The Knights of Team Tamarack
Sea to Summit Adventure Race July 2005
Race Pictures
I am not someone you would ever label as 'fast' or 'strong' when it comes to athletics. I don't think I have it in my genes.
Even with a gun to my head, and a Hagen Daaz ice-cream bar dangling in front of me, the best 5k you'll get out of me takes about 28
minutes. But… if you feed me, I can keep going for one helluva long time. I currently race on an adventure racing team sponsored by a four
season golf and ski resort in Idaho. And this last weekend in Panorama, British Columbia, I got a taste of what it's like…to actually feel
like a contender. But it wasn't due to my efforts alone. I have three funny, incredible strong but gentile men to credit : Nic, Brad and Jay
- the backbone of Team Tamarack Resort. We are in our third season of this sport, where we have rapidly progressed from 8-10 hour sprint
races to 24 hour races. And finally this season, we are attempting our first five day expedition race in Scotland. It's a sport I love.
Not only because it combines everything I do for recreation into one quad-busting, heart-pumping, sweaty, romp of fun with my friends. But
because it's a co-ed sport that demands more from a team than just leg-power. To do well in this sport and get the most from it, you need
to be good problem-solvers. You need the ability to have fun in any situation. You need to like your teammates. You need to support your
teammates without hesitation. And you need to have a range of acceptance that allows for a teammate who is struggling, to still enjoy what
you are doing out there. And that's what I have. I am on my dream team. And I feel very lucky.
Are we professional? Not by a long shot. Do we win a lot of races? We did this weekend, but it was a pleasant surprise. Most times, we
are in the middle of the pack…and still loving every minute of it. Could the guys on my team go faster without me? Absolutely. But for some
odd, incredible and amazing twist of fate…we blend. And between the laughter that our shared, demented sense of humor provides, and our
joint love of adventure racing, we have a very cohesive team. And when I am with them, I feel strong.
This last weekend we completed a three day stage race in preparation for the longer race we are taking on later this season.
In a stage race setup, you complete a course each day, racing for 9-12 hours. Then you get to go back to your condo and eat, sleep,
and prepare for the next day where you go at it again. Your times for all three days are totaled to give you a placing. Not a bad
concept for a girl who values sleep. But we came here to see how our legs would hold out over several days of repeated abuse. And
we needed to see what food and gear choices would work over repeated use. This was intended to be a 'training race' of sorts. Get
out there and 'Get 'er done', as Jay would say. But at the end of the weekend we came out with a greater sense of accomplishment and
a renewed sense of team confidence for the five day task we are to take on in Scotland six weeks from now.
Let me start by saying, that Panorama British Columbia is one of the most beautiful 'playgrounds' North America has to offer. From
rolling single track for mountain-biking, to snow-capped peaks for hiking, this place had me stopping mid trail many times to take in the splendor of its landscape. I won't get into too much detail of the first two days of racing, except to say that the two best words to describe the course would be 'UP' and 'DOWN". And there was not too much fooling around to get there. We spent 2 nine hour days paddling on the Columbia River, pedaling and pushing our bikes up rocky inclines, across mountain meadows and winding single-track and trekking up trails so steep, that at times I had to tilt my head back, way back, just to see where in Gods name it was taking us. But it was gorgeous. And every time we reached a summit or broke through a treeline we were riding through, we were rewarded with spectacular vistas of untouched terrain.
We worked really hard all weekend, appreciating the challenge of this rugged terrain, and ascending over 17,000 feet in a little over 24 hours of racing. I felt weak in my cycling skills on the first day as an intermediate level single track had be fumbling and traveling slowly over terrain that was only intermittently sketchy. I felt like I never ridden a bike before that day. But the men on our team were saints. My Knights in Red and Blue Armor, as I would call them on our third day, referring to Tamaracks logo colors. They towed me when the power of their legs could keep our pace from dropping and gave me pack pushes when they saw I was fading. And they did it without hesitation. And they did it without grudge. I struggled with this concept the first day. I never want to ask for assistance. In my head, I know I can complete the course on my own, given time - depending on terrain, maybe a lot of time. But I am on a team. And my teammates out power me by at least two to one. My best contributions to the team are that I am a fairly strong paddler and that I have Irish in my blood. Which means, I am stubborn and I am motivated. So, the longer the race, the better I do. I'd probably pass out before I'd quit for these guys. But in stage racing, it's all about covering as much ground as quickly as you can as a unit. And that's where your team strategies come into play: distributing weight, distributing power, making the unit move as a whole in whatever way you can. We were surprised in this race, how very few teams raced like this. We did see a few teammates giving each other pack pushes as they climbed steep hills and one or two teams roped together on a difficult trek or bike section. But we were amazed to see racers who had broken down on their bike…..with their teammates 2-3 miles ahead! WITH the bike repair kit! We also witnessed several scenes where 2-3 members of a 4 person team were waiting at the top of a steep hill eating or resting, while they waited for a weaker teammate to struggle up to meet them. The topper was hearing this same team remark about how they lost a podium position due to having 'such a weak female cyclist'. Wow. These guys were really missing one of the key points of this sport. At the end of the second day, we were surprised and excited to find that we were in first place! But only by about fifteen minutes. The men's attitudes shifted that night - just enough to make me realize that I was about to put forth the biggest effort I had made that weekend - and I had already been pushing at 90% just to keep up with them for the last two days! My stomach got a little queasy that night. Our first podium finish. And top spot at that. And although I know they withheld their intensity that night for the sake of not making me feel pressured, I knew the guys wanted that win - whatever it took.
As we lined up that third morning on our bikes, I saw the men sizing up the other teams to see how they looked after two days of hard racing. They were excited and hungry to kick some butt. My stomach did a couple of flips. I just wanted to survive. AND keep up. The gun went off and one hundred racers pedaled like madmen out of the start line and onto the gravel road. I got dropped within the first quarter mile by half the pack. And then this is where it started - the one and probably only time I will have even the slightest idea of what it feels like….to be fast. I felt two hands on my rear end - hey, there are some definite benefits to adventure racing.:) Nic and Brad were behind me and helping my speed. I felt a sudden acceleration and I found I was able to shift up to a higher gear and pedal with bigger strokes. Then came Jay. "Jump on, Jen!" was the battle cry. I grabbed the surgical tubing suspended behind his bike and I again felt this surge of speed. We were flying! Up and over hills and past a lot of racers who had sped out ahead of us at the start. But I was still working hard. The feeling that welled up inside me as we sped down that road was pure and simple determination.
If these guys, these strong-legged steeds, were going to help me this much, I was going to give them everything I had. And I did. Focused and steady, we traveled over the countryside of British Columbia. On bikes and on foot, we traversed over fogged in summits, crossed log laden streams and thick muddy bogs. And anytime I drew silent from the effort I was giving, they were there - trading off between the three of them, giving a helping push or tow, offering words of encouragement and strategic streams of laughter. I have to stop and tell you that this in itself is one of our team's greatest assets. I wouldn't recommend our style of humor to the average family-oriented type. But between our support guy, Dale, and his whacky humor and these three constantly ribbing each other, and giving me my own fair share of teasing, I was in tears from laughing so much when I wasn't gasping for air. I love it. And the teams that found themselves traveling along side us, either thought we were crazy, or kept pace just for the entertainment value.
But we did it.
Looking over our shoulders to keep on
eye on any competition closing in, we hustled our way all the way back to that Finish Line and claimed first place. I was exhausted.
And I was elated. And I was most happy to see my teammates get what they deserved - a tangible reward for the strength they have, but
that rarely gets acknowledged. My Dream Team. Yup, we are going to be strong in Scotland next month. Five days of racing…..round the
clock….very little sleep….little food….unknown challenges we can't even predict. But it doesn't scare me anymore. Because I know we
will be humping it together and laughing…the whole way through it.
Cheers!
Jen