Checkpoint Tracker National Adventure Race Championship 2011

Author's Note: While normally a regular member of the Mountain Khakis/Rev3 Adventure racing team, I decided to race in the solo category for most of 2011 due to an extremely busy travel schedule with my job in the US Air Force. It was a great year for both me and the MK/Rev3 team, finishing off with a team 1st place points win in the United States Adventure Racing Association competition and my 1st place points win in the Checkpoint Tracker competition for 2011. This is a race report of my final solo race of the year.

Checking my gear pre-race

The Checkpoint Tracker National Championship is an annual expedition-distance race held every fall. It's used to finalize the year-long points race and to determine the best single-race teams/soloist of the year in an epic contest involving trekking, mountain biking, and paddling over difficult terrain for up to 30 hours with no stopping. The location and race director changes each year. In 2011 we ended up in beautiful Between the Lakes Kentucky and were lucky enough to have Jason Elsnraat from Bonk Hard Racing as the host.

The race followed the following format:

1) Trek 3 miles getting 3 points at Lake Barkley Resort State Park (the start/finish of the race)

2) Paddle approximately 6 miles across Lake Barkley to the dam at Energy Lake in the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area

3) Complete a 40km Orienteering course, majority of this was bushwhacking (few trails/roads) and in hilly forest

4) Paddle about 8 miles from Energy Lake to Honker Lake, getting a checkpoint in Jake Ford Bay along the way

5) Trek carrying your paddling gear approximately 2 miles

6) Bike...all over the place. About half fire road, about half technical single track. All hilly! 30-40 miles?

7) One "mystery" challenge checkpoint

8) More epic biking about 20-30 miles...to get even more check points and then backtrack to the paddle point at Energy Lake (boats were transported for us)

9) Paddle 6 mile to the finish line

Here is a brief summary of my adventures:

Never trust a race director! This was supposed to start as a trek, but at the last minute we were told that instead we would be getting in our boats and paddling around two buoys in the lake. It looked like a very short paddle. So we grabbed our life jackets and paddles, hopped in our boats and started at a full sprint. He didn't tell us that the wooden swimming area floats were still in the water, and just barely obscured by the morning fog. "Whack! Whack!" as 70 canoes and kayaks ran into the 2-foot long pieces of wood strung across the water. As a soloist, I was allowed to bring my personal kayak to this race vs. using the provided canoe. Unfortunately I was the only one with a fixed rudder, and I got flipped over and took a swim.

Hopping in my kayak to start the race!

30 seconds into a 30-hour race. Completely soaked. 40 degrees outside. And the race photographer had it all on film...awesome!

And promptly falling out!

Hopping back in my boat, I finished the short "prologue" paddle in the back of the pack and started on the short trekking section. The first checkpoint was a real bugger to find, and I was a bit shaken up by the unscheduled swim. I finally found it, then nailed the other two points to finish this section at the back end of the pack. It's never a good sign when you head to a transition area and see that most of the boats or bikes are already gone, especially in the first hour of a long race. But with lots of race left I knew there was plenty of opportunity to catch up. And warm up!

Careful to paddle slowly back over the wooden buoys, I then began to capitalize on my secret weapon. A Surfski from Epic Kayaks, my boat was by far the fastest one on the water. Originally designed for lifeguards to quickly paddle out into rough surf and save a distressed swimmer, they Surfski is very narrow, 17 feet long, and a Ferrari of kayaks. In that relatively short 6 mile paddle I passed at least 9 other teams. Normally teams of 2 or more in a boat should have an advantage over a solo paddler. But my Surfski did more than equalize, and my spirits greatly improved as I rose in the rankings.

Looking over the race course the night before, I had determined that the next section would be the deciding factor for the overall winners of the race. A very difficult orienteering course over heavily wooded hills, the kind that without a pace count and accurate compass azimuth one reentrant looks just like another and you...are...suddenly...lost. This stage also had a 10-hour time limit, so any team that did not find all the checkpoints in time would have to continue with no chance to "clean" the course and thus fall behind in the rankings of any teams who found more checkpoints in the race.

Plotting points on the 40km Orienteering Course

Now most normal, sane people would read that last paragraph and really hone in on the "40K" and "10 hour time limit" portions. Whoa...that's like running a marathon, entirely through the woods, with a 20lb pack, up and down hills, constantly following your movements with a map and compass, and moving constantly for up to 10 hours. Well, obviously we don't run the entire thing. We do run most of it though!

The euphoria that I experienced as I checked out of this section in just under 9 hours with a full punch card made up for all the hours and hours of training. If you have never done something this hard, you just would not understand. Only a few teams got all of the control points on this section.

Big smile as I "cleaned" the 40km orienteering course

Night snuck up as I transitioned back to the paddle, and I enjoyed a very quiet and private leg to the next transition area. The stars were out in force, and with no large cities nearby the view was spectacular. Armed with probably the most powerful headlamp ever made, a Lupine from Gretna Bikes, I had the equivalent of a car headlight to help guide me and the battery power to go 12 hours before needed a recharge.

Most of the other teams had finished closer to the 10-hour point on the orienteering course, a full hour behind me. I had made up for my rough start and put some distance on the pack, finally up front with the fastest teams!

Until I stopped...dead in the water. Evidently the water level in lake Barkley was lower than normal, and the sandbars that are so easy to spot in full daylight are completely invisible at night with a headlamp. And there were LOTS of sandbars. I ended up dragging my kayak in about 2 inches of water for over a mile. The bottom was a soft sandy mud, just thick enough to rise up to your ankle and suck your foot in with every step, really energy draining. And did I mention it was hovering just above freezing??

Finally arriving at the transition to a short trek, I wanted nothing more than to go as fast as possible. The next checkpoint had a bonfire and the 2nd half of our maps and checkpoints to plot. In my hurry I missed the trail head, and ended up going the long way around a small lake adding a mile to my cold and miserable jog.

Finally at the fire, I joined several other racers in stripping down and getting as close to the fire as possible without becoming human barbecue. It looked like a sauna with all of the steam coming off our now rapidly heating shoes, socks, jackets, and gloves. Good thing there were not children around, as we were showing more skin than a soft-core porn flick!

After taking a full hour to warm up, eat, and plot the next half of the race points I headed out on a very, very long mountain bike ride. Most race directors will avoid mountain biking during the early hours of the morning, between 2 am and 6 am, when your mind is sluggish and sleep deprivation is strongest. It is very easy to make a mistake that, while riding a mountain bike at 20+ mph, will lead to a crash and injury. But this is nationals...toughest race of the year!

So...I crashed. A lot. And missed turns at trail intersections. And had optical illusions of animals in the middle of the trail and rocks where there were none or didn't see rocks when they were right in front of me. Typical things your mind will do as it gets tired. Racing as a soloist, by far the hardest part is dealing with these issues at night by yourself. Fortunately I linked up with a friendly 4-person team "Yoga Slackers". We rode together on a single track trail for an hour or two and their conversation helped get me through those difficult hours.

Lots and lots of mountain biking. Some fantastic single track trails...and SO MANY HILLS! I was very glad to be riding top-end racing bike, the BikesDirect Team Fly Titanium. Bullet-proof titanium frame and a full Shimano XTR group made for a lightweight, extremely reliable bike. Exactly what is needed in these conditions!

I finally arrived at the "mystery checkpoint." Racers were presented with a challenge: A checkpoint was located across a lake, and you were required to get to the checkpoint and back. The catch: You had to use a handful of swimming pool "noodles" (long Styrofoam-like floaties), PVC pipe, and duct tape to get across the lake. An ambulance and several paramedics were standing by and one racer who had attempted the lake crossing was sitting by the fire. Evidently he had been sitting by the fire for about 2 hours...still trying to warm up after falling in the lake. As I was already cold and wet, the outside temps were in the upper 30s and the sun was not up yet, I elected to skip this checkpoint. It was the only one I missed during the race.

The sun came up as I grabbed the last mandatory checkpoints at the furthest possible distance from the start/finish line. Now I was looking at a very long bike back along the same harsh single track I had ridden last night, followed by a 6 mile paddle back to the finish line. If my calculations were correct, I would have just enough time to make it back...or be disqualified if I was late! It is amazing that, no matter how long you race in an expedition length event, once you know you are heading for the finish line you have extra reserves of energy that are just incredible. I flew along the bike trails and made it to the paddle transition about 30 minutes faster than I thought possible.

Paddling into the finish line

Grabbing my kayak and feeling good with the race finish only 6 miles away, I ran into one of my teams also completing their race. Team Florida Xtreme had not gotten as many checkpoints as I had (they didn't clear the orienteering course), but were making a great showing and capping off an impressive season. We paddled back to the finish line together. As there were no teams in front or close behind us, we enjoyed a leisurely (for adventure racing) time together for the final miles and traded stories about how difficult and beautiful a race venue we were blessed to find ourselves in this year.

Finished with the race, I was excited...for a nap!

Crossing the finish line around the 29:30:00 mark, I found out that I was the 2nd place male soloist and 9th place overall. I had also defended my place as the #1 soloist for 2011 in the points race. I was thrilled, but after 30+ hours with no sleep, constant motion, and covered with grime I many not have shown it on my face.

At the awards banquet...check out those sexy MK pants!

Another great result for team Mountain Khakis/Rev3 Adventure! Thanks to my sponsors, Mountain Khakis, Lupine Lights, Epic Kayaks, BikesDirect and the many others that made this moment possible.

And thanks to my biggest fan, supporter, cheer leader, and photographer: Diane!

~Dash

@rev3adventure.com

Race Report: Christmas in Christmas Adventure Race

Authors note: Team Florida Xtreme 3 is a developmental pick-up team focused on novice racers gaining experience in running elite length courses with an experienced team captain. Race team captain is Dave "Dash" Ashley, a local racer from Merritt Island with several years of elite level racing experience and a navigator for team Mountain Kahakis/Rev3 Adventure and team Florida Xtreme. If you are looking to move up from the novice to elite class but would like some backup assistance the first time, drop me a line! ~Dash

Christmas AR Race Report:
Pangea's "surprise" adventure race this year was the 3.5 hour Christmas in Christmas adventure race. It was held on Saturday 17 December. Christmas Florida is about 30 minutes east of Orlando, just north of SR528. http://www.pangeaadventureracing.com/event-details/events/christmas-in-christmas

Hurray for great weather! This race day was perfect, temps in the 70s and very little wind. Pangea's race director Greg had the course divided up into 3 different sections: trek, paddle, and bike. Due to recent road construction the start/finish and main transition area was moved about 2km to the west, but this did not cause any issues with the race.

Note: All team members must be present before you can sign in and get your race course maps. We arrived near the end of registration, which limited our time to read the maps and clue sheet. This hurt us later in the race. Arrive early and have the most possible time with your map/clue sheet!

At sign-in each team picked a colored pebble out of a hat. The color of the pebble corresponded to what section of the course you had to do first. After that section, you could do them in any order. Our team got the trekking section first.

We received the map and clue sheets just before the start of the "adventure racing 101" class and pre-race briefing, so we decided to stay and listen. Following the brief, we only had a few minutes to read the clue sheet, make some updates to the map based on the clues, and do a final bike/pack check before the race started. There were 18 total checkpoints, 6 for each section. Getting to the race late, we were rushed though our preparation.

Race start!!! Although we were trekking first, bikes were allowed for the 1.5k travel to the start of the trek. We held back to let the faster teams go first. I prefer to be careful at the start of a race and avoid accidents, especially when on bikes. An easy ride on roads to the start of the trek, and a quick transition. We wore running shoes on our bikes since the ride was so short.

Trek was about a 5k loop, no required order for the checkpoints. After looking at route options, we all agreed that a counterclockwise loop offered easier approaches to 2 checkpoints while a clockwise loop didn't have any advantage. So we headed off counterclockwise.

All of this course was on old fire roads or hike/bike trails, with a few options for cutting distance with bushwhacking. Most of the points were 10m-50m off the trail. The terrain was a mix of impassible tropical vegetation and swampland to firm ground with trees and sparse undergrowth.

For the trek we decided to take turns navigating and working on pace count. For the first checkpoint we didn't get a very good estimate on the distance, and there was no obvious terrain feature to act as a "backstop" near the checkpoint. So even though we were pace counting, we stopped too early and started checking the woods on the right side of our trail for the checkpoint. No luck. We moved further, tried again, and did this one more time. After about 10 minutes of searching we regrouped to determine exactly where we were on the map. Since the nearest terrain feature (road intersection) was around 300 meters away and out of site, we could not determine exactly where on the trail we were. So we elected to stop searching and move to the next point, minimizing the time lost searching when we didn't know where we were.

Turns out this was a good decision, all teams had trouble finding this checkpoint. I think only 3 teams found it.

On the way to the next point we encountered a trail going in the right direction, but it seemed to come quicker than 300 meters. We were not pace counting, since the map didn't show any other trails until the one we wanted why pace count? Bad move! We turned on this trail and found out later it was NOT on the map. Our trail was about 50 meters further but hidden from our view. Lucky for us our trail went the right direction and intersected the trail we needed, and after a quick discussion we found out the mistake and located the checkpoint.

The rest of the trekking checkpoints were found easily, and all team members did a great job learning from our first few mistakes. Using the compass, pace count, and the map we completed the remaining 4 points very quickly. We decided to leave the point we could not find, as it was already over 1 hour into the race. On to the paddle!

Back at the main transition area for a new punch card, then we had to stay on bikes for a 3.5km ride to the canoe put in. Some of the road was sandy along this section, about a moderate level of technical riding but double tracked and very easy to follow. We arrived at the canoes with no problems and in high spirits.

Now, for those who have not raced Pangea events, you might think of canoeing in wide-open lakes or inland rivers. Not the case! Most adventure races use small lakes and creeks, with little boat clearance and often a requirement to get out of your boat to overcome obstacles. Yes, you WILL get wet!

We were doing very well on the paddle, getting the first two points in 5 minutes and working our way through some weedy and shallow (less than a foot) water.

Checkpoint 12 was a challenge...hidden in tall grass and behind a cypress tree. We could only find it be exiting the boat into chest high water and walking about 20 meters. Didn’t see any snakes or gators...

Now we ran into a problem. Since we were rushed at the start of the race, I had misplotted 2 points (insert joke about experienced navigator making a rookie mistake here!) They were supposed to be near Waypoint 12...I put them near Checkpoint 12. Normally you either 1) double check your points or 2) have somebody else check them, but our late arrival at registration rushed us and we didn't check the points. So we searched around in the marsh for 30 minutes with no joy. Finally we gave up on those and headed back, grabbing our 4th paddle point on the way back. A quick bike and we were back at the main transition, but overall we had missed 3 points so far and had 45 minutes to get the final 6 on bike. And we saw a nice sized alligator during our ride back, making us re-think wading through the marshes that we just did!

Only 45 minutes to grab the last six points...lucky for us the bike is our strongest skill. We took off quickly and found the first point on our 2nd search. If we had a working bike computer we may have found it our first try, as we knew the distance, but had to guess. My cycle computer was not functioning and nobody else on the team had one. So we just estimated based on riding time.

All of the biking points were easy to find, and we grabbed the first 4 in 30 minutes. Then we had a decision: Should we get another one? 15 minutes left and there were 2 points. One was too far, we ruled it out. The other looked possible...so we took off FAST. At this point one team member was flagging, so I grabbed her backpack and pulled her along for part of the ride to keep our team speed together. The process of "towing" a teammate is very helpful in a longer race, and it's not just for your slower teammates. Anybody can have a time period in a race where they don't feel well, and the requirement to keep the entire team within 100m at all times means you are as fast as your weakest link. I've been towed in long races many times, you just leave your pride behind and keep the team moving as fast as possible.
We found the point in 6 minutes, and had a comfortable 9 minutes to back it back to the finish in time. With a little more towing we finished with a few minutes to spare, but we didn't clean the course. In total we found 14 of the 18 checkpoints, missing one on the trek (poor pace count), 2 on the paddle (mis-plot on map) and 1 on the bike (poor time management). Overall we placed 4th, and 2nd in the four-person coed category out of 19 total teams. Not too bad considering 2 of team members had never done an adventure race before! We left feeling pretty good about ourselves, but wishing we could go back and grab those 4 remaining points....

Kudos to Rory, Sam, and Melissa for a job very well done!

See you at the Resolution AR!

~Dash

@rev3adventure

Rev3 Wins the Rocky Gap Adventure Race

It was a cold weekend in October with rain and temperatures near 40 degrees. Rev3 race directors Michael Spiller and Mark Harris were able to take off their race director hats and race for the first time together. The two made a dynamic duo and won the team division in 4 hours and 17 minutes. They were only edge out by one soloist and beat the second place team by almost 1 hour. It also helped by having the experience of over 100 adventure races between them. For many teams the cold water temperatures and rainy conditions were too much of an adventure and they opted to cut their losses and not go for all the checkpoints. For Spiller and Harris it was a great rainy adventure day of racing and a great victory for the Rev3\Mountain Khakis Adventure Racing team.


http://www.ex2adventures.com/rgar-results.php