Dec 31, 2010
Nov 19, 2010
Checkpoint Tracker National Championship
Moab, UT. October 29, 2010
Report by Dima Kaganovich, Photos Vladimir Bukalo.
It seems that every adventure race involves some sort of firsts. The Checkpoint Tracker National Championship in Moab, UT was the first time I had to fly to the race. Vlad and I took a plane to Salt Lake City, then drove to Moab. In just 9 hours we arrived at the race area. We might as well have taken the space shuttle to the Red Planet, as unworldly as Moab’s scenery is.
At 3 pm on Wednesday we checked in and I got my bike that was shipped directly to the Red Cliffs Lodge. The same day we drove to the La Sal Mountains for acclimatization. I also began studying the topo maps of the area. I was trying to predict the race course and was successful in guessing the locations of a few major transition areas. Thursday morning we went to Slick Rocks to practice mountain biking. My cross country bike was too stiff for this unusual terrain and one practice loop satisfied my curiosity. I didn't like it. Race check-in started at 5 pm and was the fastest I've ever seen. I even got a teammate for a team photo. After plotting all 3 checkpoints, we dropped off my paddle and the bike at remote transition areas. The rest of plotting was done during the race the next day...
Friday morning sunrise was chilly, air temperature close to freezing, and the water in Colorado River was just a little warmer. Not a good time for a 3K swim, but that's how the race started. I was ready for that with my Gore Tex dry suit and inflatable boogie board. At the end of the swim we exchange boogie boards for inflatable kayaks and kept moving down the Colorado River for another 40K. Paddling solo in a short kayak was slower than most tandems teams and I arrived at the first TA in the middle of the pack.
At the TA I received a good quality google-earth-image map and coordinates of 8 CPs for the next foot-navigation section. I plotted the CPs on both google and topo maps and spent next 3 minutes developing a good strategy for that section. Race instructions were clear and made perfect sense: use Via Ferratta to get to the top, use ropes to get down and back to TA. Do whatever you want in between. The ropes had a cutoff time around sunset.
As it often happens, there were two teams that decided to create their own interpretation of the race rules. Since I became a race director I have seen a team or two like this almost every race. They always ask a question from the rules, just to "verify" something. Especially for such teams, I instruct all my volunteers to give the most universal answer: "I don't know. Please read the rules". It is not surprising that during this race one of these "verifying" teams also had a very interesting interpretation of the river swim gear and paddled the entire “swim section” in their inflatable boats with hard paddles.
When I arrived at Via Ferratta, I found a long line of racers waiting to ascend the ropes. My 45 minute wait at Via Ferratta and my conservative solo racing approach forced me to skip two optional CPs. I knew that another long backlog was possible at the Tyrolean closer to the cutoff time and I wanted to get there in plenty of time. Navigation was easier than I expected; you can see miles ahead, and just have to figure out how to get around the canyons. Because of this easy navigation I got to CP11 - the Tyrolean almost 2 hours before the cutoff. 2 out of 3 ropes were free. I zipped fast across the canyon and down the rappel. 15 minutes after the rappel I was back to the TA. That was the best section of the race, with breathtaking views and wonderful arches.
At the TA I got coordinates of the next stop. I knew it was going to be Slick Rocks and I didn’t like an idea of riding there at night. Fortunately, volunteers at Slick Rocks TA told me that I have a choice and can complete this section without my bike. That was great news and I cleared all Slick Rocks CPs without any problem*. The bad news was location of next CP, or more precisely, its elevation. CP 23 was close to 9000 feet, just under the peaks of the La Sal Mountains. That’s where my fight for the oxygen began.
I don’t have an altimeter watch, it’s a useless toy here on the east coast, but in Moab I measured the altitude by the heaviness in my chest. The route from Slick Rocks to the finish was 4500 feet up and 5000 feet down with CP 23 at the highest point. I didn’t need a map of this section, since we drove exactly the same road the day before. All my effort was concentrated on pedaling. One team passed me, and then I passed them back, and passed another team or two. My goal was to stay on my bike until the end of the road. I did it, but couldn’t ride part of the way on the next trail; it was too steep, too technical, and I had too little oxygen in my lungs. The few hours I spent at this altitude the day before were not enough for acclimatization.
The 5000 feet of downhill from CP23 to the finish were one of the coldest experiences of my life. Growing up in Siberia, that is saying something. I descended in about 30 minutes, passing 2 teams, a few patches of ice, and one cow. At one moment my fingers became so cold that I couldn’t squeeze my brakes any more. Without brakes I couldn’t stop and put my warm jacket and gloves. At 5:55 am a solid piece of ice that once was my body crossed the finish line of the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship. 22 hours and 55 minutes plus 4 hours penalty for skipping two* optional CPs earned me 4th place in solo and 16th overall in this championship race. In my solo division I was beaten by 3 local guys from Colorado and Utah. This result was good enough to keep my leading position in Checkpoint Tracker series ranking, where I am first in solo and 5th overall (sharing 5th with team CheckpointZero).
It was not the most difficult race of the season, but it was the most breathtaking experience of my life. Thank you planet Moab, thank you Checkpoint Tracker and Gravity Play for this experience. Thanks to Calleva for sponsoring my trip to Moab, and thanks to my friend and teammate Vladimir for support and the amazing photos he took during the race.
And congratulations to the winner of the race soloist Jeff Chmielewski that cleared the course and was the first racer to cross the finish line without any penalties!
_______________________
*After reexamination of my passport Will Newcomer, the race director, credited me for CP15 that was missing in preliminary results. It doesn’t change my division rating. The final results are published on CPT web site.
Report by Dima Kaganovich, Photos Vladimir Bukalo.
It seems that every adventure race involves some sort of firsts. The Checkpoint Tracker National Championship in Moab, UT was the first time I had to fly to the race. Vlad and I took a plane to Salt Lake City, then drove to Moab. In just 9 hours we arrived at the race area. We might as well have taken the space shuttle to the Red Planet, as unworldly as Moab’s scenery is.
At 3 pm on Wednesday we checked in and I got my bike that was shipped directly to the Red Cliffs Lodge. The same day we drove to the La Sal Mountains for acclimatization. I also began studying the topo maps of the area. I was trying to predict the race course and was successful in guessing the locations of a few major transition areas. Thursday morning we went to Slick Rocks to practice mountain biking. My cross country bike was too stiff for this unusual terrain and one practice loop satisfied my curiosity. I didn't like it. Race check-in started at 5 pm and was the fastest I've ever seen. I even got a teammate for a team photo. After plotting all 3 checkpoints, we dropped off my paddle and the bike at remote transition areas. The rest of plotting was done during the race the next day...
Friday morning sunrise was chilly, air temperature close to freezing, and the water in Colorado River was just a little warmer. Not a good time for a 3K swim, but that's how the race started. I was ready for that with my Gore Tex dry suit and inflatable boogie board. At the end of the swim we exchange boogie boards for inflatable kayaks and kept moving down the Colorado River for another 40K. Paddling solo in a short kayak was slower than most tandems teams and I arrived at the first TA in the middle of the pack.
At the TA I received a good quality google-earth-image map and coordinates of 8 CPs for the next foot-navigation section. I plotted the CPs on both google and topo maps and spent next 3 minutes developing a good strategy for that section. Race instructions were clear and made perfect sense: use Via Ferratta to get to the top, use ropes to get down and back to TA. Do whatever you want in between. The ropes had a cutoff time around sunset.
As it often happens, there were two teams that decided to create their own interpretation of the race rules. Since I became a race director I have seen a team or two like this almost every race. They always ask a question from the rules, just to "verify" something. Especially for such teams, I instruct all my volunteers to give the most universal answer: "I don't know. Please read the rules". It is not surprising that during this race one of these "verifying" teams also had a very interesting interpretation of the river swim gear and paddled the entire “swim section” in their inflatable boats with hard paddles.
When I arrived at Via Ferratta, I found a long line of racers waiting to ascend the ropes. My 45 minute wait at Via Ferratta and my conservative solo racing approach forced me to skip two optional CPs. I knew that another long backlog was possible at the Tyrolean closer to the cutoff time and I wanted to get there in plenty of time. Navigation was easier than I expected; you can see miles ahead, and just have to figure out how to get around the canyons. Because of this easy navigation I got to CP11 - the Tyrolean almost 2 hours before the cutoff. 2 out of 3 ropes were free. I zipped fast across the canyon and down the rappel. 15 minutes after the rappel I was back to the TA. That was the best section of the race, with breathtaking views and wonderful arches.
At the TA I got coordinates of the next stop. I knew it was going to be Slick Rocks and I didn’t like an idea of riding there at night. Fortunately, volunteers at Slick Rocks TA told me that I have a choice and can complete this section without my bike. That was great news and I cleared all Slick Rocks CPs without any problem*. The bad news was location of next CP, or more precisely, its elevation. CP 23 was close to 9000 feet, just under the peaks of the La Sal Mountains. That’s where my fight for the oxygen began.
I don’t have an altimeter watch, it’s a useless toy here on the east coast, but in Moab I measured the altitude by the heaviness in my chest. The route from Slick Rocks to the finish was 4500 feet up and 5000 feet down with CP 23 at the highest point. I didn’t need a map of this section, since we drove exactly the same road the day before. All my effort was concentrated on pedaling. One team passed me, and then I passed them back, and passed another team or two. My goal was to stay on my bike until the end of the road. I did it, but couldn’t ride part of the way on the next trail; it was too steep, too technical, and I had too little oxygen in my lungs. The few hours I spent at this altitude the day before were not enough for acclimatization.
The 5000 feet of downhill from CP23 to the finish were one of the coldest experiences of my life. Growing up in Siberia, that is saying something. I descended in about 30 minutes, passing 2 teams, a few patches of ice, and one cow. At one moment my fingers became so cold that I couldn’t squeeze my brakes any more. Without brakes I couldn’t stop and put my warm jacket and gloves. At 5:55 am a solid piece of ice that once was my body crossed the finish line of the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship. 22 hours and 55 minutes plus 4 hours penalty for skipping two* optional CPs earned me 4th place in solo and 16th overall in this championship race. In my solo division I was beaten by 3 local guys from Colorado and Utah. This result was good enough to keep my leading position in Checkpoint Tracker series ranking, where I am first in solo and 5th overall (sharing 5th with team CheckpointZero).
It was not the most difficult race of the season, but it was the most breathtaking experience of my life. Thank you planet Moab, thank you Checkpoint Tracker and Gravity Play for this experience. Thanks to Calleva for sponsoring my trip to Moab, and thanks to my friend and teammate Vladimir for support and the amazing photos he took during the race.
And congratulations to the winner of the race soloist Jeff Chmielewski that cleared the course and was the first racer to cross the finish line without any penalties!
_______________________
*After reexamination of my passport Will Newcomer, the race director, credited me for CP15 that was missing in preliminary results. It doesn’t change my division rating. The final results are published on CPT web site.
Oct 28, 2010
Slick Rocks and 9000 feet of elevation.
We're in Moab! Yesterday we went up to 9000 feet for altitude acclimatization. It's snow up there and La Sal Mountains in the background:
Today we spent a few hours riding Slick Rocks. There is no such thing on the east coast:
Race check-in is in one hour. I am going to get in line.
Dima, Vlad Red Cliffs Lodge.
Today we spent a few hours riding Slick Rocks. There is no such thing on the east coast:
Race check-in is in one hour. I am going to get in line.
Dima, Vlad Red Cliffs Lodge.
Oct 26, 2010
Off to race in Moab!
Odyssey Finale results are out long time ago, but we had no time to put an update. Dima raced solo and finished 3rd in solo and 4th overall.
The final O-course of this race was extreme and sadistic experience and almost cost severe injury to Dima. But everything is recovered now and tomorrow Dima and Vlad are going west to Moab, UT for Checkpoint Tracker National Championship. Dima will race and Vlad will provide support and photo coverage. Click "Live Updates" tab to follow team Calleva and don't forget to send your Shout-outs from "Shout Box" tab. The race starts Friday 8 am.
The final O-course of this race was extreme and sadistic experience and almost cost severe injury to Dima. But everything is recovered now and tomorrow Dima and Vlad are going west to Moab, UT for Checkpoint Tracker National Championship. Dima will race and Vlad will provide support and photo coverage. Click "Live Updates" tab to follow team Calleva and don't forget to send your Shout-outs from "Shout Box" tab. The race starts Friday 8 am.
Oct 12, 2010
Time to be scared...
It's almost HALLOWEEN!
Markoff's Haunted Forest: a 20-minute, terrifying hike through woods. Visitors encounter creepy characters, horrifying scenes and tight spaces along the way. Every year, the Markoffs add new twists and more intense scenes... brave souls can attempt our Death Jump or zip line in the dark as part of a night of terror in our haunted woods.
Markoff's Haunted Harbor: a brand new, spine-tingling experience from the creative minds behind the Forest -- will open at National Harbor, MD. Our haunted boardwalk has 17 scenes of mayhem and horror, pirates that will make you want to walk the plank, and shocking experiences that will haunt you in your dreams. Take a haunted hayride, decipher the twisted Legend of National Harbor, climb the rigging of our towering Ghost Ship and ride a swashbuckling zip line in the dark.
Tidewater traverse photos are finally here
This weekend is the last race before Moab, Utah Nationals: Odyssey Fall Finale.
Oct 5, 2010
Tidewater Traverse race report.
By Dima Kaganovich team Calleva/JacksBoatHouse
First place in this race must go to the team Odyssey: I'm on Point. We worked together for 3/4 of the race and they definitely would beat me on paddling. Unfortunately they lost passport at the end of the biking leg. By staying close to this team I was able to see amazing tandem navigation work. Very impressive and efficient. Thanks guys for great experience!
The race started 8 pm (already dark) from fast plotting of first 11 CPs of the course. I was plotting alone, but left the start area within first 5 teams (out of 27 total). First leg was road biking with easy navigation to CP1,2 and TA1. At TA1 we started first and the most difficult O-course of the race. Many teams punched CP4 instead of CP3 (both CPs were in creek). We did the same mistake at the beginning, but Ronny figured it out. Second O-course was longer, but easier to navigate. All CPs had reflectors and my laser-light helped a lot. Long biking section through paddling transition area and night single track took us to 1 mile portage.
From here I moved alone and used my disposable portage wheels (<2 lb, <$3) to take kayak through town of West Point. I started paddling at sun rise behind 2 teams with almost 1 hour gap. First 10 miles of paddling were against tide flow and with strong side wind. Thanks to Anna and to Jack's Boat House for Andromeda. In first 9 miles of the paddling I gained 30 minutes and on transition to the last O-course I was only 30 minutes behind the leading teams.
This O-course was simple, with one funny catch: you have to use Google earth image together with topo map to find all CPs. For me it was easy, but both leading teams missed one CP each and gave me 30 minutes advantage. I gained another 15 minutes on the last 6 miles of paddling and finished the race first overall and the only racer that cleared the entire course.
The race was perfectly organized, the course was very interesting and fast. Chris did amazing job by putting on this amazing race. Race results are here. Photos are coming...
First place in this race must go to the team Odyssey: I'm on Point. We worked together for 3/4 of the race and they definitely would beat me on paddling. Unfortunately they lost passport at the end of the biking leg. By staying close to this team I was able to see amazing tandem navigation work. Very impressive and efficient. Thanks guys for great experience!
The race started 8 pm (already dark) from fast plotting of first 11 CPs of the course. I was plotting alone, but left the start area within first 5 teams (out of 27 total). First leg was road biking with easy navigation to CP1,2 and TA1. At TA1 we started first and the most difficult O-course of the race. Many teams punched CP4 instead of CP3 (both CPs were in creek). We did the same mistake at the beginning, but Ronny figured it out. Second O-course was longer, but easier to navigate. All CPs had reflectors and my laser-light helped a lot. Long biking section through paddling transition area and night single track took us to 1 mile portage.
From here I moved alone and used my disposable portage wheels (<2 lb, <$3) to take kayak through town of West Point. I started paddling at sun rise behind 2 teams with almost 1 hour gap. First 10 miles of paddling were against tide flow and with strong side wind. Thanks to Anna and to Jack's Boat House for Andromeda. In first 9 miles of the paddling I gained 30 minutes and on transition to the last O-course I was only 30 minutes behind the leading teams.
This O-course was simple, with one funny catch: you have to use Google earth image together with topo map to find all CPs. For me it was easy, but both leading teams missed one CP each and gave me 30 minutes advantage. I gained another 15 minutes on the last 6 miles of paddling and finished the race first overall and the only racer that cleared the entire course.
The race was perfectly organized, the course was very interesting and fast. Chris did amazing job by putting on this amazing race. Race results are here. Photos are coming...
Sep 23, 2010
Dima's uneasy choice.
There are two races this weekend: NYARA SHAG and Hampton Roads Tidewater Traverse. Both races start at dark and are 16-18 hours long. Both are in a modified rogaine format and have the same disciplines. Even registration fee are almost the same. Shag provides kayaks for all racers and it's nice compare to almost unrestricted personal kayaks of Tidewater Traverse. Shag terrain is very rough, navigation is the most challenging (2008 Safari, if you know what I am talking about :-). Tidewater Traverse is all flat and swampy that is also very hard to navigate. For 20 miles paddling leg of Tidewater Traverse you better get the fastest boat you can find, because you will see $10K (or more) watercraft with the most experienced east coast pilots. So what is my choice? This year I'll skip my favorite Shag. I did it twice, but have never tried Tidewater Traverse before. My paddling sucks and it's good reason to improve.
But for the future, Race Directors, please talk and schedule your races for different weekends.
This weekend I will paddle fast and beautiful Andromeda from Jacks Boat House. I was introduced to her last weekend:
By the way, that's very likely the area of Calleva 2011 race. Start guessing...
But for the future, Race Directors, please talk and schedule your races for different weekends.
This weekend I will paddle fast and beautiful Andromeda from Jacks Boat House. I was introduced to her last weekend:
By the way, that's very likely the area of Calleva 2011 race. Start guessing...
Sep 14, 2010
Shenandoah Mountain 100 miles race
Report by Petr Minar, team Calleva.
The weather conditions was great since early morning (sun with around 75F during the day). Race start at 6.30 am, with racers lined-up at different performance level (around 600 racers) . Fast riders at the front of the start line , slower racers behind them. After the bell, all racing field started warm-up and heading to first asphalt road , soon to gravel road changing to single trail and grueling 100 miles full of sweat. We couldn’t ask for better support on all six aid station. On each station there were plenty of water, Gatorade and other drinks with gels and power bars. Some station provided simple sandwiches and for all those exhausted and hungry racers even tasty pica. (I ate 4 slices to get some fuel into my already sore legs). Race was well organized and marked. Elite racers finished around 7 hour mark, other racers finished hours and hours behind those crazy fast guys. Overall, this is a great event for all performance levels and huge achievement just to finish this race. Huge thanks to all those volunteers and organizers, park service and to all people make this happened.
Hope that everyone enjoyed that race and see you all next year.
Race results are here.
Petr finished in 94th overall in 9 hours 13 minutes and 14 seconds!
The weather conditions was great since early morning (sun with around 75F during the day). Race start at 6.30 am, with racers lined-up at different performance level (around 600 racers) . Fast riders at the front of the start line , slower racers behind them. After the bell, all racing field started warm-up and heading to first asphalt road , soon to gravel road changing to single trail and grueling 100 miles full of sweat. We couldn’t ask for better support on all six aid station. On each station there were plenty of water, Gatorade and other drinks with gels and power bars. Some station provided simple sandwiches and for all those exhausted and hungry racers even tasty pica. (I ate 4 slices to get some fuel into my already sore legs). Race was well organized and marked. Elite racers finished around 7 hour mark, other racers finished hours and hours behind those crazy fast guys. Overall, this is a great event for all performance levels and huge achievement just to finish this race. Huge thanks to all those volunteers and organizers, park service and to all people make this happened.
Hope that everyone enjoyed that race and see you all next year.
Race results are here.
Petr finished in 94th overall in 9 hours 13 minutes and 14 seconds!
Aug 31, 2010
Untamed New England Race Report
By Dima Kaganovich, team Calleva.
I feel really bad that we DNF this race. We had no chance to make even the first cutoff and stay at the full course, but that was not the reason to quit. We were strong team, but New Hampshire forest ate our navigator (that would be me):
We started the race in good spirit and paddled across the first Connecticut Lake all 4 of us in a canoe. Empty kayak we towed behind and this approach worked very well, as we landed in top 10 teams for the first portage.
Looking back I can say that we had long portage interrupted by some paddling, conservation projects, and orienteering relay. Grant, the race director, doesn't like long introductions and the first portage had a 3 k section through a forest so thick that our canoe couldn't fit between the trees. The check point was half way through the forest and we had to punch both canoe and kayak in addition to the main passport. The rest of the portage was on roads and I am not sure what words local drivers have been using to describe these muddy people rolling canoes and kayaks towards Canada border.
Orienteering relay we started in dark as was predicted in the last race bulletin. I went first for the long and difficult course and finished it in about 1 hour. It helped me to explain to Val, Vlad and Sara what the best approach to this area and in 3 hours we got back to the river. The water was fast and we almost missed one CP at the river bend. Sudden stop at the rock cost us one canoe full of water and short swim near the shore. In the middle of the first night we reached the first transition, our paddling bag and our bikes.
Transition area was at the local fire and rescue station where we got hot pasta and clean rest room (!!!) According to the map that was the last spot of civilization and the last time we see our transition gear for at least next 24 hours. We started our way north along the Canada border and turned into forest at sunrise. Trail ended as it was expected and our navigator (it's me again) decided to go straight down (idiot!). We ended up bushwhacking with our bikes for 2 hours in wrong creek and at the end had to cross wide swamp and river to get to the road. We got the check point on the gate, but I don't want to remember the nightmare we went through in order to get there.
The biking section was brutal, but the next hiking section (leg 3 of the race) was way worth. Significant off road travel and navigation in forest between swamps and bushes killed me. If you want to finish this race, look for the perfect navigator. Not a decent one like me, but absolutely perfect. In addition to that, if you want to finish the full course be ready to run every moment your legs are touching the ground. No hiking is allowed! At sunset we quit the race, because the navigator (guess who was that) was unable to find a trail to the top of the mountain and we already missed the first cutoff.
We'll go to Untamed New England race next year. I am looking for the perfect navigator. Are there any available?
More photos from the race are here.
I feel really bad that we DNF this race. We had no chance to make even the first cutoff and stay at the full course, but that was not the reason to quit. We were strong team, but New Hampshire forest ate our navigator (that would be me):
We started the race in good spirit and paddled across the first Connecticut Lake all 4 of us in a canoe. Empty kayak we towed behind and this approach worked very well, as we landed in top 10 teams for the first portage.
Orienteering relay we started in dark as was predicted in the last race bulletin. I went first for the long and difficult course and finished it in about 1 hour. It helped me to explain to Val, Vlad and Sara what the best approach to this area and in 3 hours we got back to the river. The water was fast and we almost missed one CP at the river bend. Sudden stop at the rock cost us one canoe full of water and short swim near the shore. In the middle of the first night we reached the first transition, our paddling bag and our bikes.
Transition area was at the local fire and rescue station where we got hot pasta and clean rest room (!!!) According to the map that was the last spot of civilization and the last time we see our transition gear for at least next 24 hours. We started our way north along the Canada border and turned into forest at sunrise. Trail ended as it was expected and our navigator (it's me again) decided to go straight down (idiot!). We ended up bushwhacking with our bikes for 2 hours in wrong creek and at the end had to cross wide swamp and river to get to the road. We got the check point on the gate, but I don't want to remember the nightmare we went through in order to get there.
The biking section was brutal, but the next hiking section (leg 3 of the race) was way worth. Significant off road travel and navigation in forest between swamps and bushes killed me. If you want to finish this race, look for the perfect navigator. Not a decent one like me, but absolutely perfect. In addition to that, if you want to finish the full course be ready to run every moment your legs are touching the ground. No hiking is allowed! At sunset we quit the race, because the navigator (guess who was that) was unable to find a trail to the top of the mountain and we already missed the first cutoff.
We'll go to Untamed New England race next year. I am looking for the perfect navigator. Are there any available?
More photos from the race are here.
Aug 10, 2010
Going north...
Tomorrow morning team Calleva is going north to New Hampshire (and probably Maine) for 3 days and 3 nights Untamed New England adventure race. We will have tracking beacons and you will be able to see our real time location on map. Leaderboard will be also available, as well as race updates and race photos. Don't forget to send us trail mails, may be it will help us to find right way to the next CP. We will have our camera with us on the course. Our team is Calleva, our number is 32.
Right now we are trying to set all our gear for the race, and time is short. Last week and this weekend was the busiest time of the year for us. We did the Third Annual Calleva Adventure Race! It was a blast! Here is after race email from the captain of the winning team Jim Weber (we like getting such email):
As usual, you and your team of Calleva volunteers put on a FANTASTIC race again this year! I’ve been training and racing in this area for 10+ years, but in each of the three years you have run this race, you have managed to take me to new terrain, parks and trails that I have never visited before. Riverboarding thru the rapids was the highlight of the day, and we really had a blast on that section. I’ve kayaked that part of the river a few times before, but I never imagined myself going down it on a boogie board. I am glad you arranged for a little cooler weather this year, and I came across the finish line looking and feeling a LOT better than I did last year (as evidenced by the picture you selected for the race T-shirts!).
I know that this event would not be possible without the support of Calleva and the army of volunteers who helped out…so on behalf of all the racers, I wanted to send out HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who was involved with organizing and running the race. Congratulations also to all of the adventure racers who were out there on the course…we hope to see you all again next year!
The members of Team A-List / Too Many Kids are already looking forward to next year’s Calleva Adventure Race.
Thanks again!
Jim Weber
Team A-List / Too Many Kids
PS – Good luck at Untamed NE!
Calleva Race volunteers before the start of the race. Photo Oleg Litvinenko.
Right now we are trying to set all our gear for the race, and time is short. Last week and this weekend was the busiest time of the year for us. We did the Third Annual Calleva Adventure Race! It was a blast! Here is after race email from the captain of the winning team Jim Weber (we like getting such email):
As usual, you and your team of Calleva volunteers put on a FANTASTIC race again this year! I’ve been training and racing in this area for 10+ years, but in each of the three years you have run this race, you have managed to take me to new terrain, parks and trails that I have never visited before. Riverboarding thru the rapids was the highlight of the day, and we really had a blast on that section. I’ve kayaked that part of the river a few times before, but I never imagined myself going down it on a boogie board. I am glad you arranged for a little cooler weather this year, and I came across the finish line looking and feeling a LOT better than I did last year (as evidenced by the picture you selected for the race T-shirts!).
I know that this event would not be possible without the support of Calleva and the army of volunteers who helped out…so on behalf of all the racers, I wanted to send out HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who was involved with organizing and running the race. Congratulations also to all of the adventure racers who were out there on the course…we hope to see you all again next year!
The members of Team A-List / Too Many Kids are already looking forward to next year’s Calleva Adventure Race.
Thanks again!
Jim Weber
Team A-List / Too Many Kids
PS – Good luck at Untamed NE!
Calleva Race volunteers before the start of the race. Photo Oleg Litvinenko.
Aug 4, 2010
Odyssey One Day race report.
By Sarah Reschovsky, team Calleva/UHB
My second 24 hour Odyssey adventure race was definitely a humbling experience. Phil and I raced as a team of two, but Dima (as a solo racer) luckily stuck with us the entire way. Not only did it take place on one of the hottest days of the summer, but the course proved to be virtually impossible; not a single team completed the course within the time limit. The biking section began with a killer uphill on a switchback mountain road. From the beginning, it was clear to Phil and I that we would spend most of the race staring at Dima’s backside and struggling to keep up with him.
We followed a logging road for a bit, which contoured around the mountain. We soon realized, however, that we needed to bushwack (with our bikes) up to the top of the ridge in order to get checkpoint 2. After several hours of bushwacking and pushing our bikes on unridable trails, we found checkpoint 2, then descended back down the mountain. Arriving at checkpoint 3 proved to be no less difficult; we spent many more hours gaining elevation and pushing our bikes across unridable trails. We reached checkpoint 4 at about 12:30 am, and were relieved to be able to refill our water supply and finally get rid of our bikes after spending over 12 hours on the biking section.
The trekking section provided us with a much-needed boost in moral. Phil and I enjoyed hearing Dima’s crazy stories, and we quickly got checkpoint 5. We then began bushwacking across a ridge in search of checkpoint 6. Navigating to this next checkpoint at night proved extremely difficult; not only were there no trails, but there were several cliffs interfering with our ability to move or see in the right direction. At this point in the race, Phil and I bonked, and struggled to keep up with Dima (who never seems to tire...) Once the sun began to rise, it dawned on us (tee-hee) that we would not be able to make the time cut-off. We began descending down from the mountain in hopes of finding a road to lead us back to civilization. The hike down the mountain took several hours, but eventually we were able to find a road, and we were able to hitch a ride back to headquarters.
This race proved to be much tougher than we expected, but it was a great experience nonetheless. Team UHB missed Swish’s presence on this race, but the team will definitely be coming back for more!
All race photo are here.
My second 24 hour Odyssey adventure race was definitely a humbling experience. Phil and I raced as a team of two, but Dima (as a solo racer) luckily stuck with us the entire way. Not only did it take place on one of the hottest days of the summer, but the course proved to be virtually impossible; not a single team completed the course within the time limit. The biking section began with a killer uphill on a switchback mountain road. From the beginning, it was clear to Phil and I that we would spend most of the race staring at Dima’s backside and struggling to keep up with him.
We followed a logging road for a bit, which contoured around the mountain. We soon realized, however, that we needed to bushwack (with our bikes) up to the top of the ridge in order to get checkpoint 2. After several hours of bushwacking and pushing our bikes on unridable trails, we found checkpoint 2, then descended back down the mountain. Arriving at checkpoint 3 proved to be no less difficult; we spent many more hours gaining elevation and pushing our bikes across unridable trails. We reached checkpoint 4 at about 12:30 am, and were relieved to be able to refill our water supply and finally get rid of our bikes after spending over 12 hours on the biking section.
The trekking section provided us with a much-needed boost in moral. Phil and I enjoyed hearing Dima’s crazy stories, and we quickly got checkpoint 5. We then began bushwacking across a ridge in search of checkpoint 6. Navigating to this next checkpoint at night proved extremely difficult; not only were there no trails, but there were several cliffs interfering with our ability to move or see in the right direction. At this point in the race, Phil and I bonked, and struggled to keep up with Dima (who never seems to tire...) Once the sun began to rise, it dawned on us (tee-hee) that we would not be able to make the time cut-off. We began descending down from the mountain in hopes of finding a road to lead us back to civilization. The hike down the mountain took several hours, but eventually we were able to find a road, and we were able to hitch a ride back to headquarters.
This race proved to be much tougher than we expected, but it was a great experience nonetheless. Team UHB missed Swish’s presence on this race, but the team will definitely be coming back for more!
All race photo are here.
Virginia Commonwealth Games Mountain Bike Omnium
Report by Michelle Lindsay, Roanoke, VA - 7/17/10 - 7/18/10
Saturday’s race was the uphill time trial climbing the 3 or 4 miles up Mill Mountain. I was near the last to take off since all the men went first, and I found myself racing a storm to the top! The singletrack wasn’t technical but it sure got my heart rate up by the finish. No other women came out for the TT, so I posted the fastest women’s time! I beat the storm to the finish but got soaked on the way back down to the car.
On Sunday, we raced a 20 mile cross country race at Carvin’s Cove. The expert course was the same as the sport course with the addition of one huge climb up and back down. I had fun - Carvin’s Cove has great trails! Apparently I just missed hitting a rattlesnake at the bottom of the Clownhead descent... another racer who caught up to me had seen it on the trail! It was really hot and humid, so the last climb back up Hi-de-Ho was brutal! As I began the last descent, another scary storm was rolling in and all I could think of was “get me off of this mountain!” I had a single crash - falling off the edge of the ramp over a log then getting stuck with my bottom foot still clipped in... within 2 minutes of the finish line :) All the other women raced the sport race, so I took the gold medal for the combined omnium!
Saturday’s race was the uphill time trial climbing the 3 or 4 miles up Mill Mountain. I was near the last to take off since all the men went first, and I found myself racing a storm to the top! The singletrack wasn’t technical but it sure got my heart rate up by the finish. No other women came out for the TT, so I posted the fastest women’s time! I beat the storm to the finish but got soaked on the way back down to the car.
On Sunday, we raced a 20 mile cross country race at Carvin’s Cove. The expert course was the same as the sport course with the addition of one huge climb up and back down. I had fun - Carvin’s Cove has great trails! Apparently I just missed hitting a rattlesnake at the bottom of the Clownhead descent... another racer who caught up to me had seen it on the trail! It was really hot and humid, so the last climb back up Hi-de-Ho was brutal! As I began the last descent, another scary storm was rolling in and all I could think of was “get me off of this mountain!” I had a single crash - falling off the edge of the ramp over a log then getting stuck with my bottom foot still clipped in... within 2 minutes of the finish line :) All the other women raced the sport race, so I took the gold medal for the combined omnium!
Jul 23, 2010
Odyssey One Day
Calleva/UHB are going west to fight the heat of Odyssey One Day 24 hours adventure race. You can follow the team on-line (we hope) at Checkpoint Tracker. The race starts Saturday 12:00 noon.
Jul 16, 2010
This busy time of the year updates
1) Team Calleva qualified for the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship in solo male division. The Championship race will be in Moab, UT October 29, 2010.
2) This weekend is Calleva race pre-run. Vetting team: Brian and Monika will test the course in real conditions. We finally will get the answer to the main question of the year: is it possible to clear this year course in 10 hours or not?
3) Next weekend is our traditional Odyssey One Day race. Dima, Adam, Phil and Sarah will race in prime division as team Calleva/UHB.
4) August 8th is Calleva race day! Get ready for 10 hours of pain and suffering. The course is ready, the maps are ordered and the race is more than half full. Register now, before it's too late.
5) 3 days after Calleva race, on Agust 11th, team Calleva will go north to fight for a spot in a World Championship qualifier event Untamed New England Adventure Race. Dima, Val, Vlad and Sara will race for 3 full days in Northern New Hampshire together with 40 other teams.
Jul 7, 2010
XTERRA East Championships
XTERRA off road triathlon in Richmond, VA on June 20, 2010.
Report by Michelle Lindsay.
I had a fun time racing and did pretty well! I focused on swimming hard and then just having a good time on the bike and run :)
SWIM (15:52, 2nd female) - Richmond’s James River is pretty shallow! I lined up along one of the giant concrete pillars so I had something to push off of. The course went straight across the current to Belle Isle where we ran 50 meters on the trail to a beach to get back in the water and swim back across the river. I got out to a fast start and was leading the wave with about 5 others. I was in the 2nd wave with all the women and the men over 35, so catching up to the 1st wave is like swimming through a minefield! I saw one woman ahead of me as I ran on the island, but I wasn’t able to close the 10 foot gap for the rest of the swim. I put on my socks and shoes at the top of the boat ramp and put on my jersey and gloves as I ran the quarter mile to the transition area.
BIKE (1:21.01): I was pretty excited for the mountain bike, especially after they reversed the course. This direction suited my style better - FAST, technical, as opposed to slow technical - and I really enjoyed how they changed the Forest Hill trails. I rode more obstacles than I usually even attempt, so I was pretty pleased with myself. I knew where Derek was planning to be stationed for photos, so I mad sure to smile for the camera. I also made a point to thank volunteers - it was really hot out, especially if you’re just standing there! My major mistake on the bike was not focusing on exactly how much fluid I was getting in, but that wouldn’t take an effect until during the run and after the race. I did my typical bike-run transition by taking my feet out of my shoes on the last stretch of the bike and had a quick transition to the run.
RUN (59:45): I passed a lot of people early on, and steadily picked off more and kept moving up until just before the boulders section when a nasty side stitch started digging into my abdomen. I thought I’d be okay since I had heard they shortened the run course. I saw a volunteer standing at the point where in years’ past we turned up the hill to the top of Belle Isle... oh no... they didn’t shorten the run! I sucked it up and kept chuggin’ up the hill, the side stitch feeling like a fork twisting in my side. My tight hips reminded me of how I felt at the end of an ultra! It felt really good to be done when I crossed the finish line. Turns out I was 8th overall and first in my 25-29 age group! However, since I had registered as Collegiate, they didn’t put me in the age group results, oh well!
Report by Michelle Lindsay.
I had a fun time racing and did pretty well! I focused on swimming hard and then just having a good time on the bike and run :)
SWIM (15:52, 2nd female) - Richmond’s James River is pretty shallow! I lined up along one of the giant concrete pillars so I had something to push off of. The course went straight across the current to Belle Isle where we ran 50 meters on the trail to a beach to get back in the water and swim back across the river. I got out to a fast start and was leading the wave with about 5 others. I was in the 2nd wave with all the women and the men over 35, so catching up to the 1st wave is like swimming through a minefield! I saw one woman ahead of me as I ran on the island, but I wasn’t able to close the 10 foot gap for the rest of the swim. I put on my socks and shoes at the top of the boat ramp and put on my jersey and gloves as I ran the quarter mile to the transition area.
BIKE (1:21.01): I was pretty excited for the mountain bike, especially after they reversed the course. This direction suited my style better - FAST, technical, as opposed to slow technical - and I really enjoyed how they changed the Forest Hill trails. I rode more obstacles than I usually even attempt, so I was pretty pleased with myself. I knew where Derek was planning to be stationed for photos, so I mad sure to smile for the camera. I also made a point to thank volunteers - it was really hot out, especially if you’re just standing there! My major mistake on the bike was not focusing on exactly how much fluid I was getting in, but that wouldn’t take an effect until during the run and after the race. I did my typical bike-run transition by taking my feet out of my shoes on the last stretch of the bike and had a quick transition to the run.
RUN (59:45): I passed a lot of people early on, and steadily picked off more and kept moving up until just before the boulders section when a nasty side stitch started digging into my abdomen. I thought I’d be okay since I had heard they shortened the run course. I saw a volunteer standing at the point where in years’ past we turned up the hill to the top of Belle Isle... oh no... they didn’t shorten the run! I sucked it up and kept chuggin’ up the hill, the side stitch feeling like a fork twisting in my side. My tight hips reminded me of how I felt at the end of an ultra! It felt really good to be done when I crossed the finish line. Turns out I was 8th overall and first in my 25-29 age group! However, since I had registered as Collegiate, they didn’t put me in the age group results, oh well!
Jun 15, 2010
Team UHB. The first 24 hours race.
Report by Adam Swisher, team Calleva squad UHB.
Racing in the Wild and Wonderful 24hr AR was an incredible experience for our team, Calleva UHB (Sarah Reschovsky, Phil Raymond, and Adam Swisher). We are relatively new to the AR scene, but are already hooked. The three of us work as Instructors at Calleva Outdoors and last summer, when given the opportunity, we decided to participate in the Calleva Adventure Race. We did well, winning the sport division, and caught the eye of Dima, who asked us to race as interns to the Calleva Team. We were grateful for the opportunity and super psyched to test our abilities in some bigger races. Showing up to the Wild n' Wonderful we didn't know what to expect and were humbled by all the teams and the grandeur of it all. I remember as we started the first trekking section we didn't know if we should jog or hike. We decided to play it safe and save our energy, so we hiked. Soon after, teams started passing us so we stepped it up a little and after a short while we found a good groove that would carry us the duration of the race. As we paced along we worked out some of the kinks of novice racers and for most of the first day found ourselves sitting nicely in the middle of the pack. Our only goals were to finish the race and to thoroughly enjoy ourselves in doing so. At times we would get lost or take unnecessary detours, but worked through it together and never lost more than a hour. The scenery was incredible. At checkpoint 13, I think it was, we stopped and stood in awe on a rocky outcropping as the sun set over the gorge. As night fell we unknowingly started gaining time and at midnight as we transitioned into the bike time trial we were surprised to find ourselves well within the top 10. With the encouraging news we rallied through our transition and cruised into the single track time trial only to face the most difficult part of the entire race. Sarah counted the number of times she fell, 27, and was not happy about it. I was feeling nauseous and Phil ate it hard on an inside corner. This was the only time during the race where we were uncertain we would finish. We pushed on biking, then hikiing, then biking again, all the while feeling a little broken, but as the sun started to shine we caught what may have been our fifth or sixth wind. With about a mile to go to the finish line we saddled up our bikes and gave everything we had left. Crossing the line was a wonderful feeling and though our muscles were less than happy we couldn't help but smile and give each other a huge UHB hug. Now, a few weeks later the only question we have is 'Where's the next race?'
All photos from the race are here.
Racing in the Wild and Wonderful 24hr AR was an incredible experience for our team, Calleva UHB (Sarah Reschovsky, Phil Raymond, and Adam Swisher). We are relatively new to the AR scene, but are already hooked. The three of us work as Instructors at Calleva Outdoors and last summer, when given the opportunity, we decided to participate in the Calleva Adventure Race. We did well, winning the sport division, and caught the eye of Dima, who asked us to race as interns to the Calleva Team. We were grateful for the opportunity and super psyched to test our abilities in some bigger races. Showing up to the Wild n' Wonderful we didn't know what to expect and were humbled by all the teams and the grandeur of it all. I remember as we started the first trekking section we didn't know if we should jog or hike. We decided to play it safe and save our energy, so we hiked. Soon after, teams started passing us so we stepped it up a little and after a short while we found a good groove that would carry us the duration of the race. As we paced along we worked out some of the kinks of novice racers and for most of the first day found ourselves sitting nicely in the middle of the pack. Our only goals were to finish the race and to thoroughly enjoy ourselves in doing so. At times we would get lost or take unnecessary detours, but worked through it together and never lost more than a hour. The scenery was incredible. At checkpoint 13, I think it was, we stopped and stood in awe on a rocky outcropping as the sun set over the gorge. As night fell we unknowingly started gaining time and at midnight as we transitioned into the bike time trial we were surprised to find ourselves well within the top 10. With the encouraging news we rallied through our transition and cruised into the single track time trial only to face the most difficult part of the entire race. Sarah counted the number of times she fell, 27, and was not happy about it. I was feeling nauseous and Phil ate it hard on an inside corner. This was the only time during the race where we were uncertain we would finish. We pushed on biking, then hikiing, then biking again, all the while feeling a little broken, but as the sun started to shine we caught what may have been our fifth or sixth wind. With about a mile to go to the finish line we saddled up our bikes and gave everything we had left. Crossing the line was a wonderful feeling and though our muscles were less than happy we couldn't help but smile and give each other a huge UHB hug. Now, a few weeks later the only question we have is 'Where's the next race?'
All photos from the race are here.
Jun 9, 2010
Wild and Wonderful.
Report by Val Chapa, team Calleva.
The Wild n Wonderful 24hr race was a good experience for all of us, especially me and my navigation! Due to Dima's inability to avoid a stationary wall on his bike (he luckily only broke one rib), Team Calleva was down one member, our best navigator for sure. Vlad, Karen and I made the journey down to Ace Adventures outside of Oak Hill, WV. This is a very well established outdoor venue with wonderful whitewater, miles of trail running available, and some of the best single track around on the eastcoast. Odyssey race organizer Ronny Angell put together another great race course. At the start of the race, Karen did a great job with the swimming leg, and the land navigation portion of the race. Vlad and I basically supported her and helped with pointing out visible reference points to help us along. We finished this portion of course in the top 5. Midway through the bike leg we climbed up to first. On the bike legs, I navigated some and did okay but once it became nightfall I made a critical error in not counting the forks in the road! This would lead us to spending 2hrs. at the farthest lake trolling in beaver water for a phantom checkpoint!! Earlier in the evening we stopped racing to help a local man re-harness his dogs...this gesture would later help us as we then could use some advice. After learning of our missed turn we headed back found the checkpoint within minutes and then headed to the transition to learn that we had fallen way behind the leaders. Our last section of the race was a night orienteering leg that befuddled us because of the necessity to use local maps that were not orienteering maps, so the became confused in the wee hours of dawn when we realized we were much lower than required when trying to get one of the mandatory checkpoints. Disgruntled with our performance and with little time to get make it to the next bike orienteering section we enjoyed ourselves as we strolled back to the finish line. The bigest enjoyment of this race was racing with Vlad and Karen, some of the whitewater rapids, the beautiful views and the great single track. Hope to see ya'll racing.
The Wild n Wonderful 24hr race was a good experience for all of us, especially me and my navigation! Due to Dima's inability to avoid a stationary wall on his bike (he luckily only broke one rib), Team Calleva was down one member, our best navigator for sure. Vlad, Karen and I made the journey down to Ace Adventures outside of Oak Hill, WV. This is a very well established outdoor venue with wonderful whitewater, miles of trail running available, and some of the best single track around on the eastcoast. Odyssey race organizer Ronny Angell put together another great race course. At the start of the race, Karen did a great job with the swimming leg, and the land navigation portion of the race. Vlad and I basically supported her and helped with pointing out visible reference points to help us along. We finished this portion of course in the top 5. Midway through the bike leg we climbed up to first. On the bike legs, I navigated some and did okay but once it became nightfall I made a critical error in not counting the forks in the road! This would lead us to spending 2hrs. at the farthest lake trolling in beaver water for a phantom checkpoint!! Earlier in the evening we stopped racing to help a local man re-harness his dogs...this gesture would later help us as we then could use some advice. After learning of our missed turn we headed back found the checkpoint within minutes and then headed to the transition to learn that we had fallen way behind the leaders. Our last section of the race was a night orienteering leg that befuddled us because of the necessity to use local maps that were not orienteering maps, so the became confused in the wee hours of dawn when we realized we were much lower than required when trying to get one of the mandatory checkpoints. Disgruntled with our performance and with little time to get make it to the next bike orienteering section we enjoyed ourselves as we strolled back to the finish line. The bigest enjoyment of this race was racing with Vlad and Karen, some of the whitewater rapids, the beautiful views and the great single track. Hope to see ya'll racing.
May 28, 2010
Wild and Wonderful this weekend.
The famous Odyssey race starts tomorrow morning. There are 48 teams, 124 competitors from 17 states and 2 of these teams are Calleva's teams. Our veterans Val, Karen and Vlad race in Squad Calleva, while Phil, Sarah and Adam are going for their first 24 hours event as team UHB.
The race course is about 100 miles long and includes whitewater rafting, mountain biking, trekking and navigation with map and compass at all times.
The race central is working on Checkpoin Tracker, the leader board and life coverage should be ON tomorrow morning.
Leave your comments on the race central to support our teams!
Take a look on our new uniforms:
That's Vlad taken photo with the team on-board camera before the start of the race.
P.S. Dima is out of commission for the next 3 weeks because of a broken rib.
The race course is about 100 miles long and includes whitewater rafting, mountain biking, trekking and navigation with map and compass at all times.
The race central is working on Checkpoin Tracker, the leader board and life coverage should be ON tomorrow morning.
Take a look on our new uniforms:
That's Vlad taken photo with the team on-board camera before the start of the race.
P.S. Dima is out of commission for the next 3 weeks because of a broken rib.
May 19, 2010
9 hours of Cranky Monkey
Race Report by Petr Minar, team Calleva/NCVC
The race took place in Rocky Gap State Park in MD on May, 15. This is a new venue from EX2Adventures for this year. Rocky Gap is beautiful place in MD surrounding lake Habeeb. Camping on the lake shore by the beach was permitted during the race weekend and I took the advantage of it and camped with my family for 2 days. We had very good time..
Race started on Saturday 11 AM and finished in the evening at 8 PM. Racers competed to make as many 8 mile laps as possible in the shortest time before the time cut off. Rocky Gap's mountain bike trail is smooth rolling semi- technical on the lake shore and very technical and difficult while riding on the slope of the mountain. The race consisted of crossing several water features (short section of riding in the water ), rock gardens and tough rocky descents. To avoid a mechanical as much as possible was one of my objectives. I did have a leaking tire and a bad crash but recovered from both with minimal time penalties and rode to a victory in my class and overall 15 out of 160 teams.
Overall great weekend of racing, camping and fun.
Results are here.
The race took place in Rocky Gap State Park in MD on May, 15. This is a new venue from EX2Adventures for this year. Rocky Gap is beautiful place in MD surrounding lake Habeeb. Camping on the lake shore by the beach was permitted during the race weekend and I took the advantage of it and camped with my family for 2 days. We had very good time..
Race started on Saturday 11 AM and finished in the evening at 8 PM. Racers competed to make as many 8 mile laps as possible in the shortest time before the time cut off. Rocky Gap's mountain bike trail is smooth rolling semi- technical on the lake shore and very technical and difficult while riding on the slope of the mountain. The race consisted of crossing several water features (short section of riding in the water ), rock gardens and tough rocky descents. To avoid a mechanical as much as possible was one of my objectives. I did have a leaking tire and a bad crash but recovered from both with minimal time penalties and rode to a victory in my class and overall 15 out of 160 teams.
Overall great weekend of racing, camping and fun.
Results are here.
May 3, 2010
Muddy Buddy 2010
This Sunday 600+ teams of two ran and biked their way through the hilly course of the Pocahontas State Park near Richmond, VA, stopping at intervals to complete obstacles that included a giant inflatable slide, a cargo net and the finishing mud pit. The Incredibles: Dima, Karen and mini muddy buddy Avery made it through the mud pit taken the second place in division! Last year we finished third, way to go!
Apr 23, 2010
Apr 21, 2010
Earth Day updates.
Join forces with Calleva, Potomac Community Resources, Wholefoods, the C&O Canal Stewards and the Nature Conservancy at Riley's Lock at 13015 Riley's Lock Road, Poolesville, MD 20837. We need your help cleaning up Riley's Lock after a season of flooding! We will be cleaning flood debris, repainting fences & picnic tables and beautifying our park!
Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 10am-2pm or longer-- 'till we get all our work done!
SSL hours can be earned!
Phil, Ted and Karen at the top of the Woodstock Tower:
Karen in full lotus relaxation after 10 hours, 100 k training:
Written by our friend Monika (aka Sunika) from team Trakkers.
"Paddling in the canoe would not normally be a big deal….for someone who is awake"
Read the full story and smile!
Apr 19, 2010
Baker's Dozen 2010
Report by Petr Minar
Team CALLEVA / SEAVS Racin
I raced solo, which was first time for me to do any such long race. Until now the longest riding experience for me was Shenandoah mountain 100 mile course in about 10 hours. The day of the race was chili and very windy. In the evening we got temperatures below 40. Race started at 9 AM with massive start of huge field. Each soloist and team had to make a many 8+ miles laps as possible. After 10 PM no more racers could start their new lap and all other racers on the course could finish their current lap.
Doing a long race like this (I rode for 13.5 hours and over 160 miles) is physical and mental challenge. I finished the race with 19 laps total in time over 13.5 hours and took 7th place out of 82 man solo racers. First 10 laps seemed to be OK as far as motivation goes. The most critical laps for me were between 10 and 16 when body starts feeling the fatigue and finish is still way far. I started taking longer brakes which cost me probably couple spots in final ranking. Last 4 laps were again a bit easier as the finish is getting closer.
I have learned new things during this race. Mostly what is good to eat during these long endurance races, when the body really does not want to accept just any food. For me worked... bananas, grapes, dried mango, dried pineapple, mix of nuts, Hammer bars, lost of Endurolite tablets and lots of Hammer Perpetuem...
Also it seems that longer brakes (20-30 mins) are not necessarily better than short 3-5 minutes brakes, as the body is not getting much desired rest anyway and only cools down in the excessive time. Camping/ sharing tent with friends also helps as they can give moral support but also can delay you in pit for longer time than necessary.
Overall this was tough race for solo riding but I am happy I have done.
Resuts by category can be found here.
Team CALLEVA / SEAVS Racin
Baker's Dozen 2010 - Start from Tom Jackson on Vimeo.
The race took place by Leesburg town in VA on the private farm by Potomac River on April, 17. This is one of the newer races (put on by Plug Grove Cyclery bike shop) but quickly became very popular and this year sold out in record 50 minutes after the race opened for registration on Bikereg. The participants limit reached about 425 people that quickly. This is endurance type of mountain bike race. Participants could choose from solo racing, 2 person and 3 person of various combinations of male and female formats.I raced solo, which was first time for me to do any such long race. Until now the longest riding experience for me was Shenandoah mountain 100 mile course in about 10 hours. The day of the race was chili and very windy. In the evening we got temperatures below 40. Race started at 9 AM with massive start of huge field. Each soloist and team had to make a many 8+ miles laps as possible. After 10 PM no more racers could start their new lap and all other racers on the course could finish their current lap.
Doing a long race like this (I rode for 13.5 hours and over 160 miles) is physical and mental challenge. I finished the race with 19 laps total in time over 13.5 hours and took 7th place out of 82 man solo racers. First 10 laps seemed to be OK as far as motivation goes. The most critical laps for me were between 10 and 16 when body starts feeling the fatigue and finish is still way far. I started taking longer brakes which cost me probably couple spots in final ranking. Last 4 laps were again a bit easier as the finish is getting closer.
I have learned new things during this race. Mostly what is good to eat during these long endurance races, when the body really does not want to accept just any food. For me worked... bananas, grapes, dried mango, dried pineapple, mix of nuts, Hammer bars, lost of Endurolite tablets and lots of Hammer Perpetuem...
Also it seems that longer brakes (20-30 mins) are not necessarily better than short 3-5 minutes brakes, as the body is not getting much desired rest anyway and only cools down in the excessive time. Camping/ sharing tent with friends also helps as they can give moral support but also can delay you in pit for longer time than necessary.
Overall this was tough race for solo riding but I am happy I have done.
Resuts by category can be found here.
Apr 13, 2010
E-Fix 2010 --Not your soloist's race! Part 2.
E-Fix is well known as the toughest 2 day race in the country. During the pre-race briefing Ronny explained that only the strongest teams have a chance to clear the course, if and maybe. The list of these "ifs" and "maybes" was pretty long and included perfect navigation, no medical issues, no mechanical problems, no sleep, no extreme weather conditions, perfect strategy and good luck. Ronny says basically this exact same thing every single race, and many times even the strongest teams can not get all possible CPs. The ranking of these races is determined first by the total number of mandatory CPs acquired, then by the number of optional CPs and then by the total race time. Of course you have to make all cutoffs to stay on the full course. My minimal goal for this race was to get all mandatory CPs and to make all cutoffs. At least it was all I wanted rolling into my second night of the race. I started to feel tired and couldn't seem to move fast enough. I knew that other teams were closing on me and at the last CP before Camp Creek two teams, Tecnu Extreme and Raging Burrito caught up to me. As a result I got good news and bad news. The bad news--I was not first anymore, while the good news was that I can worry less about the navigation. I jumped into line after the very fast Tecnu Extreme and in 20 minutes or so arrived to TA7. I was wet, cold, tired, hungry and sick of the energy gels I forced myself to eat for the last 33 hours. I pulled out the Camp Creek map and started reading the instructions for this leg.
The instructions were very confusing and included several cutoffs for my present location. Following my simple rule of never leaving the TA without understanding all the rules I went back to Joy for an explanation. Apparently it was pretty simple, I had to be back at this transition by 2 am with all mandatory CPs. With Tecnu Extreme 5 minutes ahead I joined forces with my old friends from Raging Burrito. We started slow and spent at least 10 minutes looking for the first cemetery. I still hoped to get some optional CPs of this leg, but time ran faster than the distance we covered and after the second cemetery I realized that the only way to get all mandatory CPs was to run.Usually I don't run 35 hours into a race, but this time I decided to make an exception. I covered 10 k in 50 minutes and spent another 5 minutes looking for the CP. It doesn't sound too fast, but it was at night, with the backpack, on a really bad trail that crossed three deep creeks. I had no time to look for better crossing options and one creek was chest deep for me. I was back to the transition 8 minutes before the cutoff, shaking from cold and excitement. Here I got coordinates for the next mandatory CP and started to plot the way back to the finish. 10 minutes later I was ready to leave when I realized that I was the only racer in the transition area. No other teams made the cutoff, and now I was not only first in time, but also the first in the overall ranking. Now all I had to do to win this race was to finish it! (Not as easy as that sounds)!
I went to Joy to check out and she told me to be very careful: "You are going to be the only racer in this forest. Be safe, no other teams are following you". The real meaning of her words became clear to me only when I got to the top of the Nelly Knob. The well marked park trails ended here and I started descend on a muddy, steep ATV trail. It was bad and absolutely unridable. I had to walk with my bike and carry it across big creeks. That was the only section of the race with snow on the ground. And for the first time during the race I had to deal with complicated navigation problems. This area between CP 45 and 46 was the key section of the race. The whole idea of the race was clear now: Ronny wanted only the strongest and most competitive teams to make the cutoff and enter this leg. He probably never intended for any soloist to try it. When I finally came out of the forest and found the flag of CP 46, I just wanted to call Ronny and tell him that I was OK. Fortunately CP 46 was the only CP of the race with sign-up sheet attached and I put my lone time of 06:19 in the top line of the sheet. All I wanted now was sunlight.40+ hours from the start. I was wet, cold and out of food. I had a few more gels left, but nothing could force me to put them into my mouth. My backpack was almost empty. All the clothes I had were on me and were wet, but I felt good, waiting for sun to come up. At 8 am I sadly realized that today there will be no sun. Dark gray clouds covered the sky and strong winds brought a rainy smell. And to make things even worse, the wind was blowing from the south, the same direction as the crazy current I had to fight during this last leg of paddling to the finish. Surprisingly, I paddled very fast, faster than most teams and finished the race just under 47 hours. I was the overall winner and only 3 teams beat me in total (mandatory + optional) number of CPs. I was sleepy and tired, as I did not sleep or rest during the race (not to mention the race was 50 hours long!), but had no pain and no blisters. After a hot shower, one hour of sleep and absolutely amazing after-race food, I was brought back to life and I even jumped through the hall for my trophy during the award ceremony.
Odyssey made another epic event we will all remember. Calleva Outdoor Adventure provided me with full sponsorship for this race, Dave let me use his light canoe, my wife and two sons gave me a few days of vacation, my friends and teammates supported me before and during the race. Without all these people I wouldn't have made my little story a big success.
Photos credits MadRaceMedia.com and ImOnPoint. Youtube video clips were done by ImOnPoint.
Apr 12, 2010
Training this weekend
Come join us this Sunday for 12 hours half night, half day AR training at the Elizabeth Furnace.
Schedule:
We will start 2am (YES 2 AM) Sunday MORNING from the Elizabeth Furnace trailheads parking lot. We will leave the parking lot at 2:30 the latest. We will run and navigate at night, we will bike on forest roads and some simpler singletrack. We will train transitions from bike to run and back, and repeat everything during the day. The whole training will take about 12 hours, but you can leave earlier, if you want. You also can try to come later and wait for us at the parking lot, but it might be a while until we get back.
Directions
Gear:
Please let Dima know, if you want to have a topo map of the area (similar one will be used on the race in May), or just get National Geographic's Trails Illustrated #792 to have some navigational fun.
Schedule:
We will start 2am (YES 2 AM) Sunday MORNING from the Elizabeth Furnace trailheads parking lot. We will leave the parking lot at 2:30 the latest. We will run and navigate at night, we will bike on forest roads and some simpler singletrack. We will train transitions from bike to run and back, and repeat everything during the day. The whole training will take about 12 hours, but you can leave earlier, if you want. You also can try to come later and wait for us at the parking lot, but it might be a while until we get back.
Directions
Gear:
- Mountain bike with bright front light and rear red light. *
- Biking helmet, biking shoes.
- Pump and Spare tube for your bike.
- Really bright headlight. *
- Running shoes. 2 pairs would be better.
- Spare socks.
- Backpack with hydration system.
- Racing food.
- Water and water purification tablets.
- Compass.
- First aid kit.
Please let Dima know, if you want to have a topo map of the area (similar one will be used on the race in May), or just get National Geographic's Trails Illustrated #792 to have some navigational fun.
Apr 6, 2010
E-Fix 2010 --Not your soloist's race! Part 1.
Before the race I built and tested the system that allowed me to attach my canoe onto portage wheels and then to my bike. It takes less than minute to put it on and off, requires no tools and weights about a pound. Ronny even came out to see my contraption in action. The entire portage took me just a couple of minutes of very fast downhill to Blue Stone Lake. Before hitting the water I gave a short shout out for youtube and hitmy first big problem.
Blue Stone is normally a lake, but recent flooding forced the dam to open and the lake now had a current. And what current! I disheartenly realized that if I don't paddle at full power, I moved backwards. It took me until sunset to get to the first transition, where we were graciously allowed to leave all our biking gear before continuing to paddle upstream. From the take out point to transition was about quarter mile of knee deep mud. Here I made my first mistake--rolling my bike through this mud. I spent next 5 minutes cleaning my drivetrain and brakes. The temperature at night was well below freezing and I didn't want my bike to get frozen with this mud. I left the bike and was back in the water in total darkness. The current was crazy and I made it only to Dickenson creek (2008 E-Fix transition) to continue on foot to mandatory CP5. That was easy and I planned to take a couple of optional CPs of this leg. The easiest and closest one was CP6 on the "hill side". I was reminded of one of Odyssey's trademarks--no well defined attack point--and I changed my mind. I didn't want to search this quarter mile long area all by myself. The lights of two or three teams were scattered around the slope and I decided to skip optional CPs of this leg. I went back to my canoe and in 20 minutes made it back to transition. I spent only 2 hours paddling in the opposite direction. How fast was the current?
From this moment in the race I was first, no other racers in transition areas, no footprints, no blinking lights in front of me. Navigation was not difficult and the hardest part was to maintain the fastest possible pace. I solved this problem by removing one layer of clothes. Now I was cold at rest and had to work hard to stay warm. I made it to the transition in Pipestem State Park one hour before the sunrise. I decided to do the loop counterclockwise and approached CP22 with the first light. The trail was very technical downhill and a few hundred feet before the CP I was surrounded by very dense fog. It was so bad that I couldn't see my own legs and didn't move for 5 minutes. For the next 30 minutes to the CP and all the way back uphill, I crawled from tree to tree by feel, until the sun killed the fog. I made the loop with all optional CPs and was back to the transition for the next bike leg, followed by paddling and another very long biking section. The weather was much better than previous day: clear sky and light breeze. At the second sunset I left the part of the preplotted map and had to stop at most intersections to check directions. West Virginia rollercoaster continued into the second night. The hardest part of the race was in front of me...
Mar 23, 2010
First expedition SOLO!
The coming weekend is the Toughest 2 Day Race in the Country, The Odyssey Endorphin Fix. This year it's unsupported and no gear box style race. Everything you need to survive the West Virginia wilderness must be in your backpack at the start line. That's why Dima is doing it SOLO!I am pretty much ready: 700 miles of biking, 80 miles of running, 10 miles of paddling (including 5 with my bike in the canoe), and 5 miles of canoe portage (with bike). All this in the last 3 weeks. Now a lot of sleep, rest, carbohydrates, and yoga. You can follow the race progress at Checkpoint Tracker. My team name is Calleva-Solo, my number is 11.
Other updates...
Results are finally in, we finished 4th overall the Soggy Bottom Boys Race. Amazing result, taking into account that we almost skip the last section. "Race results", as well as "Team Members", "Contact us", and all other tabs on the top of the page are updated. Thanks again to Google for new possibilities.
MORE 2010 Winter Party video is finally online! This is must see movie, the guys are doing great job and Calleva is proud to be MORE 2010 Gold Sponsor!
Mar 11, 2010
Patagonian Race 2010
Report by Valentin Chapa, team Eddie Bauer.
What a race! Those are my first thoughts when I look back at Team Eddie Bauer’s involvement. I had several highs and a few lows, but most importantly…I had a great time sharing my experience with my teammates, the organization, fellow competitors and with adventure racing fans everywhere. In my mind, this is the last and only wild expedition race available in the world.
Rob has written a lot pertaining to this race and our abilities. I second many of his thoughts when it comes to our racing and life experiences. I truly trust Rob and Druce with my life and when it comes to navigation, mountaineering and kayaking, I don’t really trust anyone as much as these two professionals.
Leg number one:
The kayak start, our kind of race start. It would not happen due to inclimate weather and the Chilean Navy’s desire to maintain safety at the start of the race. This was a huge blow to our race strategy. After crossing on the ferry, our strategy changed. We would march swiftly to the bike start instead of run the beach leg. We wanted to be fresh for the afternoon bike leg in the wind, plus we would still have over 500Km to travel! We passed the whale skeleton enroute to finishing the trek in 13th position. Not in front, but not last, and we were feeling good about the upcoming bike leg.
Leg number two:
While reviewing the mountain bike leg before the race, we knew we were facing a headwind. WOW. That’s really the best way to put my thought on how the wind blew our echelon left formation apart about 1/3 through the headwind section of the leg. I remember trying to keep inline with Druce’s back wheel and then just being blown sideways. I looked around and our entire team looked like we were each biking into different directions. Shortly thereafter, we spent a majority of the rest of the 2/3 headwind section of the bike leg walking our bikes and trying to keep them from being blown out of our hands.
Life was easier after we made our left hand turn and had the wind on our backs. I have to say the Eddie Bauer soft shell pants and primaloft jacket were the key to the entire team remaining warm during this leg…especially with the constant 30-40 mph winds and the 70-80mph gusts.
Leg number three:
Our first trek the beautiful landscape of Tierra Del Fuego was approximately 55km. The grasslands, subtle hills and the start of the slow elevation gains began here. We spent a fair amount of time here stepping out and enjoying the vast wonderful views of the grasslands. Wearing the EB base layer and the softshell pants were vital to our travel during this stage. Encountering the wind, occasional wet land, rain and nightfall kept us warm. The primaloft jacket was also great when the wind was too cool for just a shirt. I will say this about Rob’s navigation…spot on at every checkpoint.
Leg number four:
The long mountain bike leg in front of us was going to take us from checkpoint six to eight, about 180km of dirt roads. We packed up with about 24hrs of food, this later would become an issue as we learned that the bike leg was much longer than originally expected. We traveled along the “now very endless grasslands” that Rob mentions against the wind, hills and occasional woodlands. The navigation was pretty straightforward, so enjoying the beautiful landscape is what I found myself doing when not concentrating on our echelon biking. On our significant left hand turn in this section, a truck pulled up and started siphoning petrol from a 55gallon drum into it’s tank. It was funny to see because the drum was in the truckbed! Since I can speak Spanish I asked about a grocery store and I was told of a yellow house at an estancia. Ten kilometers up our path Paulette and I went up to the door to ask if we could purchase some food. After realizing that the lady was having difficulty speaking to me in Spanish I asked if she understood English. It was very funny to learn that she was from New Zealand! We spent an hour and a half eating, drinking coffee and making a new friend. We also learned of her encounters with the Brazilians and the Spanish teams the day before. There were some hilarious moments in her home.
Leg number five:
At the arrival of checkpoint eight, I was feeling very confident. Rob and Druce had done a magnificent job of navigating on the past treks and bike rides. Our times were not very fast, but we were managing our time. We had discussed being more efficient in the transition areas, and I felt that as a team we were very happy to be getting off our bikes and into the mountains. I remember hearing Druce talk about our confidence levels and inside I was so happy to be heading up, up into the mountains.
The trek leg started off nice. We went up a couple thousand feet along side a river making our own trail. Occasionally Rob would find a guacano trail and our path would become a little easier. A cameraman was following us for the first four kilometers approximately, it was funny to hear him tell us that no team had taken the same route up into the mountains and that had been his 7th trip up with a team. Talk about pristine wilderness in southern Chile. I will not forget this trip.
We arrived at checkpoint nine at about 0100 that evening. The staff were awakened with our arrival and were encouraged to let us pass through the rappel so that we could continue with the race. After about 1.5hrs of getting to the rappel and getting each of us off the rope we short prepared to continue on. The next 12 to 14hours became our most difficult to trek. As a team we ran into a few obstacles and just had difficulty finding a way to get ourselves moving fast enough to reach checkpoint ten by the cutoff. We eventually arrived and learned of end to this magnificent race. I was shocked. I didn’t know how or what to do. This was the first time I had not reached a cutoff. The next day the team traveled to checkpoint eight with two other teams, the Brazilians and one of the Chilean teams.
While having not completing the race is an unfulfilled space in my heart, I became a fan of those teams who pushed on and finished this magnificent race. My interaction with those of us teams left behind became a time of shared experiences and reflection of what “could have been”. New friendships were made and bonds were created amongst us that cross the line from spectators to athletes. Possible future endeavors have been discussed, but one thing shared with my friends from several teams is a common thought…we will be back next year.
Thank you to Wenger, Eddie Bauer, and Numa sunglasses. Without your help, I wouldn’t be able to compete in this year’s Patagonian Expedition Race. I hope our stories express the gratitude, and wearing your products show the world how great it is to be a part of your organizations.
Best regards,
Valentin Chapa
What a race! Those are my first thoughts when I look back at Team Eddie Bauer’s involvement. I had several highs and a few lows, but most importantly…I had a great time sharing my experience with my teammates, the organization, fellow competitors and with adventure racing fans everywhere. In my mind, this is the last and only wild expedition race available in the world.Rob has written a lot pertaining to this race and our abilities. I second many of his thoughts when it comes to our racing and life experiences. I truly trust Rob and Druce with my life and when it comes to navigation, mountaineering and kayaking, I don’t really trust anyone as much as these two professionals.
Leg number one:
The kayak start, our kind of race start. It would not happen due to inclimate weather and the Chilean Navy’s desire to maintain safety at the start of the race. This was a huge blow to our race strategy. After crossing on the ferry, our strategy changed. We would march swiftly to the bike start instead of run the beach leg. We wanted to be fresh for the afternoon bike leg in the wind, plus we would still have over 500Km to travel! We passed the whale skeleton enroute to finishing the trek in 13th position. Not in front, but not last, and we were feeling good about the upcoming bike leg.
Leg number two:
While reviewing the mountain bike leg before the race, we knew we were facing a headwind. WOW. That’s really the best way to put my thought on how the wind blew our echelon left formation apart about 1/3 through the headwind section of the leg. I remember trying to keep inline with Druce’s back wheel and then just being blown sideways. I looked around and our entire team looked like we were each biking into different directions. Shortly thereafter, we spent a majority of the rest of the 2/3 headwind section of the bike leg walking our bikes and trying to keep them from being blown out of our hands.
Life was easier after we made our left hand turn and had the wind on our backs. I have to say the Eddie Bauer soft shell pants and primaloft jacket were the key to the entire team remaining warm during this leg…especially with the constant 30-40 mph winds and the 70-80mph gusts.
Leg number three:
Our first trek the beautiful landscape of Tierra Del Fuego was approximately 55km. The grasslands, subtle hills and the start of the slow elevation gains began here. We spent a fair amount of time here stepping out and enjoying the vast wonderful views of the grasslands. Wearing the EB base layer and the softshell pants were vital to our travel during this stage. Encountering the wind, occasional wet land, rain and nightfall kept us warm. The primaloft jacket was also great when the wind was too cool for just a shirt. I will say this about Rob’s navigation…spot on at every checkpoint.
Leg number four:
The long mountain bike leg in front of us was going to take us from checkpoint six to eight, about 180km of dirt roads. We packed up with about 24hrs of food, this later would become an issue as we learned that the bike leg was much longer than originally expected. We traveled along the “now very endless grasslands” that Rob mentions against the wind, hills and occasional woodlands. The navigation was pretty straightforward, so enjoying the beautiful landscape is what I found myself doing when not concentrating on our echelon biking. On our significant left hand turn in this section, a truck pulled up and started siphoning petrol from a 55gallon drum into it’s tank. It was funny to see because the drum was in the truckbed! Since I can speak Spanish I asked about a grocery store and I was told of a yellow house at an estancia. Ten kilometers up our path Paulette and I went up to the door to ask if we could purchase some food. After realizing that the lady was having difficulty speaking to me in Spanish I asked if she understood English. It was very funny to learn that she was from New Zealand! We spent an hour and a half eating, drinking coffee and making a new friend. We also learned of her encounters with the Brazilians and the Spanish teams the day before. There were some hilarious moments in her home.
Leg number five:
At the arrival of checkpoint eight, I was feeling very confident. Rob and Druce had done a magnificent job of navigating on the past treks and bike rides. Our times were not very fast, but we were managing our time. We had discussed being more efficient in the transition areas, and I felt that as a team we were very happy to be getting off our bikes and into the mountains. I remember hearing Druce talk about our confidence levels and inside I was so happy to be heading up, up into the mountains.
The trek leg started off nice. We went up a couple thousand feet along side a river making our own trail. Occasionally Rob would find a guacano trail and our path would become a little easier. A cameraman was following us for the first four kilometers approximately, it was funny to hear him tell us that no team had taken the same route up into the mountains and that had been his 7th trip up with a team. Talk about pristine wilderness in southern Chile. I will not forget this trip.
We arrived at checkpoint nine at about 0100 that evening. The staff were awakened with our arrival and were encouraged to let us pass through the rappel so that we could continue with the race. After about 1.5hrs of getting to the rappel and getting each of us off the rope we short prepared to continue on. The next 12 to 14hours became our most difficult to trek. As a team we ran into a few obstacles and just had difficulty finding a way to get ourselves moving fast enough to reach checkpoint ten by the cutoff. We eventually arrived and learned of end to this magnificent race. I was shocked. I didn’t know how or what to do. This was the first time I had not reached a cutoff. The next day the team traveled to checkpoint eight with two other teams, the Brazilians and one of the Chilean teams.
While having not completing the race is an unfulfilled space in my heart, I became a fan of those teams who pushed on and finished this magnificent race. My interaction with those of us teams left behind became a time of shared experiences and reflection of what “could have been”. New friendships were made and bonds were created amongst us that cross the line from spectators to athletes. Possible future endeavors have been discussed, but one thing shared with my friends from several teams is a common thought…we will be back next year.
Thank you to Wenger, Eddie Bauer, and Numa sunglasses. Without your help, I wouldn’t be able to compete in this year’s Patagonian Expedition Race. I hope our stories express the gratitude, and wearing your products show the world how great it is to be a part of your organizations.
Best regards,
Valentin Chapa
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