Dec 30, 2008

Year’s end summary (very short one).

If you believe official sources, team Calleva finished the year 16th by USARA ranking and 10th in Checkpoint Tracker series. If you don’t believe officials, just know that 2008 was the best season ever. That was the year of the First Annual Calleva Adventure Race, the year of solid results, and the first year of our new team. We have great, ambitious plans for 2009. See you at the start line.

Happy New Year and excellent finishes in 2009!

Dec 22, 2008

The final test.

The water in Potomac is really cold these days. My final paddling test was dedicated to small details: how to eat and drink during the paddling, where to put compass, so I can see it, how to stay warm and dry, and, finally, how long I can spend in cold water. Apparently, I can stay in cold water forever... Ok, may be only 30 minutes (that how long I tested it), but it should be enough. The main lesson: I am switching to my dry suit for Patagonia. 

Dec 14, 2008

Another extreme training.

When the guy from kayaks rental realized that we are going for overnight paddling trip in Chesapeake bay in December, he got a little upset, but let us go. Patagonia team: Val, Dima, Sara, Mark and our paddling instructor Druce took off at 3 pm Saturday.

It was cold, but still. We planed long trip with short overnight camp on one of the islands.  
The Sun set down, the full moon got up.
It was well below freezing and later at night, when we started looking for a camp, Druce pointed out some strange noise. Our kayaks started to scratch something that appeared to be thin layer of ice on the surface of the water. Paddling became more and more difficult and we realized that we might get stuck in this ice. We turned back and made it saftly to the shore, cracking significant ice fields on the way back. 24 hours training did not work and we spent the rest of the night in warm beds instead of ultralight tent. Good thing, we had enough time to practice ropes in the morning.


Dec 10, 2008

Patagonia team paddling training.

In two days we will go for 24 hours paddling training in Chesapeake Bay. I just hope the weather will more like Patagonia and less like today’s 60+ F. For the training I just finished modifying and testing my 5 piece paddle.
I bought this paddle from the guy that never took it apart and didn’t care about it too much, except may be the price. First, I had to fix big crack in one of the wing blades. The paddle was perfect for canoe paddling, but a little too long for kayak. Two weeks ago I made it the right length by shortening one of the connection pieces by 6 inch. Both parts on the photo were originally the same length. Now it’s exactly right and ready for Patagonia. It was interesting and challenging project.

Dec 8, 2008

Winter paddling.

Yesterday forecast claimed high 33 F in north Potomac. Wind 35 mph gusting up to 50. That makes wind-chill about 15 degrees. That's why my kayak got covered by ice during 5 hours battle with wind and waves. Surprisingly, I was the only person in the water anywhere between Raleigh lock and Edwards ferry. At the end I also practiced wet exit.

Nov 30, 2008

The best day for paddling...

100% precipitations, mid 30s and gusting wind... what could be a better day to test this 17 foot Aquaterra Sea Lion. In two weeks we'll try to test it in open ocean.

Nov 16, 2008

First place... Again...

Team Calleva (Valentin Chapa, John Ciccarello, Karen Stump and Dmitri Kaganovich) is the first coed-4 team to cross the finish line at the 8 hours course of the Odyssey AR Ogaine. Of course, we've been the only prime division team to start the race, but we got the first overall position as well. Thanks to John for fast navigation. And thanks to Odyssey for setting this great event in Douthat State Park. See you in January...

Nov 14, 2008

The Odyssey AR Ogaine this weekend.

That's going to be the first rogaine race in almost 3 years. The last one was the Central New York Orienteering ROGAINE XVI — "Woody Remains East". Dmitri Kaganovich and Victor Lin took the 3rd overall place in this 24 hours event.
Now the new Calleva team is going to race 8 hours version of the Odyssey AR Ogaine. And guess who is back? John Ciccarello is going to race with us again. Welcome back, John! 

Nov 10, 2008

Nationals results. WOW!

Looks like the national were a very well done race. HUGE congratulations to the Yogaslackers palced 7th at the Adventure Racing National Championship!Sara Percy, Mark Lattanzi and Jason Magness your fitness and consistency provide really great results.
On the photo from CP0 blog is the team ACAK that also successfully finished the race. Good job, Michelle, and good result on your first "cold" race!

Nov 7, 2008

Let the Race begin!

The USARA Nationals started today.

Let support our racers:

Sara Percy and Mark Lattanzi are racing in the team Yogaslackers.

Michelle Lindsay is racing with ACAK. We hope to see the team at the finish line.

Brian Mayer is leading the team NO HANDELBARS. 

Good luck to all other teams. 

Nov 3, 2008

Patagonia training.

Calleva Patagonia Racing team is back from the first big training in Canaan Valey, West Virginia. Mark, Val, Dima and Sara closed 110 km biking loop around Canaan Valey, hiked 20 km in Dolly Sods Wilderness, and got 3 hours sleep, testing the new sleeping bags and tent. Conditions were perfect as 5 out of 9 inches of the last week snow melted down.


It was muddy, slippery and cold enough to simulate the Patagonia 
conditions. We also tested our seat post racks and new 
ultra light map holder. Everything survived the toughest technical ride and bushwalk of the highest valley on the east coast. All photos from the training are on the Mark's facebook. The map of the bike loop is here.
The next training will be in December. We will work out our paddling and ropes skills. Many of the Calleva folks also registered for the Odyssey Rogaine in two weeks.

Oct 29, 2008

Long way to Patagonia...

Three and half month till the start of thePatagonia Expedition Race.  We just got our tickets to travel half of the globe to get there. We will visit capitals of 4 countries on the way to our destination at the end of the world: Washington, DC; Panama City, Panama; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile. The final destination is Punto Arenas, the southernmost city on Earth. Click the map to see details. This weekend will be the first big training of the Calleva Patagonia team. We'll try to get tired in the first 24 hours in order to test our new ultra light sleeping bags and tent. The tent is a little small: "We better learn to get close fellas...."





Oct 19, 2008

Little-Big Adventure and Markoff’s Haunted Forest weekend.

Noelle Grosso put another great event in our area: 2008 Seneca Creek State Park Little-Big Adventure Race. About 100 parent-child teams started the race Saturday morning. It was the most competitive running kids event and the most technical one. For the fist time we had a single trail mountain bike. That’s where we gained the most advantage and passed at least 20 teams. Team Calleva was presented by Dmitri and Shon Kaganovich and finished 6th overall and 3rd in the age group.


Unfortunately we had no team uniforms for this event, because the only small size t-shirt we had, was never returned by the former team member. We are going to order a new set for 2009 season.



Friday and Saturday were BIG nights at the Haunted Forest – the home of Calleva Adventure race. On the photo are members of the AR team Calleva Vlad, Oleg and Dima ready to pump blood out of human bodies. Oleg scares people with his flash and puts pictures online. We will be back next weekend that includes “Calleva Night” of 10/25. This year on October 25th, we are offering a $5 discount to all calleva patrons that wear something "Calleva".  Calleva race or volunteer t-shirt, - any official calleva gear will get you into the Washington Area's greatest scare at a discount! Don’t miss this great opportunity. The 16th annual Markoff's Haunted Forest will haunt you for years!

Oct 12, 2008

Is it really October?

This time last year in Dolly Sods, WV was very cold and windy. This weekend was better than perfect. Unique time of the year when cranberry and blubbery are all around, when sky are clear blue and water in small creeks is so warm you want to stay there forever. On the photo my son and his friend building a dam in Fisher Creek. There are no other "beavers" this year.



And few good words for Cateye Tora. I sent my old light back to 
Cateye service center and in 4 days got a new light. It lasts for 40 hours in the brightest mode! I will put full review when install external power supply.


Oct 9, 2008

Odyssey Rogain! COOL !

Must do it event:
The AR Ogaine will be an adventurous Rogaine held at Douthat State Park near Clifton Forge, VA. The event will have 2 formats- 8 hour and 24 hour, each with teams of 1 to four people per team. Get out and EXPERIENCE ADVENTURE!!!
Registration will be available SOON

Time and Place: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 4:00pm
End Time: Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 4:00pm
Location: Douthat State Park, VA (Millboro, VA)

Also Little-Big Adventure Race is the next weekend and for the first time in Maryland, just 20 minutes away.

Also 2009 race calendar and 2008 race results are published. Click the links on the top menu to get there. 

And Finally... We set the dates for the second annual Calleva adventure race. News are coming! 

Oct 7, 2008

Cateye Tora and Inov-8 Race 30

Last race I tested these two items and here are the results.

Cateye started headlamp business based on its famous Optocube technology. I bought Tora headlamp directly from Cateye for $45 + shipping. The specifications claimed that the brightest 1 Watt mode will last for 45 hours on 3 AAA batteries. The first thing I did was measurement of the current in this mode. I got close to 160 mA at 4.5 V that really gives about 0.75 W, but also means that even lithium batteries will last only for 4-5 hours. I prepared 2 sets of batteries for the race and it was hardly enough for the night. Another problem was the electronics of the magnetic switch that had not enough power to turn the light off at low batteries. The main advantages of the light are very compact size, very low weight (~100 g with batteries) and very bright beam. Tora can be used as a spare light for long races or for transition areas. For the main light I would recommend 3W Brunton L3 or 6 Volts version of Petzl Myo-3 with an external power pack. Both are almost 3 times heavier than Tora, but so far are the best lights I tested.

I got the Inov-8 Race 30 backpack as a trophy for the 1st place at Odyssey One Day race this year. 26 hours of “The Shag” race were the first real test for this unusual pack. Fortunately the weather was in comfortable 70 F and 2 liters horizontal bladder in combination with external bottle has been enough to keep me hydrated between water sources. The idea of horizontal bladder looks interesting, but after 15 hours in the race I realized that the center of gravity of the pack is too low and my lower back got too much load and no opportunity to rest, especially on bike. I also didn’t like the time I spent to refuel the bladder and install it back into the belt of the pack. The bottom line, I gave this backpack to Karen to test a theory of low center of gravity for women. I kept the bottle holder that I am going to install onto my Lafuma Active 30 - the best backpack ever created for adventure races.

Oct 4, 2008

Why you don't want to calculate results...

...immediately after the race? Because you are going to make mistakes. We did it after Calleva race and NYARA guys did it after "The Shag" ranking us in front of Berlin Bikes. Today the final results are published. We are 4th in prime division and no national qualifier for us. The only slot we have now is with Sara. But we are going to keep Zanfel we got for the "3rd place".
Today was the Markoff Haunted Forest training and opening day. It's much bigger this year. Come visit us, we're doing belay. That's a good opportunity to test Calleva race challenges. On the photo is very busy Calleva director Alex Markoff.

And finally Calleva team page is on. Click the link on the top of the page to see our racers for this and next season.

Sep 28, 2008

National qualifier. Done!

I just came back from the Shag. The strongest teams of the east coast started this amazing and challenging race: EMS, GOALSARA, Berlin Bikes, NYARA, ATP... total 33 teams. 26 hours of rain, fog, and clouds so low you can touch it. Tens of miles of single trail mountain bike. Rocks and very long technical trails. Third place in prime division and National Qualifier for Calleva!

This is the 4th race in succession and 4th podium for Calleva. It's hard to believe that just 6 month ago the team was unable to finish any 3 consecutive races, often receiving DNF or unofficial. New team page and race results of the new Calleva team are going to appear next week. Follow the updates...

Sep 25, 2008

The SHAG

This race is going to be 26 hours training and test of new gear.

We are going as Calleva: Dmitri Kaganovich, Mark Lattanzi, Courtney Cowan, and Karen Stump - coed-4, prime division. For Courtney and Karen it is the first long race.

For this race I got new backpack and new headlamp, I have never used those before. Both items are very promising and require good testing.

Coincidentally this race is also USARA national qualifier, but our chances to win are not the best. Sara Percy is racing with EMS and it means somebody is going to move very fast. The race is in rogain format and organizers promised that nobody will clear the course. We'll see... Just hope it will be colder than 2 weeks ago.

Sep 22, 2008

Official results

Untamed Virginia 30 hours adventure race official results and race reports:

And one more thank: To Phil Dawson for great hospitality. We had a very good night sleep in his house in Richmond the night before the race.

The coming weekend is another race. Details are coming...

Sep 15, 2008

Untamed Virginia. First!


There are no official results yet, but I know we did it: first in prime division. Out of 34 teams only 10 made it all the way through and it was hard. 90+ temperature, 90+ humidity, 10 different disciplines, including plotting maps in a full school bus, when riding on rough country roads and O-course with canoes in a thick forest. Navigation was on the "mission impossible" level as it is usually on Untamed Adventure races.

Thanks to Grant and his crew of volunteers for this great weekend. Thanks to Calleva for support and the best support vehicle. Thanks to all our friends and families for the trail mails. And the biggest THANK to my teammates Sara and Michelle for pushing and pulling and helping me through this challenge. Ladies, you are the best!

Sep 12, 2008

Ready to go...


Untamed Virginia starts tomorrow 7 am. Val couldn't make it and was replaced by Michelle. We got the best Calleva van to get to the race start that is somewhere around Richmond area in a secret location. Today is check-in and prologue that includes white water river swim in downtown Richmond. Wish us luck and follow us online. Our team is Calleva, our number is 4.
Dima, Sara, Michelle.

Sep 6, 2008

Stay inside if you can...


...and if you don't, stay away from any water. That what my car radio told me few times on the way to Calleva office. According to the empty roads all normal people believed in tropical storm, gusty wind and heavy rain... We didn't. The worth conditions were predicted for 1 pm and 1 hour before that time we took off for the team Calleva paddling training. 

The plan was simple: 7 miles upstream to and around Van Deventer Island and 7 miles back. On the way visiting islands and removing orienteering bags, remaining there after the Calleva race. I don't know what normal people call heavy rain, but we had to pump the water out from the canoe every 20 minutes. 

The training was the last test of the Calleva racing canoe before Untamed Virginia race next weekend. I made new configuration for the leg supports and new attachment of the portage wheels as a middle seat. Everything worked out great. 3 hours under the rain with frequently stops to pump the water and remove the flags brought us back to Seneca Creek.

It was high and fast. Real white water river. Or better to say brown. We had no chance to paddle upstream to the boat ramp and hardly did it under the Seneca Aqueduct to the fist take out spot. I took few picture trying to protect the camera from the rain, while Val was pumping the water out. Click each photo to see the perfect training conditions. And Karen, welcome to the team!

Aug 22, 2008

Two Captains

After a steep trail run and many good advises about long races, on the top of Torrey Pine Reserve in San Diego: Thanks to Masha - captain of Dancing Pandas for the AR course, "End of the World" looks less scary now.

Aug 14, 2008

Interesting point about AR...

It is not so much report about the Odyssey One Day 2008. But it's a very good point:
"Most race as individuals within a team, rather than a team of individuals". Thanks to Josh for this review. We did this race as a team of 4 individuals that have never raced before together. For Michelle it was the first AR, but it was the perfect match of all teammates. We will race together again as team Calleva, thanks for support.

Our next race is 30 hours Untamed Virginia. Team Calleva is going in prime, coed-3 category: Dmitri Kaganovich, Sara Percy and Valentin Chapa. We'll have to race against very strong teams this time. Updates will follow.

And finlay great news: we got initial approval for the next year budget. Our plans for 2009 include the race at the end of the world. The team is set. I cannot believe I am going for that!

Aug 12, 2008

Sharps cave adventure

New generation of adventure racers made it all the way to the waterfall of the Sharps cave and beyond. Of course they frightened going on strike from school, if it's no cave this summer, but the trip was a lot of fun, water and mud.

Aug 5, 2008

The Most Spectacular Finish in Odyssey Racing History

That's how Ronny Angel calls it. Full report is here.
And the photo of both winning teams (all Michelle's photos are here):

Jul 30, 2008

Odyssey One Day WIN!

Team Calleva tied the first overall place with team Nature Cure in 24 hours Odyssey One Day Race. Our racers (from left to right below): Michelle, Sara, Mark and Dima.

Jul 17, 2008

Sponsors update.

Calleva race is sponsored by:

Hudson Trail Outfitters
Immersion Research
SkullCandy

And The Untamed Virginia Adventure Race

The first overall winning team of the Calleva race will get free entry into 4-hour Untamed Virginia Sprint, or 1/2 price for the 30-hour Untamed Virginia Adventure Race Sept 13th.

Additional details and full press release will be published next week.

Jul 14, 2008

Pre-run results.

Thanks to Petr an Brian for 7 hours and 45 minutes of hard work. Vetting team report is published. Sponsors updates are coming.

Jul 11, 2008

Challenge all set!

Just came back form the full pre-run of the Calleva Race challenge. My hands are still shaking. I did many races with different challenges, but have never seen anything like this.
This weekend is final pre-run and vetting of the course. It will be real, with real maps and race documentation. I even have prizes for the vetting team (if they finish the course in 8 hours :-). We will take pictures from the pre-run and publish it next week with vetting team report. By the way, only 19 spots left for the race. Reserve yours before it's too late.

Jun 30, 2008

Snakes

On Saturday I was setting markers on the Calleva race O-course. As I approached wetland near one of CPs, I've seen three (!) of these nice snakes just six feet away from the CP. One big and two small Copperheads were catching sunlight that penetrates through a dense vegetation of thick, wet forest. I moved this CP 10 feet away into a shade of a big tree. It is harder to see now, but safer for the racers. On Sunday good friend of mine was vetting the course and saw no snakes. The final pre-run of the course will be in two weeks. We got very good and fast team to do it. Updates will follow.

Jun 23, 2008

Team Calleva in the news!

Interview with Marshall Breite about success of team Calleva in the Untamed New England adventure race. How we survived 60 hours of that fantastic race.

I just have to put few clarifications:
We didn't use GPS during the race. We had GPS tracking devices, that allowed to see our location in real time.

We finished third in open division and 10th overall. Technically we've been the last team to finish the full course. We skipped the last CP, but we got credit for it, because race officials forgot to tell us that we can use 6 more hours to get it.
And finally, it was the best race in the best location. The race that taught me to move slower in order to win. Paradoxically, but true. I am glad Grant has plans to repeat it next year.

Jun 19, 2008

New England Race. Picture from the Podium.


We didn't run to a store to buy the beer. We've run 60 hours for the third place to get it! We will drink it this weekend.

Jun 17, 2008

Two videos from the New England race

Conservation project


Grant at the Bog O-Course

Jun 16, 2008

New England Race Numbers

1st place in 2-male team category
2 person in the team
3rd place in open category
4 thousand feet maximum single elevation gain
5 minutes before the main cut off
7 different disciplines
8 doses of pain killer
...
55 trail mails that busted our energy
59.5 hours racing time
65 minutes of sleep
95 years of combining racers ages
230 km on my bike computer
~400 km total distance

Jun 10, 2008

Ready to go...

Tomorrow morning I am going North. I will pick up Marshall in NY and from there we will continue all the way to northern New Hampshire. The race starts Thursday 12:00 pm. You can follow our progress online, and even track our location between check points. Don't forget to send Trail Mail to your favorite team!

Our team is Calleva. Our number is 3.

Jun 9, 2008

Racing news

* Calleva Race updates are on. Few more teams already reserved a spot. We are expecting to be sold out before July 3rd.
* John's E-Fix race report is published on Calleva website. Good story about good race. Thank you John.
* Last week I finally got my 150 miles of biking in 5 days. Good training before Untamed New England.
* I have so many things to do and so much stuff to finish... Life is getting really exiting.

Jun 4, 2008

Terra Travers Quebec

I just realize that now I am team captain without permanent supervision. I don't have to run for points, ranks and titles anymore. I can do stuff that is really cool. Terra Travers just lowered the entry fee and provided 50% discount on Air Canada airfare (too bad it is just 12 hours driving to Quebec and we don't need this discount). And there are no other good races in October. The goal is set. Lets do it!