My First Adventure Race

A Reality Story

“What Were We Thinking?”

 

When people asked the general question “What did you do this weekend?”  I was proud to answer, “Oh I did my first adventure race.”  And of course, their response was, “What’s involved in an adventure race.”  So I told them that I had trekked/trail run, mountain biked and kayaked over a 40km course.  Basically, most people told me I was crazy and that was that.  But there was more to it than that so I felt compelled to write about the journey that took me through what was once a simple thought to living out an exhilarating reality.

 

The great outdoors!  It really is that simple.  When you break down the elements of an adventure race, I have a tremendous appreciation for all components.

 

I have always enjoyed hiking the mountains on the North Shore, trekking to areas that have the most breathtaking scenes on top of the striking city below.

 

Mountain biking has the potential to create an overload of adrenaline, challenging the daredevil within to accomplish the most exhilarating feats (and sometimes leaving you with a little something [OUCH] to remember it by).

 

As for kayaking, the tranquility of being on the water (rather than in the water) in some of the most pristine areas that you can’t get to by foot and having the control to power your way through or just relax and appreciate your surroundings is something everyone should experience.

 

So there you have it, the beautiful components of an adventure race, right?

Let the training begin!

 

As a wife, business owner and mother of three children under the age of seven, it was important to discuss the amount of training that was going to take place over the next three months and gain not only approval but support from everyone.  Once that was accomplished, it was a matter of finding time between my partner and I that was going to work to train together.  Not an easy task, but we soon realized that early morning was about the only time we could do it.

 

As Personal Trainers with a few half marathons and marathons under our belts, we understood the concepts behind training for endurance events.  So our 5 am wake up calls began and out the door we went to build our endurance for running and biking.  The first few weeks were definitely the hardest to adjust to, but it didn’t take long before we got into the groove and actually enjoyed that time of the day.

 

The best (or worst) part of having a partner is knowing that you have to be accountable and you better show up for your workout… or else.  There were some mornings, after limited sleep from sick kids, that would have been all too easy to turn off the alarm and go back to bed, but those are the days you have to suck it up, crawl out of bed, and somehow get to your meeting point.  “I can do it! I can do it!”, you keep saying to yourself as you take a look at the day ahead and think that you can fit a moment in to rest at some point.  Perhaps after dropping one kid off at school, changing diapers and getting prepped to teach a class or meet with the next client in between taking the middle child to hockey practice and having energy left to play that hockey game that seemed like a good idea when you agreed to it the week before.  Oh yes, and don’t forget about your husband who wants some time with you as well before you crash for the night.  YIKES! I can do it!  I can do it!  Falling asleep was never difficult and 5 am was always right around the corner.

 

I think it was one of those mornings we officially came up with our team name, ”What Were We Thinking?”  Or was it after we realized how much money we spent preparing?

I haven’t shown this to my husband yet.  I think I forgot to get approval on the financial side of this.  Allow me to break it down per person to the best of my memory.

Race registration             $150
Mandatory gear:
          Compass              $20
          Flashlight            $7
          Knife                $10
Kayaking lessons               $55
Kayak rentals                  $80 for 4 hours for 2 people (my portion)
Kayak rental for race         $100
Prep course for race          $100 (any extra tips would help us at this point)
Camelback (water pack)         $60 (awesome price, glad I bought it)
Trail runners                 $150 ( big price, best shoes ever!)
MEC team outfits              $100
Parking ticket                 $25 because you can’t just spend 1hr in MEC
Food for training & race       $50
Babysitters                    $50

Guilt for hiring babysitters:      NONE! It’s all about Mom now.

 

The other mandatory items I already had were the first aid kit, bike repair kit, spare tube, bike pump, survival mirror, bike (it only took 7 years from day of purchase to enter a race), emergency blanket, and long sleeved poly shirt.

 

For a grand total of nearly $1,000. Include gas and a few morning coffees on the way home and I am sure we were there.

 

Thursday morning before the race, we decided to meet for coffee and go over our race plan and check to make sure we had all the mandatory gear and so forth.  Important to note we were both aiming to accomplish the same goal.  It was our first race and our goal was simply to finish the race without any penalties.  Meaning we were going to go at a steady pace where we made no technical errors, reached each CP (check point) and completed the entire orienteering section.

Okay, one last time for that 5 am alarm.  This time hubby was going to experience that early morning start with me.  Up we got.  Tea and breakfast (oatmeal) were consumed, car was loaded and we headed off to pick up my partner. By 7:15 we were on top of the mountain awaiting our 8 am start.

 

The excitement was starting to build as we placed our bikes in the transition area and loaded our backs with our packs filled with all our mandatory gear, food, and water for the day.  I think by this point we looked really good with our matching outfits, hats, packs, shoes, etc.  At least we looked the part and didn’t stick out as the obvious beginner, clueless to the world of adventure racing.

 

As 8 am approached, we had all checked in at our first CP, took to the starting line and the official announcement was made.  Our adventure had just begun.  We headed through the parking lot and trekked up Black Mountain.  The first 15 minutes were all uphill on slippery, loose gravel terrain and before you knew it we settled in to a nice pace.  I was thrilled to come to our 2nd of 14 check points after only 40 min.  The course was very well marked which eased my concerns of getting off track.  Maintaining our pace, we continued on to CP3 at Eagle Bluff which had the most amazing view.  We had to take a quick picture and begin our trip back to where we started.  Still feeling great, but we were a little surprised that it took an hour to get only half way through the first stage.  I thought, “Oh well, maybe the bike is going to be quicker than the first trek and we can make up some time there.”  As we approached the transition area and CP 4 with our time under 2 hours, we were still feeling good and there were several bikes left, which meant there were still others behind us.  No matter what anyone says, last place is hard to swallow.

 

Heading onto our bikes, we pedaled through the parking lot and quickly began our descent on a loose gravel road which soon became steeper and bumpier.  Approaching some riders at this stage, I witnessed some less-experienced riders fighting their bikes until one took a great spill.  Stopping to check on her situation, I realized someone else was back helping my partner recover from her fall.  You soon realize the awesome, friendly people that take part in these events. 

 

Everyone got back on their bikes and continued the descent.  Starting to enjoy this part, feeling in control and trying to give some basic riding tips to the others, I no longer had control, skidded right into a protruding rock and went, as they say, “Ass over tea kettle.”  Thud, it must have looked spectacular. I think the words that came out were,”Urg, that hurt!” Blood? Yes. Bruised? Yes. Determined to keep going? You bet! So up I got and off we went for some nice riding to CP5. 

 

This was the start of bike whacking.  You know, bush whacking with a bike on your back.  I was actually happy to try this part as my body was getting a little tense from the steep downhill and tight grip my quads had on my seat.

This was something new for me and, although some may have complained about this part, I embraced the new adventure.  Then we hit the marsh area.  No kidding here.  We were up to our knees in mud.  I lost my shoe a few times in there.  I was laughing and thinking that it couldn’t be much longer through this part. Kept on trudging through mud and prickle bushes.  Stopped for a while to listen for anyone else.  My partner was soon in voice distance.  Okay, how much longer could it be?  This was taking a long time!  So much for thinking we would get through the bike quicker than the trek.  Eventually, we came to the single track which led us out to the road and over to the Baden Powel Trail.

 

The BP trail is actually a hiking trail, not a biking trail so we were warned that it may be a hike a bike for this part as well.  If ever we were to get frustrated, this was the time.  I had pushed, pulled, dragged, and carried my bike for what seemed like miles in mud drenched biking shoes.  There had to be an end to this soon.  Just when you thought you were the only ones left in the race we approached more racers who were feeling the same way.  Good thing we all had a good sense of humour and a strong will power.  Finally, finally, we reached the British Properties and were able to mount our bikes and take the road to the next trail leading to the Cleveland Dam where the next transition was.  CP9, dismount bikes, put on comfy trail shoes again and make our way down to the orienteering section. Time now 5 ½ hours into the race.  Urgh!  That hurt the ego.  I can honestly say I felt like crying here and I am not sure if it was the disappointment of my biking ability, or lack there of, or the excitement of knowing the rest of the course was on familiar territory and we were almost there. I pose the question once again, “What Were We Thinking?”

 

This had to be the easiest part of the adventure.  Earlier in the week we found our way through these trails so, although this section was unmarked, we were confident knowing exactly where to go.  It took little time, or so it felt, compared to the rest of the day to make our way to CP 10, the beginning of the orienteering section.  It took place down on the Capilano River, which started out very low and crossing it was not a huge problem.  Fatigue in the legs was starting to set in so balance was a little off and more energy was spent bracing each step on the river rocks.  The further down the river we went, the deeper the water was rising.  I guess this was an attempt to clean the dried mud from our legs so we would look more refreshed entering the kayak section.  The current was making the last crossing the most challenging as the algae was extremely slippery, but we did it.  Now we were back on track having reached all controls for the orienteering and not missing one CP the entire day.  We hit the trail one last time with sheer adrenaline racing us towards the final section on the beach at Ambleside Park.  As we reached CP11, it was announced that the race could not continue as the coast guard had put a stop to all kayakers beyond this time as they deemed it unsafe.  We were told that we would be assessed a two hour time penalty (which turned out to be a 3 hour penalty) for not being able to do the kayak.  After removing what felt like another knife in the chest we realized that our race was over!  7 ½ hours after the announcement of the start, we approached the finish line.  We did all that we could do under our control.

 

We finished the race and we made every checkpoint and every control of the orienteering.  GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!  Was it the way we had planned it to happen?  Not at all!  Are we proud?  YES!  Are we sore?  YES!  Will we do it again?  YES!

 

Best part:	The people (the view at Eagle Bluff is a close 2nd)
Toughest Moment:	Not another hike a bike/What do you mean we can’t kayak!
The reality:	It is not a race, it is an adventure. (Think of life this way too)
Final thought:	You can train as hard as you want physically, but 90% of this is about mental fitness which can only be trained through experiencing the unexpected.  Be prepared, be strong, be your best, smile, life goes on!

 

WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

Sharon Fleming

Cathleen Dudicourt