The G-Rant : Grant's Rants on Adventure Racing

June 2006 - Posts

• A True Life Changing Experience

  If you want to get inside the heads of one of the teams racing PrimalQuest, visit this audio blog.  The entire list of Team Bulleit audio clips is available here.  They're not in the front of the pack, but you get an idea what it's like on the course.  Quotes like, "I now know what it feels like to be a toaster pastry" and "I can't think straight" bring things into focus for those of us in our air conditioned homes. I've been to Moab in the summer and it is HOT.  I can't imagine racing for days straight through . . . or making the effort to record my thoughts for an audio blog!  After about 20 hours of racing I know I burn exactly zero energy on non-essential things, and recording monologues would not be on my radar screen.  I've trekked for 10+ miles in bike shoes because I was too "focussed" (that really means tired and dumb!) to stop and put my trail runners on.  They've been racing for over 4 days now . . . when you go to sleep at night . . . they're still racing . . . when you eat breakfast tomorrow morning they're still racing . . . through this entire week of work they've been racing.  It's an amazing achievement for all the teams out there. One of the Blue Ridge Mountain Sports employees is heading up logistics at PrimalQuest (he knows Don Mann from his Odyssey days), and his wife passed on his observation from on the race course that this 2006 PQ is a true life changing experience.  Now that's a reason to get into adventure racing! Posted Jun 29 2006, 04:21 PM by gkillian with 4 comment(s)

• How do you get started in Adventure Racing? 8 notes for an AR rookie

  Here are some off-the-cuff thoughts on how to get into adventure racing for the first time . . . 1)  Every race organization is different, and every race is different.  Races are based around the core disciplines of paddling, biking, running, and navigation but there are endless variations on how events combine these ingredients together.  Some races have really basic navigation and have you follow easy and mandatory routes, while other races have very challenging navigation and allow great freedom in your route selection.  Some races include singletrack biking, while other events don't include any technical biking.  Unlike triathlon, where there are just a few official variations, such as "Olympic distance," and a centralized organizing body, USA Triathlon, the sport of adventure racing is more loose and flexible.  This is why, when you talk with adventure racers about the sport, don't be frustrated when the answer to your questions always begin with "Well, it depends . . ." 2) Smile.   It's supposed to be fun.  Don't take yourself too seriously.  You're going to be running around in the wilderness with a bunch of other like-minded lycra wearing crazies. 3) You don't have to be Hercules to compete in adventure racing. Yes, 12 hours may sound like a long time but you'd be surprised how a reasonably fit person can hang in there.   If you're trying to win the race, you'll probably need to be in really fit condition, but to just PARTICIPATE in an event you don't have to have super hero fitness. 4) An AR environment is not as competitive as you might think.  While the top 10 teams in a race may be focussed on winning, the other 30 teams are focussed on having a great time and just making it through.  There is a saying in AR that "the back of the pack has more fun" and it's often true: those racing in 34th place, for example, can enjoy the experience without the pressure to do really well.  You may get to the point where you enjoy competing for the adventure race podium, but it usually takes time and, along the way, there are many fun memories to be had while racing far behind the leaders. 5) Get a race on your calendar. Coerce some friends and register for an event; ideally, the race should be no further than a few hours from you and, ideally, the race should be a month or two in the future so you have time to get your act together, but don't spend weeks and months trying to find the perfect "beginner" race because there is no such thing.   I think a 12-hour race is a good beginner duration, but don't feel constrained by a magic formula.  My first race was 18-hours and it was great!  You're going to learn infinitely more about the sport by participating in a race than you will by wasting time trying to find the best, most beginner-oriented, introductory race.  Even though we at HRAdventure organize an occasional "short" race of 3-4 hours, I honestly think it's better to jump in the deep end of the pool and pick any race so long as it's less than 24 hours -- do you really want to get all your clothes and gear dirty just for a 3 hour race? 6) Check your gear.  Most races require certain mandatory gear like a compass, waterproof jacket, etc. Print this list from the race organizer and make sure you have the items. If you need to pick up some gear, don't be shy about telling a salesperson at your local outdoor store that you're about to try an adventure race . . . the salesperson should be able to help tailor your selections to your event.  You don't need to buy the fanciest or most expensive gear, either, as adventure racers are notoriously tough on gear.  Count on most everything getting wet, muddy, knocked around, and needing to be replaced after several races.  By spending less on gear, you can spend more on race entrance fees down the road! 7) Get outside.   Get comfortable with your gear, teammates, and with the disciplines in the race.  Race day is never the time to try anything for the first time (paddling, compass work, etc).  You don't need to be a pro with each discipline, but at least have a minimum comfort level with each element of the race.  8) Show up to the starting line.  The hard work is over (all the planning, training, and logistics), now all you can do is go for it.  You might feel stressed at the starting line but once you get away from the pack of people and it's just you and your teammates, nobody is judging you and it's a chance for you to learn a lot about yourself! Posted Jun 27 2006, 01:43 PM by gkillian with 3 comment(s)

• Quick VBAdventureFest Update

  Things are coming together for the adventure weekend this November: the Virginia Beach AdventureFest.  Here's the latest: We recently finalized a steal on rooms at the VBAdventureFest host hotel.  Just $60/night for their oceanfront rooms -- and after touring the facility I think it's a great deal.  Nothing like being able to walk to/from the race check-in and race finish! This is the host hotel: I'll give you one guess where the big abseil is likely to be at! Three of the events that weekend -- the Sea & Sand adventure race, the Bear of the Beach trail run, and the Metr-O orienteering event -- will crown an overall weekend champion in addition to the individual event winners.  There will be an overall female and male winner crowned, and we're working on a good title for the overall winners. The Sea & Sand adventure race is shaping up to be a 12-hour affair instead of just 9-hours.  On Saturday night after the adventure race, the Virginia Beach Rock Gym will be hosting a party for all the participants and there will also be bouldering/climbing competitions going on (not my area of expertise -- I just deliver the adventure race).  I'm just hoping there is beer. If you're doing the Bear of the Beach trail run on Sunday morning you might want to either stay up all night so you don't oversleep, or call it a night after just one beer. The Encompass-Adventure Metr-o urban orienteering event on Sunday is shaping up to be a crazy ride through scenic, historic, and just plain old fun places.  If you liked the Colonial Williamsburg stuff in our past events, then this is right up your alley.  I'm bummed that I can't do this race since I'm privy to all the details . . . but if you do the adventure race I highly recommend you check out the Metr-O. That's a quick update on things . . .  more work ahead . . . Posted Jun 26 2006, 08:59 PM by gkillian with no comments

• Whispers of 2007

  I've been super busy this past week and I've got a lot of topics on my mind (like some tips for  choosing your first adventure race and more about my new bike), but I'll save those for when I have more time. Instead, I've got a teaser about the HRAdventure 2007 calendar. If you look at our races over the years (strange to think it has been years!), there has been a gradual progression in distance and difficulty.  Not only have many of the teams that frequently race our events improved and "grown up," but our race organization and staff and volunteers have "grown up" too.   Teams that couldn't spell "UTM" now finish near the front of the pack! Combine this maturation of our racer community and the organization as a whole with solid sponsorship commitments for 2007 and something big is on the horizon.  I won't say how big other than 24+ hours; I won't say when other than May 2007; I certainly won't say where!  I will say that if you're into adventure racing and enjoy our previous efforts, you won't want to miss this race. Let the speculation commence . . . Posted Jun 26 2006, 01:28 PM by gkillian with 2 comment(s)

• PrimalQuest Begins

  The big show, 2006 PrimalQuest, started earlier today and team Nike already has a bit of a lead after just 11 hours of racing.  The Primal Quest website is really fantastic, you can waste hours of perfectly good work time following the leaderboard, the teams, the course, and everything in between.  HRAdventure has direct connections to a few of the teams that are racing, here's a quick run-down: -Sutliff Hummer is based out of PA but Mark Montague of Suffolk, VA races with them.  Sutliff Hummer races in just about all of our races, and they won the 2005 Storm the Eastern Shore.  If you've done much training or racing in Hampton Roads, you're bound to have run into Mark! -Odyssey AR is based out in western VA and they organize races like the Beast of the East and the E-Fix.  The real connection with HRAdventure is through Scott Pleban who is one of the strongest navigators I know -- we've trained with him a few times and he's a very approachable and humble guy. -TravelCountry.com / Tango has Blain Reeves on their team; Blain lived in Hampton Roads for a while and we met him after he kicked butt at the first race we organized (back in 2004) -- Blain has sinced moved to south Florida but our paths still cross at races now and then and he contributes to content on our website.  -GOALS ARA is a race organization up in Philadelphia, but they sponsor a race team and they're doing PQ for their second time in a row.   GOALS came out and raced the 2006 SPROUTE and showed that they're a very strong team.  We also have a cooperative agreement with GOALS to cross-promote our event calendars (you'll find a GOALS flyer in our race bags for 2006, for example). Those are the 4 teams that HRAdventure has strong connections with.  We wish them, and all the racers, good luck in the heat of Moab! Posted Jun 25 2006, 08:15 PM by gkillian with no comments

• That's a lot of Gatorade

  Wow . . . I thought my HRAdventure run to Sams Club before the races we organize put a hurtin' on my Subaru suspension . . . check out this article on some of the logistics behind transition area hydration at PrimalQuest.  That's a lot of product! The articles author, Mike Bitton, has a blog over here.  He's one of the guys with the fun job of writing about PrimalQuest this year, and it should be interesting to follow him for the next few weeks. I wonder if PQ realized how hot it would be in Moab in the summer?  Team HRAdventure is racing the "smaller" expedition race out in Moab in October 5-8 this year, we had the good sense to wait until the Fall for things to cool off! I can already feel what my next post will be . . . provided I have time to write it . . . I should highlight the HRAdventure connections to PQ this year.  There's lots of people, both racers and race staff, who have ties to HRAdventure (Scott Pleban, Blain Reeves, the Sutliff Hummerians, GOALS ARA, etc).  Many people ask if I'd like to do PQ next go 'round and, while I'm certainly interested, I'm more interested in going to New Zealand for the Southern Traverse.  In my mind, the Southern Traverse is the shining beacon on the hill of adventure racing.  Plus, I'd love to return to New Zealand and maybe -- just maybe -- lose my return ticket home.  They need computer programmers down there, right? Posted Jun 21 2006, 12:54 PM by gkillian with 1 comment(s)

• Team HRAdventure in February: a report just in time for summer

  If the recent heat wave has you longing for cooler weather, you'll love the Team HRAdventure race report on the Odyssey race from February 11, 2006.  Just looking at the pictures will move your thermostat a few degrees cooler! We went into this race with the mindset that everything before the first night section was a warm-up -- essentially dismissing the first 12 hours of racing as preamble and something to work through but not get too hung up on.  In the weeks leading up to the race, we repeated over and over how "the real race starts at dark."  We have experience with winter racing and when darkness falls so do the temperatures and the spirits of most teams; this approach was right on the money for this race and -- while we never could have predicted a blizzard during the event -- we were well-prepared for the cold dark hours from 6 PM to 6 AM.  It was a challenge, certainly, but we managed our expectations well and ended up with a good finish despite some big mistakes! Posted Jun 20 2006, 07:43 AM by gkillian with no comments

• STORM race report (worth the wait?)

  As I come out of my HRAdventure organizing coma after the TT, I took the time to post this race report on the 2005 Storm from last November.  Britt had sent it to me months and months ago, but I just got around to posting it to the website now.  Oh well, it's not terrible timing since registration for the 2006 Storm the Eastern Shore just opened a few weeks ago.  There are some cool photos and this report has one of Britt's more famous observations: -WHO KNEW you could come off a horrible paddle, eat a McDonald’s McGriddle and suck down half a cup of coffee, and then go run 7 or so miles without projectile vomiting And I particularly like how the team compensates for a forgotten set of race instructions: Cape Charles citizen: “Are you looking for the library?” Mike: “Should I be looking for the library?” A classic case of orienteering by social engineering!  I have another good race report on our adventure in Georgia this past winter, it should be online later this week. Posted Jun 19 2006, 10:22 AM by gkillian with 1 comment(s)

• XTerra Weekend and Paragon Delays

  I ran the James River trail run (advertised as a 10K but, I'm told, it's more accurately 6 miles) and came across a lot of familiar faces from HRAdventure races, including volunteers on the course Brian and Emily from the Powhatan Trail Race (and Richmond ASR fame); a bit of role reversal seeing them on the sidelines while I've got the race bib on!  There were several other friendly faces and at least on t-shirt from the TT.  It's always cool to see a t-shirt from one of our events some other event entirely . . . nice to know not all the race t-shirts immediately become bike rags!  After the run we headed down to Pocahontas State Park for some paddling; what a beautiful day!  In hindsight, I wish I would've done the mountain bike race they held after the trail run -- there is a ton of trail through there and it would've been a lot of fun.  I was talked into running the trail race last minute, however, and never really explored the other opportunities as part of the weekend.  I was asked a few times why I'm not into Xterra racing and the answer is easy: I don't like races that are just track meets and, to me, Xterra is a heads-down go-go-go sort of thing that doesn't engage me the way an adventure race does.  I'm sure XTerra would be great training, and it would be the kick in the butt I need to improve my lousy swimming skills, but there is so much more to adventure racing.  There's nothing like being out in the woods for hours on end . . . just you, your compass and maps, and your team.  When I compare that to the high gloss of XTerra with the big jumbles of people and the little arrows telling you where to go, I lose interest.  Quick update on my new 2007 Paragon: UPS mangled the bike and the bike shop refused delivery . . . looks like I'll have to wait a few more days . . . but I'm still optimistic that I can get the bike for a big night of training those of us going to Canada in July have planned.  Keep fingers crossed! [Edit Update: I had Emily's name wrong in the original post . . . I've been talking a lot with Eric and Wendy and I typed "Wendy" originally instead of "Emily."  Honest mistake!] Posted Jun 18 2006, 08:06 AM by gkillian with 8 comment(s)

• Paragons and the Gary Fisher Code

  It looks like I'll be getting a 2007 Gary Fisher Paragon as my new bike.  29 inch wheels, disc brakes, hardtail, nice componentry . . . all in all it seems like a very good adventure racing ride.  I'll keep my full suspension bike around for the tougher trail riding in the Shenandoahs, but I think the Paragon will become my bike of choice going forward.  I'm sure the Paragon could handle the more technical riding, too, but I can't part with my full suspension bike just yet!  Here's a stock photo of the Paragon from Fisher . . . I guess I can have any color I want so long as it is red: I just rode a modified Fisher Paragon that BikeBeat had and the 29 inch wheels are pretty nice; the larger tires made easy work of the roots and low stumps that crop into the singletrack around here -- and people say the larger tires will help the bike to handle better.  I also like the simplicity of not having a rear suspension, and the slight savings in weight for any hike-a-bike fun.  If it's less complicated and lighter in weight, it's a strong selling point for adventure racing nuts.  Sure, my butt might miss some of the squish, but I think it's the right choice for the kind of riding I'm into. So, let the conspiracy theorists begin . . . Gary Fisher sponsors our Tidewater Traverse adventure race . . . Team Gary Fisher eeks out a narrow victory at the race (but on paper it looks like a blow out) . . . one week later I hang a new Gary Fisher Paragon in my garage . . . coincidence? Have fun with your Da-Vinci-Code-inspired conspiracies around this but the key forces at work are really: My bikes are getting older and tougher to maintain I've got a few long races later this year and my biggest fear is a bike mechanical problem ruining an enormous amount of planning and training -- I've pushed my luck far enough Combine the above with a very charismatic mid-Atlantic Gary Fisher rep and some time to converse during the build up and execution of the Tidewater Traverse and . . . *poof* . . . next thing you know I'm buying some new wheels. Posted Jun 15 2006, 02:48 PM by gkillian with 9 comment(s)

• Switching Gears for July: HRAdventure / Axis Gear

  While there's a lot of work on the organizing front for the rest of our 2006 events, it sure is nice to have an actual race that I'll compete in on the horizon.  I've got a team together with our sights set on the Raid the North in July; it's not the usual Team HRAdventure suspects because they all have other things going on at that time, so I scrambled together a couple from Richmond ASR and a forth teammate from the Charlottesville area and a new team is born just for this race: HRAdventure / Axis Gear.  Obviously, you know where the HRAdventure part of our team name comes from, but you may have questions about the Axis Gear part.  Axis Gear is a small Canadian company that has been around adventure racing for a long time . . . they make custom apparel and other cool AR toys -- check out the Axis Gear sample gallery of custom jerseys for AR.  The Axis Gear main office is relatively close to the area for the Raid The North, and since they've been a sponsor of our races in the past and make top notch equipment for the sport, it was a logical step to team up with them as a sponsor for this 36-hour adventure in July.  We'll be sporting some very nice custom jerseys from Axis Gear, so look for us to be the best dressed on the course.  That may be all that we'll be best at, however, as I know nothing about that region and I understand the navigation can be brutal to those unfamiliar with the terrain.  1:50,000 scale maps are not all that detailed, either, and since outside maps aren't permitted at this race we'll have our hands full with the nav and unfamiliar terrain.  Our goal isn't to go win the race, but to finish the full course and end with smiles on our faces -- and maybe finish with enough energy to eat some ice cream at the finish line.  We've got some fun team training lined up, including an overnighter next week in the Shenandoahs, and we're sorting out support crew, food strategies, etc.  For me, it's such a nice change of pace from organizing and haggling over permits and race sponsors -- it reminds me why I got started doing this stuff in the first place.  I think 2007 could feature more racing and less organizing for me. So, stay tuned for more on our team preparations and, in the meantime, I encourage you to check out the Axis Gear products and support a small business that loves adventure racing and -gasp- their products are all made in North America! Posted Jun 14 2006, 03:40 PM by gkillian with 2 comment(s)

• Embrace the muck

  Got a bit of press for the Tidewater Traverse over on CheckpointZero.com.  It's tough to summarize all the effort and energy into a few paragraphs, but it does cover many of the race highlights.  It's also got a nice picture of Encompass-Adventure on the course. Posted Jun 13 2006, 02:33 PM by gkillian with no comments

• Race Hang-Over

  I'm certain others experience this: all the effort and build-up to organizing a successful race . . . and then the fatigue that sets in afterwards.  It's a challenge to tie up all the post-race loose ends (revised race splits, sponsor thank yous, race photos, gear lost and found, reclaiming our garage from the boxes of sponsor loot and supplies, etc.).  This is where the statement, "Organizing adventure races is tougher than racing them" really comes into it's own.  It's relatively easy to invest time when an event is approaching . . . but once it is passed, finding the activation energy to complete all the due diligence can be trying. So, with this in mind, you can see why I've been a bit quiet on the blog front the last week or two.  I've got lots going on with VBAdventureFest, this little race known as the Storm, some racing clinics, and a bit of racing to do myself.  I'm also in the market for a new bike . . . I feel like my current ride is becoming less and less reliable and I'd like to get something with 29 inch wheels and disc brakes . . . So, I've got lots to talk about and I'll get back in the blogging saddle now that my post-race hang-over is letting up!  Posted Jun 13 2006, 08:48 AM by gkillian with 3 comment(s)

• More Tidewater Traverse -- but it's almost over

  We've got initial results up for the TT; I've never been fast at getting this stuff processed -- I have no problem going on less sleep or staging things for days before a race, but once an event is over my initiative seems to dry up and it's a real struggle to follow through on the all-important details of communicating the race results and confirming passports etc.  It's tedious work and I'd rather be playing outside, but it's work that is important to closing the circle on a race.  If this were a business we'd have the new employees working on this! Our photos for the TT are pretty sparse because one of our main photographers was up in Canada for the weekend and Will Ramos was doing a wedding (it's that time of year for pro photographers).  Luckily, the guys from the New Balance / Big Head Crew team have made a ton of Tidewater Traverse photos available on their website.  You can see everything from the preparations the night before to the post-race glazed over look in the eyes . . . very cool.  I snagged a couple for inclusion on this blog post:            As you might guess, the one on the left is after they crossed the finish line and were done "Embracing the Muck" (that was the catch phrase we used during course design for this race).  The picture on the right is a unique sort of image from their race preps (probably staged by support crew while the team was racing on Leg 1 -- I suspect); you can see their marked up maps and a bit of how they do their UTM plotting and map notations.  Thanks for sharing all the pics guys! By the end of this week we should have all the post-race work done for the TT and we can officially move on to other things . . . there are some clinics and other races to plan, but next up for me personally and Team HRAdventure is a trip to Canada for the Raid the North and another race in August with GOALS.  For Canada, we had to add some new people to the race roster as Mike is out of town that entire month while Pam and Morgan are still getting over knee injuries; we've got Don and Morgan on the hook for support crew for that race so they're still involved.  The August race should be a very fun one as we're actually going to enter two coed teams of 3 into that race -- I'm sure the trash talk will be voluminous! Posted Jun 06 2006, 09:58 PM by gkillian with no comments

• 24-Hours After the Tidewater Traverse

  It could take weeks or months to know exactly where a race will fit in the history of an organization.  Everyone knows the 2005 Storm race, for example, as the HRAdventure paddling-centric race with a famously remote overnight section and a very tough portage on day 2.  There was, of course, more to the 2005 Storm but the legacy an event leaves behind is often just a subset of what really happened. So, with only 24 hours between the time I write this and the finish of the 2006 Tidewater Traverse race, I really don't have the perspective to say just how this TT will be remembered.  I suspect muddy and sweaty racers wearing PFDs and running through the tourists in Colonial Williamsburg might become an enduring image from this event . . . or the various opportunities for swamp swimming  . . . or the long biking legs . . . or the teams avoiding the pre-dawn rain by crawling under their cars to work with their maps . . . or the several teams racing across the finish line 13 hours or more after the race began -- all having smiles on their dirty faces and in great spirits! It was a good day for adventure racing, relatively free of controversy and a gracious Gary Fisher Bikes team coming away the eventual winner after trading the lead with several other teams throughout the day.  The Gary Fisher Team literally won the race in the final hour. We're recovering today, doing lots of sleeping and consuming of real food, and we will get official results posted in the next couple days . . . until then, I'll provide a tease with this race photo from one interesting spot on the course . . . are those turtles in the water or are they adventure racers?   Posted Jun 04 2006, 10:02 PM by gkillian with 10 comment(s)