Xstream Endurance Racing

Well if you want to read a Disney story with a good ending, but with lots of drama then continue reading. This was team "Committed" first 24 hour race. There was a lot of prep work for this race in a short period of time. The Gravity Play website suggests that an athlete be able to run 15-20 miles, bike 40 –50 miles, and kayak about 15 miles in class II and III rapids. The longest distance that our team had run was 6-10 miles. So we worked up to running about 15 miles as our longest run in our training. We also found a good blog from a racer in 2008 which gave detailed information on trails, and check points. This information was valuable to help us understand the terrain we were going to be in. One of the disadvantages of competing in a new race is we are not familiar with the terrain and trails, where some of the teams are regular competitors and already know strategic trail options and short cuts. So we were grateful for the info.
The race started Friday at midnight with a 4 mile run to check point 3 which would start the first orienteering course. On the way to CP 3 we already felt the disadvantage of not knowing the terrain because, during the first 3 miles there was only one trail to follow and we passed many teams, but the last mile had a few options and the teams that we passed beat us to the CP by taking better routes. Frustration begins!
We got our orienteering map and nerves set in and the game plan of taking our time and not feeling rushed went out the door. Frustration again! We started to our first of 13 control points, not really feeling comfortable but able to find the point with a little searching. Mind you this is in complete darkness. We were doing fine up to control point 5. There terrain dramatically changed from rolling hills and trees to rolling hills and trees with lots of boulders, rock gardens, and washes. Our strategy as rookie orienteerer’s was to try and follow a straight line or bearing between control points. This was not possible because of the terrain and thus we got lost, I MEAN LOST. Lost lead to wandering, wandering lead to swearing, swearing lead to despair and then next thing we know we feel like we are already out of contention for the race. It was never spoken to quit, but the feeling was there because for a few moments instead of trying to find a route, we just sat there and looked and head lamps from other teams scampering in and out of the trees. Occasionally we would say “hey there’s a light, should we go over their?” and as soon as we would attempt to head in that direction the light would disappear.
We finally made a decision to start hiking toward the city light glow which we new the KAO campground (CP 3) was in that general direction. As we were hiking we came across a large dirt road, which was on our map, and then shortly a team came running down the road. It happen to be the team from Park City that we met before the race began, with embarrassment we had to admit that we were lost and that we needed to know where we were on the map. They were searching for cp 10 and graciously showed us our proximity. We took a bearing and started hiking toward what we thought would be cp 5 again. We found a cp but it wasn’t 5… IT WAS 4!? We made a complete loop of who knows where and how much distance was traveled but we were back on track. There was a learning curve to how to read this terrain and we quickly adapted and started making all the cp’s.
We came out of the O – Course dead last and we now faced a new dilemma. Frustration again! The next part of the course was the Rogaine section, which meant we would find 3 check points in any order. We mapped the coordinates and determined the distance would be an approximate 15 miles of running….”WHAT? Is that correct?” We have already traveled about 13 miles and there is a mandatory 4 miles to run back to the kayak transition. Again there was some sitting around on a ridge determining what we should do. We knew we were not going to run the whole 15 miles and make it back in time for the kayak cut off. So then we tried to determine which CP to do and make it back in time for the kayak. After doing the math and determining how much time it was going to take us, it is was determined that would will skip the whole Rogaine section and take a 6 hour penalty. OUCH! (This is why adventure racing is so much different than other endurance racing sports, there are many decisions to make and its just not about who is the fittest team). FRUSTRATION IS DRIPPING from every pore at this point. We where already dead last, “How could the best decision be to take a 6 hour penalty!?”
As with all Disney story’s there is always hope, and with team Committed there was hope that we could still have a notable finish. We decided skip the Rogaine and bust back to the Kayak transition and rest for about an hour and half before the kayak section opened at 8:30. When I say bust, Robert took that literally and set stabbing pace under 9:00 minutes miles. I think he new he was going to get some warm food and a nap so he put a new definition to busting a run. Our final run distance was about 17- 18 miles (so we thought).
We met our support crew and Robert got his nap and warm food, but the rest was short lived and it was time to jump into our so called water proof gear and kayak the Class II and III town section of the Arkansas. One problem, there is hardly any water. Last years race the CFS was around 1000. This year it was stretching to meet 300 CFS. I actually think this played to our advantage. Instead of just reading the rapids and staying in the boat, we had to focus on following the main flow of the current and bounce through the tight gaps of rocks. ( I wouldn’t suggest buying the boats Gravity Play used for this race this year. They are not going to have a bottom on them.) We shined through this section and had the fastest time by a ½ hour. The only down side to the kayak section of the race was, Jared lost his job. Celia is Jared’s boss and kayak partner. Celia told Jared that if he “dumps” the kayak that she would fire him. Jared and Celia got pinned on a rock and flipped in knee-deep water. This is more scary than flipping in deep water because of the rocks. Even though Jared was immediately fired from his job, he manage to grab Celia, the boat, and his paddle and get back in the boat, and quickly caught up with Aaron and Rob. On a side note, Jared has reapplied for Nash Insurance and gracefully Nash Insurance rehired him back to his original position. A secret was learned during the kayak and that is to rub your muscles with Cayenne Ointment after you run. We staggered out of the river with hardly any stiffness. So we had a quick transition to the bike and set off for the next O- Course. Now the next O- Course was on the bike…..so we thought.As we arrived to the O-course they handed us our map and it showed back country travel again. “We are the 24 hour racers” we said thinking they gave us the wrong map. We wanted the bike O-course. The race volunteer made a quick phone call to the race director and handed us the map back saying “your on foot” Oh, my heart sunk deep into the pit of despair. My feet were already hammered from the first course and now we have to run another 10 miles or so in our cycling shoes. Grumble, grumble and a few choice words and off we went. But remember I told you, this is a Disney story and in all Disney stories when the hero’s are in there darkest hour some out side source of good rescues them and hands the hero a magic sword, shield, potion, or…… SHOES!!!!!!!!!God sent Angels Bill, Becca, and Stephanie were sent to rescue our hero’s from certain pain and anguish. As we were running off into the course our support crew drove into the CP area with our shoes. Hope was reestablished and off we went into the woods with our trusty steed…. Ok just our map and compass.We did much better in this O- course. There was still some learning that by the end of the 17 points we had a pretty good system and we were the only team that found all the O- Course check points. We did struggle on cp 5 again. For some reason that is a jinks number for us.
By this point of the race we were in a “just finishing” mode. We had run about 35 miles, 15 more than expected, we have a 6 hour penalty assessed from skipping the Rogaine, our O- courses are slow, Celia has a bummed knee, Robert has a bummed hip, Aaron’s feet are hammered, and bad weather is on the horizon. So with hopes of finishing the race we ride to the Tyrolean traverse which really is just and excuse to get some rest. All of us flew across that traverse, though it was not easy. Arms feel like they are going to fall off after 400’ of pulling.
The Final Chapter – NEVER GIVE UP!I have no idea what time it was when we finished the Tyrolean, but I think it was around 5pm. We rolled into the last transition area around 6pm and were handed our final biking CP’s. Our first verbal discussion of quitting was entertained. We were in last place, “Why should we kill ourselves for last place?” Plus we were told that the biking section took some of the teams 6 hours to complete which would bring us in around 10pm. Bad weather was on the horizon and we were just emotionally and physically tired. For a brief moment I think every one thought we were done. We had fought a good fight, we had learned that we need to take orienteering classes, and a good snuggle in a warm bed sound really good right now. “HOLD THE PHONE! (in your best Irish accent)” “we are here to race, and race to the end we will.” Team Committed mustered up the energy to fight one more fight. We saddled up and road off into the distant horizon. Before we left we did find out that it took only 2 hours for the fastest team to ride the course. I think it took us around 2.5 hours.
People frequently ask me when I am doing long endurance races, what do I eat? The standard answers are gels, bars, sport fuel, energy drinks, etc. I have yet to try a new secret fuel for athletes. It’s the Coke and Pringles super foods. As we were climbing, and slight tint of goodness was penetrating my nostrils. It was a familiar smell, but I could not place it. Then Robert comes blazing by eating his Pringles potato chips. They smelled deliciously good at this point. I had had enough of the traditional fuels. I really wanted a potato chip but I saw that Robert’s rations were just about empty and kept the Pringles craving to myself and as a motivation to drive harder to get back to the finish line.
We slammed through the finish line and finished the race course in about 19 hours plus the 6 hour penalty. Now this Disney story doesn’t have the tear jerker finish line ending. In fact with adventure racing you do not find out what place you take for a few more days until all the penalties have been added on to your racing times. We new we weren’t that last team because a few teams had dropped out, but when we found out that we took 2nd place, frustration converted to amazement and excitement.
Adventure Racing, what a great way to experience life. Of course with all Disney stories there are sequels. I hope to report and tear jerker finish in the next race in Durango



.The End.

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/a498dbb01615e3c22c

Let it be known, we had a faster kayak time then Team Committed

Saturday morning6:00 am Wake up6:01 am Panic, am I ready for this? Where is that list Aaron sent us?6:30 am Pick up Carolyn7:00 am Drop off gear at gear drop8:30 am Start kayaking8:31 am Found out that the supplied kayak is not like the ones we practiced with8:32 am Steering is a problem8:36 am Having back pains, these seats are horrid8:40 am Given up on using the seat. On my knees8:45 am Feet and legs are wet and cold from the water making it into the kayak8:50 am Kayak is half full of water and we are going slower and slower. I hope we don't sink10:00 am We are finally done with the Kayak. I never want to see that stupid boat ever again10:05 am Realization that my biking pants are soaked and that I will have to ride without them, stupid kayak10:06 am Used some other teams gear box as my personal changing platform, but I don’t care. Forgot a towel, so I have to use a shirt to dry off my feet and legs10:10 am Finally get my biking gear on and now I realize that I was given some bad advice about not pre-mixing my bottle of perpetuem.10:15 am Perpetuem bottles are mixed, but lumpy. I hope I can suck it out of the bottle when I need it.10:20 am Get our passport punched and we are on our way.10:30 am This is exciting. We are really making progress now. Partway up Long Canyon and had to take our first break.10:35 am Roped the bikes together. Walking the bikes up the canyon. Still excited but getting tired. I hope I brought enough gel.10:50 am Tried to ride the bikes but this canyon is really steep. Still walking.11:15 am What the crap? We turned a corner and the trail gets steeper. Still walking.11:25 am I'm in hell. This "Long Canyon" should be called "Never Ending Canyon"11:30 am Some rocks came off the canyon wall and nearly hit Carolyn. Wish it would have hit me.11:55 am I hate this canyon!12:30 pm Ha! That canyon is done. I hate that canyon!12:45 pm I hate this road. It looks like it's downhill, but why do I have to peddle?1:15 pm We are finally to the pavement. This should now get easier. About 5 or 10 people just passed us going to the finish line.1:30 pm We should have reached the check point by now. Where is it?1:40 pm Check point #2. This is ridiculous. But it should be all downhill from here to the repel.2:00 pm Check point #3. It was almost all downhill, but we passed a ton of people going up the hill. I hope we make it back up that road.2:02 pm We have dropped off our bikes, grabbed our climbing harnesses and water bottles. The girl at the check point said that the turn off for the repel is less than a quarter mile down the road.2:15 pm We haven't seen the turn off. Asked a guy passing us, he said we missed it. We turn around and run back up the road and find it behind two trucks parked in front of the marker.2:29 pm We made the cut-off by about one minute. Maybe we should have run slower.2:35 pm 300 feet is really high. But Carolyn made it and didn’t even scream or cry. So here I go.2:36 pm Why can't I stop!? Screaming in my head.2:40 pm I can't believe that was just a few minutes. It seemed like eternity came and went.2:45 pm Ok, so we won't finish the race, at least we made it this far.4:30 pm Check point #4 and 55:00 pm Sent a text to the support truck. They will pick us up at the transition point.5:45 pm Check point #6. The same girl who told us the repel was a quarter mile down the road now tells us that we can finish the race in time. And we believe her?5:50 pm Back on the bikes and heading to check point #7. Back up the road…6:15 pm Support truck is here, but delirium has us in its grip and we are going for the finish line.6:20 pm My left knee has gone out and we are walking our bikes again.6:45 pm Out of water. Can't think.7:00 pm We are at the top of Long Canyon. Nothing but downhill from here to the finish line. I love this canyon. Tears of joy.7:38 pm Finish line. Sure it's dark and we are the last ones to finish, but we did it. Now where's the ambulance?

What doesn't kill us makes us stonger. I believe this race made me a stronger person as a whole - not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. I think it's about having the self discipline to do the hard stuff for a while - at least until it gets easier.

We started out the morning a little nervous and didn’t really know what to expect with this being our first adventure race. Finally 3-2-1 Go! And we were off. We were the first into the water and headed down river. We looked around and we were excited to see that we were in first place. That quickly fizzled as we slowly got past by many other teams. We were paddling hard and in sync but everyone seemed to keep passing us with ease. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity we arrived at the end of the kayak and the first check point. We punched in and continued on through the transition from kayak to bike. We were a little wet so we had so change socks and remove some layers and that seemed to hinder what was looking to be a smooth transition. Then we took off on the bikes and into the discipline where we felt most comfortable. It was a confidence builder as we kept passing our 2-man competitors and some of the four-man teams up the never ending climb that is long canyon. Now we come to the repel at Gemini Bridges. There was a little bit of a back up at this point which doesn’t help nerves too much knowing what is coming. As it came to be our turn the workers called us up and connected our harness to the rope and said “Have fun”. I came to the edge of the cliff and dang near peed myself looking down 300 feet. Slow and steady we made it to the bottom without incident. As we searched and searched with about 5 other teams for the checkpoint that was suppose to be at the bottom, we finally found out that it didn’t get put out. After wasting 15 minutes we took off on the run back up to the top. We felt great as we reached the transition from the run back to the last leg of the bike. We reached checkpoint 7 and decided to start towing knowing that we only had a few miles of flat that we knew we could hammer through, then the rest would be downhill. We bombed down long canyon in a fraction of the time it took to climb up it and then hit the last few miles of pavement with everything we had. We finally reached the finish where we were greeted by awaiting family and friends. We were relieved that we finished and very proud of ourselves for giving it every last effort that we had. We set a goal halfway through the race to finish in less than 7 hours and we did just that with a time of 6:59:30. We are extremely proud of strong finish and the great ending of our first Adventure Race, and hope to have many more in the future.

Whew, I'm alive...... what a race! 9 hours 35 minutes, 53 miles, 6700 calories burned, 140 bpm average heart rate, leg cramps, and a sore butt. Team Bad Latitude had a great time and we pushed ourselves to the limit. The race started out at 8am with a mad rush to the 2 man inflatable kayaks. We paddled down the Colorado for nearly 7 miles to our first check point. From there we rode our bikes up Long Canyon, gaining 2200' of elevation, to check points 2 and 3. Nearly 27 miles later we arrive at the 300' rappel. Definitely the highlight of the race! Then comes the nearly 6 mile run back to the top of the rappel. I think the run was one of the most challenging parts. It was nearing 60 degrees but it felt like 90. Running through dry creek beds, rocky trails, slick rock...etc was taking a toll on our feet and legs. I could feel the cramps start to build. We walked for several miles eventually making it back to our bikes. Exhausted we drank some much needed water and fuel. Back on our bikes we headed back the way we came. It was up a long hill for nearly 5 miles before we leveled off and could start back down the canyon. It was here, on the long hill climb, that my quads started to cramp in both legs. I had lost the strength and fell back letting my team continue ahead of me. I stopped at one point and sure enough the cramps took hold of my left leg. I could not bend my knee for several minutes and watched as my muscles spasmed out of control. It was truly a crazy thing to watch! After several minutes of pain, I was able to continue on the bike. Once we hit the steep downhill section I caught, and flew past, my team. At the bottom of Long Canyon we regrouped and held a steady pace for the last 3 miles to the finish line. My legs were still cramping even as I stopped peddling and I had a hard time getting off my bike. We were greeted by cheers from our competitors and felt triumphant knowing we had completed such an amazing feat. Thanks to everyone for their love and support. I will post some race pics soon.

6:25: Trying to keep up with Aaron and Bill. 90 miles an hour racing to the first drop point. I hope we have enough time to set up our stuff6:29: Just made it in time. First in line. I hope Chad and Carolyn are out of Bed…. 7:00: Prep time. little beasty boys and sleep8:00: team committed was first in the water after a few injuries to other teams. 8:59: Running in first in first until we got stuck in a eddy. curse the shallows.9:25: Aaron the animal kayaker brings us in 3rd out of the water and we waited for Drew and Cilia. I was feeling great until I saw Kyle run by. He must have been really fast. I think that was the last time we saw them until dinner that night…10:30: Long Canyon is not so bad….10:31: we turned the last bend and realized why Long Canyon Sucks…..its bad After this point I think I lost track of time. Our plan to sprint from the top of Long Canyon to the road did not go too well. Our plan was 30 mile and hour…. no chance with the wind.We rolled though check point 12 min behind the first place team. All I can think is I hope no one passes us on the run. We arrived at the rappel and were told were cut the lead time to only 5 min. I think they were just playing with us. As we rappelled of the rock we lost sight of the 3rd place team that we had been trading second place with off and on. Never to see them again. Cilia and I got off the rope and took off running without the packs trying to fins the next check point. It would have been nice if they would have told us that they moved the check point. Drew and Aaron caught us half way down the canyon. I think that Bull Canyon should be renamed as Hell canyon. I am not sure how many hills that I walked compared to running but not enough running to keep up with our Iron Woman Cilia….Drew looks like he might die…I think I did but my life line tow rope kept me going. We transitioned great to our bikes and tried to make up time climbing out of the canyon. I feel bad for the teams that are just coming down the road to the rappel….Here comes Kyle… JAll I could think was if we can just make it to the top it is all downhill from there. I don’t remember much of our 30 mile and hour decent down long canyon. Just glad no one crashed. About this time I think we all got really excited to finish….Hopefully we can make up some time on the team in front of us. There is nothing like riding into a 15 mile and hour head wind as we raced to the finish. AS we cross the finish line I think to myself I think I must be sick because that was really fun and I cant wait for Durango….Drew infected me. Thanks Team committed to dragging my big butt around. Anytime you need another team mate count me in…

We started out at the back of the 4-person teams, got our kayak, and were eager to get in the water. But we had one problem, we couldn't figure out how the back of the seats in the kayak stayed up! Bernie realized that their kayak was backwards and then Sarah quickly figured out how to push the seats up. Thank goodness because Susan and I were baffled until Sarah came to help us! That's what I call teamwork! Ha! From then on our kayak was pretty smooth. Periodically we would hear whooping sounds from the bushes along the riverbank. Not to be confused with wolves, it was some of our loving husbands cheering us on!

After the kayak, we scrambled to get ready for the first section of the bike ride. I think everyone was still a little nervous at this point as we tried to make sure we had everything we needed for the rest of the race. As soon as we were ready, the Babes got on their Bikes and headed towards Long Canyon!

We made it to the top with only a couple of accidents! About half way up I remember seeing Sarah take a slow motion digger onto a rock, but she jumped up and assured us that she was okay. About two-thirds of the way up Susan caught me and showed me a big scrape on the inside of her upper arm. Luckily, she said she fell in front of a bunch of people who nicely asked if she was okay. (According to Susan, she always falls when there are a lot of unwanted witnesses!) Even though we had some bumps and bruises, we were still "Babes on Bikes". After the race, we found out Susan had more bumps and bruises that she endured, without complaint, through the rest of the race.

At check point two we realized we didn't punch our card at check point one, so I asked one of the other racers what the punch looked like and he replied, "Ah, they all look the same, just punch yours twice".............

So anyway, we got to the rappel and our team did awesome! Everyone made it down, no problem, even though some were a bit nervous. We started our run back to the top of the rappel where we ditched our bikes previously. During the run, I am glad I had my heart rate monitor because the hills were making my heart rate sky rocket. My teammates were nice enough to stick with me and we made it back to our bikes together.

Once we got back to our bikes, I thought "Okay, we are somewhere in the homestretch!" As we rode back the way we came, I kept seeing hills in front of me that I didn't remember riding down. I swear they went up both directions! We endured the ride back, and braved the downhill of Long Canyon. When we saw the road we were all relieved! As we neared the finish line we all wanted to see our families and I really wanted to eat something! We finished in about 9.5 hours which may not have been record time, but it was a good time to be had by all!

Thanks to Aaron for his training and knowledge that got us through the race with a faster time than last year!

Congratulations to
Celia Underwood, Jenny Weenig, Drew Free, and Aaron Ogden for making up the Team Chicken or Pig
AND
Susan Remond, Stacey Tachiki, Marianne Walsh, and Kristen Bellows for Team Committed

What a great race! 4 individuals giving all they had to make 1 team as fast as it could go. The morning was a brisk 28 degrees and "butterflies" were all around. Not sure what to wear we all put on a few layers trying to anticipate how warm or cold it was actually going to be. Family and Friends were chatting, wishing us luck, and all smiles. There was some anticipation in our team and we were ready to get it started. From the word go, the butterflies quickly turned to a sense of determination and calmness. Determination to give this race everything we could; Calmness because we were in our happy place now and we were prepared. First came a brief stretch of road, we settled in and drafted off other teams as we worked our way up through the pack before turning into Long Canyon. When we hit long canyon we decided it was time to "tow up". Celia and Drew kept riding and used this as a good opportunity to warm the body up and take it easy for a few minutes before Aaron and Jen were hot on their tails. "Now the fun begins," as the mild grade quickly turns to 15%. We moved systematically through the pack, passing other teams with efficiency. About 5 miles up long canyon we started to overheat and the clothes began to fly. Celia was like an onion, with at least 1 layer coming off each time we had a chance. By the time she was done her backpack weighed as much as she did and it was all she could do to keep from doing a "wheelie" but we just kept climbing. We soon hit the top and it was a fast decent to the first transition and the top of the rappel. Holy Sh!$, 300 ft is A LOT higher than 150 ft. But after a quick decent Drew, Celia and Jen watched Aaron free-fall from the top of the 300 ft repel. The guy doing to fireman's belay looked like he had seen a ghost, "dude, that was the fastest I have ever seen anyone come down." After a good laugh and IPod's blaring, we were off on the run. This would be the biggest test for all of us and it showed. There was not much talking the next hour, just a determination to get back to our bikes. We made it back to our bikes in an hour and a half and headed to the 6th checkpoint. Just after the transition, Jenny became very familiar with what the famed red dirt looks like in Moab as she took a "digger" just a couple of minutes into the decent. After a little apprehension, Aaron said it was time to "tow up" and pulled her down the decent at a little faster rate than she would have liked. The next sight Celia and Drew had of Aaron and Jen, they were blazing down a sand covered hill and Jen was yelling at Aaron that she did not want to go down the hill. Seeing how there was a strap from the back of Aarons bike to the front of Jen's. Aaron did not give her much of a choice. From there we had one more short climb before hitting the road. Knowing that we only had about 15 minutes before hitting the boat ramp, the 4 of us gave it all we had knowing that we would not need our legs the rest of the day. Arriving at the boat ramp the transition was slow, knowing that a 2 hour paddle was ahead. Sitting idle, Perpetuem starts to take its toll. Lets just say Celia was very glad she was sitting in front of Drew. After an 1 1/2 hours we came around a corner and could see the finish line, but the fun for the day was far from over. Aaron and Jen decided to show everyone (including the racers that would follow them) that trying to take a short cut does not always pay off, when they got stuck on a sand bar. Aaron had to get out of the Kayak and with a big push they were off with just a couple of hundred yards left to the finish line. When we hit the boat ramp it was a ginger through the finish line and into the arms of our unbelievable support crew. Knowing that we had each pushed as hard as we could, we were proud of our time of 7:03 and proud that we had gone as fast as we could have gone.

The only way that I can really describe the whole training experience is through an analogy. I like to look at it in the same way as building a fire. First, you need your dry area to build this fire (exercise, fitness, stamina). Then, you need your wood (nutrition). Next, you will need the flame that lights the fire. This flame has to be something that comes from deep within. It has to want to start that fire. It has to have the "desire" to want to do this so badly, that once it is lit, it will shine like never before.
The best part of the race had to be the two hour kayak (insert sarcasm). Maybe it wasn't two hours...I stopped checking after an hour and a half. And yes, it was my first time. The mountain biking part was challenging (I am a roadie at heart), wait.... all of it was challenging. That's why this race rocked!! Honestly, it was so awesome. Everything about it, the camaraderie, mood and character of the race, and of course, being with great friends. All of those little fine things that we so often forget about, that uncontrollably get muddled in this sometimes obscured little world, made this race!
I will be there next year! You all can't get rid of my that fast!!
Thanks for everything, Aaron!

When I first decided to do this race my goal was to finish. As training started I soon realized that this was going to be a learning process as much as it was a physical challenge. I was starting out like a race horse, used to doing my 2-3 hour weekend rides. Aaron quickly put that at bay and taught me to strategically warm up. Emphasizing that I will be able to go harder in hour 5 than I will in hour 1 if I warm up correctly. Nutritionally I was a mess. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, both on the trail and on a daily basis Training with Aaron has transformed my life from not only from a physical standpoint but from a nutritional standpoint as well. I changed to a diet high in nutrients and shed about 20 lbs in a few months. On the trail, I followed Aarons nutritional advice and noticed an instant change, with this knowledge I am confident that I can compete in any endurance event I choose to do in the future. As the race approached friends would ask if our team was ready. I emphatically answer, "yes, we have trained hard and followed our schedule." I had confidence in Aaron's program and had already seen it work and progress from our first 3 hour team workout to the dress rehearsal in Moab. Thanks Aaron, my goal changed from not just to finish the race but to compete, and to compete at the highest level that I could. When I crossed the finish line I knew that I had pushed as hard as I could. Some are born with the amazing ability to be a teacher and an inspiration to others. Aaron is one of those. I also need to say thank you to my wife. Her constant support has allowed me to pursue physical heights that I am consistently trying to reach.

waiting

What a great moment in life!
Experiences likes these give life a purpose. This was a great team of dedicated athletes and our hard work paid off. 8th place does not reflect the true accomplishment of this team. Though we were only 30 minutes behind 2nd place....it was a close race.
Thank you for the experience

I also wanted to thank you for a very memorable experience! I had an awesome time with you three girls and I'm excited to jump in and do another race! I think the world of all three of you and am proud of our team for kickin' butt! Susan- loved your attitude and how steady you were. I think you could've done the 30 hour race last weekend and been fine! I'm also glad the asthma problems weren't major.... Stacey(you're definitely NOT a turtle)- Thanks for being our supplement time clock! I don't think I would've remembered to take the supplements as well without you :) I also loved your cheering encouragments. They were fabulous. And Mom, well...I don't know any other girls my age that get to do all these cool things with their moms. You rock!
Nice work...and we'll have get together for a ride this summer.

Team Chicken or Pig

This was a memorable race, it was the first time in my life I almost saw three men cry at the same time. This race was not only just about pushing the physical limit, it was also conquering the disire to throw your bike down and call it quits.

The race started with a mad dash to select the preemo kayak of our chosing and paddle 7 miles to the Potash boat ramp. Team Chicken or Pig had no problem staying with the leaders and came in with the 3rd fastest time.

Next we started the biking section and profanity began to blare. Aaron's bike snapped, crackled, and POPPED! as the front hub ball bearings incinerated and added an unwated resisitance about 1 mile into the biking section. Aaron's 3 week wait for his bike in the bike shop was a waste of time. The technitian ignored the the requested work order to fix the front hub and front shock (shock problem later revealed during the down hill section), and instead loaded the chain with lube, sat back and enjoyed his favorite brew, and called it good.
"NOT GOOD! Lets Gitty UP."

Shortly after the profanity episode, a team realization set in to how challenging this terrain was going to be. The next 10 or so miles was a steep gradient of climbing ranging between 7-15%. People were passing us as they walked their bikes by.
Then came the next realization.... we were all smiles and having fun letting gravity take it toll as we screamed down the Gemini Bridge road.... we realized we were going to have to ride this road back out. This realization put a somber mood in our down hill action. No longer did you want to ride down the trail any further, we hoped that the end was near.

Next, was the mandatory bike trekking section. It was mandatory because the river bottom was choked full of deep sand and rocks. Any attempt to ride was shortly defeated by an exhausting burn in the quadriceps.

After riding for 26 miles (we were expecting 15-20 miles) we began our run back up to the Gemini Bridge for our anticipated 300' repel. The run was a 6 mile shuffle to the top. Picking out points to run to, followed by a recovering walk.
After about 1 hour and 20 minutes of running we had reached our first climax....the repel.
Pretty plain and simple as long as you're not afraid of heights. The repel was a good 30 minutes of rest to renew the soul and prepare for the dreaded climb ahead.

"Oh, My back!", "My butt hurts.", "@%&*#", "Where in the hell is the paved road?", "Please Lord, help me.", "My legs are toast.", "The Lord does answer prayers, we got a flat tire...I can rest now.", "Oh crap, I'm out of water and there's at least 10 miles to go.", "THE ROAD! THE ROAD!!" "YEEE HAAAH, I topped out at 37 mph." "WE DID IT!" This about sums up the rest of the 3 or 4 hours of the race.

What a wonderful day, what a wonderful experience.