Heartland AR Championship, 11/5/11 |
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| LAKE ADVENTURES 3710 Farnum Creek Rd, Milford, KS 785-307-1901 extremekansas@yahoo.com |
| Adventure Racing, Trail Running, Mountain Biking, Retreats & more! |
| 2011 Heartland AR Series BonkHard Chill AR Wild Hares Adventure Race Extreme Break Up AR Smithville Adventure Race Chadron Adventure Race Run, Row, Rock & Roll AR Warrior Challenge Psycho 43 (Championship) |
| 2/19 3/19 4/02 5/07 5/21 6/18 9/17 11/05 |
3/12 3/13 3/20 4/02 4/09 5/21 5/28 8/19-22 8/27 9/10 9/18 11/05 |
Division Ranking
Overall Ranking
At the beginning of this year, LA, Angry Cow Adventures and Bonkhard Racing joined forces to create the Heartland Series . Our goals: increase awareness of many great races available in the
Midwest , grow the sport with new racers and give seasoned teams other venues to explore that are close by.
The schedule was developed and the Psycho 43 was set as the 2011 Championship. After other dates were ruled out due to USARA and Checkpoint Tracker Championship race conflicts, I was left
with November. A race in November in Kansas was a gamble. Two years ago in October at this race it was snowing/sleeting all day, and 4 years ago an ice storm paralyzed the state for 2 weeks in
November.
The Psycho course was planned several months ago, when it was much warmer than 30 degrees—wind and winter weather were taken into account, but mostly I just hoped for the best. Two
courses and sets of race maps were made in case an “alternate” route would have to be put into play. However, after I raced dirt roads and cow pastures at Fairbury in June following a torrential
downpour the night before and Berryman in September with morning temps close to freezing, mist/rain and dark mass start on the bikes heading into the Berryman Trail, it was clear that racers will
handle almost anything a race director throws at them—and those are the best stories. That is the real adventure of adventure racing, so the 2nd set of race maps sits in my basement . . . because I
knew that the teams coming to the Psycho could handle the cold, the dark and the wind at 25mph (gusts up to 40). Not all teams showed up on race day, but most of them did and sounds like they
were happy they did.
Last year’s race, the weather was great—but an unfortunate spontaneous combustion left my Jeep in ashes within minutes (on my way to race check in). Car shopping is usually not a pleasant
experience, so I did as much research as possible , learned that the Nissan Xterra would be the best fit for my life, chose the options and commenced to purchase execution. Calling from my phone
driving East on I70 to all Nissan dealerships between JC and Blue Springs, I told them all that I would stop at the 1st dealership that could deliver what I wanted, at the price I could pay and would
promise to have me in and out of their store within an hour with my vehicle. Capital City Nissan in Topeka was the 1st to promise all three requests would be met. Skeptical, of course, I entered the
showroom expecting disappointment. However, 1 hour later I walked out, paperwork signed, no frustration, and though I was not driving my vehicle (because it was in Blue Springs)—I left in a brand
new Nissan Altima provided by the dealership to expedite my return home. My Xterra, exactly to my specifications, was delivered to my home 80 miles away at 7pm that night. Capital City Nissan went
above and beyond and replaced ALL my previous car buying horror stories with a beautiful happy ending. This is important in the telling of this race story for 2 reasons . . . first-Tom Hood, the GM of
Cap City Nissan, is also an adventure racer and asked me if it were possible to sponsor a race; second-scouting and setting an adventure race course has never been as enjoyable as it has been
from my Xterra. The race was sponsored by Cap City Nissan and the Xterra is made for me—legit enough to drive to my office job in, tough enough for the terrain I go through and functional enough to
haul canoes/kayaks, bikes, ropes, gear, dogs and kids (not in that order) with ease.
Back to the race . . . the morning was dark, cold and windy as predicted. At 5:30am, the 85 mile racers (the “Heroes”) arrived at the Anchor Inn (Flagstop Resort, Milford) to hear final announcements,
get on the bus and head North. The race started in the dark on an O Section at the entrance of Randolph State Park. The intent was to separate teams and it seemed likely that it would work—since
Randolph SP consists of crazy elevation, ridiculous vegetation and a long and confusing maze of horse trails . . . and of course it is still dark at 6:40am in November. Navigation was key and teams did
make it out of that 1st challenge and across the long bridge over to Fancy Creek State Park. FC is the most technical bike trail in the area, with enough ravines and boulder gardens one could feel like
they’re in Colorado instead of KS. This seemed like the next obvious way to further separate teams—on a bike course through those trails. Most teams handled the challenge pretty well—however,
those that thought bike whacking would be a good idea probably changed their minds quickly. After FC, it was time for the long bike ride across 2 counties and an Army installation.
By this time, the 45 and 25 mile racers (the “Extreme” and the “Discovery” courses) were showing up for their start back in Milford. The race announcements included a warning about missing
checkpoints and how that would affect overall ranking, but I probably should have talked more about cutoff times, strategy and decision points when checkpoints are not found—for the beginner teams
in the room. This would become evident a few hours later.
The Extreme teams set off on foot to find CPs in the town of Milford before returning to their bikes and heading to the rappel, while the Disco teams set off running to Acorns Resort to canoe/bike. Both
the rappel and canoe sections are areas that can cause a race director some additional stress. With winds at 25mph, I refused to close the canoe—how fair would that be to racers? But Tim and
Tammy, volunteers at the TA, were advised to close it if white caps took over the whole cove (not just the North end). Tim and Tammy have been at every boat TA at every adventure race LA has put on
and if it is possible to be a professional boat TA team—that’s what they are. Leaving it in their hands, me and a few volunteers headed to the Dam Cliffs to set the rappel course.
Three anchors/three ropes—bomb proof—were set and the volunteers went into action practicing the ropes so they would be prepared for over 100 racers who would be trusting them with their lives.
The volunteers at the rappel were top notch, the kind of people who love to help others face challenges and so nice they can talk anyone down anything with ease. Their day was long, cold and
stressful, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to them—they feel lucky to have experienced it. Because of the volunteers at that checkpoint, I knew every racer on the rope would be safe—that is
priceless. The other volunteers riding with me helped with the ropes set up, took pictures and in general helped maintain my sanity. On race day, I ‘m amazed at great things I see in people –some I’
ve just met; and I’m amazed they don’t go running away into the woods when they inevitably see the worst in me (race day stress).
Just as the ropes preparation was done, on queue the Extreme teams began arriving for the “first down”. Teams on this course biked to the Dam TA via an “off-road” route West of HWY 77. The
original course for all distances was actually to cut into Milford State Park and bike the ST trails to the Dam; but due to event conflicts in the State Park (an ultra trail run going on at the same time), the
route was moved. Pretty sure the alternate route through fields, beaches and housing areas was interesting for racers (and dead end roads for some teams). Once they got to the rappel, an O Course
on foot and a bike Course was next. And so the story of CP7 begins.
In 2010, at a previous race, I learned the valuable lesson that only the race director (or person who found/marked the CPs for the course) should place the CP flags—because otherwise there is bound
to be problems. So for 3 days prior to this race, I had been setting the flags. Susy Stephens (Team Golden Girls) volunteered to come down early in the week and set flags with me. She picked me
up on Wed and Thurs after work and Friday morning to drive me around to close to the CPs as possible in her Xterra—which was fortunate because the 4x4 was necessary—and I would get out and
run the flags to the correct spot as verified by my GPS. This was by far the most efficient and enjoyable method of setting the course I have ever experienced—thank you Susy! She had to return to pick
up Connie Friday afternoon and I continued to set points in a race against the “check in” clock. There was ONE CP that I felt confident in not checking with my GPS due to time constraint—and that was
CP7. It was on a pedestrian bridge on the Riverwalk Trail, so I just knew there was no way to get it wrong . . . a correct assumption, except I unknowingly had the UTM coordinates wrong on the CP
sheet. So without doing my cross check to the UTM sheet, I happily/confidently set the CP on the RW bridge.
After setting the ropes though, we (race director/photographers/support crew) had left the Dam prior to the Extreme (45 mile) teams entering the O courses to check on the Discovery (25 mile) teams
who would be in the canoe section at Acorns Resort by then. The Discos are the 1st teams to test the water, so to speak, and I need to see they are all out safely. As we turned into Acorns, we see the
youngest racer , Sean, (8 years old) on the course flying out of Acorns, already done with the canoe and now on his bike (with parents/team Princess & the Frog). As I watched Sean pedal his small
mountain bike against the 25mph wind with his big smile—his legs working 10x as hard as probably anyone else on the course—I was immediately rewarded for the last few days of “hell week”. The
level of reward that a race director gets just watching the teams move through the course is incredible, but to see a child face and conquer the same challenges all the other adult racers are facing—
that reward is beyond measure.
We then head to Milford to ready the Xterra and Karaoke challenges. Have a team pull an Xterra a 100 meters with a rope (solos 50 meters) seemed like a good way to spotlight Nissan in the race.
But, would it really work? My support crew and I checked it out—yep, it was tough but possible. Check. Onto the Karaoke . . . some teams may wonder why this CP in a race. Well, same reason that in
previous courses I’ve used a line dance, a bull ride, an obstacle course, etc . . . there is a point in the race when teams are focusing so much on the physical (except the navigator who is never gets a
mental break), that they really need a break. Throwing a CP in like this helps break up the endurance aspect of the course and usually helps gets teams refreshed. Plus, it makes for great video
footage.
Meanwhile, we keep getting race updates on the Hero (85 mi) teams. Susy and Connie are out on Fort Riley at the Blue Pond TA where racers will enter on bike (after having done 6 miles on foot at
Randolph, 4 miles on bike at Fancy Creek and 17 miles down dirt/gravel to Fort Riley). I’m trying not to think of the Elk herd, MPs, tanks, hunters and impact zones on the installation and just remind
myself that if they stay on course for CPs they will be fine. Texts start coming in right on time (my estimated time of arrival for lead teams)—3 Builders and a Shocker have checked in at 42 and are in
the lead with solo Kent. BTW my lead team expected arrival time did not account for biking into head winds over 25mph . . . not shocked though, I’ve watched this team perform miracles for the last 3
years. But I can’t wait to see ALL the Hero teams enter Milford safely and have the 1st 40 miles of the course done.
So back to CP7. We arrive back at the Dam to check on the Disco/Extreme teams who are all somewhere in the Dam TA by now. I immediately seek out a team in the TA to question them on the
course and how it’s going. Kelly from Off Road Fixation tells me all is good but they couldn’t find CP7 and he is sure it is not there. Of course it is I say, can I see your map?—oh, you’ve got it plotted
wrong. With further examination I realize he’s got it plotted perfectly and the UTM N/S coordinate that I provided is wrong . . . by 2 grid squares or 2000 meters. OMG, I don’t even know where that is—
but I know it’s not good. Russ and Pat, volunteers at the TA, watch as I wrestle with what to do since ALL Extreme teams are in the biking section NOW. No way to get to them and even if I do find a
couple of teams, how do I account for the ones I don’t find and make adjustments to finish times? Nothing to do but hope teams will realize it’s not there and not spend all day looking for it. After
racing for almost 5 years myself, I know that seasoned teams will give themselves a cut off time to look for a CP of around 30 min—especially when facing that they will possibly miss a cutoff time at a
TA if they spend too long-- because not making it in on time means missing a whole bunch more CPs which is worse than missing one. So decision is made to give all teams credit for CP7, make
adjustments to the UTM for the Hero teams who will be entering the TA in a couple of hours and try to stop freaking out. All is easy except the last thing.
We head back to Milford to see the first Hero teams arriving for the Xterra and Karaoke. They are tired, but appear in good spirits and psyched for the rest of the course. Judges at the Karaoke provide
teams with a lot of incentive, entertainment and some pretty tough scores. Teams could get a total of 30 pts--10 for teamwork, 10 for WOW factor and 10 for effort. They had to perform for 3 minutes
and could choose from a selection of CCR, Sonny and Cher, Elvis, Billy Ray Cyrus and other songs. The pizza starts coming out of the oven at Flagstop and beer is on tap—both are ready and waiting
for racers when they finish. Can’t speak for the beer, but the homemade pizza provided by the Anchor Inn at Flagstop Resort was AMAZING! I had expected the Disco teams to be finishing around
noon, but the wind definitely played a factor in their course as their biking sections included more highway than other courses—so no protection from those gusts. The first Disco teams would finish
almost an hour later at 1pm.
On down the road again to the canoe TA to check water conditions. No teams have checked in yet from the Extreme . . . bad sign. Instead of finding teams at the CP, an angry hunting guide found me
there. “Where’s Mike?—He’s got a bunch of bikers in our hunting area!” Sorry sir, but that’s not my husband you’re looking for—you’re talking to the responsible party right now. “There’s 50 some
bikes where I’ve got guys setting waiting for the deer tonight and they are just traipsing all around there for hours!” Sir, please don’t be angry at the bikers, it’s my fault and they don’t know they are not
supposed to be in there. Exit angry hunting guide. Call back to the Dam TA, yep two teams have still not checked in off the bike—that’s over 3 hours they’ve been in there and now they are going to
miss the cutoff time. Report from TA6 also includes the fact that 3 teams have ACTUALLY found CP7. Seems those teams entered the area that would have seemed easiest, realized they would not
find a bridge or any place to hang a chain from within a couple hundred meters of the supposed CP location—so they reviewed there maps and looked for alternate entry location that would bring them
in from the South, adjusted their course and quickly found the RW bridge and the flag for CP7. These teams were pretty proud of their strategy and they should be—not sure I would have been smart
enough to figure it out.
Finally teams start showing up into the canoe TA and I am ready for anger and hostility from them after my huge mistake. But they have neither for me, in fact they are all pretty nonchalant about it and
still happy to be racing. One team who found CP7, the Wheel Billies, confessed that they were able to locate it because they were able to get inside of my head. Now that is scary.
So now that the Disco teams are finishing and the Extreme teams are “out of the woods”, it’s time to find all the Heros. After their Milford challenges, they still have the next half of the race to go. Teams
start arriving at the Dam and the volunteers are ready for them. But after more than 10-14 hrs of racing and traveling 50 miles to the rappel, teams are starting to show signs of wear and many need
some extra attention on the rope. Melissa (lead ropes volunteer) makes the call to pull the rope that is most technical to avoid any potential issues since most teams are not thinking clearly and not
completely in control of arms and legs at this point. Next time the rappel will be earlier in the course.
Hero teams have a 10 mile O section on foot at the Dam. They have already endured the unforgiving wind since 6:40am and done 10mi on foot in addition to 40 on bike prior to arriving here. So some
of them clear the course, but many pick and choose based on remaining motivation and physical ability of all teammates. The beginning of their race was designed to separate teams at the start and
this part of the course was designed to provide a clear separation of teams for the finish. This it did.
After the Dam O Section, teams still had to travel on dirt roads East of Hwy 77 for some CPs and could choose a “short cut” through private property (permission given this time) to Acorns Resort.
Some teams found the short cut, and some teams got through it with considerable effort. Since teams would not be biking the highway in the dark, only back roads—their headlamps and red rear
lights would provide enough light to see and be seen. After this last bike section, they would arrive at Acorns Resort for the canoe and another bike or trek O course. Most teams would also do these
legs in the dark. Paddling up Farnum Creek in the daylight sometimes can be tricky, so doing it at night was a whole other level of challenge. And running or biking the Liminal Trail at night was
probably as challenging as the Randolph and Fancy Creek trails they faced that morning. After the trail, they still had another 5 mile run to and around the town of Milford before their finish.
So while we waited at the Anchor Inn for Hero teams to complete the course, the awards ceremony for the Psycho 25mi Disco and 45 mi Extreme courses was held. Thanks to the title sponsorship for
the event, Capital City Nissan, and the sponsorship of Manhattan Running Company, there were MANY prizes. They included running gear, bike jerseys, LA Mugs, climbing gear, ZANFEL tubes (thank
you Zanfel for providing sponsorship and relief from poison ivy like no other product I’ve tried—and there have been a lot) and tshirts—and lots of free race entries and discounts from $20-$100 off
2012 events. Many of the race entries and discounts can be used at events through Lake Adventures (Kansas), Angry Cow Adventures (Nebraska), 41 North Racing (Iowa) and one for Truman Lake
Adventure Race (Missouri). Acorns Resort also donated a $200 off lodging for the winner of the Karaoke Challenge—the Flying Squirrels, who really impressed judges with their teamwork! Other
sponsors for the race were Hammer Nutrition and My Topo. My Topo is where most race directors get the topo maps at discounted prices for events—they help to keep entry fees lower by doing this.
They deserve a HUGE thank you! During the awards ceremony, the pizza and beer kept coming thanks to the Anchor Inn owners and employees, who surely have many stories from the day I’ve yet to
hear.
So the 1st awards are over, the dust settles and we wait. I fight an urge to go find Hero teams, afraid I’ll run them over in the dark. Then I get the call, CP2 is missing. This is one of the LAST CPs for
teams to get and it’s in the town of Milford—so off I go. Town CPs are the 1st casualties of a race usually because non racers seem to consider them a sort of souvenir occasionally. The Xterra swiftly
handles the curb and takes me to the edge of the ravine where it should be and lights shine on the CP Flag. But off in the distance I see the outline in the dark of three figures clearly having cocktails
and watching the action. Discussion with the locals reveals there was a moment when the CP went missing—out of curiosity it is claimed. The new note on the CP flags seemed to do the trick though
and it was replaced just before I came 4 wheeling through town.
Back to race HQ, the Remington Mountain Khakis arrive to ask if they can access their brighter headlamps for the rest of the course. Moments like this are not good ones as a race director. Of course I
want them to have them, but I can’t let them—because there one and only access to gear not carried was about 10 hrs earlier in the day. So off they went happily to find their way through a completely
unfamiliar town close to midnight in the dark looking for CPs so they can finish the race.
At midnight, we have all teams back at race HQ except one solo (in case you wonder why director’s ask for a race resume to race solo—this is why). I have confidence he will be finishing soon
because the Canoe TA called in his successful CP 23. So now it’s time for Hero awards and Heartland awards. But it’s also the 1st time all day I can relax mentally because everyone is safe, so
figuring out the final results and awards for both categories was a larger challenge than it should have been and again I relied on volunteers to save me. There were some minor errors and a couple
of team standings have been adjusted when passports were reviewed in the light of day. But, Bob came in the door in time for his award and the race was over.
All in all, the event was a huge success thanks to all the great racers and volunteers out there. I can design the best course in the world, but without someone to enjoy it and someone to help make it
happen—it would be just a map in the basement. And during every Adventure Race that I’ve directed, at some point in the day I have a conversation with myself about why I would put myself through
this—and after every Adventure Race I’ve directed, I am completely clear about why I will continue to do it. Money’s great, but usually there is little margin . . . one of my friends told me yesterday though
that she thinks I’m one of the richest people she knows. And she is right. To be able to meet all the wonderful people I would not have otherwise, to witness their highs and lows, to see individual
triumphs, to experience the giving of volunteers or teammates of themselves to help others, to enjoy the outdoors in a truly remarkable way, to feel like this was a day like no other in my life . . . that is
worth everything. Hope to see you in 2012!
LA’s 2011 Inspiration Mug Quote:
Every day of life is my choice. Today I choose to:
a. Dig deep, push to the edge, inspire others and love the moments I create.
b. Doubt myself, stay inside the lines, look to others for inspiration and hope for the best.
c. Avoid challenge, stay comfortable, look for fault and regret the moments that I let others create.
News/Photo Coverage Provided by:
Geary County CVB (Rick Dykstra), Kansas! magazine (Tim Sigle)—look for the feature on Adventure Racing in the Spring issue!
Volunteers
Tim and Tammy Himelick, Carey Smith, Emma Gossett, Richard Partridge, Jason Kress, Daniel McCullough, Naomi Draper, Susy Stephens, Connie Carpenter, Pat Sherry, Jill and Nick Blake,
Melissa, Jeremy and McKenzie Gager, Mike and Karen Jessup, Robyn Hamilton, Sonya Kunesh, Russ Wagner, Mike Harris, Ryan Bayless, Austin and Emily Estrada.
Race Distances
Hero: 49 Bike, 27 Foot, 3 Canoe (short course due to wind)=79 miles
Extreme: 23 Bike, 16 Foot (2 miles added due to CP7), 3 Canoe (short course due to wind)=42 miles
Disco: 18 Bike, 6 Foot, 2 Canoe=26 miles
Midwest , grow the sport with new racers and give seasoned teams other venues to explore that are close by.
The schedule was developed and the Psycho 43 was set as the 2011 Championship. After other dates were ruled out due to USARA and Checkpoint Tracker Championship race conflicts, I was left
with November. A race in November in Kansas was a gamble. Two years ago in October at this race it was snowing/sleeting all day, and 4 years ago an ice storm paralyzed the state for 2 weeks in
November.
The Psycho course was planned several months ago, when it was much warmer than 30 degrees—wind and winter weather were taken into account, but mostly I just hoped for the best. Two
courses and sets of race maps were made in case an “alternate” route would have to be put into play. However, after I raced dirt roads and cow pastures at Fairbury in June following a torrential
downpour the night before and Berryman in September with morning temps close to freezing, mist/rain and dark mass start on the bikes heading into the Berryman Trail, it was clear that racers will
handle almost anything a race director throws at them—and those are the best stories. That is the real adventure of adventure racing, so the 2nd set of race maps sits in my basement . . . because I
knew that the teams coming to the Psycho could handle the cold, the dark and the wind at 25mph (gusts up to 40). Not all teams showed up on race day, but most of them did and sounds like they
were happy they did.
Last year’s race, the weather was great—but an unfortunate spontaneous combustion left my Jeep in ashes within minutes (on my way to race check in). Car shopping is usually not a pleasant
experience, so I did as much research as possible , learned that the Nissan Xterra would be the best fit for my life, chose the options and commenced to purchase execution. Calling from my phone
driving East on I70 to all Nissan dealerships between JC and Blue Springs, I told them all that I would stop at the 1st dealership that could deliver what I wanted, at the price I could pay and would
promise to have me in and out of their store within an hour with my vehicle. Capital City Nissan in Topeka was the 1st to promise all three requests would be met. Skeptical, of course, I entered the
showroom expecting disappointment. However, 1 hour later I walked out, paperwork signed, no frustration, and though I was not driving my vehicle (because it was in Blue Springs)—I left in a brand
new Nissan Altima provided by the dealership to expedite my return home. My Xterra, exactly to my specifications, was delivered to my home 80 miles away at 7pm that night. Capital City Nissan went
above and beyond and replaced ALL my previous car buying horror stories with a beautiful happy ending. This is important in the telling of this race story for 2 reasons . . . first-Tom Hood, the GM of
Cap City Nissan, is also an adventure racer and asked me if it were possible to sponsor a race; second-scouting and setting an adventure race course has never been as enjoyable as it has been
from my Xterra. The race was sponsored by Cap City Nissan and the Xterra is made for me—legit enough to drive to my office job in, tough enough for the terrain I go through and functional enough to
haul canoes/kayaks, bikes, ropes, gear, dogs and kids (not in that order) with ease.
Back to the race . . . the morning was dark, cold and windy as predicted. At 5:30am, the 85 mile racers (the “Heroes”) arrived at the Anchor Inn (Flagstop Resort, Milford) to hear final announcements,
get on the bus and head North. The race started in the dark on an O Section at the entrance of Randolph State Park. The intent was to separate teams and it seemed likely that it would work—since
Randolph SP consists of crazy elevation, ridiculous vegetation and a long and confusing maze of horse trails . . . and of course it is still dark at 6:40am in November. Navigation was key and teams did
make it out of that 1st challenge and across the long bridge over to Fancy Creek State Park. FC is the most technical bike trail in the area, with enough ravines and boulder gardens one could feel like
they’re in Colorado instead of KS. This seemed like the next obvious way to further separate teams—on a bike course through those trails. Most teams handled the challenge pretty well—however,
those that thought bike whacking would be a good idea probably changed their minds quickly. After FC, it was time for the long bike ride across 2 counties and an Army installation.
By this time, the 45 and 25 mile racers (the “Extreme” and the “Discovery” courses) were showing up for their start back in Milford. The race announcements included a warning about missing
checkpoints and how that would affect overall ranking, but I probably should have talked more about cutoff times, strategy and decision points when checkpoints are not found—for the beginner teams
in the room. This would become evident a few hours later.
The Extreme teams set off on foot to find CPs in the town of Milford before returning to their bikes and heading to the rappel, while the Disco teams set off running to Acorns Resort to canoe/bike. Both
the rappel and canoe sections are areas that can cause a race director some additional stress. With winds at 25mph, I refused to close the canoe—how fair would that be to racers? But Tim and
Tammy, volunteers at the TA, were advised to close it if white caps took over the whole cove (not just the North end). Tim and Tammy have been at every boat TA at every adventure race LA has put on
and if it is possible to be a professional boat TA team—that’s what they are. Leaving it in their hands, me and a few volunteers headed to the Dam Cliffs to set the rappel course.
Three anchors/three ropes—bomb proof—were set and the volunteers went into action practicing the ropes so they would be prepared for over 100 racers who would be trusting them with their lives.
The volunteers at the rappel were top notch, the kind of people who love to help others face challenges and so nice they can talk anyone down anything with ease. Their day was long, cold and
stressful, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to them—they feel lucky to have experienced it. Because of the volunteers at that checkpoint, I knew every racer on the rope would be safe—that is
priceless. The other volunteers riding with me helped with the ropes set up, took pictures and in general helped maintain my sanity. On race day, I ‘m amazed at great things I see in people –some I’
ve just met; and I’m amazed they don’t go running away into the woods when they inevitably see the worst in me (race day stress).
Just as the ropes preparation was done, on queue the Extreme teams began arriving for the “first down”. Teams on this course biked to the Dam TA via an “off-road” route West of HWY 77. The
original course for all distances was actually to cut into Milford State Park and bike the ST trails to the Dam; but due to event conflicts in the State Park (an ultra trail run going on at the same time), the
route was moved. Pretty sure the alternate route through fields, beaches and housing areas was interesting for racers (and dead end roads for some teams). Once they got to the rappel, an O Course
on foot and a bike Course was next. And so the story of CP7 begins.
In 2010, at a previous race, I learned the valuable lesson that only the race director (or person who found/marked the CPs for the course) should place the CP flags—because otherwise there is bound
to be problems. So for 3 days prior to this race, I had been setting the flags. Susy Stephens (Team Golden Girls) volunteered to come down early in the week and set flags with me. She picked me
up on Wed and Thurs after work and Friday morning to drive me around to close to the CPs as possible in her Xterra—which was fortunate because the 4x4 was necessary—and I would get out and
run the flags to the correct spot as verified by my GPS. This was by far the most efficient and enjoyable method of setting the course I have ever experienced—thank you Susy! She had to return to pick
up Connie Friday afternoon and I continued to set points in a race against the “check in” clock. There was ONE CP that I felt confident in not checking with my GPS due to time constraint—and that was
CP7. It was on a pedestrian bridge on the Riverwalk Trail, so I just knew there was no way to get it wrong . . . a correct assumption, except I unknowingly had the UTM coordinates wrong on the CP
sheet. So without doing my cross check to the UTM sheet, I happily/confidently set the CP on the RW bridge.
After setting the ropes though, we (race director/photographers/support crew) had left the Dam prior to the Extreme (45 mile) teams entering the O courses to check on the Discovery (25 mile) teams
who would be in the canoe section at Acorns Resort by then. The Discos are the 1st teams to test the water, so to speak, and I need to see they are all out safely. As we turned into Acorns, we see the
youngest racer , Sean, (8 years old) on the course flying out of Acorns, already done with the canoe and now on his bike (with parents/team Princess & the Frog). As I watched Sean pedal his small
mountain bike against the 25mph wind with his big smile—his legs working 10x as hard as probably anyone else on the course—I was immediately rewarded for the last few days of “hell week”. The
level of reward that a race director gets just watching the teams move through the course is incredible, but to see a child face and conquer the same challenges all the other adult racers are facing—
that reward is beyond measure.
We then head to Milford to ready the Xterra and Karaoke challenges. Have a team pull an Xterra a 100 meters with a rope (solos 50 meters) seemed like a good way to spotlight Nissan in the race.
But, would it really work? My support crew and I checked it out—yep, it was tough but possible. Check. Onto the Karaoke . . . some teams may wonder why this CP in a race. Well, same reason that in
previous courses I’ve used a line dance, a bull ride, an obstacle course, etc . . . there is a point in the race when teams are focusing so much on the physical (except the navigator who is never gets a
mental break), that they really need a break. Throwing a CP in like this helps break up the endurance aspect of the course and usually helps gets teams refreshed. Plus, it makes for great video
footage.
Meanwhile, we keep getting race updates on the Hero (85 mi) teams. Susy and Connie are out on Fort Riley at the Blue Pond TA where racers will enter on bike (after having done 6 miles on foot at
Randolph, 4 miles on bike at Fancy Creek and 17 miles down dirt/gravel to Fort Riley). I’m trying not to think of the Elk herd, MPs, tanks, hunters and impact zones on the installation and just remind
myself that if they stay on course for CPs they will be fine. Texts start coming in right on time (my estimated time of arrival for lead teams)—3 Builders and a Shocker have checked in at 42 and are in
the lead with solo Kent. BTW my lead team expected arrival time did not account for biking into head winds over 25mph . . . not shocked though, I’ve watched this team perform miracles for the last 3
years. But I can’t wait to see ALL the Hero teams enter Milford safely and have the 1st 40 miles of the course done.
So back to CP7. We arrive back at the Dam to check on the Disco/Extreme teams who are all somewhere in the Dam TA by now. I immediately seek out a team in the TA to question them on the
course and how it’s going. Kelly from Off Road Fixation tells me all is good but they couldn’t find CP7 and he is sure it is not there. Of course it is I say, can I see your map?—oh, you’ve got it plotted
wrong. With further examination I realize he’s got it plotted perfectly and the UTM N/S coordinate that I provided is wrong . . . by 2 grid squares or 2000 meters. OMG, I don’t even know where that is—
but I know it’s not good. Russ and Pat, volunteers at the TA, watch as I wrestle with what to do since ALL Extreme teams are in the biking section NOW. No way to get to them and even if I do find a
couple of teams, how do I account for the ones I don’t find and make adjustments to finish times? Nothing to do but hope teams will realize it’s not there and not spend all day looking for it. After
racing for almost 5 years myself, I know that seasoned teams will give themselves a cut off time to look for a CP of around 30 min—especially when facing that they will possibly miss a cutoff time at a
TA if they spend too long-- because not making it in on time means missing a whole bunch more CPs which is worse than missing one. So decision is made to give all teams credit for CP7, make
adjustments to the UTM for the Hero teams who will be entering the TA in a couple of hours and try to stop freaking out. All is easy except the last thing.
We head back to Milford to see the first Hero teams arriving for the Xterra and Karaoke. They are tired, but appear in good spirits and psyched for the rest of the course. Judges at the Karaoke provide
teams with a lot of incentive, entertainment and some pretty tough scores. Teams could get a total of 30 pts--10 for teamwork, 10 for WOW factor and 10 for effort. They had to perform for 3 minutes
and could choose from a selection of CCR, Sonny and Cher, Elvis, Billy Ray Cyrus and other songs. The pizza starts coming out of the oven at Flagstop and beer is on tap—both are ready and waiting
for racers when they finish. Can’t speak for the beer, but the homemade pizza provided by the Anchor Inn at Flagstop Resort was AMAZING! I had expected the Disco teams to be finishing around
noon, but the wind definitely played a factor in their course as their biking sections included more highway than other courses—so no protection from those gusts. The first Disco teams would finish
almost an hour later at 1pm.
On down the road again to the canoe TA to check water conditions. No teams have checked in yet from the Extreme . . . bad sign. Instead of finding teams at the CP, an angry hunting guide found me
there. “Where’s Mike?—He’s got a bunch of bikers in our hunting area!” Sorry sir, but that’s not my husband you’re looking for—you’re talking to the responsible party right now. “There’s 50 some
bikes where I’ve got guys setting waiting for the deer tonight and they are just traipsing all around there for hours!” Sir, please don’t be angry at the bikers, it’s my fault and they don’t know they are not
supposed to be in there. Exit angry hunting guide. Call back to the Dam TA, yep two teams have still not checked in off the bike—that’s over 3 hours they’ve been in there and now they are going to
miss the cutoff time. Report from TA6 also includes the fact that 3 teams have ACTUALLY found CP7. Seems those teams entered the area that would have seemed easiest, realized they would not
find a bridge or any place to hang a chain from within a couple hundred meters of the supposed CP location—so they reviewed there maps and looked for alternate entry location that would bring them
in from the South, adjusted their course and quickly found the RW bridge and the flag for CP7. These teams were pretty proud of their strategy and they should be—not sure I would have been smart
enough to figure it out.
Finally teams start showing up into the canoe TA and I am ready for anger and hostility from them after my huge mistake. But they have neither for me, in fact they are all pretty nonchalant about it and
still happy to be racing. One team who found CP7, the Wheel Billies, confessed that they were able to locate it because they were able to get inside of my head. Now that is scary.
So now that the Disco teams are finishing and the Extreme teams are “out of the woods”, it’s time to find all the Heros. After their Milford challenges, they still have the next half of the race to go. Teams
start arriving at the Dam and the volunteers are ready for them. But after more than 10-14 hrs of racing and traveling 50 miles to the rappel, teams are starting to show signs of wear and many need
some extra attention on the rope. Melissa (lead ropes volunteer) makes the call to pull the rope that is most technical to avoid any potential issues since most teams are not thinking clearly and not
completely in control of arms and legs at this point. Next time the rappel will be earlier in the course.
Hero teams have a 10 mile O section on foot at the Dam. They have already endured the unforgiving wind since 6:40am and done 10mi on foot in addition to 40 on bike prior to arriving here. So some
of them clear the course, but many pick and choose based on remaining motivation and physical ability of all teammates. The beginning of their race was designed to separate teams at the start and
this part of the course was designed to provide a clear separation of teams for the finish. This it did.
After the Dam O Section, teams still had to travel on dirt roads East of Hwy 77 for some CPs and could choose a “short cut” through private property (permission given this time) to Acorns Resort.
Some teams found the short cut, and some teams got through it with considerable effort. Since teams would not be biking the highway in the dark, only back roads—their headlamps and red rear
lights would provide enough light to see and be seen. After this last bike section, they would arrive at Acorns Resort for the canoe and another bike or trek O course. Most teams would also do these
legs in the dark. Paddling up Farnum Creek in the daylight sometimes can be tricky, so doing it at night was a whole other level of challenge. And running or biking the Liminal Trail at night was
probably as challenging as the Randolph and Fancy Creek trails they faced that morning. After the trail, they still had another 5 mile run to and around the town of Milford before their finish.
So while we waited at the Anchor Inn for Hero teams to complete the course, the awards ceremony for the Psycho 25mi Disco and 45 mi Extreme courses was held. Thanks to the title sponsorship for
the event, Capital City Nissan, and the sponsorship of Manhattan Running Company, there were MANY prizes. They included running gear, bike jerseys, LA Mugs, climbing gear, ZANFEL tubes (thank
you Zanfel for providing sponsorship and relief from poison ivy like no other product I’ve tried—and there have been a lot) and tshirts—and lots of free race entries and discounts from $20-$100 off
2012 events. Many of the race entries and discounts can be used at events through Lake Adventures (Kansas), Angry Cow Adventures (Nebraska), 41 North Racing (Iowa) and one for Truman Lake
Adventure Race (Missouri). Acorns Resort also donated a $200 off lodging for the winner of the Karaoke Challenge—the Flying Squirrels, who really impressed judges with their teamwork! Other
sponsors for the race were Hammer Nutrition and My Topo. My Topo is where most race directors get the topo maps at discounted prices for events—they help to keep entry fees lower by doing this.
They deserve a HUGE thank you! During the awards ceremony, the pizza and beer kept coming thanks to the Anchor Inn owners and employees, who surely have many stories from the day I’ve yet to
hear.
So the 1st awards are over, the dust settles and we wait. I fight an urge to go find Hero teams, afraid I’ll run them over in the dark. Then I get the call, CP2 is missing. This is one of the LAST CPs for
teams to get and it’s in the town of Milford—so off I go. Town CPs are the 1st casualties of a race usually because non racers seem to consider them a sort of souvenir occasionally. The Xterra swiftly
handles the curb and takes me to the edge of the ravine where it should be and lights shine on the CP Flag. But off in the distance I see the outline in the dark of three figures clearly having cocktails
and watching the action. Discussion with the locals reveals there was a moment when the CP went missing—out of curiosity it is claimed. The new note on the CP flags seemed to do the trick though
and it was replaced just before I came 4 wheeling through town.
Back to race HQ, the Remington Mountain Khakis arrive to ask if they can access their brighter headlamps for the rest of the course. Moments like this are not good ones as a race director. Of course I
want them to have them, but I can’t let them—because there one and only access to gear not carried was about 10 hrs earlier in the day. So off they went happily to find their way through a completely
unfamiliar town close to midnight in the dark looking for CPs so they can finish the race.
At midnight, we have all teams back at race HQ except one solo (in case you wonder why director’s ask for a race resume to race solo—this is why). I have confidence he will be finishing soon
because the Canoe TA called in his successful CP 23. So now it’s time for Hero awards and Heartland awards. But it’s also the 1st time all day I can relax mentally because everyone is safe, so
figuring out the final results and awards for both categories was a larger challenge than it should have been and again I relied on volunteers to save me. There were some minor errors and a couple
of team standings have been adjusted when passports were reviewed in the light of day. But, Bob came in the door in time for his award and the race was over.
All in all, the event was a huge success thanks to all the great racers and volunteers out there. I can design the best course in the world, but without someone to enjoy it and someone to help make it
happen—it would be just a map in the basement. And during every Adventure Race that I’ve directed, at some point in the day I have a conversation with myself about why I would put myself through
this—and after every Adventure Race I’ve directed, I am completely clear about why I will continue to do it. Money’s great, but usually there is little margin . . . one of my friends told me yesterday though
that she thinks I’m one of the richest people she knows. And she is right. To be able to meet all the wonderful people I would not have otherwise, to witness their highs and lows, to see individual
triumphs, to experience the giving of volunteers or teammates of themselves to help others, to enjoy the outdoors in a truly remarkable way, to feel like this was a day like no other in my life . . . that is
worth everything. Hope to see you in 2012!
LA’s 2011 Inspiration Mug Quote:
Every day of life is my choice. Today I choose to:
a. Dig deep, push to the edge, inspire others and love the moments I create.
b. Doubt myself, stay inside the lines, look to others for inspiration and hope for the best.
c. Avoid challenge, stay comfortable, look for fault and regret the moments that I let others create.
News/Photo Coverage Provided by:
Geary County CVB (Rick Dykstra), Kansas! magazine (Tim Sigle)—look for the feature on Adventure Racing in the Spring issue!
Volunteers
Tim and Tammy Himelick, Carey Smith, Emma Gossett, Richard Partridge, Jason Kress, Daniel McCullough, Naomi Draper, Susy Stephens, Connie Carpenter, Pat Sherry, Jill and Nick Blake,
Melissa, Jeremy and McKenzie Gager, Mike and Karen Jessup, Robyn Hamilton, Sonya Kunesh, Russ Wagner, Mike Harris, Ryan Bayless, Austin and Emily Estrada.
Race Distances
Hero: 49 Bike, 27 Foot, 3 Canoe (short course due to wind)=79 miles
Extreme: 23 Bike, 16 Foot (2 miles added due to CP7), 3 Canoe (short course due to wind)=42 miles
Disco: 18 Bike, 6 Foot, 2 Canoe=26 miles
RACE STORY