Boonecrusher 12hr Adventure race

Boonecrusher 12 hr Adventure race - 4/26/14

The Toporadicals are back and ready for action. After a 4th place showing at the last race, we were poised to break into the top 3. Our training was going well and everything pointed to a good race. The race headquarters was at Brushy Creek Park. For the first time, Nathan and i decided to camp at the race site. We both love to camp and it's very convenient to be so close to the race start. There were some concerns about not getting as good of sleep and issues planning and plotting at camp.

We got into town and race check-in was already open so we decided to go there first instead of setting up camp. The Bike Shop in Fort Dodge had everything ready to go for us. Kudos to a GREAT race shirt (good design, good color, and great fabric)! We were excited to get right to it. We looked around for a good place to get a good plate of pasta. Fort Dodge was not really helping us out much there and we ended up settling for a Fazzoli's. We spread out and started plotting. The UTM coordinates were really not matching up like we'd like for our double checks. It took a minute to get rolling with it and get into a rhythm. We decided to note the ones we had questions about and head be to check-in to ask about them later. We had a good idea of what the race was going to look like and ended up with just a few questions. Back at check-in we found out we weren't the only one's with questions. There was one CP that had the wrong UTM coordinates, so they marked the spot for us. All other questions were confirmed and explained.

We headed back to camp and setup the tent which only took a few minutes. Planning and plotting went pretty quickly too actually. We did our share of checks and double checks to make sure we picked the "right" route. We even did some calculations to see what the situation was like with the time cut off. Previous years had very few finishing in time with all the CPs, so we needed to be sure we could finish, or have escape routes ready. puzzled, it looked like there was plenty of time. You just never know, so we identified CPs that would be the best to punt on. The idea of not finishing the course is something that is like nails on a chalkboard to us. We got to bed at a reasonable hour.

We both had a good night sleep and woke up early with no problem. We had everything packed and ready to go from the night before. We got dressed and headed out. Despite being very close to HQ, we brought the car in case they were letting us use them as a supply point. We asked when we got there and that was not allowed. No problem. We were ready for either answer. Mainly it meant that we'd have to carry our paddles with us the entire race. Race directors did a good job of making sure everyone had the CP correction for the wrong UTM and made announcements to clarify any questions. One announcement said that we could leave our paddles at HQ with our bike. We instictively started unpacking them and were happy to not have to carry them for the first trek. However, I was quick to realize that we didn't want to have to come back to HQ after trek 1 and wanted to go straight to the boat ramp. Paddles were packed back up. A beautiful sunrise and national anthem got things going. We all gathered up on the parking lot and were counted down. Nate and I were right up front and center. I was off with start. The excitement of it all must have really gotten to me and I was out in front! I turned to make sure Nathan was with me and said to him "We're in 1st place" with a chuckle. He was the voice of reason and realed back my pace to something more reasonable, although still in the lead. Only 5 CPs for trek 1, but we were the only ones in sight that went for CP3 first. Maybe I should have been more concerned about that, but I felt good about our choices. It didn't take long for us to realize these "open field" areas weren't going to be fast going. The ground was soft and grasses were high. We did well on pace and got all the CPs cleanly. Only seconds were lost on a brief discussion of what reentrant to check for CP4. Pre-race, start, and Trek 1

Running up to the boat ramp for the canoe leg was a big boost. It was obvious that were still out front. The voulenteers said that only one team had gone out before us and they had skipped a CP. We were in first! No time to celebrate. There were some big winds coming across the lake and it was going to be a battle. As we paddled into the wind, there was discussion of possibly changing our route, but it was decided to keep it as is. One team was not too far from our heels when we got to the first CP. Paddling is not our strong suit. The wind was really messing with our boat and our novice skills on the water showed. It was a fight the entire way around the lake. There were three sections where were could pull the boat on shore and get CPs by foot, so we did that every chance we got. We did get passed by Wadabi before getting to the far end of the lake. After the last CP we tried to figure out where we stood, but Wadabi wasn't in sight. We had a slight mistake that caused us a little time, so they were likely out in front. We pretty much tipped our boat as we came in. I was just so excited to be done with that. Time for catchup on the bike.

We had a short run to HQ to get our bikes and a transition that was fast enough. I can't tell you how happy I was to be on my bike. That would change quickly... very quickly. After going south to get below the lake it was time to head east. POW! A headwind that was unforgiving. Our pace was reduced to a crawl. With our destination pretty far to the east of us, there was no doubt we were in for a lot of suffering and suffer we did. We did what we could and tried to draft and use the tow to stay together. Now I was having to long for getting to the next trek section. Slowly but surely we inched our way along. The team in the distance in front of us gradually pulled away and out of sight. We were thankfully able to do the same thing to the team that was behind us though. A big gravel downhill to the TA was a nice rest.

There were 8 bikes already there. With adventure racing, it's hard to know what that means. 4 person teams, 2 person teams, possible skipped CPs... There's a lot of race and Toporadicals would never give up. We started right back up that hill we had ridden down for our approach to CP17 to start off this leg. This was a tough one. We were so sure we were in the right spot, but the topo lines and the terrain were not matching up and it took a lot of time to finally get it. It was right were it was suppossed to be, but I still feel like the map was lacking in that area. I was looking forward to the next task. RIVER CROSSING! Fun. We came to the river at just the right spot. The water wasn't too deep and footing was good. The cold water on our legs actually was awesome! I knew we had 3 more river crossings planned and couldn't wait. CP18 gave us some trouble first though. We stayed high and to the left of the reentrant where the CP was going to be. We made it all the way to the end of the reentrant and NOTHING! Nate insisted we were in the right spot, so we went back through. This time I took the creek. Sure enough, it was right there. We must have been too high or away from the edge to see it at that point of our route. Silly mistake. Back across the river at the same point we crossed before so there wasn't going to be any problems there. We ended up on the heels of another team so we pushed to try to get ahead. We ended up getting the next CP at the same time. The last CP was a decision point to go around and do a climb, or a direct route with 2 river crossings. With wet shoes already and enjoying the cold water on our legs the last crossing made it no choice at all for us. The 3rd crossing was about knee deep, but the 4th was almost waist level! I didn't really want to get out. We got the last CP and were back in TA in no time.

Besides knowing we were going to have to make the big climb out of there, most of the rest of the ride should be headed west! That's right... with a TAIL WIND! Yes! The crosswind sections when heading North and South were still not fun to deal with though. At least there wasn't a brick wall of a head wind. There was a short trail section on this leg and a fun pint dangling over the middle of the creek. I had to climb and maneuver my way through a fallen tree to get it. There was a big, steep climb just after that and I was proud to have made it up without having to get off my bike and walk. Closer to the end of this leg there was a valley to go down and come back up after crossing the river. It was going to add a climb both directions. We were starting to really feel the effects of a hard day by the time we got to the last trek.

I didn't really feel tired, and my muscles didn't either. However, my knees were really hurting. I was forced to some sort of awkward shuffle to try to hold any pace. It just wasn't happening. I was being forced to walk. Thankfully, walking did provide relief and didn't cause my continued pain. I could even walk pretty fast without trouble so that's what I did. I would do a run/shuffle from time to time until the pain was too much. Descending down the steeper hills was actually the worst part of it. Who would have thought going down a hill would be my least favorite. The teepee CP was a cool area and actually this whole park was pretty neat. Unfortunately my mind was on my pain and on time. With the winds slowing our bike and giving us trouble on the canoe, we had to consider the cut off time. I was really paranoid about it. I didn't want to give up our good position by coming in late and taking penalties. I kept constant recalculations of when we needed to leave and how fast I had to try to go. There was going to be a head wind for the bike back east to HQ/finish, tired legs for both of us, and not knowing if my knee issues would appear on the bike as well. We did get all the CPs and back to TA with another 30 minutes by my estimated comfort level.

I was only sort of glad to be back on the bike. My knees were fine with peddling, but I knew a headwind was in our future. The voulenteers were pretty sure we were in second place since one of the two teams that had left already didn't have all the CPs. The first part of the ride had me feeling great. I rode up the climb across the river with ease. At the top, Nate let me know he was struggling, so I took the lead and let him hook up to the tow for assistance when needed. It wasn't long before we got rocked by those winds and our pace brought to a stand still. I wore down fast. My fatigue hit me as hard as the headwind. Now I was in trouble. I let Nate know and he took the lead to bring us home. I was struggling to keep up and was ready for this to all be over. Those last couple miles felt like an eternity! It's funny how a mental boost can change how you are feeling physically. I saw the parking lot with our car! It was just what I needed... an end in sight. I made it up to Nate's wheel and was happy as could be to be cranking out the last little bit. On the slope down to HQ the wind gave us one last strong GUST to make sure we knew it had been a formitable opponent. We shook our heads and laughed, both having thought that same thing. FINISHED!



2ND PLACE OVERALL! Our best finish so far! We were thrilled. I think what I was most proud of though was clearing the course. Before starting out in the world of adventure racing, I'd never been satisfied just from the act of crossing the finish line. Having done the entire race within the time limit when so many others weren't able was a thrill though. Success and results are always pushing me to be better and faster. Now there's only one spot left to improve to... FIRST. This was the start of 4 race weekends in a row for me. AR, TRI, AR, TRI.

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The Bike Shop in Fort Dodge