2015 Hogback AR

Hogback Adventure Race - 8/8/2015

Race Report by Mark Harris

We originally signed up for the Hogback, an inaugural adventure race in Ocoee, TN hosted by BDAR/Adventure Capitalists, as a three-man team way back in March.  Greg had never done a 24-hour race before and Chris and I had not raced together for a few years and were looking for something to do together again. The timing was right. But Chris unfortunately had other commitments arise, and so Greg and I finally managed to recruit his wife, Julie, about 4 weeks out from the race. She’s another newbie to the 24-hour AR scene. Both Greg and Julie had 6- and 12-hour ARs under their belt, so they knew what they were generally in for. We talked a bit about the husband and wife dynamic on the team and everyone seemed OK with it, so the three-person coed team was all set. We had no great aspirations; we were just out for the adventure and the main goal was to have an official finish.

After the 8-hour drive from Virginia to Ocoee we checked in, picked up maps, and began prepping for the race.  All points had to be plotted with UTMs, which we made quick work of.  The course had four main transition areas and these were the only mandatory points on the course.  Everything else was optional.  Stage 1 was a Class III-IV guided whitewater paddle, stage 2 was a 30-40k biking leg with mixed road and single track (CP1-10), stage 3 was more biking on gravel fire roads (CP11-15), stage 4 was a foot orienteering section where we would plot the points once we arrived at that TA (CP16-22), stage 5 was another gravel fire road ride (CP23-31), stage 6 was a flatwater paddle with provided canoes (CP32-38), and the final section was a road ride back to finish collecting 2 additional points. A lot of biking, which is great as we had only spent a day paddling on the river together and Julie and I are not great fans of big trekking sections but we all love being in the saddle.

Starting order for the white water was creatively determined by teams collecting a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle and then putting it together. First to finish went first, and last started at the back. Nice little challenge to start the weekend out.

When morning rolled round, we boarded buses and headed to the rafting put in.  The Ocoee is dammed, and daily releases provide the water for the rafting companies.  The section we were running was used in the 1996 Olympics and had some tasty class IV drops and hydraulics. The river bed is almost dry most of the time and so had trees and undergrowth in sections.  At the beginning of the paddle we worked our way through wooded sections in fast flowing water, which was pretty interesting.  The paddle took just over an hour and we were treated to some big water—a great way to start the day and the race. Most of the rafts stayed together, so the real race did not start until we got through the pull out.

We had a relatively quick transition to bike at the take out and started biking up the road toward the first section of single track.  Up is the operative word.  We would eventually climb around 10K’ over the duration of the race.

Before the race I had tried to set up a bike computer.  I don’t usually ride with one, but it is always handy to have when racing.  The guys at the Bike Stop in Warrenton had given me a free computer that just needed batteries, which was super nice of them.  The issue was finding a 1620 (no at 2016) battery was almost impossible.  After ordering on Prime and paying for expedited shipping the batteries finally arrived on Friday when I was on my way to TN. Lucky Julie and Greg had a plan B. They had bought me a nice, shiny new bike computer that I installed on Friday night.  As we headed up the hill out of the TA, speed and distance read 0. I had checked the computer the night before and everything had been working fine.  I thought that maybe the magnet had been knocked during the bike transport that morning and I would check it when we got to the first few CPs. Next between CP1 and CP2 I looked down and the bumpy single track must have knocked the computer loose and it was gone.  Probably the most short-lived bike computer ever and now the calculated distanced between the bike CPs I had worked on that morning were moot.

Computer loss downers were soon replaced with single track high.  The riding though the first section was great.  All points were just off the trail and we hit most of them straight off.  I overshot a few and at one point we merged back with a big pack of racers. Our goal was to keep clearing all the points along the course until we got to the trek section and then reevaluate how we felt. I overshot/undershot a few points but did not lose any great time.  At one point we were swallowed up by a large pack of racers but managed to pull back away and ride and navigate on our own terms. We rolled into TA2 feeling OK. Julie had succumbed to the heat a little on the trail but after a quick rest was up and riding again. We took 10-15 minutes in the TA to get water and eat and then we headed out on the next section, which we had been warned had a killer hill to start with.

The hill was steep and never ending. We did a mixture of pushing and granny gearing to finally get to the top. Julie developed a cramp in her calf and was set to throw in the towel at the next TA. After a quick pep talk and deferral of any decisions we were off again and heading toward the foot O-course.  All the biking points were just of the road but still required navigation to locate.  Greg did a great job being the runner and getting torn up in undergrowth as he punched the points just off the side of the road.

We had not seen anyone for a while and then all of a sudden we came across 5-6 teams hunting for CP14. I pulled up short, Julie rode into the back of me, and then she cramped up big style in the calf. A few e tabs and water helped clear up the immediate issue and she got to rest a bit as we joined the hunt for CP14.

CP14 Punching

Teams had been there for 40-50 minutes looking for the point. I never really like to join the crowd, so I found a good landmark at a T intersection and then followed features and terrain back to where the CP should be off the road. At this point all the other teams had moved on without finding the point. After a quick review of the exact location and a check of the plot, we found the point within about 10 minutes. Kudos to Josh the RD and his crew for his consistent placing of points.  I had no doubt that the point was there and in the right location.  This meant we had a few teams in front of us that had not been able to clear the course so far, and we started putting podium ideas in our head.  But I knew there were at least 3 teams ahead that would have found and cleared the course up to this point.

Refuling

Refuling

CPsomething

We grabbing CP15 on the way to TA3/4 and then had a nice downhill into the TA. We had a gear bin waiting for us with food and supplies. We quickly plotted to foot O-Course and the majority of the points looked off trail and difficult to navigate too. We decided to head out on the O-Couse and make the call on how many we would get after looking at the terrain.

Heading out on the foot O-Course

CP16 was tricky. When we arrived in the vicinity there were probably 6 other teams looking for the point.  This is never a good sign. We scoured the area working off an old single track that was marked on the map and match the clue “Spur on west side of old trail.” We hunted for a good 30-40 minutes and soon the light was fading. I decided to head back to a known good trail by bushwhacking east.  As we set out we lucked out and ran straight into CP16. The point was in the right spot; it was just that there were two old trails and we were on the one that was not marked on the map. In hindsight I should have taken a bearing from a known good point on the main trail. The bushwhack was dense and made me think that the other off-trail points would be hard to navigate to. 

CP17

We hit CP17, and then as darkness became complete, we decided to head back to the TA and head out on bikes.  Looking back we should have tried to hit the next CP to see how hard they were to find, but that is not the decision we made at the time.  We got back to the TA to find Checkpoint Zero had gone unofficial and TOC/Rock Creek was having mechanical issues.  These were two of the top teams on the course.

We looked at a possible shortcut back to the next TA to help save Julie’s legs, but Josh (RD) advised against it.  Much thanks to this advice as the next road section was, after a relatively painless climb, a great gravel road with mainly long downhill sections. We picked off points and after a missed turn and a 2-mile climb back uphill (sorry, Greg and Julie) we arrived at the paddle put in at around 1:30am.

None of us are a big fan of paddling and we decided to just get two of the nearest points and then call it a day.  The boat seemed super unstable and we probably should have rearranged some seating.  Greg is the heaviest and he was up front, which made steering difficult.  The boat continually bore toward the right and I struggled at the back to keep us straight.  We missed the first inlet and tracked around to a further point. Greg did a heroic scramble out of the boat to get the point, realized he left the passport in the boat, and after another heroic scramble, bagged the first water point. We made our way back around the shoreline and grabbed a second CP before heading back to the TA. There was a great mysterious feel to the lake and the steam rose off the water in front of our lights, making for a very eerie paddle.

We were on the lake for just over two hours and only snagged two points so I think we made the right call to head back in when we did.

The final ride was on road and we were back at the finish and punching in within 40 minutes.  We rolled in exactly at 5am after getting all the bike points, two foot points, and two paddle points. Everyone was in good spirts, and after a quick shower we managed to get 4 hours’ rest before awards.

We ended up taking 4^th in our division, which was well above our goals and expectations. Having two of the top teams drop helped with that ranking but we were still really happy with the results. As a married couple, Greg and Julie did a great job.  Not sure many other couple would have the same experience.

BDAR/Adventure Capitalists put on a great event and thanks to Josh and his crew for hosting. More impressive, this was the first event they produced. It was nice seeing lots of faces that were out at the Cowboy Tough. It’s always great to actually race alongside people who come out and support the Rev3 Adventure events.  If our calendar is clear, we will probably be back next year.

Shenandoah Epic 2015

Run 45:00   2.5 mi

Epic with Jeff, Fritz, Chris. At the start, there were 6 CPs in Andy Guest that could be gotten either at the beginning of the race or at the end on bike. Had to get at least 2 at the start. We opted for the 2 close together near the cabins. Took a different route than other teams but ended up at the canoes at the same time.

Paddle 2:20:00   15.0 mi

Hopped in a boat with Jeff, and we squeaked out of the put in in the lead. Water was just low enough to allow us to paddle, so the current was moving. This was a new section for Epic but looked essentially the same. Saw some eagles. Stopped halfway through for a ropes challenge which was actually a decent diversion, running through bluebells and around obstacles following our tagline. We were warned of the rapids immediately below the challenge, but they were uneventful. Came off the water with CPZ right behind, and I saw TERRI! Love her. She was volunteering. Big hugs. Such an awesome surprise.

Run 1:00:00   4.5 mi

Picked up a Google street map for an urban-o. Hot, sunny, and long. Included a Civil War challenge where we dressed Fritz for battle. Came into TA just ahead of CPZ, with Goals and No Boundaries in as we were leaving.

Bike 50:00  10.0 mi

Road ride out of town to Fort Valley Road and Elizabeth Furnace. Solid pace line.

Trekking 2:15:00  5.5 mi

Buzzard Rock Overlook Trek. We attacked the loop in a CCW fashion, collecting the cave CP first and promptly soaking our dry shoes. We hit 2 high points via trail and then began the technical bushwack through the boulders and scree fields. It was sunny and 80 without a cloud in the sky. Fritz and Jeff were feeling the heat but compensating well. Fritz nailed this O course. We were in and out of TA without seeing anyone else.

Bike 4:45:00  22.5 mi 

We left Elizabeth Furnace via Mine Mountain Trail on our way to Mudhole Gap. Mudhole was much easier than I remembered, although it's still plenty of hike a bike and chunky water crossings. Guys were cramping and overheated, and my quads were a lil grabby off the bike. Kept pushing fluids and electrolytes in anticipation of sunset. At Little Fort Valley, we started and out and back section for 2 CPs, one on the Tuscarora Trail and the other on a tower. Not a fan of out and backs like this at all. Mostly uphill to the tower made for a bomber downhill back to Mudhole that was full of puddles and very refreshing. Chugged fresh spring water then headed toward the infamous Massanutten. An hour of on the bike off the bike spit us out at Woodstock Tower. Selfie time. Took a short break here as the guys still felt hot even though the sun had set. Little did we know that the weather was wreaking havoc on our competition. We headed down to the Peter Mills Run TA to transition...back onto our bikes.

Trekking 50:00  2.0 mi

For this big O course, you could retrieve points via foot or bike. 3 trails paralleled each other along the course. There was an ATV trail that was very rideable down low. The Massanutten ran the north ridge, and another trail ran the south ridge. We didn't feel the ridge trails were rideable enough so we used the ATV trail as a thoroughfare and would ride up towards the ridge trail until we couldn't then drop our bikes. We rode down to the ATV trail and hiked up to the first off trail CP. I should add that none of these CPs had flags. They were made of pink streamers, and most had no reflector.

Bike 1:30:00  4.0 mi

We biked along Peters Mill to a rootstock CP on the Massanutten side. We were warned that the trails were almost impossible to see from the ATV trail. We found some yellow signs that could have signaled a trail. Decided to go past and bushwack in after finding something else that looked trail like. Used a clearing as the attack to find the actual trail and CP.

Trekking  3:40:00  7.5 mi

We headed back up the ridge, saving the high point CP to the north for the return trip. Next up was "picnic table sized rock". The ridge trail on the map is straight, but in reality, the trail winds along the ridge. There is no attack for this CP, as it's just on ridge, about 1k from the intersection and 100m off trail. We pace counted in and attacked. No dice. Lots of big rocks. We decided we needed to go to the high point and recalibrate altimeters (1k further down the trail.) In doing so, we also continued past the high point and grabbed the next CP, which was the last one on the ridge line. Heading back towards the picnic rock, we finally saw headlights. We had seen no one other than Silent Chasers all night. We entered the woods earlier and walked along 2280' that the CP was on. I eventually spotted it lying on a rock, THE ROCK haha. It looked like it could have been ripped off the tree. I hope it wasn't placed on the rock for teams to not find. We rehung it. NYARA and local Rev3 guys were behind us looking for it. We came out of the woods right where we initially attacked. Perfect. Trekking the entire ridgeline was slower and not what we wanted to do, but we got the CPs. Grabbed the other high point and dropped down to our bikes.

Bike 1:00:00  4.5 mi

We grabbed 2 more on the way to the point furthest south, crossing paths with NYARA again. It looked like they turned around after the Outfall CP.

Trekking 1:30:00   2.5 mi

Took a direct route up to Waonaze Peak and a longer looping trail back down. It dropped us below our bikes but was kinder on our beat up feet.

Bike 5:35:00  30.0 mi

Time to reverse down the ATV trail back to the TA. At this point, everyone's feet were trashed from being wet so long. I should have relubed. Didn't. My feet hurt so bad it was hard to stand up and pedal, and my butt etc were so bruised/chafed I could barely sit down. Hurt so good. I now have a staph infection from saddle sores. TMI? Good. It got better once we passed the TA and got on roads. We chose to skip CP38 on the other side of the range at the bottom. I had traveled to that bridge in 2012 for a CP, and it was a 45min/1200' climb on fresh legs. We traded places with No Boundaries for a bit on the way to the well-traveled Veach Gap. Trekked to CP41 from the bottom of Veach in bike shoes. Then up and over. We hiked the majority of it then bombed down the other side. Chris and I stripped off layers before the road ride to the low water bridge. After we hit the end of the downhill road section, Chris realized he didn't have the E-punch. He took it off when he changed shirts. Back up to the Veach gate. Once retrieved, we made it to the finish, just under 2 hours before the cutoff. We had 4 CPs left in the park. Piece of cake right? This is where the wheels fell off. After the river CP, we climbed Allen's Mountain instead of going to the loop further north. We had to bushwack down/up/down/up to the CP we missed. Less than an hour and still 2 CPs to go. From Allen's Mtn, we needed to bikewack over to the final CP. Nav had fallen apart, and we were in trouble. Things got desperate, and we had to bail, wack to the road, and sprint the gravel to the finish, crossing with 9min to spare. We missed 2 CPs total, while NYARA and No Boundaries left 3. Rev3 FTW! Dramatic finish for sure. I pushed Fritz super hard to get us to the finish from that missed CP, and he answered. My teammates are awesome. No more Epic for me. With all the hike a bike, Epic was definitely the more challenging race. I'm less sore after this one but more worn out immediately after. Could just be residual fatigue from back-to-backs :)