THURSDAY MARCH 29 11:25AM PST
-by Adam

No update for the last 24 hours. Guess the race organizers and crews are deep in isolation away from phone and internet access. I will post an update just as soon as I can reach the crew.

******************

WENESDAY MARCH 28 1:05PM PST
- by Adam

I just got off the phone with the crew for Mark, DP and Melissa. Things are going great. We are currently in 5th place with Will and RWG only about an hour back in 6th place. Looks like once the nightmare kayak was over they are gaining some ground on the other teams even picking up a few places.

So far they have completed the kayak, a mountain bike and a trekking leg. They took about an hour nap this morning before heading out on the second bike leg. Apparently on the first bike leg Melissa went down and got a bit banged up and Mark’s rim had to be replaced. Looks like a bit of sketchy tired riding out there I’m sure. After all of that, the crew said that they arrived to the TA in good spirits.

The weather has cleared up and it’s warming up with dry conditions.

So far no foot or medical problems. They are taking extra care of their feet apparently. (That’s good!)

Sounds like all in all they ar playing a smart, safe and well calculated race!

I griped to Karen and Paul for the lack of mention and coverage in their race reports about the Dirt Avocados. They were mentioning ALL other teams except for the DAs for some reason. I guess this got back to Donato at th elast TA and he had this to say; “You know we’ll get more coverage when we’re leading the race!”

The crew was passing through Encinada when they called me and were about to head inland towards the mountains so they weren’t sure what cell coverage would be like. I will try calling them tonight and will post another update when I can get one from the horse mouth.

*************

MONDAY MARCH 26 9:44PM PST
- by Adam

I just got off the phone with Mark, Donato and Melissa while they were out for their last supper at a local Italian joint. Spirits are high. When asked if they were nervous, mark said not so much nervous but anxious.

A storm is headed their way and they were warned by race organizers to be prepared for swells and cold weather while out on the kayak and over the higher passes.

The canyoneering segment is supposed to be epic Mark said. Earlier tonight during the race briefing they were presented with a jaw dropping slide show of the canyoneering course. Good think Mark packed his waterproof camera.

They also had the slight upper hand on other teams during map preparation because while crew-less teams scrambled to organize their bins, Donato, Mark and Melissa got to focus on maps and relax.

Race starts at 8am PST tomorrow (Tuesday). I will be checking in with their crew every night to posting updates here.

*************

SUNDAY MARCH 25

We spent most of sat without doing much except hanging out with all the teams here lots of fast experienced racers everywhere. Sunady we packed our gear up and heahded up for the mandatory gear checks. Then on to ropes certifications then to our ocean kayak cert. All went smooth except for the kayak tetst. We were to paddle out from the beach, flip our boau upside down and get back in ready to paddle. Once we flipped we had a 5min requirement to be back inside the baot in 5min’s. Then paddle back to shore. All went smooth except our paddle back in. We were hit by a small wave and b/c we didn’t pump the water out of our baots (we were lazy) the small wave turned us and as we tried to brace it. We flipped over right in the surf zone 20 seconds later the next big set of waves rolled in by the end of that 7 wave set. We were on the beach but not inside our boats. Opps we made a big rookie mistake there. We were forced to go back into the surf. Paul romero wanted us to go oiut and “play” a littlr bit in the surf zone. We did just that bracing to our right for one set then to our lleft for the next set. After that we paddled out past the surf zone and wited for the lull between the sets and then belined it for shore. This time we came in like we knew what we were doing. Karen/Paul thanks for making go back out that did a lot for our morale. We were confident again. Now it turns out we will need that confidence as the water will be tough for the race as a storm fronts is passing through while/when we start the first 58km kayak leg. 5-9 foot seas are expexted with a small craft advisory. Yes even our Seatrek three perrson kakak at 27+ feet is a small craft

***********

FRIDAY MARCH 23

Ok we get to mark richardsons house. Mark has us go through all of our gear. We have it all plus extra everything (and as it will become clear later we will need it). But wait a minute. We are missing a tub my food (dp). I had it organized in 12hour bags for the whole race and I left it in my garage with all 4 of my camelback bladders. So we leave for san diego. Make the long 6-8 hour drive without incedent and get to bed at a reasonable hour. The next am we are off to mexico (encinada). But first we stop at safeway and rei to restock my food and bladders. Almost 400 dollars later I’m ready to race for 4-5 days again. The drive to encinada was smooth and only took us 3 hous door to door.

**************

FRIDAY MARCH 23

Thursday night before we leave for Baja I agree to go to dinner with two girlfriends from back in my college days. End up out till almost 2am with them. Get home and have to finish making the 3 t-shirts for the race and 3 for the team + 2 for our crew guys and 1 for will. Shit now its past 4 am I have 1-2 hours to organize my gear into tubs and leave Petaluma to pick up Melissa in San Carlos. I just cram everything into my bins and in the car head to my local coffee shop and am off to Melissa’s house. Rush our traffic to/through and S of SF. Melissa and I barely fit our gear in my small car. Off the Oakdale to marks to reload into his pickup with Chris and tony (our crew). To be cont…

*****
FRIDAY MARCH 23

Hi Gang, wanted to get a blog entry started this morning as we are currently in San Diego and heading to Ensinada next to the start of the race which will begin on Tuesday the 27. Tomorrow and Monday we have Certifications and gear checks.

This Race actually started months ago for each of us. But, let me cut to the chase and just start with the leadup to leaving for Baja. Our Goal was to meet in Oakdale Friday March 24th (Mark’s House) and use his truck. Mark has two friends who have agreed to crew for us. Chris and Tony. They have no idea what they are in for…but they soon will.

I had a rough work week leading up to my departure early Friday morning. Got to get alot done before you take 7+ business days off from work for the 3rd time in 3 months.

Thursday march 23 i pick up our 3 person kayak from Sea Trek. It’s 27′ long and quite a bit too big for the rack on my little SAAB. I drove this thing back to my house and tried to figure out how to get it to Oakdale 120 miles away the next morning in Rush hour with two bikes. I know that would fun…

************

The above posts are from Donato, Mark and Melissa as they make their way down to Ensenada and the start of the Baja Travesia.

Donato will be sending in daily updates as they progress in their travels and pass through certifications and finally the race start. Hopefully we here at home base in the Bay Area will be able to maintain communications with the crew so that we can continue to post more accurate and timely updates here on dirtyavocados.com.

I will be posing these updates on Donato’s behalf and the thread below will be updated with the most recent post last.

Good luck team!

*************

THURSDAY MARCH 29 11:25AM PST
-by Adam

No update for the last 24 hours. Guess the race organizers and crews are deep in isolation away from phone and internet access. I will post an update just as soon as I can reach the crew.

******************

WENESDAY MARCH 28 1:05PM PST
- by Adam

I just got off the phone with the crew for Mark, DP and Melissa. Things are going great. We are currently in 5th place with Will and RWG only about an hour back in 6th place. Looks like once the nightmare kayak was over they are gaining some ground on the other teams even picking up a few places.

So far they have completed the kayak, a mountain bike and a trekking leg. They took about an hour nap this morning before heading out on the second bike leg. Apparently on the first bike leg Melissa went down and got a bit banged up and Mark’s rim had to be replaced. Looks like a bit of sketchy tired riding out there I’m sure. After all of that, the crew said that they arrived to the TA in good spirits.

The weather has cleared up and it’s warming up with dry conditions.

So far no foot or medical problems. They are taking extra care of their feet apparently. (That’s good!)

Sounds like all in all they ar playing a smart, safe and well calculated race!

I griped to Karen and Paul for the lack of mention and coverage in their race reports about the Dirt Avocados. They were mentioning ALL other teams except for the DAs for some reason. I guess this got back to Donato at th elast TA and he had this to say; “You know we’ll get more coverage when we’re leading the race!”

The crew was passing through Encinada when they called me and were about to head inland towards the mountains so they weren’t sure what cell coverage would be like. I will try calling them tonight and will post another update when I can get one from the horse mouth.

*************

MONDAY MARCH 26 9:44PM PST
- by Adam

I just got off the phone with Mark, Donato and Melissa while they were out for their last supper at a local Italian joint. Spirits are high. When asked if they were nervous, mark said not so much nervous but anxious.

A storm is headed their way and they were warned by race organizers to be prepared for swells and cold weather while out on the kayak and over the higher passes.

The canyoneering segment is supposed to be epic Mark said. Earlier tonight during the race briefing they were presented with a jaw dropping slide show of the canyoneering course. Good think Mark packed his waterproof camera.

They also had the slight upper hand on other teams during map preparation because while crew-less teams scrambled to organize their bins, Donato, Mark and Melissa got to focus on maps and relax.

Race starts at 8am PST tomorrow (Tuesday). I will be checking in with their crew every night to posting updates here.

*************

SUNDAY MARCH 25

We spent most of sat without doing much except hanging out with all the teams here lots of fast experienced racers everywhere. Sunady we packed our gear up and heahded up for the mandatory gear checks. Then on to ropes certifications then to our ocean kayak cert. All went smooth except for the kayak tetst. We were to paddle out from the beach, flip our boau upside down and get back in ready to paddle. Once we flipped we had a 5min requirement to be back inside the baot in 5min’s. Then paddle back to shore. All went smooth except our paddle back in. We were hit by a small wave and b/c we didn’t pump the water out of our baots (we were lazy) the small wave turned us and as we tried to brace it. We flipped over right in the surf zone 20 seconds later the next big set of waves rolled in by the end of that 7 wave set. We were on the beach but not inside our boats. Opps we made a big rookie mistake there. We were forced to go back into the surf. Paul romero wanted us to go oiut and “play” a littlr bit in the surf zone. We did just that bracing to our right for one set then to our lleft for the next set. After that we paddled out past the surf zone and wited for the lull between the sets and then belined it for shore. This time we came in like we knew what we were doing. Karen/Paul thanks for making go back out that did a lot for our morale. We were confident again. Now it turns out we will need that confidence as the water will be tough for the race as a storm fronts is passing through while/when we start the first 58km kayak leg. 5-9 foot seas are expexted with a small craft advisory. Yes even our Seatrek three perrson kakak at 27+ feet is a small craft

***********

FRIDAY MARCH 23

Ok we get to mark richardsons house. Mark has us go through all of our gear. We have it all plus extra everything (and as it will become clear later we will need it). But wait a minute. We are missing a tub my food (dp). I had it organized in 12hour bags for the whole race and I left it in my garage with all 4 of my camelback bladders. So we leave for san diego. Make the long 6-8 hour drive without incedent and get to bed at a reasonable hour. The next am we are off to mexico (encinada). But first we stop at safeway and rei to restock my food and bladders. Almost 400 dollars later I’m ready to race for 4-5 days again. The drive to encinada was smooth and only took us 3 hous door to door.

**************

FRIDAY MARCH 23

Thursday night before we leave for Baja I agree to go to dinner with two girlfriends from back in my college days. End up out till almost 2am with them. Get home and have to finish making the 3 t-shirts for the race and 3 for the team + 2 for our crew guys and 1 for will. Shit now its past 4 am I have 1-2 hours to organize my gear into tubs and leave Petaluma to pick up Melissa in San Carlos. I just cram everything into my bins and in the car head to my local coffee shop and am off to Melissa’s house. Rush our traffic to/through and S of SF. Melissa and I barely fit our gear in my small car. Off the Oakdale to marks to reload into his pickup with Chris and tony (our crew). To be cont…

*****
FRIDAY MARCH 23

Hi Gang, wanted to get a blog entry started this morning as we are currently in San Diego and heading to Ensinada next to the start of the race which will begin on Tuesday the 27. Tomorrow and Monday we have Certifications and gear checks.

This Race actually started months ago for each of us. But, let me cut to the chase and just start with the leadup to leaving for Baja. Our Goal was to meet in Oakdale Friday March 24th (Mark’s House) and use his truck. Mark has two friends who have agreed to crew for us. Chris and Tony. They have no idea what they are in for…but they soon will.

I had a rough work week leading up to my departure early Friday morning. Got to get alot done before you take 7+ business days off from work for the 3rd time in 3 months.

Thursday march 23 i pick up our 3 person kayak from Sea Trek. It’s 27′ long and quite a bit too big for the rack on my little SAAB. I drove this thing back to my house and tried to figure out how to get it to Oakdale 120 miles away the next morning in Rush hour with two bikes. I know that would fun…

************

The above posts are from Donato, Mark and Melissa as they make their way down to Ensenada and the start of the Baja Travesia.

Donato will be sending in daily updates as they progress in their travels and pass through certifications and finally the race start. Hopefully we here at home base in the Bay Area will be able to maintain communications with the crew so that we can continue to post more accurate and timely updates here on dirtyavocados.com.

I will be posing these updates on Donato’s behalf and the thread below will be updated with the most recent post last.

Good luck team!

*************

Donato Polignone and Will Gilmore
Dirty Avocados
2007 Big Blue Winter Blue
Race Report

The following race report is intended for new people considering adventure racing. While this report focuses on a winter race you can imagine that the same team work, strategy and fun are enjoyed racing anytime of the year. More info on the racers at dirtyavocados.com

We started the race of on the right foot by showing up to the race briefing late. As we entered the door to the race briefing room we saw a bunch of great adventure racers amongst some seasoned locals and very few novices. This had us a little concerned, but we had made the metal choice to win there that day. The race director stopped his talk and welcomed the two of us as we strolled in after half the race briefing in which we missed hearing about the course, rules and other race good information.

The method of travel choice we had for this winter race was to use snowshoes or backcountry skis (cross country, Telemark, or Randonee skis). We chose snowshoes because that is all Will could afford. We could see that some strong teams that chose Tele Skis so Donato, more knowledgeable about snow travel started second guessing our decision, Will did not understand he just thought he was there to win.

The Race Director, Todd Jackson created a race map had the rules of travel and a passport printed on the back. This was very nice for a short race given we are often asked to carry a map, a passport and a separate sheet of rules. Usually one of the three is lost. The race was divided into two areas of the Northstar Resort area. Each area had 3 checkpoints (CPs) including one that we had to plot using compass bearing from an existing checkpoint that was already plotted on our map. [Checkpoint ‘CP’ def. a place we had to visit as part of a course in a standard adventure race].

Given we were late; we plotted the first CP and then had to run to the gondola to get to the start on the other side of Northstar. This is where the race began as we ran to the Gondola and dove into a car.

Our course to the start took us up the Gondola, then up the a ski lift called Arrow Express, then up another ski lift called Comstock Express to the top of Mt. Pluto, then on down the Backside Express chairlift to the back of the mountain.

It was mid-forties at the start and we stripped down to tights and our Dirty Avocados tri-shorts on top. We both wore Under Armour long sleeve shirt and then just our Dirty Avocados jersey on top.

This race would be like two small races. It would start with everyone going after 4 cps in any order then transferring with a 30minute minimum transit time. Then there was another 1-3 hour race for 4 more CPs including the finish. However, we knew we had a break in between two death runs.

We looked at the snow and Donato had noticed the day before that on some of the hard pack trails we could run without snowshoes. So, we strapped our snowshoes to our backpacks.

The 3 CPs in the first section and the second section were ‘do any order you like.’ They were also laid out almost equidistance from the start at different angles like a circle with the start/transition point.

We had two obvious choices this first section: clockwise and counter-clockwise.

Clock-wise was what Race Director Todd Jackson assumed would win. It consisted of a steady open up hill to the backside then some orienteering to CP 1. Then you could follow the ridgeline to CP 3 which was at one of the highest points and very easy to see. After CP 3 you could do one or two things:
1. Back track to the ski slope down the ridge you came (1.75miles)
2. Go down a 1,200 to 1,600 foot drop to a small valley and then a slight 100-150 foot up to CP 2 which was plotted off of CP 3 and then down a gradual groomed snow trail to the transition (CP 4).

The counter-clockwise choice was to go for CP 2, a CP we had to plot off of CP 3 an easy to see high point in the valley. We plotted it and from the start it looked like the counter-clockwise path was a slight uphill on some groomed back area trails to a hill that CP2 was located. From there we would need to ascend 1,200 to 1,400 feet on a steep grade to CP3. Note we area at elevations ranging possibly from of 6,200 to a top of 7,860?feet. Then the obvious choice was to proceed along a ridgeline to CP 1 with very little chance of error and then down a ski slope to the start/transition.

It is good to warm up in a race and not just physically, but mentally - like going for an easy CP. The counter-clockwise route offered a nice warm up and an easy point to rip away from everyone on just our shoes. So, I mention the preferred route for easy navigation to Donato. We then took the traditional photo of all the starters of the adventure race.

The race director blew the start whistle and we were off. Will just started blazing down the cat track that we planned on following along the ridgeline under Lookout Mountain to our 1st CP. After about 5 minutes of running along the cat/snowmobile track Donato had to pee a second time. The Red Bull was getting to him. So to make sure we did not lose any time Donato raced ahead of Will at full speed for about 2 minutes and just pee’d off the side of the trail. Donato as he was relieving himself realized that there were 3 teams of very strong AR/cross country skiers that were all women behind us. He thought they were all going come screaming around the trail on the Tele Skis and see him pissing on the side of the trail. Oh well, he thought they all think Donato’s a pig already so who cares!

Five minutes later we got to an intersection. Donato thought we should stay right and go a little farther. Will checked the map, looks around and says we go left and up the hill in front of us where the CP is. Donato looked at Will and with no time to disagree, said, “you know what you doing with the maps and navigation let’s go Will.” As we approached the bottom of the hill Donato notice some Atlas snowshoe marks. Before the race started we also noticed the Atlas snow shoes on the guy going to that CP. So we simply followed him up to where he was sitting “manning” the CP.

We said “Hi, what’s up, nice to see you again. Did anyone get here yet?” He responded, “Nope; you are the first ones.” Donato known for talking continued in conversation and that is when Will said, “We are going, now.”

From the top of the CP 2, we could clearly see the CP 3 way up above us, across the valley. It would be the highest CP of the day. Unfortunately, we had to go down low into the valley before starting an ascent up.

We donned our snowshoes and headed down into the valley. The area had no clear trail and many trees and wooded brush that we had to weave in and out of. Before we got to the other side we ran into a small creek in our path. Donato looked 30 yards up and 30 down and found what looked to be the safest spot to cross with his snowshoes on. Will watched Donato get stuck crossing the creek. Donato was balancing on a rock in the creek and holding onto a downed tree branch, but not able to get a good foot hold on the other side of the creek. So with hindsight knowledge, Will found a better place to cross and came over and by grabbing a small tree trunk and then asking Donato to extend his ski pole to him, Will pulled Donato up the three-foot embankment in one swift move.

We worked our way on up the ridgeline staying in the shade and north facing Slopes. It’s been 60F in Tahoe and temp was already close to 55 going to 65 for the high this day. Donato knew that the north facing slopes are more shaded and don’t melt as much.

With a good foundation in mountaineering Will gave some pointers to Donato and we both ended up leading and breaking ground for each other. As we made a direct route going straight up to the top of the mountain we were at maximum sustainable heart rates, at least that was according to Will’s Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

As we neared the summit at 7,860 feet, which was about 1,400 feet above the creek below we knew we needed to hit the south peak first, a rock outcropping. Donato started up a steep area and then said “this is steep and sun exposed and I’m not sure about this idea!” Donato was sinking to his waist and not making much forward progress. We had to back out. We stayed on the north side for another 100 vertical feet until the next rock outcropping where it wasn’t quite so steep.

There below the rock we had a choice to make we could go left on a much shorter route that was in very soft snow and steep section or we could go the longer way, but on harder pack snow to the right. Will thought to himself, “where would Warren Miller film us?” The left option, “may be steep and soft, but it will be fast because we can just imagine we are being filmed doing an incredibly radical run!” This is when Will turned to Donato and just said, “Donato, this way is faster…we are going this way.”
We were fast crawling to the top, diving our hands into the snow in front of us to help pull up. We made it around into the saddle of the outcropping and the peak above where CP 3 was. We got up to the CP and asked the people manning it, “Hi, who’s been here already?” The two guys with tele-skis manning the CP responded, “No One.” Donato responded and Will agreed nodding, “that’s impossible…but sweet, we must be going fast.” We then looked at the maps. Donato was able to see the point out were the next CP was Will could not and said what are you talking about. Then, Will took a bearing and realized that he could not see what Donato was correctly pointing at because there was a tree branch at his height. So, off we went wondering “where is everyone else?”
Donato then spotted a team of two guys hauling in our direction on skis. It was obvious that these guys, two locals would just hit the next CP where we were just at and then ski down 1,400 feet and a short up to hit the first CP before we could get far.

Being courteous we stepped our pace up and ran as we passed them smiling and saying hi, nice day. It was the least we could do: make them think we blow up that hill no problem. We then passed Linda Lindsey and Ken White and a race observer/volunteer Jonathan Owens (all three racers we respect). We then knew that we need to haul to have the slightest chance of winning.

From the CP 3, Donato had pointed out to the next CP really well so we had an easy traverse of the ridge that the others were coming up the opposite way clockwise did not. We used the tracks the first skiers made to go faster on a harder surface. Soon we deviated from the tracks decreasing their wide sweeping arc into our straight b-line for a road and shortened our distance traveled greatly. The last section of our run included this road, one that pointed and ended just 100 yards from the CP.

Will was cautious going in slowly to find the CP. Luckily, Donato spotted the CP and we ran the last 80 yards.

Only 6 teams had been through the checkpoint, so several had gone past us and we did not see them.

Donato lead us back into the woods and to a ski run he could see through the trees. Will then yelled to Donato to pop his snowshoes off for safety and jump on his rear to slide down the steep part of the hill. This is referred to as “glissading”, and is usually most often done safely with an ice axe to slow oneself down.

We glissaded what seemed long, but was likely only 200 yards total distance. From there we popped up on our feet and ran down a slippery icy slope getting lots of looks from skiers as we slid around turns and kicked up snow. We found the transition/CP 4 and began transit to the next section 4.5 miles away on ski lifts.
At CP 4 we actually uploaded the Backside lift to the top of MT Pluto. Every team had 30 Minutes to make it from CP4 to CP5 at the Cross Country Ski Center, Mid Mountain on the front. We were only allowed to use Chair lifts to get to the next starting point at the cross country center. As we rode up the lift to the top of Mt. Pluto Donato noticed that he was already out of water. With eight minutes up on the backside lift and another fifteen minutes down the next two lifts; we had to time to stop for a Gatorade. Donato knew a little spot next to the lifts set up out side for snacks and food. We got to the top sprinted to the small stand in the snow and threw down our gear and started searching for our money while we told the snack bar operators ”hey were in a race and we need liquids like Gatorade or water.” They stared at the two of us and must have been thinking these guys are nuts. Then just gave us the drinks for free. Again we approached the lift and told the lift-op “hey were in a race and we are downloading, don’t slow it down for us, thanks!” Off we went, lots of stairs from the lift line as we hit the ground running to the last download. From there it was straight to the Cross Country Center which was CP 5. Are snowshoes are off at this point, strapped to the back of our mostly empty packs. At CP 5 now three plus hours into the race we find out that we only have to get CP6 and return as the 1st section took longer than expected as the snow conditions were not “fast.” Uh, yeah, we knew that after post-holing more than we wanted to in the soft “mush” snow. Yes, they call it Sierra Cement for a reason!
We left CP5 for the now out and back to CP 6 at about 1:05PM. We looked at the Map and yes, Donato may have done too many big blues or mountain biked at Northstar too many times but, CP 6 was the now infamous Caboose were Todd stages his O-course for the “normal” Tahoe big blue races. Will checked the maps and Donato just told him put the maps down he knew where we had to go. Off we go…
Donato wanted to take some path called Sawmill Flats, but it did not start where we were. We had the option of taking “Flower” something that was an easy flat meander to the CP or one called “Thor’s Hammer” an uphill that cut almost straight to Sawmill Flat Trail (shorter, but with elevation gain). It was obvious that we had to take Thor’s Hammer because the skiers time on the flat Flower trail would kill us even though we were running without the impediment of snowshoes. We had to take the chance and go where we had an advantage and no matter the pain and struggle run it out full-bore at this point.

Up Thor’s Hammer we beat the track and then continued up a gradual slope of Sawmill Flat. Donato and Will hooked up on tow for the last half mile to the caboose. We were told that there was someone manning the checkpoint there and so when we did not see them Will wondered if we were in the right spot. Will also could not line the trail map up very well with the location of where we were and where the CP was located. Donato having been there was certain we had to be in the right spot, given the clue was “how many wheels on the thing out there and what color is it?” Donato had taken us to this Caboose thinking this was the CP and he was 100% sure.

Donato counted the number of wheels, and noted the color paint and we took off. This time we had sprint to the finish to have any chance of placing in the top five given the skiers could get there first easily and we were not sure if they had passed us by taking the alternate “Flower” route. So, Will said something about not leaving anything on the course and we ran side by side down the trail back to find Thor’s Hammer and then the finish.
This is where Will poured Donato’s Gatorade, his only liquid mind you, because he felt Donato didn’t need it until after they finished. Even after Donato told Will that his pack was light and he still felt strong; Will poured out the Gatorade because excess weight is excess. We did this entire section in our running shoes as the cross country trails we took were groomed and were firm enough to run on with shoes. We hammered across the sawmill flat to the top of Thor’s Hammer and sprinted down to the finish line. Will slide into the table where race organizer, Todd Jackson was diligently working collecting progress reports of other teams.
We had to tell the race organizers that we had finished as they just had not expected it that quickly. This is when we found that no other teams had made it to CP4 yet. We then knew we had possibly won the race before we got to CP5 but this was about a decisive victory of in fact over an hour on the two guys behind us. Todd short coursed those two guys behind us and the rest of the field.
The race event included a catered lunch on the slopes with our fellow racers, which included many friends that we have met while racing. Finally, the day concluded with a raffle for prizes that Big Blue held, which consisted of great swag.
Epilogue
We thought that skis would win. They should have. If they had done a semi-circle instead of a full circle going into the valley where the creek was they would have been faster. In other words they could have gone for one cp and then went the opposite way up the ski slope. At least his is how we do it next year…..
Many thanks to race organizers Big Blue and especially Todd Jackson: we know they do not make much if anything off of holding this race, but even so they went at it as though this was a grand undertaking showing enthusiastic attention to detail, safety and hospitality.

To view the Map of our route for the race check out our National Geographic Topo Race Profile Image created with TOPO Software from National Geographic. With assistance from our Trusty Garmin 305 GPS/training watches and Motion Based.

For Info on TOPO Maps.
Gamin Fitness Products.
Motion Based.

Donato Polignone and Will Gilmore
Dirty Avocados
2007 Big Blue Winter Blue
Race Report

The following race report is intended for new people considering adventure racing. While this report focuses on a winter race you can imagine that the same team work, strategy and fun are enjoyed racing anytime of the year. More info on the racers at dirtyavocados.com

We started the race of on the right foot by showing up to the race briefing late. As we entered the door to the race briefing room we saw a bunch of great adventure racers amongst some seasoned locals and very few novices. This had us a little concerned, but we had made the metal choice to win there that day. The race director stopped his talk and welcomed the two of us as we strolled in after half the race briefing in which we missed hearing about the course, rules and other race good information.

The method of travel choice we had for this winter race was to use snowshoes or backcountry skis (cross country, Telemark, or Randonee skis). We chose snowshoes because that is all Will could afford. We could see that some strong teams that chose Tele Skis so Donato, more knowledgeable about snow travel started second guessing our decision, Will did not understand he just thought he was there to win.

The Race Director, Todd Jackson created a race map had the rules of travel and a passport printed on the back. This was very nice for a short race given we are often asked to carry a map, a passport and a separate sheet of rules. Usually one of the three is lost. The race was divided into two areas of the Northstar Resort area. Each area had 3 checkpoints (CPs) including one that we had to plot using compass bearing from an existing checkpoint that was already plotted on our map. [Checkpoint ‘CP’ def. a place we had to visit as part of a course in a standard adventure race].

Given we were late; we plotted the first CP and then had to run to the gondola to get to the start on the other side of Northstar. This is where the race began as we ran to the Gondola and dove into a car.

Our course to the start took us up the Gondola, then up the a ski lift called Arrow Express, then up another ski lift called Comstock Express to the top of Mt. Pluto, then on down the Backside Express chairlift to the back of the mountain.

It was mid-forties at the start and we stripped down to tights and our Dirty Avocados tri-shorts on top. We both wore Under Armour long sleeve shirt and then just our Dirty Avocados jersey on top.

This race would be like two small races. It would start with everyone going after 4 cps in any order then transferring with a 30minute minimum transit time. Then there was another 1-3 hour race for 4 more CPs including the finish. However, we knew we had a break in between two death runs.

We looked at the snow and Donato had noticed the day before that on some of the hard pack trails we could run without snowshoes. So, we strapped our snowshoes to our backpacks.

The 3 CPs in the first section and the second section were ‘do any order you like.’ They were also laid out almost equidistance from the start at different angles like a circle with the start/transition point.

We had two obvious choices this first section: clockwise and counter-clockwise.

Clock-wise was what Race Director Todd Jackson assumed would win. It consisted of a steady open up hill to the backside then some orienteering to CP 1. Then you could follow the ridgeline to CP 3 which was at one of the highest points and very easy to see. After CP 3 you could do one or two things:
1. Back track to the ski slope down the ridge you came (1.75miles)
2. Go down a 1,200 to 1,600 foot drop to a small valley and then a slight 100-150 foot up to CP 2 which was plotted off of CP 3 and then down a gradual groomed snow trail to the transition (CP 4).

The counter-clockwise choice was to go for CP 2, a CP we had to plot off of CP 3 an easy to see high point in the valley. We plotted it and from the start it looked like the counter-clockwise path was a slight uphill on some groomed back area trails to a hill that CP2 was located. From there we would need to ascend 1,200 to 1,400 feet on a steep grade to CP3. Note we area at elevations ranging possibly from of 6,200 to a top of 7,860?feet. Then the obvious choice was to proceed along a ridgeline to CP 1 with very little chance of error and then down a ski slope to the start/transition.

It is good to warm up in a race and not just physically, but mentally - like going for an easy CP. The counter-clockwise route offered a nice warm up and an easy point to rip away from everyone on just our shoes. So, I mention the preferred route for easy navigation to Donato. We then took the traditional photo of all the starters of the adventure race.

The race director blew the start whistle and we were off. Will just started blazing down the cat track that we planned on following along the ridgeline under Lookout Mountain to our 1st CP. After about 5 minutes of running along the cat/snowmobile track Donato had to pee a second time. The Red Bull was getting to him. So to make sure we did not lose any time Donato raced ahead of Will at full speed for about 2 minutes and just pee’d off the side of the trail. Donato as he was relieving himself realized that there were 3 teams of very strong AR/cross country skiers that were all women behind us. He thought they were all going come screaming around the trail on the Tele Skis and see him pissing on the side of the trail. Oh well, he thought they all think Donato’s a pig already so who cares!

Five minutes later we got to an intersection. Donato thought we should stay right and go a little farther. Will checked the map, looks around and says we go left and up the hill in front of us where the CP is. Donato looked at Will and with no time to disagree, said, “you know what you doing with the maps and navigation let’s go Will.” As we approached the bottom of the hill Donato notice some Atlas snowshoe marks. Before the race started we also noticed the Atlas snow shoes on the guy going to that CP. So we simply followed him up to where he was sitting “manning” the CP.

We said “Hi, what’s up, nice to see you again. Did anyone get here yet?” He responded, “Nope; you are the first ones.” Donato known for talking continued in conversation and that is when Will said, “We are going, now.”

From the top of the CP 2, we could clearly see the CP 3 way up above us, across the valley. It would be the highest CP of the day. Unfortunately, we had to go down low into the valley before starting an ascent up.

We donned our snowshoes and headed down into the valley. The area had no clear trail and many trees and wooded brush that we had to weave in and out of. Before we got to the other side we ran into a small creek in our path. Donato looked 30 yards up and 30 down and found what looked to be the safest spot to cross with his snowshoes on. Will watched Donato get stuck crossing the creek. Donato was balancing on a rock in the creek and holding onto a downed tree branch, but not able to get a good foot hold on the other side of the creek. So with hindsight knowledge, Will found a better place to cross and came over and by grabbing a small tree trunk and then asking Donato to extend his ski pole to him, Will pulled Donato up the three-foot embankment in one swift move.

We worked our way on up the ridgeline staying in the shade and north facing Slopes. It’s been 60F in Tahoe and temp was already close to 55 going to 65 for the high this day. Donato knew that the north facing slopes are more shaded and don’t melt as much.

With a good foundation in mountaineering Will gave some pointers to Donato and we both ended up leading and breaking ground for each other. As we made a direct route going straight up to the top of the mountain we were at maximum sustainable heart rates, at least that was according to Will’s Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

As we neared the summit at 7,860 feet, which was about 1,400 feet above the creek below we knew we needed to hit the south peak first, a rock outcropping. Donato started up a steep area and then said “this is steep and sun exposed and I’m not sure about this idea!” Donato was sinking to his waist and not making much forward progress. We had to back out. We stayed on the north side for another 100 vertical feet until the next rock outcropping where it wasn’t quite so steep.

There below the rock we had a choice to make we could go left on a much shorter route that was in very soft snow and steep section or we could go the longer way, but on harder pack snow to the right. Will thought to himself, “where would Warren Miller film us?” The left option, “may be steep and soft, but it will be fast because we can just imagine we are being filmed doing an incredibly radical run!” This is when Will turned to Donato and just said, “Donato, this way is faster…we are going this way.”
We were fast crawling to the top, diving our hands into the snow in front of us to help pull up. We made it around into the saddle of the outcropping and the peak above where CP 3 was. We got up to the CP and asked the people manning it, “Hi, who’s been here already?” The two guys with tele-skis manning the CP responded, “No One.” Donato responded and Will agreed nodding, “that’s impossible…but sweet, we must be going fast.” We then looked at the maps. Donato was able to see the point out were the next CP was Will could not and said what are you talking about. Then, Will took a bearing and realized that he could not see what Donato was correctly pointing at because there was a tree branch at his height. So, off we went wondering “where is everyone else?”
Donato then spotted a team of two guys hauling in our direction on skis. It was obvious that these guys, two locals would just hit the next CP where we were just at and then ski down 1,400 feet and a short up to hit the first CP before we could get far.

Being courteous we stepped our pace up and ran as we passed them smiling and saying hi, nice day. It was the least we could do: make them think we blow up that hill no problem. We then passed Linda Lindsey and Ken White and a race observer/volunteer Jonathan Owens (all three racers we respect). We then knew that we need to haul to have the slightest chance of winning.

From the CP 3, Donato had pointed out to the next CP really well so we had an easy traverse of the ridge that the others were coming up the opposite way clockwise did not. We used the tracks the first skiers made to go faster on a harder surface. Soon we deviated from the tracks decreasing their wide sweeping arc into our straight b-line for a road and shortened our distance traveled greatly. The last section of our run included this road, one that pointed and ended just 100 yards from the CP.

Will was cautious going in slowly to find the CP. Luckily, Donato spotted the CP and we ran the last 80 yards.

Only 6 teams had been through the checkpoint, so several had gone past us and we did not see them.

Donato lead us back into the woods and to a ski run he could see through the trees. Will then yelled to Donato to pop his snowshoes off for safety and jump on his rear to slide down the steep part of the hill. This is referred to as “glissading”, and is usually most often done safely with an ice axe to slow oneself down.

We glissaded what seemed long, but was likely only 200 yards total distance. From there we popped up on our feet and ran down a slippery icy slope getting lots of looks from skiers as we slid around turns and kicked up snow. We found the transition/CP 4 and began transit to the next section 4.5 miles away on ski lifts.
At CP 4 we actually uploaded the Backside lift to the top of MT Pluto. Every team had 30 Minutes to make it from CP4 to CP5 at the Cross Country Ski Center, Mid Mountain on the front. We were only allowed to use Chair lifts to get to the next starting point at the cross country center. As we rode up the lift to the top of Mt. Pluto Donato noticed that he was already out of water. With eight minutes up on the backside lift and another fifteen minutes down the next two lifts; we had to time to stop for a Gatorade. Donato knew a little spot next to the lifts set up out side for snacks and food. We got to the top sprinted to the small stand in the snow and threw down our gear and started searching for our money while we told the snack bar operators ”hey were in a race and we need liquids like Gatorade or water.” They stared at the two of us and must have been thinking these guys are nuts. Then just gave us the drinks for free. Again we approached the lift and told the lift-op “hey were in a race and we are downloading, don’t slow it down for us, thanks!” Off we went, lots of stairs from the lift line as we hit the ground running to the last download. From there it was straight to the Cross Country Center which was CP 5. Are snowshoes are off at this point, strapped to the back of our mostly empty packs. At CP 5 now three plus hours into the race we find out that we only have to get CP6 and return as the 1st section took longer than expected as the snow conditions were not “fast.” Uh, yeah, we knew that after post-holing more than we wanted to in the soft “mush” snow. Yes, they call it Sierra Cement for a reason!
We left CP5 for the now out and back to CP 6 at about 1:05PM. We looked at the Map and yes, Donato may have done too many big blues or mountain biked at Northstar too many times but, CP 6 was the now infamous Caboose were Todd stages his O-course for the “normal” Tahoe big blue races. Will checked the maps and Donato just told him put the maps down he knew where we had to go. Off we go…
Donato wanted to take some path called Sawmill Flats, but it did not start where we were. We had the option of taking “Flower” something that was an easy flat meander to the CP or one called “Thor’s Hammer” an uphill that cut almost straight to Sawmill Flat Trail (shorter, but with elevation gain). It was obvious that we had to take Thor’s Hammer because the skiers time on the flat Flower trail would kill us even though we were running without the impediment of snowshoes. We had to take the chance and go where we had an advantage and no matter the pain and struggle run it out full-bore at this point.

Up Thor’s Hammer we beat the track and then continued up a gradual slope of Sawmill Flat. Donato and Will hooked up on tow for the last half mile to the caboose. We were told that there was someone manning the checkpoint there and so when we did not see them Will wondered if we were in the right spot. Will also could not line the trail map up very well with the location of where we were and where the CP was located. Donato having been there was certain we had to be in the right spot, given the clue was “how many wheels on the thing out there and what color is it?” Donato had taken us to this Caboose thinking this was the CP and he was 100% sure.

Donato counted the number of wheels, and noted the color paint and we took off. This time we had sprint to the finish to have any chance of placing in the top five given the skiers could get there first easily and we were not sure if they had passed us by taking the alternate “Flower” route. So, Will said something about not leaving anything on the course and we ran side by side down the trail back to find Thor’s Hammer and then the finish.
This is where Will poured Donato’s Gatorade, his only liquid mind you, because he felt Donato didn’t need it until after they finished. Even after Donato told Will that his pack was light and he still felt strong; Will poured out the Gatorade because excess weight is excess. We did this entire section in our running shoes as the cross country trails we took were groomed and were firm enough to run on with shoes. We hammered across the sawmill flat to the top of Thor’s Hammer and sprinted down to the finish line. Will slide into the table where race organizer, Todd Jackson was diligently working collecting progress reports of other teams.
We had to tell the race organizers that we had finished as they just had not expected it that quickly. This is when we found that no other teams had made it to CP4 yet. We then knew we had possibly won the race before we got to CP5 but this was about a decisive victory of in fact over an hour on the two guys behind us. Todd short coursed those two guys behind us and the rest of the field.
The race event included a catered lunch on the slopes with our fellow racers, which included many friends that we have met while racing. Finally, the day concluded with a raffle for prizes that Big Blue held, which consisted of great swag.
Epilogue
We thought that skis would win. They should have. If they had done a semi-circle instead of a full circle going into the valley where the creek was they would have been faster. In other words they could have gone for one cp and then went the opposite way up the ski slope. At least his is how we do it next year…..
Many thanks to race organizers Big Blue and especially Todd Jackson: we know they do not make much if anything off of holding this race, but even so they went at it as though this was a grand undertaking showing enthusiastic attention to detail, safety and hospitality.

To view the Map of our route for the race check out our National Geographic Topo Race Profile Image created with TOPO Software from National Geographic. With assistance from our Trusty Garmin 305 GPS/training watches and Motion Based.

For Info on TOPO Maps.
Gamin Fitness Products.
Motion Based.

Interested in Adventure Racing, but don’t know where to begin? Have no fear, answers are here! As adventure racing continues to grow in popularity, many are still unfamiliar with the basic fundamentals that go into this ultimate of team endurance and multi-discipline sport. Join experienced adventure racing athletes, the Dirty Avocados and their friends as they provide an overview of the sport, discusses basic training programs near you, equipment/clothing needs and upcoming events here in California for first timers, beginners or intermediates.

Date & Time: 03/22/07 7pm - 8pm

Address:
Sports Basement
610 Mason Street San Francisco, CA
The Presidio of San Francisco

Directions:
http://www.sportsbasement.com/pop_ups/directions/code3_presidio.htm

For more information contact:
Will Gilmore - willisnot(at)yahoo.com

A first timer to the infamous BAARD BRAWL, all I can say is holy wetness! Never before have I in endured such wet and windy conditions, if I didn’t love the guys on my team I would have told them to get lost. Shopping for purses would have been a way better alternative. Just kidding guys! As a matter of fact I had a great time and for the most part, the weather did not bother me until around the ninth hour when I realized that I was soaked completely through three all three of layers.

Our rainy day started out in the small town of Point Reyes. Most teams that were present were obviously prepping for their first race of the season. From a bystanders perspective, we must have looked like a herd of deer, all caught in the headlights. After a quick briefing all teams were sent off into the wettest race of the season.

Within minutes the Avocado’s had broken a kayak paddle and lost a new pair of sunglasses, it was not a solid start. The good thing was the sea loins that were present, at least we knew there we no Great White’s around. Despite the rocky start we rocked smiles and shared laughs to our first bite of land travel.

We landed in a cove off of Tomales Bay that had a more than a faint smell of decomposing sea life mixed with the smell of the most sulfuric hot spring. The smell was horrible, and there was nothing we could do to get around walking through the two foot deep mud pit. Through the mud and up the ridge, the Avocados quickly moved through the super fast coasteering section.

[DOTI] All other teems opted to travel counter clockwise, which had them take on the coasteering section first then return via the ridgeline down to the TA. We opted for the reverse psychology and try for the ridge line first thus giving us the advantage of spotting other teams down on the beach and access and entry points along the way. In the end, it probably only saved us a few minutes.

Through our travels we raced up hills, sprinted down hill’s, breezed by herds of elk, collected shells and rocks (Well maybe just me. I couldn’t help it; it was like a long field trip. I loved field trips when I was in school), saw hundreds of beautiful starfish, bouldered across ocean cliffs, crossed beaches that spit two foot streams of water into the air (Don’t ask me how this was possible, it just happened. I swear!), and finished up with yet another pleasant crossing of the muddy trenches.

Our ATTEMPT to paddle back to the put in the kayaks was a joke! A-Bomb and I struggled through torrential downpours, as white capped waves poured over into the boat, and freezing winds felt as if they pushed us backwards faster than we could struggle to paddle forward. I actually never looked up from my skirt, it was too maddening. Every time I looked up I realized we had not moved forward and I knew we had so far to go. My arms burned and my stomach was nauseated from the waves, and all I could think about was sitting in Karen’s hot tub. While lost in hot tub thought, I heard A-Bomb yell from the rear, “You remember how to get out of the boat if we flip over right?” I didn’t want to reply. Up to that point, I had completely avoided the thought of THEM, them being the Great Whites. I wanted nothing to do with swimming in the shark infested waters. Instead I kept saying over and over again, “Hot tub, hot tub, hot tub,” until the sound of my own voice created a cadence for me to paddle to.

The hot tub thoughts quickly pushed us ahead of DP and Adam, actually disturbingly far, they were obviously having problems keeping up. But there was nothing we could do. It took us nearly an hour to progress forward thirty feet of shore line. If we stopped then, we would surely loose an hours worth of paddling in a matter of minutes.

[DOTI] Yup, we were lagging alright. The cold/flu I had been battling for the last few weeks made me even weaker which led to a mild case of hypothermia. I don’t recall the last 30 minutes of the paddle. I lost most feeling in my fingers and had a hard time gripping or releasing my grip from the paddle. DP got up back apparently and me to my truck, helped me undress and get inside with the heat on. I think about 10 minutes later I started to mentally recall where I was!

Several grueling hours of paddling in the kayak brought us back to the put in. There was no sign of the Avocado Pits, and the site of DP and Adam was merely a speck down the turbulent shoreline. With rain still pouring out of the sky, A-Bomb and I switched out of our wet clothes and quickly loaded the kayak gear into the car. We had thirty minutes to get to bike start, a leg of the race that would we would come to learn would be wetter than our little kayak adventure.

The bike leg start was out of the Olema Campground. The Skins regrouped to find themselves about 45 minutes behind the Pits. It was then we found out that our navigator would no longer be leading us through the course. Doti had been suffering from the flu bug all week and the disgustingly trying kayak adventure put a massive toll on his body. With Doti gone we decided to join up with the threesome that called themselves the Venomous Ducks. The six of us headed off into the woods for some more wet fun.

We headed up Sir Francis Drake to the base of Bills Trail, where we would find ourselves peddling for hours up a single track that we should have been kayaking instead. Talk about up a creek without a paddle! Once we reached the summit we found ourselves being pounded with golf ball size rain drops that were traveling at what felt to be at 30 mph. It was then we decided to get back into the tree line, out of the rain, and head back to the bike finish. Not finishing the bike leg was ok with the group given the sense of accomplishment felt making it as far as we did in the treacherous weather conditions. Besides, it was DP’s birthday and we needed to do shots!!

It was a group decision to stop off at the bar in Olema right before last call was made for tequila shot; tequila, a great excuse for warming the frozen body. After we covered the bar floor with globs of mud and puddles water that dripped out of our clothes we decided to head back to the cars to change into clean, DRY, clothes.

The BAARD BRAWL would turn out to be another disturbingly difficult event that only the insane would finish. But in the end we walked away with smiles, pruning bodies, and relatively no injuries. What a start to 2007 AR season!

You Ripe?

March 1, 2007, PRINCE RUPERT: More than twenty teams from across North America, and from as far as Singapore, Australia and Brazil, have signed up for Raid the North Extreme. Only two weeks after registration opened, there has been an enthusiastic level of international interest.

Raid the North Extreme is one of the world’s most authentic expedition races. Taking place in Prince Rupert from June 23-30, 2007 this six-day adventure race will see teams navigate through one of Canada’s most diverse wilderness destinations.

“I’m very pleased with the level of interest in the event thus far,” said Geoff Langford, race director of Raid the North Extreme. “This is the only true, full-length expedition race in North America in 2007 - combined with the unmatched terrain in this region, it’s a must-do event.”

As teams from all over the world register for this year’s event, there are several that are turning heads:

One of the most interesting teams is SART – the Singapore Adventure Racing Team. A fairly young team in their mid-20s, they have recently competed at XPD in Australia, and tested out Canadian racing at Raid the North Sun Peaks, BC last year. They loved the race organization and the Canadian wilderness so much, they’re returning to test themselves on a longer race, and a more rugged landscape.

Race organizers have spotted a Coastal Disturbance; a creative name for a local Prince Rupert team made up of exceptional outdoor adventurers and athletes. The team is officially registered and is looking forward to seeing some action. They are taking a serious approach to training for the race and are aiming for a strong finish. Team Captain and local coffee shop owner Judd Rowse recently completed a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and he sees this as yet another challenge that he is eager to face.

Team MOMAR/Helly Hansen will certainly be competitive. All members will have participated in at least one expedition-length race before they reach the Extreme starting line. They are counting on their years of short-race experience, including the Mind Over Mountain and Raid the North series’ to carry them through. With roots in British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland, this will be a truly national team.

The race roster is also rich with stars and stripes with 6 teams coming from Tennessee, Washington, California and Oregon.

Team DART-nuun from Seattle has been tearing up the international race scene. They are looking forward to a rematch with BanffLodgingCo.com, the Canadian team that won Raid the North Sun Peaks last season. DART-nuun has a full and aggressive international race calendar for 2007, already winning their first race in their home state of Washington.

Team Dirty Avacodos pits from San Francisco has signed up for their first Raid the North experience. It should prove to be a memorable introduction. The race organizers are anticipating that this high energy, fun and competitive team will keep everyone entertained on the course.
And what a course it will be. Teams will test themselves on a course designed by Lawrence Foster, the designer of the 2004 AR World Champs course in Newfoundland. Lawrence captained Team Holofibre to a 3rd place finish at Primal Quest 2005, and is one of the most competitive racers in North America.

The Prince Rupert region has provided organizers with a bounty of course opportunities. Teams will paddle vast inlets that puncture the majestic coastal mountain ranges. They’ll trek, up above the clouds to snow covered ridges, skirt pounding waterfalls of glacial meltwater and snake along the Skeena River, where 24 foot tidal changes swell in and out from the Pacific Ocean. They will mountain bike on ancient first-nation trails, travel long-abandoned mining and forestry roads, and cross through long-forgotten valleys and passes.

www.raidthenorthextreme.com