BAARBD News

Hi everyone, I just moved to the Bay Area from NYC and am looking to get involved in Adventure Racing again. I've mostly done trail runs (5-10k) in the past couple years but have also done a few AR sprints. I'm in pretty good shape and would love to find a team to train and play with in the bay area (I live in the east bay). Thanks! Maren

6 HOUR DIRTY DUATHLON MOUNTAIN BIKING/TRAIL RUNNING WOW!! What an event! The 6 hour Dirty Duathlon was hosted by Desert Winds Adventure Series and held at the world famous Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, NV. As is true to our reputation of putting on cool events (ah, who are we to brag!) this duathlon was fast and furious and honestly the athletes blew us race organizers away!! We had set the course and figured out approximately how long it would take an athlete to complete a loop. We figured in, once they get tired what could we expect for times, when should we call “last loop” and more. But, we never expected that these amazing athletes would kill loop after loop with seemingly endless energy! A huge hats off to everyone but a special note to our female relay team Mandy Rocher and Tiffany Meyers that not only posted some of the fastest times but did negative splits on almost every loop they completed! So, to back up a little bit…what did we do for our course? Well, we wanted to make it fun, interesting, keep the athletes moving fast, transitioning fast and feeling that sense of a high level of competition. We had a few constraints to work with being in a public park. There were other groups at the park and we knew that there would be a lot of downhill riders out at Bootleg Canyon, some just riding but many riding memorial rides for Brent Thompson, Godfather and Trail Master at Bootleg Canyon who had just recently passed away. Brent created Bootleg Canyon and was a prominent figure in the mountain biking world. He will be missed but, his park is a great legacy for us all to enjoy! So, where was I? Right, we decided to be completely different than the conventional duathlon which is run, ride and finish with a run. Too easy  Our course was four different loops; ride, run, ride, and run…and as Michael Sokey put it so well, “no rinse, just repeat!” And, that is what the athletes did for 6 hours! Each loop was a different loop, the whole course was marked with colour coded tape. As Robert Finlay our Race Director noted “this is the first time I have a marked course for a race!” Robert was one of the competitors, while Glenn was Scorekeeper Extraordinaire and Colleen was exchanging coloured tape, directing athletes, getting them food and fluids, and chasing after them in a truck when they raced the wrong way around a loop! We had each athlete when they came to the transition area exchange their coloured tape, that way once they were out on the course they could just look at the tape and ride or run by colours! The riding at Bootleg can be treacherous but we kept the athletes on fun and fast loops so they could really let loose while riding. The running was tough! The terrain is varied, there are downhill missiles to avoid and the rocks are unforgiving if you fall. But, we are happy to report we had only a few minor cuts and scrapes! Thanks to Jon from the Southern Nevada Health District who was our volunteer medic for the day. Not only is Jon a medic but he is a veterinary, and as Robert so eloquently put it “he will be able to take care of all you animals competing today!” We will be posting results and photos of the day on our website within the week, so make sure to check it out. But, in the meantime our overall winners were the following: 1st place solo male – Rogue Ryan 2nd place solo male- Brett Floridia The competition between these two men was amazing! From our transition area/scorekeeping central we could see the last few loops of this intense competition unfold. Brett who was just a small amount of time behind Ryan for much of the race closed the gap to within a minute heading out for what could have been their last lap, depending on what time they got in, but they could not go out on another lap after 14:45, so it was getting close. They took off for the blue loop of mountain biking and we watched as they travelled up the jeep road towards the loop. Ryan was in front but Brett was closing the gap fast. As they crested the side of the hill, which was the last part we could see them, they were already closer to one another. We waited excitedly for someone to come back over the crest of the hill. About 20 minutes later we saw Brett, he had passed Ryan somewhere on the loop and was racing back to the transition area. He flew in to where we were and said “That’s it, I’m done, I got nothing left!” Ryan on the other hand needed to secure a victory with another lap, so after an incredibly fast transition he raced off to complete one more running loop! Great action men! 1st place solo female – Kristen Peers 2nd place solo female – Jennifer Rarden Wow, these women were amazing! Along with Monique Fletcher, our solo female category was these 3 women. Loop after loop they posted amazing times and their energy and smiles were great! They never let up for a second the whole 6 hours of competition! With just a few minutes to the cut off time, Kristen set out for another lap, she already had sealed her victory but, she had enough left to get back out there, way to rock the course Kristen!! 1st place relay – Mandy Rocher/Tiffany Meyers 2nd place relay – John McGuire/Jenny Lindsay What can we say? Our relay division and these four athletes were amazing! Our female team of Mandy and Tiffany not only rocked the whole competition but they kept coming in with faster and faster times. As they learned the course they really let loose. At one point we saw Mandy running down a very steep section at the end of West Leg (orange loop) just before the jeep road. But, we could also see some mountain bikers coming from the opposite direction, both would be meeting at the same spot to go out to the jeep road. We watched anxious that Mandy and the riders would see each other in time, well we had nothing to worry about. Mandy reached the intersection, passed the riders and ran down the jeep road faster than them! She was like a gazelle, I do not know if her feet we touching the ground! 1st place team – Mark Jackson, Erich Rempel, Brandy Friday 2nd place team – Dorian and Crystal Ruiz These two teams really overcame a lot during this race, hats off to you both! During the first blue riding loop, Brandy’s cleat broke, at the start of their second blue riding loop Erich got a flat tire. Brandy took a nasty fall during one loop but, they never stopped. They got themselves back up, fixed what needed to be fixed and kept going. The last orange running loop they did of the day was their fastest time of that loop!! Dorian and Crystal were out there the whole time, pushing themselves and for their first race in a long time they did a great job! They were happy and chatty the whole race and kept heading out for loops, way to go! Hammer Nutrition provided us with swag for our swag bags, HEED for the athletes to fill their bottles with and prizes for our top relay and team athletes! Thanks so much for being such great supporters of our events! nuun and Feed the Machine provided our winners with some nuun tablets and discount codes for all the athletes that attended our race, thanks! And, we were proud to have Polar Bottle again for swag and prizes at this event; we love those Polar Bottles, especially here in the desert! Our winners received some great prizes! Top male and female winners had prizes provided to us by BC Bicycle Adventures. We went into Neil’s shop to say HI and talk about the race (Neil also participated and did a great job!) but, while we were there Neil asked us “how do I get on that sponsor list?” Words we love to hear! So, thanks Neil for providing some great prizes for us and becoming one of our newest sponsors! We also had Mary out from Nature’s Gift all day providing the athletes of samples of the great product that her and her husband Don sell. This drink is a complete liquid supplement made up of great natural ingredients like Acai berries, aloe vera, black currents, ginseng and more. It provides you with vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, amino acids, minerals and omega fatty acids! It is great for any athlete to have! Nature’s Gift is also now a sponsor and provided us with some of their product which our top male and female athletes also got in their prize package, enjoy! For anyone that attended our race, they have a special for you so don’t miss out. Check our website for details within the week. Our winner of the Numa Sport Optics eyewear was Wes Barton. He was fast and furious around the course, completing an amazing amount of loops. Near the end of the day, as we were approaching the cut-off time for going out on another loop, he waited to see if Robert Finlay was going out on another loop. If Robert was going, then Wes was going because “there is no way I am going to let Robert get third place” (even though Robert wasn’t official!) Robert came in and announced that of course he was going back out, Wes grabbed his riding gear and was gone! Enjoy your eyewear Wes, it is indestructible like you  And finally, a huge thanks to Boulder Dam Brewing Co. another one of our great sponsors! Todd their Bru Guru provided us with an excellent setting where almost everyone from the race was able to relax and retell their best stories from the race while enjoying locally brewed beer! It was the perfect way to end a great day!! As always, thanks to everyone who came out and supported us, all of you athletes are why we love doing this so much. Every one of you was an inspiration to us to keep putting on these races and your enthusiasm for our events is much appreciated. Everyone that competes in our events is automatically entered into our Primal Fitness competition, a year long competition that at the end of the year there will emerge one Primal Fitness winner! So far Mark Jackson, Erich Rempel, Brandy Friday, Rogue Ryan, Brett Floridia, and Kristen Peers are leading the competition! Get into our race series and get into the Primal Fitness competition! Thanks again to all our sponsors who are so generous to provide us with swag, prizes and products. Come on out to our races or clinics, we would love to see you! Our next event is our, “it’s not an official race, check out our mountain bike race course” event. It is a free event on February 28th, 2009 starting at 9am at the washrooms at Bootleg Canyon, don’t miss it! Colleen Ast Sponsorship and Marketing www.DesertWindsAdventureSeries.com

This is Tom Thomas from Team SOAR in Redding. Hope all is going well with you. Some AR buddies from the Southeast are looking for a fourth teammate for Primal Quest South Dakota. This is an incredibly talented group of athletes, that is looking for a top ten finish or better. They would like to find an experienced expedition racer with navigation skills to help share navigator duties. Here is a link to the team’s bio: http://www.masseysoutfitters.com/shop/dept.asp?dept_id=5279 If you know of anyone who might fit the bill, please forward this on to them to contact me. Also, would you post it on the BAARBD forum or listserv for me? Tracy and I plan to come down for the Cold Feet Race next weekend--see you there. Thank you, Tom 530-524-3807

Hey gang- Sharpie-in baarbd's annual Season Kick Off pARty ... Kick @$$ 2009 held in San Francisco on Saturday, March 21 at the art studio in the Mission with live DJ's, free beer and our famous raffle! More details coming soon... don't miss out! Race on, Jen & Galen www.baarbd.org

I'm looking to get into the sport of adventure racing. I'm as novice as they come, but pretty fit. Any teams out there looking for a strong and dedicated team member, or anyone looking to begin an AR team, please let me know. I'm very motivated to get this started and get my feet wet.

Hi everyone! The Desert Winds Adventure Series put on their first race of the season on January 24th/25th. The race was held in the beautiful Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. We had 11 teams participating in the 12 hour plus race and 2 teams in our beginner race. The navigation and terrain are tough, really tough! Teams had a challenge finding the checkpoints not only during the day (you had to navigate to the correct island in Lake Mead) but also at night, it was a dark night with no moon at all. Using all their techniques available to them, many of our teams were able to find all the checkpoints. We have full results on our website, including a slideshow of the event www.DesertWindsAdventureSeries.com so make sure to check it out. Anyone that races with us is also in our Primal Fitness competition. Points are accumulated throughout the year and at the end of the year a Primal Fitness winner will be announced, so come on out and participate! Our next race is a duathlon of mountain biking and trail running on February 21st and the following weekend we have a mountain bike race. Also, due to popular requests, we have added another adventure race in April on the 5th. It will be a daytime race so teams have a chance to practice navigating in the rough terrain out here in the desert in a shorter race format (about 6hours). We also want to extend a special thanks to Southern Nevada Health District for bringing out their mobile command unit and their volunteer medics that were at our race. We always hope to not need their services but it is also a comfort to know they are there if we do need them. Also, SpotTracker 360 for their awesome sponsorhip of our race...if you want to have a SPOT tracker with you on your next race, go to their link on our website and ask them about leasing or renting one. And, to all our other sponsors, they were such a huge help! Until the next race, happy training and racing everyone! Colleen DesertWindsAdventureSeries.com

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Kudos to Karl and Cynthia for putting on another incredible adventure race, this time at Del Valle Regional Park outside Livermore, CA on January 29. The sun was shining, contrary to 2008, in an usually warm and beautiful day with a full crowd! As a volunteer I was able to bounce around to see the racers at different points during the race which was a blast! Full photos to be shared via flickr.com - right now here's the photo of the winning team heading to their final check point while passing other teams doing the course in the reverse order. video

If you've been sucked into facebook as I have, there's another arm of baarbd reaching out into the community... join in the fun! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52906637568

Yishai Horowitz puts on an amazing race near Lake Margarita / SLO, if you're in the Bay Area it is definitely worth the drive. As a climber, he includes epic rope sections from burma bridges and zip lines to cargo nets. The route decisions are always great, you just have to be prepared to deal with lots of poison oak... he rocks by setting up showers with a life's supply (kidding) of Tech-Nu at the finish accompanied by a live band and killer BBQ. I've done this race the past two years and have loved every second of racing and suffering with my teammates, plus the courses were pretty different which was outstanding. If you like longer races make the trip for this one... maybe he'll eventually add more. -Jen K's 2 cents Add your thoughts!

Rich Brazeau has an vast past of putting on adventure races, including Primal Quest 2007, so the bar is high! In 2008 I raced and volunteered at a few which were all very challenging... granted you can't blame the weather on the race director - it rained, snowed, hailed and sunned (?) at the first one. Good balance of disciplines and the nav kept you and your team on your toes. NC races are great, just be ready for a tough race! - Jen K's 2 cents Add your thoughts!

Todd Jackson puts on a slew of races all over the Bay Area, as well as other fun events such as off-road triathlons. Typically a sprint and a longer race is offered which is great for those looking for a short race and those new to the sport mixed with experienced racers and those wanting a bigger challenge. Sprints have blow up boats provided, the others you have to provide your own kayaks. BB races tend to favor mountain biking and many have an orienteering section, versus trekking (trail running, nav, route choice, off-trail travel). They're in beautiful areas and conclude with a great BBQ, awards and raffle! -Jen's 2 cents Add your thoughts on BB races!

I don't.

I would like to participate in a AR. I have been a runner all my life (54), quite a few races of all distances, am in very good shape, can ride a bike, (not a great swimmer) could paddle a flotation device, minimal orienteering experience. I would like to join a team of experienced runners. I was looking at the Nor Cal AR series as a starting point but am open to anything fairly close. I am in Northern Ca, Chico. Thanks Steve

Hi all- I found the link to more details to the Cyclepath AR in January 09. http://cyclepath.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=11619 Happy holidays! see you there, Jen

Having done triathlon's for 10+ years, I'm looking for a new thrill. A friend and I are looking for a beginner's sprint AR for early 09. Any pointers would be much appreciated. Also, I note on the Jan. 09 calendar that one is listed on the 17th, but I can't find any information. Is this event for real? Thanks. Mark Flynn San Jose

At heart I'm an adventure racer, but my core sport in AR is trail running. I've been doing it the longest and in most of the places I have lived, it has been the most convenient... and cheapest. (I'm not an investment banker.) Having a light AR season and a rough work season I had a base enough to go out and 'play' but not to set any records this year. Interestingly enough I'm an bit philosophical in the sense that the year 2008, the last digit turned on its side, is 'eternity'. If I can survive this year, I'll be ok in this life time. My goal is to end this year on a up note and thanks to TNF I'm coming close to it! So, as and adventure racer I can endure distance, suffering, weather... the nice (and not so nice) aspect of AR is the navigation. It stimulates the mind, give you pause and gets you lost. In this light we can last for hours, and have to, along with your trusty teammates. What AR doesn't always prepare you for is full out continual effort in a well marked course. Damn! There were amazing volunteers and huge color-coded pom-poms marking the entire course. Race day I set the alarm for a not-too-painful revelie at 5.30 for a 6.30 arrival, just in time to make registration cut-off and not cool down too much before the 7 AM start. I rise on target and bundle up, though the temps are not too bad which was very nice. No fog over the Golden Gate Bridge was definitely a plus. My trust Light N Motion lamp and Brunton headlamp got me the final dark stretch from the bridge to the Hostel by Rodeo Beach in Marin. It was fun to see the start all lit up and racers huddled around gas heat lamps waiting for the final count down. I stumble around looking for registration and am pointed to lit tent and was fortunate to be anti-caffineated to be greeted, "JEN!" by the lovely Hailey and Mark of AR Nav Supplies! What a nice surprise to see friendly faces. I checked in found the Endurables, Jim Vernon and company, and got the low-down from him and Oliver on the 50 milers. Chatting it up with Kevin, Jenny, Ryan, Horhey (sp?), and the rest of the Endurables was nice to pass the final chilly moments to the start with a final send off from Mark! Dude, thanks for the motivation - I started strong. Ok, it was f'ing cold. We ran for a about 30 - 45 seconds, turned a corner into a blazing head wind. in short sleeves and a vest I decided to create my own heat by running faster. Yes, I've read enough articles that this is a typical faux-pas, but I didn't care... I was cold and one thing warms me up - running faster! Just before Miwok turns positive, I sync'd with a smart runner in 3/4 garb. We chatted for a bit and she had come all the way from Wyoming and mentioned her travels to Montana for runs. Right, the fact that I passed her on the way up Miwok didn't seem right, but I kept going in the pure interest of keeping warm. I kept with this tactic on the most fun decent of Old Springs and passed a few more people... knowing rightfully well that I would encounter them a few hours later. My tactic? I had not trained for this event. I could run a half marathon and fare well so that was it. Have a glorious half race with the goal of 10k per hour and then prepare for a suffer-fest the second half. Now that's where AR training kicks in... we know how to suffer and keep thinking. The fact that I didn't have to navigate was elating! The course was great - we got some great single track with friendly climbs. Everyone was so nice and encouraging! We started to catch the 50 milers and exchanged kind and motivating words. Where it leveled out the fun single track was closed and I was rivaled by the 'pink braid chic' (Note: I come up with my own nick-names for people often.) We had a brief conversation and entered the Pan-Toll check point together. With a quick gulp of the 'red stuff' I was off. The technical descent was so much fun! I knew there were head ahead and behind, but at this point I had the trail to myself and let gravity take its course. A while later I was greeted by both Kevin and a sharp left-hand turn. Kevin had literally floated up the hills and I couldn't believe that I was seeing him before the finish line. He had missed the turn and was back tracking. We headed up the next steep incline and I happened to pass him only because he was dealing with cramps... otherwise I ate his dust. Plugging a long a while later I saw the sun. I was pleasantly surprised by the voice of Jim and Oliver! Rock on guys, it was SO amazing and motivating to see you there, I was fading at that point... it was between 10:30 and 11 at that point. Well past my prime. The rollers followed by the descent back to Muir Woods was nice, but I was at what I call cruising altitude at that point. Basically I mustered the rest of the way - my motto? One foot in front of the other and run when you can. At the next section I was blasted by Miss Wyoming and her draft. Two more guys from the 50 miler blasted by me... uh, yeah, I was still moving, but it didn't feel like it when they passed me! Then there was that left turn at the entrance to Muir Beach. I *thought* I knew most of the trails in Marin - well, no. This evil straight-up single track was interesting, but not in the least bit fun. The tri-chic Lauren powered by me and said, "Where are we?" I said, "You're 4th." She replied, "Let's catch them!" Stud-ette. I walked that section and then the pain in my knees kicked in. Again, the beauty of AR... if you feel pain, then you're not going hard enough. When you are, you're numb. Jen, go harder. At this point I started to do all the math... could I finish before 1 PM? I clearly lost the 2nd place I had (not surprising), but could I at least finish in the top 10 women? Those were my two goals. The descent to Tenneesee Valley was very painful. I know that trail and usually have a ton of fun on it, so the fact that I was suffering and had been passed again by the pink-braid chic was demoralizing. Telling myself the end was not too far away and I knew the trails from there was helpful, though there were still some big ones to come - Marincello, the little climb to the final descent and then the climb to the finish. I curse uphill finishes and can tell you about every one. Way back at Pan-Toll I committed to running most of Marincello and at the TV aid station I saw the ever-inspiring Oliver as he checked in... it was SO great to see a friendly face - oh, and Sandy taking pictures at Pan-Toll! The only sentence I could muster from my recollection was, "I'm in over my head." Downed another red drink, hoping it wasnt' the *real* Kool-Aid and headed up Marincello at a steady pace. I was consistent, but slow. I passed and was passed. A strong woman easily passed me - rock on! Whatever that movie was with Billy Murray, as much as it irked me, "Baby Steps" popped into my head. Heading to the final aid station I figured it would rationally give it my go to make it in by 1 PM. Again, doing the math it was an optimistic goal, but hey, let's try. I was familiar with the final descent and knew it was not technical, but pretty steep. I did what I could with preserving my knees. I was passed by a few other incredible 50 milers and just kept my 'in the pink' momentum going. (I relate to RMP's when I race and I consider 'pink' a push that I can sustain. Going in the red is where you're pushing it so hard that you bonk or cannot sustain.) At the bottom I knew I would not make 1 PM, but figured I could get in before 1.15 which was promising. The climb to the finish was not as bad as I had anticipated and was happy to find that the visual finish to the spectators was mostly flat so I had the time and energy to down-shift for a strong and happy finish! It was a ton of fun and nice to be greeted by the Endurables. Thanks to Jim Vernon for leading the crew to victory! The Endurables were amazing as well as their supporters of SO's and friends! I met so many great people, plus Sandy and I got to hear about Dean's desert race. It was an amazing race and I have to brag a bit, that I actually got on stage for top finish in my age group which was unexpected, yet so much fun to represent the Endurables... Jim, we need t-shirts to show off! THANK YOU to everyone from the race directors, volunteers, sponsors, racers and supporters. It was an outstanding event! Race on, Jen Jennifer Klafin www.baarbd.org