The weekend of September 6/7 was a pretty busy one for the FARTS, as we had folks racing in 2, and I believe 3 different races in different states!
Andy competed in the “Dances with Dirt” event in Michigan, and this was a crazy affair, judging by the accounts and the photos… mud, water, poinson ivy, the Devil taking the hindmost, etc… plenty of fun and excitement, and their team finished a very respectable 185 out of 379 teams in this 62 mile trek. Andy ended up doing about a 1/2 marathin over his 3 legs, including running through a mud bog, a lake and more! Here is the website to check it out: www.dwdhell.com
Also on Saturday, Jeni rolled up her sleeves and pushed Dave’s butt 19.5 miles over a 4000 foot mountain, 4.5 miles in a kayak, and then practically carried his tired old carcass for a 6-ish mile trail run in the first ever Rathdrum Mountain Bike, Boat and Bolt event.
The race started with a “LeMans” style start, where you run to your bikes, and then the rush for the hills was on. There were about 7 miles of climbs heading up the mountain on various terrains, but the majority was on gravel/rock trails, which made the 8 mile switchback covered downhill more exciting than normal.
We got to use our revamped towing system, and it really worked great! We towed for probably 95% of the flat/up portions, and made great time, passing lots of teams even on the steepest parts of the hill. There was one portion where the majority of folks we were near were walking, and we pushed right through.
The first transition to the kayak, we took a total of 1:00, which included dragging our boat to the water! Dave wore his kayak shoes for the bike portion (and, in retrospect, I would have just worn shoes, since we were able to do the kayak without getting wet) and we were off the bikes and in the boat lickety split! The paddle was okay, though Jeni’s shoulder/back was bothering her. Dave is dealing with his shoulder tendonitis, and is finding the easiest position to hold the paddle.
The second tranistion was even easier… we landed at the Twin Lakes golf course, and Jeni was running in less than 10 seconds. Dave had to throw on his Solomans, which took about 30 seconds, so now he had to chase Jeni down on the run. He managed to catch up, somehow, and they both finished the race in fine style! Dave was 8th overall, in a time of 3:23, and Jeni was 12th overall and second amongst the girls in 3:31!!
This race was billed as an adventure race, but was missing several of the expected details, such as maps etc, and was actually a giant loop. The problem with a loop is that afterward, you have to drive back and pick up bikes from one transition area, and kayaks at another, and Dave skipped out, leaving the cleanup to Jeni, who promises not to hold the grudge for more than a month or so…
What actually happened is that Lisa picked Dave up at the finish line at 11:30, minutes after he finished, and he washed off/changed/used deodarant in the car on the way to the airport, and they caught a 12:50 flight to LA where they taught a little seminar on Sunday! Thank you, Jeni, for picking up all the stuff!
The volunteers were very helpful, helping to haul the boats to the water (they missed ours, though!) and stacking bikes, etc, and for their first time, organizer Lance Bridges and his staff did a great job! The website is at http://www.rathdrummountainadventurerace.com/ and there are some pictures coming up daily, I believe.
We learned lots, and did some things very well: our total transition time was about 1:20 total (!), and the towing system worked great. Our fluids and nutrition was okay, and it was very helpful having had the opportunity to go out and ride the course on the Thursday, as we knew where the hills were, and what to expect.
Now, this author has heard rumors that Kelley ran in a 5k this weekend in Missoula as well! I don’t have any results yet, but we will update you as we find out more! If so, great job, Kelley!
Dave and Lisa got to spend two days in sunny Southern Cal, teaching a seminar on Sunday, and getting to spend Monday near the beach at Marina del Rey… it was terrible… 160 feet from the beach, warm, sunny, 80 degrees, a slight breeze off the ocean… don’t know how we managed. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough…
Trying to keep a stiff upper lip, and make the bext of things, we struggled through. Dave got out for an 8 mile run along the beach in the morning, and after a terrific brunch at “Uncle Bill’s” in Manhattan Beach with our hosts, Jeff and Vanessa Lulla, we got to spend a little beach time, and then Lisa and Dave did another 4.5 mile trot before we had to shower and get to the airport. It was really a nice respite, and Jeff and Vanessa were great hosts! Dave was able to cook a nice dinner for the 4 of us, we shared some nice vino, a pitcher of good mojitos, and just enjoyed a nice escape.
In all, it was a great weekend, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in Tahoe in a couple of weeks!
Good training to all, and, as always, Go FARTS!
Funtastics Adventure Racing Team 