OMAR 24 Hour

Team Mountain Goat Adventures

This year Lisa, Susie, Marcus, and I teamed up in the Coed division for the Oak Mountain 24 Hour Adventure Race.  This was a great opportunity to see how the 3 of us would work together, as we are gunning for Adventure Race Nationals in Bend, Oregon in October.  Kristi McBride is our 4th team mate, but was unable to make it down South ... I think she is still under 4 feet of snow! Marcus Barton joined as our 4th team member.  I like how Susie, in our text threads, determined that he would be The Mule.

I just recently had hand surgery for "trigger finger," but I had recovered well from that and did not think it would affect my racing.  However, on the final day of my Florida vacation/family reunion (Wednesday the 18th), I slipped and fell in the shower/tub.  The left side of my tail bone and all those ligament/tendon attachments took a solid blow.  If not broken, definitely bruised.  Running through the woods and pedaling technical trail was going to be a bit of a challenge, with my broken a$$.

To start off the race, we "spun the wheel" to decide which discipline we would start first.  None of us wanted to paddle first, so we made Lisa spin the wheel.  Welp! Guess what we got to do first ... paddle!

PADDLE #1    4.6 miles    1:12    6 CP's

We were given the location of the first CP.  At each control was a map of the next CP, which Marcus the Punch Monkey marked.  Susie and I settled in a good stroke rhythm.  Not 15 minutes into the paddle and I think we were all glad we started with this discipline.  Our team was out front and it was kinda funny looking back and seeing all the other teams following us like ducklings.

PADDLE BOARD    1 mile    30 minutes    2 CP's

None of us had paddle boarded in the past 5 years, unless you count Lisa who did the paddle board section at OMAR last year.  But since she was nav'ing, Marcus volunteered.  We transitioned and ate a bite, and got his gear ready while he was paddling.

TREK #1    9.5 miles    3:04    10 CP's

Lisa started out pretty fast.  She may have not thought it was "all out," but Susie and I beg to differ.  I blame it on Oso, the German Shepherd she is fostering.  Lisa took up running again, to train Oso as well as to drain his huge stockpile of energy. Unfortunately, Lisa managed to find an 18 inch hole.  She wrecked hard, rolling her ankle in the process.  After muttering a few choice words, she bounced back up and continued on her blistering pace.

Four of the first five CP's had us climbing up multiple hill tops.  And it was getting hot!  While the heat had no effect on me and surprisingly Lisa, too, it was oppressive for Susie.  The speed, combined with the heat, had Susie's heartrate hitting that of a hummingbird's. By the time we hit Peavine Road on our way to CP 7, she was starting to struggle.  Marcus offered to take her pack, but she refused as she needed to drink.  (For future races, I think each one of us needs to carry a flask of hydration, along with our bladders.)

CP 3

Susie was able to grab hold of Marcus' pack which allowed a little "tow" up the road. As we began our descent down a hiking trail to grab CP 8, it was high noon.  The spring foilage had not come out in full force, so the sun was blazing down upon us.  Slip sliding down pine straw, Marcus began talking about his Dad, B.B., born and raised in Alabama and his pig named Snowball.  With a melodic Southern drawl, like molasses rollin' off your tongue, he told the story of how B.B. and Snowball would sled ride on dem der banana boxes.  You know why we used doz boxes?  Cuz' them were waxed!  And Snowball would squeal all the way down the hill. B.B. loved his Snowball.  I asked Marcus what ever became of her?  To which he replied ... bacon!

 

CP 9 Peavine Falls

Trekking up to Peavine Falls, both Marcus and I did our best to help Susie.  She was deep into the pain cave of heat exhaustion: elevated HR, profuse sweating, nausea, and extreme fatigue. I tried to get her to cool off in a couple of creeks we crossed.  She finally let Marcus carry her pack, once I filtered some water for us.  She pulled out a soft flask, which I filled and she dumped a baggie of electrolytes into. As we made our way to the final CP, I just tried to keep her morale up, but I wasn't doing a very good job.  She kept saying to me that she was going to quit once we got done with the trek.  

As we hit the TA, we all jumped in trying to get her to forge on.  I think it was a combination of taking a 15 minute breather, handing her LMNT packs like it was candy, and Lisa reminding her that we as a team would be unofficial in the final results.  I am super proud of Susie's perseverance and sacrifice.  Adventure racing is difficult even when you are feeling good, but to feel like absolute 💩, knowing you are probably gonna continue to feel this way for a significant amount of time, shows just how tough she was.

BIKE #1    17 miles    3:44    11 CP's

We took it easy on this leg, especially since it was at the hottest part of the day.  Susie slowly came around.  How I know is that when I asked her how she was doing, her replies became a little more chipper each time.

Most of the points on this bike were right on the trail or just off trail but within sight.  I struggled a bit on the more techy trail or whenever there were steep pitches.  My tailbone and all the little soft tissue connections would light up in pain whenever I had to apply the torque. So I walked a fair amount.

BIKE #2    17 miles    3:01    5 CP's

We made it back to TA#1 around 4:30 pm and had a quick transition.  Back on the bike we were now headed to TA#1, picking up CP's along the way. We climbed back up Peavine Road for the 3rd time (1 trekking, 2 biking).  Susie was definitely in a better headspace now and was slowly beginning to rise from the ashes like a Phoenix.  

CP30 was a small waterfall off trail.  Here we began the bike whack from hell.  After nabbing the point we began pushing our steeds up a 30% pitch for 0.2 miles to reach a trail.  2/3 of the way up, I made it to the top first, dropped my bike, and headed back down to help Susie.  Grabbing her bike, I began pushing it up, when I heard Lisa cry out in pain.  Once I got to the top with Susie's bike, both Marcus and Susie arrived shortly thereafter, with Lisa's bike. Apparently Lisa's agony was due to GI issues, which was quickly alleviated with a sudden back door evacuation.

Time out while we waited for Lisa to unload a load.

On to Queen's Ridge, we nabbed this point by dropping our bikes at the first switchback and hoofing it up to the ridgline. Halfway up the climb, Marcus had to turn back around, as he had forgotten the tracker. The final point on this bike was on Longleaf Trail.  As we approached the CP, Susie asked me if this was an out and back.  But what I heard her ask was if we found it, to which I replied yes.  So as Marcus punched the CP, I turned my head around and Susie was gone.  I yelled for her, she responded, as she had already climbed back up those 2 steep switchbacks.  I felt bad about that, knowing that she wasted energy, and immediately apologized. (Payback is a bitch 😈)

We put on our lights and headed down Belcher's Byway to TA#1.

TREK #2    7 Miles    3:00    7 CP's

Marcus's wife, Trista, was here, and let us know that we had a 2 hour lead on 2nd place.  That made my night!  After a 19 minute transition, we headed back up Belcher's Byway. Lisa led the way and we followed like little duckling's.  Her walking speed, however, was so stinkin' fast that the 3 of us had to Airborne shuffle to keep up. After nabbing CP33, we began the bushwhack to CP35, along a creek.  This area had been hit by a tornado in the past.  This whole section was a combination of multiple blowdowns and patches of thick 4-5 feet tall pine tree saplings. 

Marcus was the caboose through this section and the caboose suddenly disappeared. We hollered ... no response.  We hollered again and then finally saw his headlamp.  Apparently his backpack had gotten stuck on a limb as he was crawling under a downed tree.  To free himself he had to cut off to cut off his arm.  Not really, but he had to take his pack off, and then untangle it from the tree.

After a "nothing but net" nab of CP35, Lisa's nav skills continued to shine as we collected the remaining CP's, all off trail.  It was nothing short of magic!  And remember, this was at night!

Marcus coming out of creek CP 37

PADDLE #2   5 miles    1:35    3 CP's

The hardest part of this leg was the freakin' portage.  Jeff's canoes, I swear, are made out of lead, because carrying that across the road from Lunker Lake to Oak Mountain Lake and then back again, after we got CP 40, was awful! A 150 meter portage each way.  Here is where Susie got me back from the earlier incident on Longleaf Trail.  As we were getting out of the canoe for the first portage, Susie yanked the canoe out from underneath me as I was getting out.  Kerplunk I went into the lake, up to my chest!   Susie said that she thought I was gonna stay in the boat until she pulled it up on shore a bit ... 😜😜😜.  Karma's a bitch! After that final portage, heading back to the TA, I was so glad the paddle was almost over.  Despite a night time temperature of 60 degrees, being wet, I was starting to shiver.

BIKE #3    12.5 miles    1:50    6 CP's

After a 16 minute transition, we were on the final leg. All these CP's were the same as previous ones from the earlier legs.  We were making good time now, as we could smell the finish.  All of our discomforts were immaterial now.  We rode under the finishing banner at 2:43 am, competing the course in 17:35, with only 37 minutes of stopped time.  We were the overall winning team.

The Triple G Award (Grit, Gristle, and Gumption) goes to Susie.  She fought through adversity to make it to the finish.  She had a phenomenal "2nd half" rally, which kept us on a blistering pace through the night.

The Chris Forne Navigator Award goes to Lisa.  I have been able to watch her skills progress over the last 3 years.  This race she was dialed and we did not dilly-dally trying to find CP's. She also gets the most poops in a 24 hour period award.

The Mighty Mule Award goes to Marcus.  He did all the "extra" tasks with no questions asked.  I also must say that his comedic character, even when poking the bear (the bear being Lisa), kept our minds upbeat and our smile muscles engaged.

I had an absolute blast with this team.  I think this race was a great start to our build up to USARA Adventure Race Nationals this fall.

Conasauga Crusher Race Report

Getting stoked to ride in rain/mud all day!

So how many of you racers checked your inbox when you awoke, praying for an email that said the course would be shortened due to inclement weather?  I searched but found nothing.  Had it not been for wanting to support Lisa, I probably would have bailed.  It had already rained at least an inch during the night and it was not projected to stop until 3pm.

#enhancedweather

At least I had made preparations the day before to try to waterproof myself.  Shower cap (a not so pro tip I learned at the 2007 La Ruta), latex gloves, Gore Tex shorts, and a Gore Tex jacket.  At least the temps were not too terrible, 50-55 degrees.  If I could keep my core, fingers, and toesies warm, I had a chance of having a semi-fun day.  The shower cap works well for me in that it keeps the rain from running down into my eyes and is not hot like a cycling cap can be.

We rolled out of the Ocoee Retreat Center at Lisa's "neutral-ish" pace, which had my HR pegged at the first little hill.  After turning right onto the main paved road, I tucked in behind Amy.  Now she is a beast!  Had it not been for her bouncing on her head down the backside of Addis Gap during the Georgia Gravel Grinduro, she would have schooled all of us ladies on gravel racing.  I was hoping to just hang onto her wheel as long as I could.  Well, that lasted about 10 minutes.  She slowly rolled away from me on the first climb after we hit gravel.  I knew my limits and did not want to completely implode within the first hour, so I just had to settle into my own rhythm and hope for the best.

Just add fog, rain, and leaf cover.

FS 302 was still fast despite the rain and the leaves.  Traction was good and the road bed was firm, making for quick work of this section.  But then FS 1333 ... oh, how I loathe you!  This was a 4 mile section of double track with lots of sharp turns and loose chunky rock.  It was also a little bit sloppy.  And complicating matters were my glasses fogging up. I did not want to take them off because at least they were keeping the mud out of my eyes. My lower back was beginning to hurt and whenever I would try to get out of the saddle to give it some relief, my rear wheel would spin out over a loose rock. Finally I saw the intersection of FS 55 and was able to escape this "gravel purgatory."

The next two miles were downhill to flat, so I was able to stretch out my back and eat/drink.  I whipped out my gel flask and sucked down some needed calories.  I kept the flask tucked in my bra so as to make for easy extraction:  try to fight a rain jacket to get to your flask in a jersey pocket and you will know why I chose this option.  It also kept the gel warm and fluid.

Not needing anything at Aid #1, I threw a friendly wave to Paul, and began the 1.5 mile slog up to the start of the Big Frog section.  At least the ground was firm. I stopped at Zeke's truck at the intersection and cleaned my glasses.  Then I began the 10 mile loop of pain.  This is the hardest section, as it is chunky and has a 3 mile climb, followed by a treacherous, rutted and rocky descent ... now covered in leaves. Despite my back becoming cranky again, I turned off all emotions and just gutted it out.  I told myself that once I got through this part, it would be easy-peasy to the finish. Yeah, I lied, but sometimes necessary in order to get into the right mindset.

Halfway through, I heard a rattling on my bike.  Looking down, I saw that one of my bottle cages was just about to launch itself down the mountain.  Fortunately, I was able to stop, grab my multi-tool, and tighten the screws that had loosened.  The last few miles of this loop were mostly downhill and I was able to find some flow and punch some power coming out of the corners. Despite the weather, course conditions, and achy back, I was actually having fun!

A beautiful course with 6500 feet gain in 52 miles

I made a hard right onto FS 221 and although the road was flat, there was plenty of energy sapping mud to knock the wind out of my sails.  My drive train was making all sorts of death wails.  I saw a rider ahead of me, so that became my carrot, allowing me to focus on him and not the road.  It took FOREVER for me to catch him, but I did, as the climbing began on Sheed's Creek Road.  He asked how far Aid #2 was and I think I popped his balloon when I answered 5 miles.

I welcomed the short bits of pavement.  The gravel section of this road had been recently graded and what with the heavy rainfall and hunter traffic, it was like pedaling through a milkshake (perfect wording, Chris!). I tried to find the firmest ground to pedal, but the descents were super sketchy.  I would be riding on hardpack only to suddenly find myself hitting a section (always in a turn) where it would turn to soup.  I learned quickly to let go of the brakes and trust my front wheel to find the way.

I stopped at Aid #2.  Jayden kindly refilled my bottle while Kathleen helped me clean my glasses.  I kept the stop short, so as not to give my legs any indication that the day was over.  I managed to keep pace with another racer on a MTB.  He had a strong steady pace, a little more painful than what I really wanted to endure, but endure I did.  My back pain had eased up some, and I was able to apply more power to the pedals.  With firm ground beneath me again, I was able to stand and pedal when the grade dictated.  This switching between seated and standing afforded me a little more oomph to get over the climbs.  We then caught up to Chris (whom I had met at Pine Log a few weeks back).  Together the three of us pushed each other to the finish (misery loves company!). 

I rolled through the finish line with a time of 4:37:57, 2nd woman and 18th overall. This was a great way to end the season, knowing that I still have the grit, gristle and gumption to persevere in less than ideal conditions.

Hmmm ... maybe this was why I had squealing brakes and less than stellar stopping power.

All in all, this is a nice addition to the Chainbuster Gravel Series.  Lisa pulled out another great race despite the horrid conditions.  I do hope that this one will continue, although perhaps moving it up a month or two might attract more racers and better weather.  The venue is awesome (bike wash, hot showers, beer, and food), the course is beautiful and punchy, and schwag and prizing are abundant.

Kudos to all those who toed the line and to the volunteers who also had to endure yucky conditions!