2009 was a season we will not forget!  Dirty Avocados Adventure Racing kicked off the year with strong showings at the all of NorCal Adventure Races and several of the Big Blue Adventure Races (the 2 biggest adventure racing series in California).  We also represented at the Coolest 24, a local 24-hour mountain bike race.  We won the 5-person team category and took 2nd in the solo singlespeed category.

As the summer unfolded, 2 Dirty Avocados teams headed to upstate New Hampshire for Untamed New England, a 3-day expedition adventure race.  What an experience that was!!  The terrain was rugged and the competition was fierce!  We also tackled Sierras for what is always a super 24hr adventure race: the Tahoe Big Blue 24. We wrapped up 2009 with one of most epic adventures of the year: Gold Rush Motherlode!  This was 4 days of rugged, weathery adventure racing good times!

A late addition to our 2009 race calendar was the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.  This was probably thee most unique and unbelievable adventure racing experiences we’ve had as a team so far.  Everything from the culture to the competition to the terrain blew our minds! 2010 is already starting to take shape.

An early highlight will be another epic adventure half way across the globe: Australia’s XPD Expedition Adventure Race.  We’ll also be racing all of the local adventure races–especially those in the new Checkpoint Tracker Series.  And, long-term, we’re looking forward to September’s Desert Winds Expedition outside of Las Vegas. Yea, baby!

For more, click here!

Abu Dhabi is a country in full flower – the kind of place that requires a rewrite of the travel guides on a weekly basis. New buildings, resplendent experiments juxtaposing futuristic design with cutting-edge material’s science, sweeping cultural projects, luxury resorts and wildlife reserves all combine with the timeless hospitality of the Bedouin tribe to compose one of the world’s most enticing tourist destinations. With all that available, we could hardly pass up the chance make the race the longest yet, giving you the opportunity to race more, see more and, of course, achieve more.

This year’s race includes all those familiar and favourite aspects of the last 2 plus a few tweaks based on your fascinating feedback. On 4th December, Abu Dhabi City, with its skyline of tall, modern buildings interspersed with delicate minarets and elegant seafront promenades will repeat its role as urban showcase for the event by hosting the opening act: a triathlon-style opener that involves 34km of running, cycling, sea kayaking and, for the first time, swimming in the calm waters around the Abu Dhabi Corniche. Not much of a breather later the Arabian Gulf, an essential in the race itinerary with its picturesque desert islands and pristine waters, is an ideal playground for the keen kayaker and an ideal choice for backdrop to the next stage.

In contrast to previous itineraries, when the teams would paddle west of Abu Dhabi and confront vast expanses of open water, this demanding 110km sea-kayaking leg that will take you east around the coast and past the 27 square mile Saadiyat Island, currently in the process of becoming Abu Dhabi’s cultural and recreational haven. This international tourist destination in the making will eventually boast 5-star resorts, immaculate sandy beaches, lagoons, a wildlife reserve and the only seaside golf course in the region. A vibrant cultural district, housing some of the Middle East’s most audacious architectural gems and extensive art collections, is also under construction. An island bivouac among the lush mangroves will give you time to dry your socks, get some sleep and prepare for the another day’s racing on the crystal waters.

After a three hour transfer to the Liwa Desert, via the Liwa Oasis, you are only one authentic Bedouin bivouac away from a very close up and personal rub with the Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter), the world’s largest expanse of unbroken sand, equivalent in size to France, Holland and Belgium combined. The dunes of red and gold are so tall that they attract visitors from around the globe with only one objective in mind: get to the top. A 2-day struggle across 120km of dramatic and uncompromising desert will confront you with one of the most challenging stages of the race. You will need to manage water, effort and itinerary choice to have any chance of “beating” the desert. As if that wasn’t enough, this is the home of the legendary “shouting sands” (Za’eeq al Raml), a phenomenon that local legends often describe as evil spirits trying to disorient travellers and draw them deeper into peril… and you thought that role belonged to your teammates A trusty compass and reliable map should keep you safe from any interfering djinn but watch out for the early morning fog which, if last year is anything to go by, can really stir things up.

On the 5th day, you will take to the saddle to cover a punishing 95km biking stage. Split into 2 legs, the first 40km section, from the heart of the Liwa desert to Hamim, includes a cameo appearance for the luxury, five-star Qasr Al Sarab desert resort, due to opens its doors to guests in October 2009. You won’t get as far as checking in at this unique, authentic Arabian retreat but a quick detour through the palm-shaded grounds should give you a feel for the place. The 54 remaining kilometres will take you from Hamim all the way to the outskirts of the Oasis city of Al Ain. Otherwise known as the “Garden City of the Gulf”, strict planning rules, limiting the height of new buildings, lends an intimacy to the city and an abundance of pleasant parks, age-old markets and cultural attractions, including the recently inaugurated Zayed National Museum, which houses temporary and permanent collections illustrating the life and values of the United Arab Emirates’ illustrious founder, gives it, and the delightfully leafy streets, a distinctly traditional Arabian atmosphere.

After a night camped in a cool canyon to the east of the Jebel Hafeet range, the all important final day starts with a novel, night-orienteering section followed by a trek up the jagged slopes of the mountain range which, at 1,340m, dominates the surrounding area and is one of the UAE’s highest peaks. A technically demanding rope works section will give you a stunning view across the fertile plains studded with date farms that reach the outskirts of Al Ain. From the top of what is one of the UAE’s highest mountains, you will careen 37km down into the city centre of Al Ain along roads closed expressly for the race. The final 4km will be on foot, with teams sprinting through the popular Central Gardens, where a large cosmopolitan crowd comes at weekends to picnic and play, to the finish line at the Jahili Fort, one of the country’s most important historical monuments and the largest castle in Al Ain. You’ll most certainly be exhausted but also a lot wiser… In a race renowned for the quality of its course set in a country celebrated for its hospitality and cultural heritage, longer can only mean better.

Click here for more about this epic adventure!!  http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/

In January of last year I wrote a blog called “I’m Cold – training and racing in Winter Conditions.”   The following article by Robert Finlay expands on my earlier article and is better written.  As I sit in my warm office watching it pour rain outside, and only a few weeks until Gold Rush MotherLoad starts, I understand the importance of knowing how to deal with the cold.  This is a critical lesson for anyone who is going to be outside for extended periods of time in bad weather.

Author - Robert Finlay Originally Posted - www.kayaklakemead.com 

This article is about solo kayaking in cold water and being able to recover and survive from hypothermia when you are alone without help. If you’re paddling or adventuring alone you MUST know and be honest with yourself.

Important Note: This article is vital to survival. This article is a result of my personal battles of suffering and learning to recover from hypothermia in the wilderness, by myself, and getting on with my paddle adventure.

Adventure race sidebar: Adventure racers and adventure race teams, if you want to learn how to finish every race and not become a DNF (did not finish) statistic… READ THIS ARTICLE!

To know your susceptibilities to cold is key. To know how to prepare for a cold water kayak trip is key. Being able to recognize the signs that you are getting hypothermic is key. AND being able to recover by yourself in absolutely mandatory.

A typical scenario: I am alone. I am kayaking in high winds, 30 to 35 knots with gusts to whatever, on a 15 mile leg that is “close to the wind”, wind and waves right at me. The water temperature is low 50’s F. The air temp is about the same. I am going to have to deal with cold, wet, and wind.

My water bladder tube is coming up through my spray skirt and attached to my PFD with the nipple only inches from my mouth, so I am drinking and staying hydrated. Food is harder, the waves have at least “98% of my attention”. But, I have in a couple of bike bottles a mix of Hammer Nutrition’s “Sustained Energy” and ”Perpetuem”, one is on my forward deck and one is in the hull between my legs. That is a “kick ass” mix by the way.

So, I am eating, but probably not enough. I have energy bars in my paddle jacket, but it is a lot of trouble getting to them and unwrapping the darn things. I also have in my paddle jacket a sandwich bag of raisins and nuts, but I’ve only taken two or three dips into that, again eating is not easy, but I am trying, because I know the importance of staying fueled.

I have been exercising hard, staying hydrated, and eating a little. I am near the end of my leg. I have taken on alittle water through my hatches, I know this because my kayak seems heavy and low in the water. But I’m almost there.

I beach up and start to set up camp, tent first. I am shivering. About halfway through the project of getting the tent set up I am shivering so hard I am not functioning, “sh….t”. No real problems though. In my forward compartment, the first thing that is reachable is my handy dandy “hypothermia self-recovery system”. I go and get it.

It is a dry bag containing the items I need to stay alive, recover from hypothermia, get a good  night’s rest, and paddle some more in the morning.

Hypothermia self-recovery system list (listed in the order of importance and packed so item #1(most important) comes out first):

1) Shelter - A heavy duty space blanket (this is like a tarp but with a reflective side) taped so that the reflective side is in and so that it goes over my head with a breath hole for my mouth and nose. I can sit on something or squat and I am sheltered.

2) Heat Source - A ZIP-LOC bag with one 44 hour, 3 wick “NUWICK” candle. This is a can of pure happiness. It puts out the BTU’s.

3) Inside the can waterproof matches and in the ZIP-LOC are more matches in a waterproof container and a wind proof lighter and 2 regular lighters. I will get that candle lit.

4) 1 ea fleece hat.

5) 1 ea polypropylene top.

6) 1 ea fleece top.

7) 1 ea polypropylene pants.

1pr wool socks.

9) 1pr fleece gloves.

10) 1 ea waterproof rain parka.

11) Another ZIP-LOC with 6 ea “Mega Warmer” chemical heat treats AND more lighters AND a box of “Fire Starters”, little matches / kindling that make starting an emergency fire easy to get going AND a smaller ZIP-LOC of sugar (pure white life) AND 1 ea plastic spoon AND 1 ea freeze dried meal of chicken noodles.

12) 1 space blanket, sleeping bag type, so I can get in it and be wrapped.

13) 1 ea 1-liter titanium pot with lid.

I am still shivering and a little uncoordinated but it doesn’t take a lot of motor skill to get my self-recovery going. Once I put on the shelter and light the candle things are heating up fast.

With the wet clothes off and the dry clothes on AND the heat that is happening in my shelter, I am feeling better in 6 minutes. But I am still cold and need more time to heat up thoroughly  and rest a bit before I make dinner.

I put some sugar into my water bladder. The water bladder is low but I have more water behind my seat.

I get my sleeping bag, insulated ground mat, and bivi sack out of the kayak. I slip into that ensemble of space blanket, sleeping bag and bivi sack. (The ground mat goes into the bivi sack, so I don’t slip off of it while laying down and sleeping.) I slip the rain parka off. I get a couple of Mega Warmers going and put one between my legs and one on my chest. I am a happy camper already.

I situate my water bladder so the tube comes into the bivi sack. This way I can continue to hydrate and get immediate fuel from the sugar water.

In an hour I am ready to make dinner. If I had needed to eat warm food right away… I can, while in the shelter, warm up some water with the NUWICK candle and prepare chicken noodles.

I have not only recovered and survived; I have had a good meal, a good night’s rest, and I will have a good time paddling the next day.

By the way, this narrative was an account of an actual paddle trip. The next morning was calm and sunny.

Well, we think we’ve found that with NEMO’s Nano Elite tent. This is an adventure racing specific tent made by NEMO Equipment, a New Hampshire based tent and gear maker. We were introduced to NEMO at a recent Outdoor Retailer trade-show. We were not only impressed with their gear, their attention to detail, and awareness of what consumers value (whether they be adventure racers or backpackers), but also the enthusiasm and knowledge of the NEMO team.

We eventually were able to try their Nano Elite tent during a few races this summer, namely Untamed New England. On top of that, we were able to visit their shop in New Hampshire. THAT was very cool! The vibe and everything else that bubbled from this shop was very cool and something we’ll remember. We also met more of NEMO’s staff. They’re not some corporate giant all caught up in their underpants. They’re very cool, innovative, and super committed gear junkies! Note, they have some very brainy engineers designing their gear—some are Ivy League schooled!

Many racers will attempt to skirt required “shelter” requirements by trying to check things like tarps, space blankets, and other “shelter-like” contraptions. We’ve tried this and while the concept sounds great, the execution can be spotty and sometimes simply unsafe. Example: Try warming a hypothermic teammate under a floppy Wal-Mart tarp while sitting in a foot of snow on an exposed slope as a downpour of sleet and wind drive misery into your soul! We’ve tried this and—while it sounds sexy—it sucks! More importantly, it boarders on simply being unsafe and stupid.

So, why deal with the above when for close to same space and weight you can have an actual tent that will withstand most anything. This is where NEMO’s Nano Elite tent comes in. It comes in at a scant 2.8 pounds! I’ve used the “shelter-like” contraptions described above and other ultra-light tents, and the Nano Elite packs better than most and is definitely more functional and safe that most. The tent body packs down small via a compression sack and the DAC Featherlite poles are stored separately in another bag. This allows flexibility when packing. The tent itself is built as a single wall, with 2D non breathable, fully taped waterproof silicon-nylon material. This makes for a very light, while durable and water-proof body. There are vents up top that allow adequate airflow. Admittedly, there will be condensation due to the body material (single wall and waterproof). However, I’ve never met a system like this that didn’t have some condensation. (NEMO is actually working on adding more vents to a future release of the Nano Elite.)

There are other options that not only make the Nano Elite effective, but also flexible. There’s a screen door, which aids in ventilation. But that can also be removed all together to save weight. The Velcro straps that line the inside and hold the poles in place are nice, but can actually be cut off if you’re really trying to save weight. The tent will stand and stay fine without them. The Nano Elite also comes with stakes; a luxury you can also leave at home to save weight. With just these adjustments, the total weight can actually lessened!

In terms of space, Nano Elite works perfectly for an adventure racing team of 4. It’s certainly not spacious—but that’s not what we’re looking for. Sleeping in a puppy-pile or head-to-toe works best. Plus being this close keeps everyone warm! Durability is also tops with the Nano Elite. We’ve shuttled this tent in and out of our packs both wet and dry; nicely packed and quickly stuffed. Each time we saw no wear, no tear, and no problems.

Oh, and here’s a cool idea NEMO has as their own: inflatable poles. Yea—you read that right. Poles that are essentially made of air! Did I already say these guys are smart!?

Check out our Untamed New England pics, which include our visit to NEMO’s shop and some glam shots of the Nano Elite at Balsams Resort (the site of Untamed New England’s start and finish): http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtyavocados/sets/72157621426436076/

And click here for a look at NEMO’s website and more on the Nano Elite: http://www.NEMOequipment.com/NEMO09-nanoelite-tent

                The Dirty Avocados sent a strong team to the Big Blue 24 hour race on August 1^st.  Angel Garbarino, Brian Schmitz and Mike Chastaine made up the threesome with high hopes of getting on the podium.  There was a very good field present including ARnav, True Grit as well as several strong two man teams.

                We got the maps about an hour before the start and saw that the race was a series of checkpoints which we would bike and trek too.  There would not be a separate bike and run section.  Virtually every CP was on a mountain peak so there would be a lot of climbing.  The CP’s were spread out over a large area with no obvious route.   There was a “central” gear drop at Marlette lake.    In reality it was out of the way and not a place you wanted to go more than once. Given the almost unlimited route choices, I suspect that every team took a different route.

                The race started with a paddle across the lake.  We had a strong paddle in our triple kayak covering the distance in 3:15  – about 4 minutes behind ARnav and about 7 minutes ahead of Tim Kuenster and Kent Ryochuck.

                A quick transition to jump on the bike but plans changed.  We had planned on riding up to Spooner Lake along highway 28, get 2 CP’s on the way and then do the orienteering course.   The O course would not open till early afternoon so we figured we had time to get the CP’s and hit the O course in the daylight.  However the highway was closed due to some kind of damage so we had to reroute our plans on the fly.  We did get the first CP (15) on Highway 28, then back tracked to Tunnel Creek. We moved along at a good pace, climbing up tunnel creek and locating each CP after some trekking.   This race required a great deal of cross country navigating.   We would ride to the location we thought was the best access then change into running shoes and hoof it up the mountain to grab the check point.   We got 3 (7200 feet) then 4 (about 8700 feet).  We accessed 6 (8300 feet) off of the Flume Trail.  We jumped off the trail and climbed 600 feet straight up to the peak, then right back down.

                Around early afternoon I was running out of water.  We needed to get our lights for the evening and to get more food to carry us  through the night.  This required that we go to the gear drop which dictated our route a bit and the reason we were on the Flume trail.  We got our stuff and headed off.  We were checking off the CP’s quickly and felt like we were in good shape. 

                After the gear drop we climbed up to Marlette Peak and to CP5 (8600 feet).  We missed the intersection but got a bit of help from Kent and Tim.  At this point I knew we were in pretty good shape and had a shot at getting all the CP’s.

                After 5 we dropped down from Herlan Peak and ran into True Grit.  CP 7 looked like it could be accessed from the trail that we were on but they were having a terrible time finding it and had given up.  Given that information, it looked like it would be easier to access from below, so we continued down the hill, found the reentrant and headed up.  At this location was Tirobe who had just gotten the CP.  True Grit followed us up and we got the CP with little trouble.  From here, it was along the Red House flume trail to Red House for the only easy CP (8) on the whole course.

As we rode to Red House darkness fell.  We were feeling pretty good about things although I had been dragging going up some of the climbs.  At Red House we were still with True Grit.  The next two CP’s were 9 (7740) and 10 (8200) These CP’s were on opposite ends of a ridge so we parked the bikes in the middle and obtained both CP’s by running across the ridge.  True Grit picked a different route. As it was getting dark we could see that a storm was rolling in.  By the time we got back to the bike it was starting to rain a bit.  The rain got harder and the thunder and lightning came in.  For a while it was right on top of us and we sought shelter under a tree.   While we were sitting under the tree, True Grit rolled by heading for the next CP – 11 (8200 feet).  We were concerned about going up to the next summit and wanted to wait it out.  Fortunately, the storm passed through quickly and we were able to get on our way.  We slogged up to 11, which was on the west face of some cliffs and after climbing around for a bit with True Grit we found the flag.

                The next 2 CPS, 12 (8982) and 13 (8992)  were near the top of Snow Valley Summit.  This was a long climb up to 9200 feet.  I was feeling pretty low at this point and the hike-a-bike was killing me.  It took a while to get to the junction next to the summit.  We were leap frogging with True Grit on the hike a bike up.  We both headed toward 12 together, and after some searching found it.  We took off in a slightly different direction back then True Grit and soon we were apart.  We wondered along and before I knew it were heading South, a direction I didn’t want to go.  It was pitch black out but I could see the lights from North Shore so was able to obtain a bearing.  Somehow we had walked over the main road we were looking for.  We turned and climbed up the slope, hoping to find the towers on the summit of Snow Valley.  We found them and then got a bearing.  Here, however, is where we had a brain fart.  Instead of just turning around and heading south to the next CP, which was only about ¾ of a mile away, we headed north down the road towards our bikes.  Once we got to our bikes we decided to skip 13 and 14 and head to the O course.  We had some weird logic about being able to get more points on the O course.  It was about 4 am at this point and our thinking was obviously less then clear.  As it turned out, True Grit got 13 and 14 before heading to the O course.  This was the difference between 1^st and 2^nd.  Now, several weeks later I still don’t know why we did it, except that we were tired and lost focus for a minute. 

                In any event, we did the long ride down Snow Valley and to Spooner Lake.  When we got to Spooner, it was still dark.  Todd told us that the O course was very difficult in the dark and suggested that we go get 16 in the mean time.  We took his advise and heading down the road to 16.  This CP, was on Deadman Point and turned out to be very difficult.  As we were hiking around trying to get to the summit with the CP, we became concerned that we would not make the 9:00 cut off.  The penalty for being late was very steep, so we turned around empty handed and went back to Spooner and the O course.  We got 2 CPs on the O course and headed to the finish for 2^nd in the co-ed  behind True Grit and 5^th overall behind 3 two man teams.

                Over all it was a good effort and we worked well as a team.  We had a 4 am hiccup which cost us, but otherwise the navigation was strong.   We were a little disappointed in ourselves for making a silly mistake but overall were happy with our performance.  We are looking forward to the Tahoe Big Blue.

“A popular reason for elite or pro teams dropping is because they’re not performing as well as they expected. A popular reason for the rest of us is that one simply “can’t take it any more.”  That has different interpretations depending on the individual.”

“A popular reason pro/elites quit, is to avoid putting their reputation and or sponsor’s reputation in a bad light.  Essentially a DNF is sometimes perceived as better than finishing in the back of the back. There are a myriad of reasons others would quit.  Everyone has their breaking point.  That point could be based on physical or mental exhaustion or injury.  Or relationship, personality or team dynamics issues.
If you really want to get to the root cause(s), I think you have to not explore the reasons one would quit a race.  Instead, explore the reason one would START a race.  In other words, ask the question: why are you racing? The deeper and more emotional the reason), the farther away is that “quit button”.  For example, if one is racing for money, ego, or even for casual fun, then I’m guessing that quit button is within reach.  However, if one is racing for survival, or in memory of a lost loved one or for a charity, or out of commitment and dedication to their team or others, then I’m guessing that quit button is much farther away.  These are the kinds of questions one should ask themselves and your teammates.”

“I’m not so much of a numbers, stats, ranking type of person. My viewpoint is more from the other side, one of which is experiences, survival, in tune with nature and pushing personal goals. So I’m more likely to keep pushing until I die rather then pull the cord 2 days in cause I’m not in the top 10.  I don’t care to ever race with a racer(s) that has that viewpoint either.
Think back at all of the post race and AR community events discussions you’ve had with other racers. What resonates is where you went and raced—not how you did. Comradery and bonding take place over stories that the two teams had during the same race even though they may have been days apart from each other on the field. For the sponsors that “get it”, this is what resonates with them and they appreciate this because they respect our passion and involvement. I am not interested in sponsors that continually ask for numbers, podiums and top finishes and don’t even know our names. Same goes for teammates that are only interested in this and not the big picture of team growth, personal growth, humility, skill sharing and refinement.”

“I’m a pretty firm believer that each of us on the DA’s races for the love of the sport…I know… vague.  Or should I say the challenge.  Perhaps it’s just best summed up with because it’s hard!  I really don’t think that any of us actually give a crap about fame, glory, sponsors, money—coming out of AR that is. So, let me stop saying we and just say I (even though I mean “we”).  I don’t race to be in an AR Mag or website, for prize money, sponsors gifts.  Now, don’t get me wrong I love all the extra gear and crap I have stuffed in my garage.  But, I would still race if I had to pay full price for it.  (Note: I just kicked myself in the shin for saying that.)
I’ve contemplated quitting many times during races.  It’s always when I’m totally out of it.  Not sure it’s always the “quit” mentality going through my mind but the “please someone just shoot me and get me out of my misery here” mindset.  After experiencing that a few times I’ve learned that it goes away, you recover, and deal with what you can’t fix.  Be it loosing serious time, or an injury.  I would have to say that after all the racing I’ve done it would take a pretty serious injury to get me to quit.  Even if I was running in dead last.  Truthfully, I would probably have to be pulled from the race by the race director, maybe even physically.  This may be because I’m a hardheaded pig.  But, I think it goes back to why I race.  Because it’s hard.  I hate easy races (they are for racing with newbies).  It’s all about proving something to myself.  It’s about the freakin’ ADVENTURE!  And the stories you share with your friends when it’s over.”

“I was on the verge of quitting.  Figuring out why I was racing was the key to continuing on.  I haven’t DNF intentionally since.”

(most recent update on top) 

TIME: 08/14/2009 - 10:09am MDT

Race Clock: 4 hours 39 minutes

Spot has a good map of the race up.  Go to the north and look for the traveling blue icons.  Focus in using the tool to the top left corner of the map. Select the team number you are looking for.  Mark Richason and Melissa Griffins are team 15.  They are traveling so close to team 18 that team 18’s icon may be above theirs.  Team 18 is Team SOAR, good friends of ours from Shasta, California.  Here is the link (you can find this at the main ecoprimalquest.com race site by clicking the “Tracking” tab): http://race.findmespot.com/spot-racing-ui/pgmap.jsp

TIME: 08/14/2009 - 9:00am MDT

Race Clock: 3 hours 30 minutes

Teams started off in Rapid City, South Dakota this morning at 5:30am on a marathon (26.2 miles) of a 600+ mile race.  Organizers revealed the course last night to teams, a course that includes over 120,000 feet of elevation gain (the most ever for a Primal Quest Race).  Racers will running, caving, swimming, climbing rock spires, paddling rivers, biking over badlands, sight seeing at Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial before returning to the finish in Rapid City.

The Sioux Falls Newpaper, the Argus is reporting that the race will consist of the following:

A TEST OF MANY SKILLS: Here is a breakdown of miles by event discipline (estimated):

There is a video at the race site showing organizers traveling over the race course.  The video is actually a series of very short clips that appeals to anyone with attention deficit syndrome: http://www.ecoprimalquest.tv/index.php?video=401

TIME: 08/13/2009 - 2:00pm PST

Race Clock: 12 hours 30 minutes to race start (3:30am Mountain Time)

Mark wrote us that his team has completed their skills checks, gear checks and has had a nap. He wrote, “We’ll have the maps by 1730 local time (Mountain Time Zone).” he continued saying, “we start at 0530, 0430 in California.”

He says that they have a good idea what they are going to do to make it through this race.  The people that they are staying with know the area and have given them a little local knowledge of the challenges that they may face.  If Mark is good at one thing its listening and studying in detail where he’s going and how he will get his team successfully to the finish line. So, at 4:30 am PST here in California we should be able to watch them start at ecoprimalquest.com

TIME: 08/13/2009 - 11:00am PST

Race Clock: 15 hours 30 minutes to race start (3:30am Mountain Time Zone)

Tomorrow morning at 4:30am teams will begin a journey lasting days and possibly over a week across 600 miles in the Dakotas.  Our teammate Mark Richardson has joined Melissa Griffins, Charley Karsa and Jared Hanley.

 This will be Mark’s second Primal Quest having raced at Primal Quest San Jaun Islands.  We wish them all the best of luck as we all follow their progress.

The team will be wearing small satillite Spot(TM) messengers which will show intermittent progress of the team.  See this page for a map showing their progress: http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=45926

Picture of the Spot Messengers team will carry (these do not give the team GPS coordinates.  They send a  message to a satellite which is pushed to a map on a website):

Untamed New England – the view from the other team

Some times you just have to take chances.  In adventure racing, you can do a lot well, but one mistake can really cost you.  That turned out to be the story of the Dirty Avocados 2.

Dirty Avocados 2 was made up of Jen Rigoni, Donato Polignone and Mike Chastaine.  This three some had not raced together before but was very excited to be heading to New Hampshire for the AR World Championship Qualifier.

            Before heading out we had agreed on a “go fast and take chances” strategy.   We were going to sleep as little as possible, and go as hard as we could for as long as we could to see what would happen.

            The race was based out of a beautiful resort in northern New Hampshire called the Balsams.  An old fashioned resort that requires the gentlemen to wear jackets at night.  This was an outstanding venue for such as race.

            We were told very little about the order of the events and the lengths of each leg.  We were told that we would be significantly limited in the amount of gear we could bring in this unsupported race – 30 lbs per personal gear bag and one 40 lb team “paddling bag.”

            It wasn’t until the morning of the race that we were given maps and instructions and would be able to actually pack.  For me this was a very stressful situation, having to plot check points, devise an optimal route between each, and get the right gear in the right bag.  Fortunately, Jen really stepped up and made sure our bags were filled with the correct gear.  Still, I was way over the weight limit and was forced to take several pounds of gear and food out of my bag in the final minutes before race start.  I was  reduced to 1 pair of bike shorts, 1 pair of trekking shoes, 2 pair of trekking pants and a couple of jerseys, along with some rain proof gear and other mandatory gear.  I had what seems like way too little food.  Never the less, the weather looked like it would be good at least the first day and we could get food in the towns we passed through.

            The race started when the UTMs to the first 2 check points were handed out.  We quickly plotted those and took off.  We rode the first bike leg hard and were among the first teams to get to the paddle.  We had the option of using our own paddling gear or using the paddles the race provided.  The disadvantage to using your own gear was that we would have to carry it.  We had chosen to use the paddles provided.  This was a mistake.  Canoes are slow enough.  With canoe paddles, it seemed like we were barely moving.  Still, we keep the boats upright the entire paddle and were only passed but a couple of teams.

            In hindsight we actually had a pretty good paddle in that we didn’t flip the boats and were pretty skillful in keeping the water out of the boat after the first set of rapids.

            We completed the paddle and got changed to head out on the bike. We were about an hour 20 min behind the lead team.  We were feeling strong and took off at a quick pace.  The first part of the bike was on road ultimately leading to a conservation project.   We were around 15th place coming into the conservation project and feeling pretty good about our position as everyone was pretty close together.

            We worked hard at clearing our area, doing our part to mark the nature walk, grabbed a hamburger supplied by the locals and took off for the 2^nd part of this bike leg.  This part was much harder, with a spot where we had to get the bikes over a barbed wire fence.  It also had a long 900 vertical foot climb in the middle.

            Around 2 am we finished the ride at a coffee shop that was being used as the TA and stayed open all night just for the racers.  Here we got more CPs to plot for the up coming trek along with a large coffee.  We got out of there as quickly as possible and by the time the sun began to rise (about 4:30) we were well into the trek.  CP 1 of this trek proved to be difficult for many teams.  We ran into Trackme 360 who had been looking for the CP for several hours.  We were traveling with Technu at that time and we were able to locate the CP as a group.  At this point we had a discussion about whether we should try to achieve the bonus check points or limit ourselves to the 4 mandatory CPs.  Given the cut off later in the day, I felt it was better for us to skip the bonus CPs.  Still we had a tough time making our way to the 2^nd CP – on the top of Randolph Mountain.   We wasted about 2 hours going down the wrong trail before back tracking to the correct one. It was a long climb to the top of the mountain.  We made it and continued through the remainder of the trek through out the day.  We arrived at that TA at the Bed and Breakfast in Jefferson in the mid-afternoon on Friday.   We had lost some places but with various penalties and bonus it was difficult to determine ranking at this point. We were about 5 hours behind first and within a couple hours of most of the teams in front of us.  From there it was a quick 9 mile bike ride to the next paddle.

            We were over 24 hours into the race, had no sleep and were faced with an important decision.   We were given the option to do the paddle – a 25 mile up-stream paddle with at least one portage, or ride our bikes to the next TA to start the bushwhack trek.  Even good paddling teams were averaging 2 mph so this was going to take a while.  I was very concerned that if we paddled we would miss other cut offs that would ultimately DQ us.  After much discussion we agreed to head out on the bike.  This proved to be a wise decision.

            It was a quick road ride to the “town” of Stark whose most notable feature was a cool covered bridge.  We still had a fair amount of daylight so we changed to trekking gear and headed off.  Skipping the paddle put us toward the front of the group.  Again we were traveling with Technu with Merrill right behind us.  A long walk down the road lead us to the area where we would be looking for a trail to CP 22.  We had a great deal of difficultly with this CP.  Technu wanted to try to contour to the CP.  We made the mistake of following and once we were deep into the bushwhack we felt too committed to abandon the plan.  We spent hours looking for this CP.  Finally, through perseverance we did locate the CP that was a few hundred yards from a well-worn trail we should have spent more time locating instead of contouring. 

            The next CP was a full-on bushwhack up the side of a mountain to the summit.  All night long we powered through the bush, over the rocks, through the high weeds and around the trees.  Finally, we got to the summit to be greeted by some folks from Eastern Mountain Sports.  We were one of the first teams to arrive at this CP.  Even though we had skipped the paddle, this meant that we were in the lead group of the short course teams and I knew that many of the long course teams would be short coursed or quit later. They allowed us to share a Pepsi, have a hot dog and some chips.  It was a nice gesture.  Then we headed down.  Down proved as hard as up with a small cliff band that was pretty dicey down climbing.  It turned out that a member of another team fell off that cliff and had to be transported to the hospital.  Fortunately we got through it safely.

            Getting down to the road seemed to take forever.  Finally, as the sun was coming up we hit the road for a long (5miles +/-) march.  At that location we had the option of the road (longer) or bushwhacking over (shorter).  We agreed the road would be faster and safer.  Lack of sleep can do funny things, even on a road.  We turned off too early and put ourselves in a position where we had to do a short (15-20 minutes) bushwhack to get back to the road.  We lost over an hour from the summit to Drummer Pond.

            At the Drummer Pond TA we would be getting on our bikes and heading to the climbing site, which was some 30 miles away in Maine.  At this point we were over 40 hours into the race with no sleep.  I needed to plot some more of the course that I didn’t have time to complete at the race start.  While I did this Jen and DP took a catnap.  I found that I was really having trouble with the plotting and was not very confident about my points.  I slept for about 5 minutes and then we packed up and took off. 

            The first part of the ride was fine.   We stopped at a snack shack and got some food and coffee then were back on the road.  We had just a couple of little hiccups that were quickly corrected.  We got to Success Lake in fine shape with plenty of time to get to the climbing site well before the 4:00 cut off.  I saw 2 routes to the site – one was a road, the other a 4 wheel drive road that looked more direct and shorter.  I asked a local kid on an ATV about it and he said the 4 wheel drive road was in good shape and the way he would go.  If I ever see that kid again, he’s in trouble.  It was a good road, for a while.  But by the time it got to the ridge, it was a muddy un-rideable mess.  As a result we wound up pushing the bikes for several hours through the mud.  This was the low point in the race for me.  I was upset at myself for going this way and was afraid we would miss the cut off.  Further, fatigue was really catching up to me and I was having trouble getting my bearings.  Luckily Jen and DP kept it together and we finally made our way to the climbing site.  Although we got there just after 4 the cut off had been extended to 6. 

            We climbed up to Table Rock (a long a steep hike) and were told that only one of us had to do the climb.  I needed to sleep so Jen volunteered.  While DP and I got about 20 minutes of shut eye Jen repelled and then jumarred up about 150 feet.    As I expected, at this point the course was really taking it’s toll on teams –only  ½ actually made it to the climbing site in time to do the climb. We were in the middle of that 20-team group.

            It’s amazing what a few minutes of sleep will do.  We hurried back to the bikes.  Now I had to re-plot the up coming check points I’d attempted at the previous TA plus 2 new ones.  Jen slept for a few minutes while DP and I figured out where we were going.

            Just as it was starting to get dark we took off up the road on our bikes.  Shortly thereafter it started to rain.  Hard.  We rode along various dirt roads, mile after mile in the dark and rain.  There was absolutely nothing on the road.  No buildings of any kind.  However, I was “seeing” houses and barns and all manner of structures.  The hallucinations were quite interesting.

            We got through the first two CPS on the bike (32 and 33) with no trouble.  By then it had stopped raining and we were actually drying out.  We rode down to the river and then tackled a 5 mile uphill ride to CP 34 (located at a boat launch.)  At this point we were feeling strong and confident.  After 34 we would have only one last CP on the bike and then we would go back to the Balsam’s to complete what we figured would be a rather short trek to the finish line.  We had about a half hour of sleep under our belt but were feeling alert and had been knocking off the CPs easily.

            Just as we got to the boat launch area it started to rain again.  This time it was REALLY dumping.  There was thunder and lighting.  We were getting soaked.  At the boat launch there were 3 old row boats upside down on the ground.  We climbed under one, wrapped ourselves in a space blanket and got a short nap, hoping to sleep through the worst of the storm.   The gear we left behind to stay under the weight limit haunted us a bit here.  We were wearing every piece of clothing we had including space blankets and we were all still very cold and did not sleep well.  In less then an hour the rain had stopped and we were off.   Normally a short nap really helps.  But for some reason the lack of sleep really was catching up to me.  I had a tough time finding the right road out of the lake area to the trail I was looking for.  Once we found the trail we thought we were in good shape, traveling in the correct direction at the correct elevation.  But we missed a turn somewhere and were way to far south.  We searched around for a couple of hours and realized that we were in the wrong area and that we were running out of time to catch the checkpoint.  We agreed to skip it and head back to the Balsams.  Even with skipping CP 35 I was certain we were solidly in the top 10 so we were ok with this.   At that point, aside from the second paddle, we had obtained every mandatory checkpoint

We were on an ATV road that I was confident would get us to the highway and then it would be about 7 miles to the finish.  We were traveling along and came to an intersection.  One direction was east (the one I knew would get us to the highway) and the other going north.  There were lots of bike tire tracks going north and it was the general direction of the resort.  This is where sleep deprivation and bad decisions go hand in hand.  For reasons I will never be able to explain, we went north.  This turned into a logging road that circumnavigated the mountain but was never going to lead us to the highway.  We ran into two other teams and together we burned time looking for ways out.  Finally, around 9:30 when it was obvious that we were not going to make the final 10:00 cutoff we pulled out the Sat phone, got our location off the Spot tracker and after some messing around with race HQ agreed to head south all the way back to Drummer Pond to be picked up.

I was sorely disappointed as were the other three teams that got picked up with us (including RaceIt/Odyssey AR/ASR and GOALS ARA) but we simply had run out of time. We never gave up and with more time we would have ridden back the way we came till we found the road.

Still, we had put in a super effort, had great team dynamics, and discovered that, at least for us, an hour of sleep over 3 days is not enough when the navigation is difficult.  Certainly for me, the end of the race was much harder due to the lack of sleep and the confusion I suffered when roads and maps didn’t match.

Although the results will never show it, the Dirty Avocados 2 had an excellent race and I’m very proud of the effort that we put in.