Raid X-Adventure 2004 Bend, OR 6-11-04 to 6-13-04 Playing with the big boys "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." - T. S. Eliot I pull out the GPS (aka God) to discover that the butte we had just spent the last 2 hours trekking towards was not even on the map and we were 180 degrees in the wrong direction. My normal "gut" sense of direction had failed us miserably. 4 hours into a 36 hour race our main objective became to find our way back onto the map, and try to get the next stage. My teammates took this setback rather well as we attempted to "rediscover" the course. The focus of the previous 10 months had been to better prepare for the Raid X-Adventure and to redeem our 2nd to last place finish the previous year. The best way to summarize my 2003 Raid experience would be to say, cramps, nausea, vomiting, more nausea, cramps, and ultimately 3 IV's. It was an experience I was not looking to repeat. The 2004 Raid arrived with a new group (sans Jen of course), and a sponsor, Tamarack Resort. As Jen phrases it "They had the foresight to see a marketing opportunity in 4 charismatic adventure racers, trading funding for advertisement via logo outerwear. Smart move! As we got as many compliments on the design of our jerseys and questions regarding Tamaracks future" The call was placed for the best teams in the world to show up, and 45 teams from 13 countries answered, champions in a wide variety of sports from Mountain Biking to Nordic Skiing to Orienteering. Champions from every adventure race conducted on the globe. Not wanting to disappoint the teams that had traveled so far, a 140 mile course was set that included Mountaineering, Mountain Biking, Adventure Running, Inline Skating, Canoeing, and the ever popular rope activities. Like angry ants leaving the anthill we had stormed out of the Mt Bachelor parking lot at 6 am, going up and over the top of Mt Bachelor and remaining within striking distance of 10 teams. Arriving at the next butte we began our fun little descent, which turned into a nightmarish carnival ride as I went crashing into the trees, bruising my rear and shaking me up. Before we knew it, I had succeeded in getting us lost. Trying to determine how I had blundered so horribly I discovered that I was wearing my underwear backwards. Hmm . . . two things I hadn't done in years 1) Get lost 2) Put my underwear on backwards. Laughing about the stupidity of the team leader we attempted to get back on the map. Soon we were back on the map, but still about 6 miles from the checkpoint. Running across wooded terrain in mountaineering boots was taking a toll on my feet and testing my resolve to push forward. One thing I learned in all of my training with my teammates is that adventure racing isn't about you and what you are feeling, it is about your team and how you can make it through. Everything you do on the course is to help your team along, it is a sport where the elite race side by side with people with full time jobs, friends, family, mortgages, and a long list of other obligations. It is sport where the elite have to stand in line to use the restroom, or get food. No special treatment, no special handshake, just your body vs. the land. As we arrive at the checkpoint 6 hours after starting our day, we are in dead last. We fuel up, change and shake off the set-back. The next section is canoeing (a sport we tend to do rather well in), bonus! As we send Jen, Brad, and Mike off; Ryan and I head across to the other side of the lake to await their arrival. The 5 mile canoe goes well as they fight a leaking canoe, and navigate a forest that stuck up throughout the lake. We make some adjustments, done wetsuits, and tape food to the boat before packing into the boat for another 12 mile cross lake paddle, and portage. The paddle went as well as can be expected when you have 3 stiff racers crammed into a small inflatable canoe. We passed the time by telling stupid stories and wondering what "the rich people were doing". We make a smooth transition to the 20 mile mountain bike section and jam past the Italian team and make all the right calls on the navigation (Underwear was on right this time) in 1 hour 18 minutes. The focus then shifted to prepping for the 12 mile nighttime trek. As I watched my teammates leave I was overcome with sadness that I would not be able to join them for their push. Ryan and I arrived at the night transition spot and set to getting some sleep. The plan was to wake up a 4 am and prepare for the 5:30 bike departure. When 4:45 rolled around and there was sign of them, I almost gave up hope. No sooner had I laid back down, then Jen arrived proclaiming "We here, and they want to bike". Scrambling to find clothes, prepare my feet and eat some food we set out for a frigid 22 mile bike ride. The trek had gone perfect for them, it had just covered 12 miles, and 1,500 vertical feet over lava and through brambles. The relied on "God" and "GU" and made it through. They looked remarkably good (For no sleep in 24 hours), and we were ready for a strong ride. Making correct navigation decisions and moving as one unit we pushed through. The second day of an adventure race you tend to constantly be hungry, and tired. Brad began the battle with the sleep monster as the temperature dropped, and we pulled into the CP. The next section was an 8 mile uphill inline skate that we knew would end our race, so we skipped that section. Our focus turned to a 14 mile trek over snow to the ropes section. This is where the race took an interesting spin, as is began to rain and blow. Perfect! The second day of a Raid Series race is designed to separate the top teams from the rest of the pack. It would test our personal limits, both physical and mentally. We bundled up, loaded our packs with all types of gear including climbing harnesses, helmets, and snowshoes. We trekked across the snow, changing layers constantly to counteract the constantly changing weather conditions. After 7 miles we hit the downhill section and faced the challenge of deep snow and unsure footing. Jen put up a tough fight to keep moving forward but started to lose the battle as 16 hours of trekking and 1.5 hours of sleep took hold. Our trail running turned to trekking as we passed humongous cascading waterfalls, on gorgeous winding singletrack. We made it to the ropes, where we faced a river crossing to begin the fun. The Raid is known for their ropes sections and this one did not disappoint, as they sent us zipping across the top of a huge 300 foot waterfall before sending us 150 feet out into the middle of the canyon for a 300 foot descent. Jen's struggle with sleep deprivation became almost comical as I would repeat the same answer again and again. We missed the final mountain bike section, and with our wet feet slogged down the road to the final point. Our disappointment loomed over our heads as physically we had performed better than expected, but had still missed 4 sections. This time around there was no cramping, or vomiting, no nausea, no doubt we belonged. We had placed as high as 24th in the Mountain Bike section, and only placed last twice. Overall we raced well together and seemed to be ready to do it again. We placed 43rd out of a 45 team field, disappointing but not a true representation of how well we did. The caliber of athlete was incredible, as we learned another lesson in the world of Adventure Racing and enjoyed our time playing with the big boys. Final Stats for the Weekend 26-Teams made all the sections in 2004 2-Teams made all the sections in 2003 24-Placing on one of the mountain bike sections 0-IV bags