then a large group of solid teams just minutes behind Green Paw.
We passed the take-out to get CP 10 and CP 11. We blew by CP10 (we'd get it on the way back) - and headed for CP11. Just before this CP was a real tight log crossing, where Green Paw passed us. We got to CP11 within seconds of each other, and actually passed Green Paw again, but they were able to get over the log on the way back quickly. There was a huge cluster of teams here making the crossing on the slick log challenging. We did fine, and were soon in the TA.
For all racers who want to move to elite and be competitive - here is where you can learn a lot to make up time. As we approached the dock, we had already planned out how we would stow the boat and handle the gear. As we got close paddles were thrown to shore, one person was out - packs were tossed to shore, 2 of us pulled the boat up - while the third gathered the paddles and handed the packs to each of us. Time from being on the water - to running to bikes was right around 1 minute.
At the bikes we simply donned helmets and hopped on - we planned to do the trek second. 2 reasons, (1) run while it was still cool, (2) no need to change to bike shoes. We flew to the trek (with a little fun biking on the way) and headed out on the orienteering.
Here you can refer to the scanned map. I planned to attack CP20 from the north and except for a Sport course control that was along the route - this worked well. Team Green Paw was real close and they saw us going in for the control (they were attacking from the east) - and it helped them a bit with this one. My plan was next CP21 - I wanted to go via CP13 - so I would have a mental picture of this when I came by on the bike (it was a bike CP). CP21 was pretty easy, simply attack as the berm north of the trail ended, spot the thicket and follow around to the control. We were keeping a light run and this area was shaded with very open woods. CP25 was essentially run to the N-S trail, follow to the attack point (fence on west side of map) and go due east. As we saw both small depressions that were mapped - this worked well and we nailed it. CP24 was going NE around the thick area and then due east to the small hilltop. The hilltop was very obvious, and we corrected to the depression and the control as we approached.
CP23 should have been the easiest of the controls - simply go NE to the backstop trail and follow to the earth berm. The backstop trail was however almost gone and we went right over it. I realized the mistake within about 150 yards and doubled back - spotting the berm within seconds - but still having to bushwhack through some nasty palmettos to get to it. From CP23 it was a trail run in, with one easy control (CP22) along the route. The attack was the obvious trail bend NW of the control and we found it quickly.
As we came out of the woods - we found out that we were the first team out. I knew we needed to build a little time on Green Paw here - since they are very strong on bike, and orienteering is my strength. I was not sure how Florida Xtreme was going to be doing - but I knew Mark Roberts would pull them through the orienteering quickly also. We got back to the TA, switched passports, put on bike shoes and headed back out - it felt good to make it out before any other teams showed up in the TA, that always provides a mental boost. As we got to Kelly Park we crossed paths with FL Xtreme, and got a kind of "rats" comment from Mark as he calculated our lead time. Green Paw and FL Xtreme were pretty much neck and neck and we had maybe a 8 minute lead. We would need it - as the navigation on the bike would not split teams, and Green Paw is a very fast bike team.
We headed for CP12 and overshot it by about 150 meters, we doubled back and as I stopped in the spot that I calculated it should be spotted it about 10 meters off the trail and a little bit hidden. Mental note - flags will be off trail a little bit. We also overshot CP14 a bit, as the mapped triangle was not really as mapped - though we did not lose much time. CP14 to CP19 was a bit sandy and slow, but ride-able. The same went for CP19 to CP18 - sandy but still firm enough to ride. We gained some time at CP18 as I sent Dave over the berm and ran parallel pushing his bike while he got the control.
The next move was a strategic choice. The road with CP17 and CP18 seemed to be alternating sandy and solid. I had scoped the trail near CP16 while doing the orienteering and new it was fully ride-able - so we cut over and took that trail north picking up CP16 and CP13. My thoughts were simply the single track hiking trails would be more solid than the road. As it turned out that trail, had more elevation change, but was very ride-able the entire route.
We blasted past the gate, got our punch, and started the sprint back to the TA. I felt my energy go low as we pushed through the thick sand just past the gate - but it elevated once again as we headed down the hill after turning right. Once we hit the road we moved into a bike line and pushed with everything we had left. We did not know how far back - the other teams were, we were pretty sure we had the lead. I knew from experience that they would be close. As it turned out - as Green Paw exited Kelly Park - they could see us on the road about 300 meters in front of them.
In the end the times were FIGJAM 4:33:02, Green Paw 4:33:37, Florida Xtreme 4:49:59, Hoof-hearted 5:10:10, and Florida Xtreme II 5:18:36 - with 9 teams clearing the course. This race turned out to be a great warm-up for the Coast to Coast coming up in 2 weeks. To track that race go to http://floridac2c.com/ - it starts Sept. 30 and should at least have some tracking info for folks wanting to follow their teams.
It was an incredibly hot day for orienteering (92 degrees and near 90% humidity) and from the looks of the course - a lot of it was going to be in the full sun. From the start it was a quick jump out to the south bound road (to avoid the high grass) and then back in for the control - pretty easy to find on the thick area.
From there it was around the marshy (but dry) lake to the trail, and then south to the east west trail. I followed that trail west (and a little north) as it was pretty easy running and there was some shade. I headed southwest at the intersections and followed the road all the way to the control just past a trailer.
From there it was north to Hill Road, and then the lighter jogging trail which was pretty overgrown on the direct beeline to CP3. It was across the road on the same bearing, aiming off a little to the left so that I could use the trail near CP3 as a backstop. As I reached the trail the trail curves were pretty obvious, I ran into Greg and Mark (Team Pangea) here and we all quickly found the depression.
From there I headed west northwest along the trail to the open trail heading north. Mark and Greg went the other direction. After hitting the main road I pushed east a little finding a small opening that led out to the trail heading north to CP4. I passed another team approaching CP4. Here is where the going got tough.
I decidied to go north around the green patch to CP5. It was incredibly tall grass and fennel, with scattered blackberry thorns. And it was in full sun. I found the little road cut-through (marked in black) and punched through the tall grass to the man made feature (telephone pole and CP5) I ran into Anna from Team Green Paw here and said hi.
From CP5 it was south in the open, hot and sunny tall grass. The grass required you to step real high, so just walking was pretty draining, especially with the incredible heat. As I pushed south of the green patch southeast of CP5 I twisted my ankle and went down hard. I had a small moment of panic as the pain dropped me to the ground and I felt my heart rate skyrocket with the pain and heat. I decided to crawl/limp to the mapped green patch and push into the shade. Here I used controlled breathing to slow my heart rate and the shade brought my temperature back down. I felt as if something had plugged into my body and drained every last bit of energy I had. Fortunately, however, after I punched into the green - the undergrowth in the shaded area was not bad and the footing was much better (not chewed up like the open fields). I walked through the green patch across the one open area, and back into the last green patch to the long open stretch to CP6. I could see Anna's head bobbing as she walked towards CP6, not more than 200 yards in front of where I was. She had walked along the outside of the green patch in the thick grass, and even with the crawling and resting had not gotten that far ahead.
As I exited the green I could see why she had not made much headway. The footing was bad, the grass was thick and chest-high, and the blistering sun made for extremely slow going. As I apprached CP6, Greg and Mark caught up with me. CP6 was pretty easy to find, but I was hurting. I headed to the N-S dirt road and headed south. My intention was to take it to the main road and hit CP7 from the south. A second glance at the map wiped that from my mind, it was a long way around a out of bounds zone, and that zone was marked off with an electric fence.
CP6 to CP7 was simple suffering in heat and tall grass. I ran into Jason Willems girlfriend (sorry not remembering names) who was also heading to the same control. We had a bit of punching through more fennel grass, but the control was in a pretty easy spot. From there it was south and out of the field. My plan was to go due south and a little west to the trail south of the dirt road and a little west of CP8 and follow it around to CP8, this worked out well and the control was clearly visible from a couple hundred yards.
I only had one leg to go and had cooled down quite a bit from the heat. I considered running, but a couple of steps on the bad ankles destroyed any idea of doing that. I did want to break 2 hours (which would have probably been easy without the injury) but if I did it would be simple luck. Anyway CP9 was a near due east jaunt with plenty of distinct features. I punched through the last bit of white woods pretty much on top of it and headed to the start finish table, which seemed like a long way off. I started into a jog, made it 2 steps, and then decided to preserve my ankles for another race.
As it turned out I was able to finish in 2 hrs 1 minute, so really only a minute off the pace I had started out to beat. Rock Springs has a shower - so I was able to clean up, get some water, talk with Tim, Anna, Jason, Greg, Mark, Bob, and the outdoor athlete crowd before heading home. All in all, a good day, and I was able to push to the limits - which always makes it a great weekend.
