attention Adventure racing fans...

“Hey d I have some friends up in MN that will laugh themselves silly if you tell them 20 is cold...lol
I will agree with ya tho anything under 20 is pretty chilly if you're not active.
If you guys decide to do some kind of adventure racing thing I'd defintely be interested, no matter where you have it :)”

“For those that are interested in this sport you've probably heard that getting to the starting line can be the hardest part of the race.

Well, this time it is. After a break up of my last coed team, I've been working with a couple of other racers to build a 4 person team for this weekend's event. With only 3 days before traveling up to Gaylord, MI to do a 30 your race at Boyne Mountain (lol mountain, in MI) we have finalized a team. I'll be racing with 2 veteran's and one of their bosses. These guys have consistent results in the top 10. Hope I can keep up! Now for arranging lodging, support trailer, logistics, roles....

Race details:

Maps: Standard USGS based with the twist of being 1:30,750 scale. You will have to plot the control points using the UTM grid system. Make sure you are familiar with how to create your own corner ruler based on this custom scale. This skill will be taught at the August 7th Navigation Clinic. Contact Zac for details on the clinic. Following the briefing, teams will be allowed to stay at the civic center for a couple of hours to use the tables for map preparation.

Trekking / Orienteering:
The total trekking will be a minimum of 20 miles - more depending on the selected route. The terrain will vary from roads and trails to dense brush and woodlands. Teams will always go through a significant off-trail section where navigation will be tested.

Canoe:
Teams will be paddling 15-25 miles depending on their route and final course design.

Mountain Bike:
Be prepared for long rides and plenty of northern Michigan sand and gravel. You should also have good working bike lights and a good backup headlamp if your bike light batteries should fail. Teams must locate and check in at each of the required checkpoints. The course could include a combination of single track (moderately technical), two track, dirt roads, and paved roads and a good possibility of a hike-a-bike section.

Fixed Ropes:
We are hoping to have as many as three ropes sections for this race. All teams members should know how to rappel. We also intend to have ascending, but currently to keep the flow of the race logical; it may only be necessary for one team member to do the ascending. A zip line or a traverse is always a possibility as well. The ropes are always set up to be extremely safe and are closely monitored by qualified guides who will make sure that your experience is fun and safe. A pre-existing knowledge of ascending (one team member only) and rappeling will be required and checked at registration. If you have never done any ascending and rappeling, you should really take one of our clinics on these discplines before the race.

Extended Course:
The extended course will be 30+ miles of very challenging terrain and navigation. You should expect multiple disciplines in the extended course. If your team makes the cut-off for and decides to go on the extended course, you must complete it to be ranked team. All teams going on and completing the extended course that finish with in the allotted time will be ranked ahead of regular course finishers.

WooHoo - let the pain begin!”

“Go dhutch go! I cant wiat for the report.”

“holly crap...you're gonna be famous!!
you go girl!”

“Famous, very doubtful. Unless....

ESPN Headline News:

Mediochre Adventure racing female body dragged by elite athlete teammates, bloodied and unconcious, but still breathing! Quote, "jjjjjjusssst keeeeep mooooving"”

“SWM ISO SF

Must be into pain, torture, discomfort, hunger, and be able to drive self past the point of collapse.

Please forward personal description and photo, if possible, to Sad Mark, c/o Asylum of Charenton, France.”

“this weekend?”

“lol bit!

yes photoguy, this weekend.”

“You're gonna do great D!”

“Hey, that's in the great state of MI-- Good luck! and have fun! (or torture, however you prefer to describe it... :-) )”

“Thanks all.

Also if you're interested, www.Subaruprimalquest.com”

“When is the finnish spoused to be, I,m going on a phototrip to the UP. Maybe i could swing by and get some cool pics or what not.”

“Sunday race cutoff time is noon. Teams should be dribbling in all morning.

Believe me photoguy190 pictured rocks is much more scenic.”

“I can’t tell you how much I admire you for your tenacity and your moxy Dian!”

“Female from Nashville competeing in her 2nd Subaru Primal Quest

This will give you an idea of what it is like to compete in one”

“Sounds like a blast. God luck!!”

“Uh, I mean GOOD luck.”

“MM - I'll take both!”

“dhutch, just realized I forgot to tell you good luck in the race. I know you will do well.”

“Thanks for the Primalquest link.
And we will see you at the race. Good luck to you and your new team.”

“and good luck to you and Asher as well.

just keep moving

Oh, and you'll get to see my new bike. sahweeeet!”

“is eveningred Scott?

If so haven't seen you since the training day earlier this yr.

Good luck to you and your team if your doing the race also.”

“Thanks Ewker, Yep that's me.

But I will be racing as a two person team and won't have a nice new bike like dhutch.

Race on dhutch!”

“Dbutch did amazing (I dont want to steal her thunder too much,but dang!). Great job on your race,I look forward to the report. No word from jake on the coast to coast...”

“What a great race! The longest yet for me. It was a 30 hour cutoff. Team Blue Bayou finished in just over 28 hours completing the course just after it was shortened due to difficulty. I must do the morning financials but a trip report will follow later this morning. 2nd place 4 person coed. 3rd place overall.

Where's my coffee? Oh, right here in my hand. :-)”

“Great job D! =D”

“That's awesome, Diane, I can't wait to read the details!”

“omg...see I told you...you're going to be famous. I can see you on the ecco challange sometime in the near future. LOL

Can't wait for the TR”

“Can't wait to hear about it Diane!”

“They say that getting a team to the starting line can be the most challenging leg of a race. In this case it was a mere precurser to the grueling 30 hour, 100 mile adventure.

Friday - 9/24 - Team Blue Bayou (Cooper, Roger, Brian and myself along with support crew Molly and Andy)has all arrived at Boyne Mountain Resort well prepared to start the race. We breezed through the gear check, registraton and ascending certification and began to organize our gear into a manageable stash in a rented UHaul trailer. At the 9pm race briefing we were given 3 massive maps and a set of race instructions. The team pulled together to plot 17 checkpoints and plan our route choices. By 12:30am our heads hit the pillow to grab 4 hours of precious sleep prior to heading out to the disclosed starting at 5 am.

With teams gathered at the start, race organizers disclosed a 5 cp "surprise" orienteering course was to be completed prior to the origninal cp1 plotted the night before. We had anticipated this possibility as the first ropes section would be a disaster if there was not a way to break up the pack during the preceding 10 mile trek. Mentally it helped that we were prepared for some tough navigation to start the race.

After pounding out the initial orienteering section and pulled in to CP1 in 2nd. We ran to CP2 hidden in the woods losing no time and checked in 1st. CP3 was a rope ladder/rappel we breezed through quickly with no "snags" Energized we headed for CP4 at a run to board 2 canoes for about a 5 hour paddle through 2 lakes and portions of a couple of rivers. There were 2 brands of canoes on the shore and it was the choice of boat ended up to make a difference in stability vs efficiency. 2 teammates really struggled with this section but we stayed afloat through some choppy water in our heavier/wider boats and paddled hard upstream to TA1 and the bike transition at 12:30???? We had lost several positions and were 6th or 7th??

A 15 minute transition into bike clothes, water bladders switched to full and fueled with some quesadillas and sandwiches we headed out on bike for about 25 miles of some of the sandiest hilly dirt roads and 2 tracks I've ridden to date. We all fell quite a few times but made it through hitting all cp's flawlessly thanks to our prep and fantastic navigation by Coop. At one CP we had to designate an ascender to get to the top of a 40ft?? rope and pick up our passport for an orienteering leg later in the race.

We were all glad to leave our bikes at about 4:30pm and head off on foot to an orienteering section as the moon rose and our precious sunlight disappeared. Our ability to make a 10pm cutoff for the extended course (30 extra miles) was in doubt but we remained focused and got through this very difficult section with one of the fastest times. We hit the end and a 400ft?? zip line after spending about 5 hours of bushwacking. Please note that all time references are a bit blurry right now, accuracy is questionable. It was at this point we were informed that the 30 mile extra course had been cancelled due to only one team would even be able to make it there by the cutoff.

Getting back on our bikes it was a huge relief to speed down actual paved roads for 25ish more miles to TA2 and hot food, clothing change and a 1/2 hour to review maps for the rest of the night's orienteering. Several teammates grabbed a couple of minutes shut eye and we ended up spending 1 hour here. Others were antsy to go but team needs are all one after 19 hours of moving that fast. Our position at that time was about #3.

During the orienteering at night we met up (for a second time) with team ACG. There were friends on either team and excellent mutual navigation got us through some demanding miles and crucial cp's. We forded a swamp (up to my thighs) that compromised warmth and teammates from either side took turns having rough moments. There were incidents of shivvering, falling asleep while walking and nausea but the teams pulled together, shared pack weight dressing each other and reminding all to eat and drink. At some point in the night the two teams became one. As the sun rose and we struggled to find the third to last cp plotted under overhead electric lines, everyone was really shot all at the same time. We took 15 minutes to shut our eyes. Some actually slept. We were tired, moral was diminishing and had been bushwacking since 2am. It was 5:30 in the morning when we saw the first peek of sunlight. As in other races, I can only describe the feeling to what it must be like being born. Energy levels returned (not full capacity) and within 20 minutes we had located that cp. We were at that point tied for 3rd overall, 2nd as 4 person coed. Talking through the decision it was decided that the teams had become a cohesive effort. We had pulled each other along (sometimes literally) for 5 hours. The decision was made that we would finish together as one. It was really a moving experience, we opted for unity gained the strengths of each team forfeiting some prizes including money (who cares!). We were relying on that strength to fend off any opposition behind us. We pushed each other, running for about 5 miles to reach the final leg of the race. Some carried others' packs, some actually towed. I let one of the big guys carry my pack and was able to run on legs that didn't even feel able to walk.

When we completed this orienteering/trekking/bushwacking leg and got to CP16 it was 9am. As designated our bike equipment had been dropped by our wonderful support crew. As we prepared to mount our bikes several teams rode up to the checkpoint on theirs. In disbelief we were told that the course had been altered due to difficulty and teams had been transitioned to bikes at some point in the race. Being out in front, we had done the course as originally designed. We hopped on and passed those teams anyway in basically a peleton of 8. Yes, me drafting all the way.

It was here in the final 5 miles of the race that I faced my biggest challenge. A bike ride up Boyne mountain, about 1-1 1/2 miles??? (felt like 5) To maintain any pace that would have been lost because I would have had to walk/run my bike up the steep grade (I was so done) Randy from team ACG literally pushed while I peddled up the hill. The man is a god, most didn't make it but he got us both up that mountain. Descending down single and two track to the finish line had sounded straightforward enough. However the trails were deep in sand and very steep. There were about 3 minor falls, only one resulting in a nose bleeding injury. I however ran my bike down the hill along with several others. We joined forces at the bottom and cruised in to the finish line. Tears of joy and exhaustion, pride and smelly hugs were shared by all. Team Blue Bayou and Team ACG tied for 3rd place overall, 2nd coed 4 person behind Team Citgo (1st) and Team Absolute Endo (2 person)

This report is so deficient to the actual experience that I am ashamed and please forgive any discrepancies as I'm a little tired right now. But it was the most excruciating fun I've had all year. Only 4 teams (I think) completed the original course. Only about 1/2 the teams that began, finished at all.”

“Great TR dhutch!

I still think the Marquis De Sade is the guy for you.”

“Great report, D. Sounds like a wonderful experience! Congratulations to you and the rest of your team.”

“Sweet!!!!!!

Excellent race report...I know the frustration of trying to capture an experience like that in a few paragraphs, but you have done your usual outstanding job of ptting it out there for us to enjoy. Thanks!”

“Correction the other team was AGS from Holland, MI. Not ACG.”

“You da ma'am Dhutch!

Its really great to read your reports. I recall your first race and seeing you work so hard for it and watching your ups and downs.I remember last years "Rage Race" and your face when I picked you guys up...and now this. What a turnabout!!!! Congrats on doing so well and for the effort that got you there. Very impressive!

BTW things are sounding good with Jake . He emailed today and said "Frankly Diane's experience will probably be a great
bonus". Things are looking up.”

“Wow. Wow.


Nicely done.


I can't fathom stringing together that kind of intensity for that long.”

“Fantastic report Diane. I have the utmost respect for your strength woman! You're an inspiration, truly.”

“Dang lady, just reading that wore me out!!!
Congrats on an awesome job!!”

“Thanks all it was a blast. We really did have some laughs out there too. You have to.

Voted funniest moment: After stumbling back to our support vehicle at TA2 (2am) having taken care of some personal business, I looked at each person standing around me and said, "Oh, excuse me I'm with the wrong team" and started to leave, embarassed. My cohorts looked back at me in disbelief, laughed and said "Diane, it's us! Eat something hot"

Maybe you had to be there or at least be sleep deprived, but I'd just spent the last 21 hours with these guys and it was my truck! Whew”

“Great report. Lots of folks on this board, me included, have at least thought of giving something a try. The huge difference is that you actually do it. You go girl.”

“Hello all my office internet was down yesterday, and had to deal with that all day.

Our team name for this race was “Give me that damn map!” We ended up coming in first in the M/M division and I believe 6th overall. This ended up being our second first place finish in a row so we were both very happy with the results.

We had an excellent support person to this race she ended up popping up though out the course to take pictures and give us words of support to keep our asses moving!!

We ran into Dhutch a few times on the race passing her only to find her ahead of us again at future CP’s. Dhutch and her team were doing some great navigating and making good route choices.

So here is my story:

After a 8:00 race briefing were we got out maps and instructions we plotted all of our points and planed out our route while out support person sleep in our room. After we were done we headed back to the room finished getting out gear together and prepping out food that we were to need for the morning we switched with our support person and went to sleep while she loaded and organized the vehicle to her liking. This allowed us to get 4 hours of sleep before the race.

The start of the race was a Boyne Highlands(local Michigan ski hill) with five CP’s on an orienteering course to start the race. I think that the only way to get the heart pumping first thing in the morning is by starting out with a run up the face of a ski hill. The hill seemed a lot bigger climbing up the hill then when I ski down it. We found all the cp but took longer than we thought we should but it seems like other teams had similar problems getting used to the odd map sizing. 1:3075 but we came into the CP1 a manned CP on the golf course drive way in 6th place.

We walked right past CP2 another manned checkpoint in the woods and had to do a little backtracking to find it and still don’t think that it was quite where we plotted it on the map but quickly moved on to CP3 a cargo net climb to a rope repel at the end which went smoothly.

We ran to CP4 where we switched to our canoes and found that we only had one of the two demo paddles that we were expecting. Found out later that the race organizers accidentally gave us the wrong shaft to one of the paddles but thankfully my partner had his paddle in the truck just in case and our excellent support crew found and put that paddle together for us to use. The canoe was a great run it started off in a small lake which where we paddled across then through a channel going up a river we came to a lock that opened up for us and we had paddled our canoe into closed the lock door and opened the opposing lock door. We only dropped a foot or so but how many time to you get the chance to take a canoe through a lock(Love this sport getting to do things that you wouldn’t normally do or in some cases no sane person would want to do.) We continued down this river to a much larger lake(Burt Lake) were we needed to stay within 200m from the shore. We ended up getting caught to far from shore and suffered a 15 minute penalty for it later in the race. We follow the lake around with some decent waves hitting the side of the canoe getting us wet at times, to the mouth of the Sturgeon River were we were required to paddle upstream less than a mile the current didn’t seem to bad starting out but there were times when we were paddling with all we had and only creeping forward inch by inch but we made it to TA1 our first transition where food and a happy face were there to greet us. We had about a 15-20 minute transition time and were off on our bikes.

We ended up on many two track roads with lots of deep sand which was to become the norm for the day. But we made it to CP7 which was a rope ascend with ascenders and a repel back down. I ended up doing the ropes due to the fact that my partner was feeling poorly due to overeating at the transition area.

We got back on the bikes and made our way to Thunder Mountain which was an abandoned ski hill. We arrived to find out that none of the teams had finished the 5 point orienteering course and the first teams had been there for over 4 hours. We decided to take our 15 minute time penalty here took that time to review our maps and strategy for this part of the course. We ended up getting all five CP’s on this course but it took us over 7 hours to do. We had foolishly not planed on being out this long between transition areas and I only had a silk weight long shirt on with a thin nylon rain jacket to go over that. My partner had similar clothing and both of us were almost completely out of water. After finally finishing this course and getting a small amount of water from some of the race staff we left on bikes which is where the lack of extra clothes was really noticed. We were freezing and stopped to make some adjustments. I pulled out some long finger biking gloves and gave my half finger biking gloves to my partner along that along his own half finger gloves and a couple of bandanas wrapped around his hands were the only thing keeping him warm in the 46 degree night weather. We ended up on the wrong road and found a wonderful sandy dirt road that had a two mile long section that continued to climb uphill after every turn we figured that it couldn’t possibly go any higher only to find out that we were wrong. The road was about 85% unrideable due to the Very deep sand which helped to keep us warm but was very energy draining and did nothing to help our water situation. I mapped it out after the race on my topo software and found we ended up climbing through the sand with a elevation change of 475’ which was a bigger elevation change than the abandoned ski hill at Thunder Mountain that we just finish trekking around.

We finally made it past our hellish bike walk and ended up joining with a four person team who was needing help keeping their female racer awake. And since we were in no condition to move past them, since we were having the same sleep deprivation problems with a few interesting hallucination on top(this was about 5:30 in the morning which another 11/2 hours until dawn breaks). we stuck with this team through to the next transition area where a warm car and pizza was waiting for us. (Did I mention we had a great support person) We were in the TA for close to an hour and about 10 minutes before we were to leave they changed and shorted the race course by taking out one CP (CP14) we finished the race with a long paved climb to the top of Boyne mountain my partner was beat and walked the whole way up I granny geared it up about half way and walked the rest to keep with my partner. The final run the finish was a fun single track mountain bike trail strait to the finish and bottle of champagne!!.


We had a great race and had a lot of fun doing it.”

“way to go Diane and Scott.

Sounds like both of you had a great but tiring time.”

“woot woot! great job!”

“hey ewker--
did you see that race coming up in 2 weekends here by nashville? that'd be a great one for beginners. you thinking one day you'd like to do one? i am!”

“Yam, what race.”

“Let me get back w/ you on the name, I'm having a blank moment on that, but it's a triathalon at Chickasaw Trace Park and has canoeing, biking, and running.”

“Jailbreak!”

“oh yeah I saw that one but it is the same weekend as something else I have planned. You can do that race as a relay if you want. Both of you canoe, then one rides the bike and the other runs.

I will be at Chickasaw Sun the 10th for a mountain bike race I volunteered for.”

“Sounds like quite a race, Scott!!”

“Great job Scott! You and Asher are quite the team.”