I'm back and in one piece along with my partner in crime and support crew, Vange. We made the journey down to Pittsfield Vermont so I could test myself on one of the most demanding courses in the world. Vange had told me about the race only a month ago so didn't know what quite to expect except lots of torture which doesn't bother me much.
Pretty sick stuff and they keep you guessing the whole way, mentally and of course physically. The night before the race for check in you have to push your bike to the top of the mountain where they then have you remove the chain and both wheels. I quickly realized that my new Sinister F-Bomb might be a little more beef than i need but that's the way i like it..save the light shit for the weight weenies. Not that there seemed to be many of them. Most of the people i met were either in the military or ultra endurance scene. Met some great people including Ray and Val Morvan from Springfield Vermont which is right near where i grew up and where my family was from. Great people and we tried to collectively speculate about what to expect the next day.
So 50 of us checked in , listened to the rules and pre race meeting and then hiked down from the mountain with our bikes and lots of confusion and anxiety about what would happen in three hours when we woke up...
Waking up at 3-15 am was a trip and Vange and I quickly made all the last minute preparations. She was focused on keeping me fed and hydrated while i was focused on well, not letting the race kill me.
4 am sharp and we were off! into a muddy ditch lined with barb wire which would prove challenging for us with our bike, pack, axe, shoves, 5 gallon bucket, water, clothes, tools and whatever else. after the ditch we had to find our numbers in the dark and stump a tree. the field looked like a bunch of smoke jumpers had just landed in it as people hacked and dug and sawed.
once we had the stump we were told that it must stay with us for the remainder of the race as well. damn, stuff was adding up!
back through the barb wire and off to meet the next challenge which was something i'd never done... go through another ditch lined with barb wire then under a bridge with more barb wire and walk with all that gear one mile downriver IN A RIVER to get a single match handed to you then turn around and head a mile back upstream. you had to pick your way around the deeper or faster current sections and try to stay in control on the snot slick rocks. my ankle was wrapped already from the 24 mile hike i'd done 5 days earlier where i'd turned my ankle a few times so had to make sure not to break it.
back from that and people were starting to drop out or miss the cut off i heard after. the next challenge was split and stack a bunch of wood then grab 6 pieces and head up on a very steep hike where we got to the top and had to memorize the first 10 US presidents. the guy running the station said i was "on record pace" through the splitting section until i ran into one persistent piece at the end that would NOT split until i beat it down twenty minutes later. Big Ray Morvan even put all of his 240 lbs onto the top of my axe with his several times and couldn't split it! Thanks for the help anyway Ray! Finally it split after using every technique i'd ever learned from growing up in the wood industry, damn that thing. Then helped another competitor with his for a while as he had the same problem. Teamwork would prove to be important as we were all in this mess together.
We then had to recite them halfway down and if you missed them, they would send you back up. no chance in hell was i doing that so nailed 'em my first try.
The next challenge was more barb infested ditch and cold water to a bridge where we had to look at a small logo structure that had been built and replicate it with real legos that we would have to jump in a pond for. Had to study the lego structure and try and write it down on something dry which was hard to do as the rain poured down. I was sure i'd screw this up as i've never been smart or logical but pulled it together and nailed it first try..good thing cuz they made people keep doing it until they got it right which would have cost precious time and energy.
Getting into a rythym now as they sent us back into the river for our next challenge in an extremely challenging section of river where we then had to go retrieve an egg at a nearby farm and carry it back intact to the location and build a fire and boil water...without matches or a lighter. got my water boiled and ate that egg raw to save time!
we then hiked up to a spot where our wheels to our bikes were and we put them on and got to coast down a hill(finally riding!) to a spot where they said were could get our chains, with just one catch. Upon arriving there, the kid at the station said, "429 right? here is your chain" as he threw it out into a water pit where it quickly sank to the murky, mucky bottom. This section of the race almost did me in as i dove for it time and time again and continued to get colder and colder with no luck. Starting to get worried here as it was super hard to stay warm. The clock was ticking as i searched for about a half hour until i was eventually onshore...shivering nearly uncontrollably until i did 20 pushups and squats, and jumped in for a last ditch attempt and alas, there it was along the bottom in the mud! had to then put it on the bike which was very tricky in my condition. Vange gave me some of my moms Vegataballs Pesto which got me straight, some Yerba Mate and was off and running with then next challenge.
Carry 40 pounds of rocks up the mountain! Wouldn't have been bad until i got lost and ended up bushwhacking up the whole mountain on some very very steep and gnarly terrain. Was finally near the top but sure i was way off course but decided to give a little "whoop" trail call to see if anyone was near. To my suprise, i got a "whoop" right back..more bushwhacking and climbing over a few more trees and pricker bushes and stinging nettles and then another "whoop"! could it be??......got to the top and sure enough, there was my support crew, Vange!!!
Almost there now as the the course designer Jason commented on the brutal terrain he knew i'd just climbed and gave me my final task. Fill up my five gallon bucket from a culvert down at the bottom and bring it back to him....full of course. This was a pretty tough trail with a 200 yard bushwhack section but was feeling good as i brought it home.
The last hour was a slog down in and out of the "Ravine" which was super burly as was my alternate route which got me out of the ravine for a bunch but into stinging nettles and more prickers. By this time i was jogging and ready to crush it! Cruise under more barb wire and head for the finish where they told me my time of 16 hours and 18 minutes was good enough for 11th place.
Big thanks to Vange my support crew who was there with fresh food, water, yerba and a smile as she also shot pictures and video which you will see soon. Best support ever and in a very cute package!
My Sinister F-bomb felt great on my back and took a beating throughout the day and attracted plenty of attention with FTW's sick welds and design.
Also F-stop Gear for the great product as my bag held through sixteen hours plus hours of hell with tons of weight in it and sharp objects.
Timberland Shoes, Princeton-Tec Headlamps, Bern Helmets, Highland Mountain Bike Park and Kingdom Outdoors/Indigenous Board Shop.
And thanks to my family, friends, and clients for believing in me and encouraging me to rip it up!
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