ENVISION THIS DREAM:
A a sea of runners departing at twilight...you see just the blinking lights mounted to hydration packs bouncing along. You are excited about the adventure of running in the dark among thick trees, rocks and mud... with just a headlamp lighting your way. Even racing your bike down gravel roads with the cool night air whizzing in your ear and seeing stars shine so brightly in a way you could never see in an urban area. You watch fog roll in and create a mysterious glow around your headlamp and bike headlight...and you think to yourself...does it get any better than this?
...AND THEN QUICKLY, THE ALMOST EUPHORIC DREAM TURNS INTO A
A a sea of runners departing at twilight...you see just the blinking lights mounted to hydration packs bouncing along. You are excited about the adventure of running in the dark among thick trees, rocks and mud... with just a headlamp lighting your way. Even racing your bike down gravel roads with the cool night air whizzing in your ear and seeing stars shine so brightly in a way you could never see in an urban area. You watch fog roll in and create a mysterious glow around your headlamp and bike headlight...and you think to yourself...does it get any better than this?
...AND THEN QUICKLY, THE ALMOST EUPHORIC DREAM TURNS INTO A
FIFTEEN HOUR NIGHTMARE!
So to back up from the beginning: The race began at 9pm (well, we actually were allowed to take off a little early...so closer to 8:45) at dusk. It started with a run on the road, followed by some single-track trail running to find checkpoints...followed by a ridiculous amount of biking to find more checkpoints...hours and hours and hours of biking...due mostly to MAJOR wrong turns & missed turns and serious extra mileage. Trekking came next....hours of trekking...to find more checkpoints, followed by paddling...another couple of hours (by this time the sun was up)....followed by more biking, more biking and.............................................................................. more biking.
I don't like biking.
In fact, I have such a disdain for biking, that I think I may place my bike on craigslist for it will always remind me of the HOURS of torture endured as a result of this race. So after an estimated 80 miles total.... 50+ of it biking alone...we finished after twelve noon Sunday. I don't believe I have ever fallen asleep sitting up....but I did several times...sitting on a rock in the middle of the woods...sitting on a log next to the bank of Perry Lake....sitting on Perry Lake in a canoe.
I threw a major emotionally charged, sleep deprived, exhausted tantrum toward the end when we again, missed a major turn & claimed definitively that I would NEVER get myself in to this type of racing again. I love adventure racing, but this one was a bit too extreme for my taste!!!
So to back up from the beginning: The race began at 9pm (well, we actually were allowed to take off a little early...so closer to 8:45) at dusk. It started with a run on the road, followed by some single-track trail running to find checkpoints...followed by a ridiculous amount of biking to find more checkpoints...hours and hours and hours of biking...due mostly to MAJOR wrong turns & missed turns and serious extra mileage. Trekking came next....hours of trekking...to find more checkpoints, followed by paddling...another couple of hours (by this time the sun was up)....followed by more biking, more biking and.............................................................................. more biking.
I don't like biking.
In fact, I have such a disdain for biking, that I think I may place my bike on craigslist for it will always remind me of the HOURS of torture endured as a result of this race. So after an estimated 80 miles total.... 50+ of it biking alone...we finished after twelve noon Sunday. I don't believe I have ever fallen asleep sitting up....but I did several times...sitting on a rock in the middle of the woods...sitting on a log next to the bank of Perry Lake....sitting on Perry Lake in a canoe.
I threw a major emotionally charged, sleep deprived, exhausted tantrum toward the end when we again, missed a major turn & claimed definitively that I would NEVER get myself in to this type of racing again. I love adventure racing, but this one was a bit too extreme for my taste!!!
Maybe I should just stick with the simplicity of running.
At least you get directions.
3 comments:
YOU ARE NUTS! I'm so proud of you for finishing- but your crazy! CONGRATS!
Oh, we finished.
We finished racing at noon...we didn't make it to the official finsih. WE FINISHED...call it quits...after ALL of the other teams had enjoyed race breakfast and had gone home...
I had my fill of burbing, farting and peeing in front of me too...racing with 5 guys.
I can not believe it - hold me. Wait, hold you!
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