WCAX feature on The Bitter Pill and adventure racing

Just in case you missed the WCAX feature on the 2008 MVP Healthcare Bitter Pill, here it is!

Did we mention we won our division? Hell yeah!

Warrant - The Bitter Pill (Original Version)

It had to be done!

Candidate Attacks IBM

And ride some more...

So after we finished filling up on water (see the series of posts below if this is your first visit), we set out on the remainder of the bike leg. Now when I first looked at the maps at 4:45am, I only had noticed CP6, so I thought to myself, hmmm, just a quick ride up Nebraska Notch road, grab the CP at the start of Old County Road, then blast back down to the TA. Kinda lame, but pretty easy. However, a bit later I noticed on the directions that there was a CP7, so at some point during the trek I checked the map a bit closer, and noticed that there was CP7, at the other end of Old County Road. Now we have some experience with this road, having ridden it (actually pushed it) twice, once during the PPBS and again on a long training ride. And we remembered that it kinda sucked. Some steep uphills, and very muddy conditions. Nevertheless, it was only around noon, and the next cutoff wasn't until 3:30, so we had plenty of time, so off we went...

The first part of the ride was no big deal, out Cotton Brook Road and up Nebraska Notch. A bit of a climb, especially after 7+ hours of straight out moving, but we made pretty good time up to the turn onto Old County Road (which apparently a number of other teams had trouble finding), and got CP6 no problemo. This is when the "fun" began. Old County road peetered out after a few hundred yards, and then starts with some steep action. Then, we got to an absolutely hellish section. Someone has been doing work on this road/trail with an excavator or bulldozer, and after the previous weeks of rain, it was an absolute quagmire. I'm talking about ankle deep, shoe sucking, tire dragging mud. Spirits got pretty low on this leg, perhaps our lowest in the race, but there was nothing we could do but slog through it, pushing our bikes as we went. After a time the mud cleared up, and after some more climbing, we were finally able to hop on the bikes and start off, first on a flat, then a rough, fun downhill doubletrack. Good to get the adrenaline going!!! We hit the bottom of the hill and CP7, and then headed out on to roads again, pushing our bikes up another hill in front of Trapp Family Lodge, and then riding a pretty fun and scary dirt road downhill, back to Cotton Brook and the TA.

Arriving back at the CP to ditch our bikes and head out to the swim and paddle, we had no idea where we stood in the race, not having seen another team in at least 2 hours. Had we been passed while filling our water? Had another team somehow gotten ahead of us? Well, I have to tell you we were flabergasted to learn at the CP that we were only the 8th team to come through, and the 1st in our division. Does this mean we would win our division? Not necessarily, since we still had to trek about a mile to the water, swim, and paddle to as many CPs as we could before the finish. So, we raced through the TA, all the time thinking other teams would roll in while we were changing, and got out of there and headed off to the last section. And that's where we'll pick up next time...

Grambo

WEEKEND UPDATE

TRWS was back in the saddle yesterday for a ride up Perry Hill, in at the gate, down Burning Spear to Rasta Man and out to the ice center. That's a great ride.

Granted, it was a little, well, moist and slippery (and perhaps had we gone in the other way we would have seen the trail advisories--opps...you gotta get your fix, man...) but it is still one of the best, if not the best, rides around.

There was some great climbing, some great cruising, some awesome downhills and a few really good wipe outs. And, to top it all off, the day turned out to be beautiful and, like all great rides, ended with a beer.

And now we ride...

When we last left our intrepid heros, they had just returned from the treking leg, and heading back out on our bikes (at last!). And we were psyched, because we were told that we were the first team in our division into the TA. However, not 2 minutes later another 3 person male team rolled in, followed soon by another. Doh!!! Not much of a lead. But, we wasted no time, and got ourselves together, mounted up, and headed off. Thats us riding away in the pic below, as another 3 person male team rolled into the TA:
Now this is where our local knowledge really came into play. For those who read my posts last week, I rode this very same trail 1 week before the race. So first off we didn't have to spend a lot of time looking at the map, because I knew where we were, and where we were headed. And second, folks who didn't scrutinize the map closely wouldn't have realized that Cotton Brook is a loop, and that after riding just 1km further up hill, there was 4 miles of sweet double track followed by some killer downhill singletrack, in the middle of which was CP5. However, we knew, so it was up hill we rode. Interestingly, so teams saw us go that way, and still went the other way. Bummer for them...

So we topped out at the top of the loop, and had an uneventful but fun as hell ride down the double track. It felt GREAT to be blazing away after struggling through the mud and thick trees on the trek. Another major navigation point then came up, which was a left turn onto the single track. We zipped around the corner without stopping, fearing that a team might be nipping at our heels. However, apparently a number of teams missed this turn, and wound up at Little River State Park. Again, bummer. Now we were on single track, and we LOVE single track. We zipped down and found CP5 hanging by the trailside. As we descended from the CP, we passed several teams struggling to push their bikes up the single track. We popped out the bottom and rode across a big wooden snowmobile bridge, which Jason nearly slid off of. One minute he was riding, next minute I see him clinging to the side rail, still clipped in. Friggin wet wood! Luckily he recovered, and we crossed the bridge, passed a few more teams headed back the way we came, and made it back up to Cotton Brook Road. And I must say, I can empathize with those teams, as we have been the lost, turned around folks more than once. But, it was also gratifying to finally be the folks who were zipping past everyone, knowing exactly where we were going!!

After hitting Cotton Brook Road, we zipped down the road and through a fun single track shortcut back to the bike TA (that's us filling up). We weren't ready to drop our bikes yet (2 CPs to go), but we were completely out of water, so we stopped in, said hello, and filled up on water. From there, it was off to the last 2 bike TAs. However, that story will have to wait until later.

In other news, I am back in the saddle, riding my bike in to work from Richmond today, and planning both an afternoon ride with Biz and a Saturday ride on Perry Hill with the boys. Should be good and muddy out there...

Grambo

On to the Trek...



So at this point we have canoed, done a short trek, and then ridden about 4-5 miles up about 1000ft of elevation to TA3, way up on Cotton Brook Road. We dropped our bikes, J and Justin did a stellar job of speedily changing their shoes, grabbed a clif bar, and headed out (total transition time of just 7 minutes). While the boys changed shoes I did some quick map work. This trek was probably the most navigationally challenging part of the race, so I wanted to be careful. The trek consisted of 4 CPs, 1 above the TA (CP3), 2 on separate peaks southeast and northeast of the TA (CPs 1 and 4), and one over the ridgeline from us (CP2). After some consideration I opted to go for 3-1-2-4. So, we took a bearing on 3, and set out. It was about 1km up to this CP, and much to our annoyance we had several (2 or 3) teams right behind us. Now don't get me wrong, we like company, but we knew where we were going, and didn't want to give too much away, especially since at least 1 of the teams behind us was in our division. In any case, in short order we found CP3 (along with the other teams), and punched our bracelets.







At this point, however, as we headed off for CP1, everyone else went elsewhere, so we were finally on our own. We climbed up a slope to a peak, got our bearings, made our way to the last peak on the south end of the ridgeline, and collected CP1. Not too bad. It was then a rather steep, nettled filled descent to CP2. Since this CP was on a stream in the middle of a slope, we took a bearing about 5-6 degrees off so that when we hit the stream, we would know which way to go. This worked great, once we hit the stream, we turned right, and headed down to the CP. At this point we passed team EMS, who had already gotten this CP. A rare siting in the woods for sure!! Here is a pic which I think is from this CP, although we aren't in it. You can see how remote and wet it was (thanks to whoever took this pic)...

From this CP, it was another climb back up. Again, we chose a peak as our "handrail", and climbed to the side of it and took another bearing. At this point we ran into the team in our division which was ahead of us!! Nice!! They passed us, but must have stopped for something, because we beat them to the summit and the CP. Another team joined us on the summit, but we wasted no time chatting. We dropped back down into a saddle, then took a bearing on the TA, using Cotton Brook Road as a hand rail, and down we went. And steep it was, but we kept on. At this point we were running short on water and starting to cramp, but knowing we were at or near the lead in our division, we pushed on, and at one point we followed a pretty large brook for quite some time (1/2 mile?) but basically splashing down the middle of it. What the heck, our feet were wet after the first 5 minutes of the race, and the cold water was refreshing. Eventually we made it back to Cotton Brook Road, and hustled back down to the TA and Chris's smiling face, where we learned we were the first 3 person male team to make it back. Here we are, almost back to the bikes...

More to come on the bike section later, but I have to say, awesome trek. And I also have to say, WE ROCKED IT! After 7 races, we are finally hitting the navigation on the head, like we always thought we would. It's nice to get to where you think the CP is, and it's actually there!!!

Grambo

In the Beginning the Race was without Form...

Ever wonder what about 75 crazy people running recklessly down a road that ends at the water wearing PFDs and backpacks with glo sticks attached to them looks like on a damp, dark August morning? No? Me either. But apparently it looks like this:

That's a photo of the pack just leaving the starting line of the Bitter Pill at precisely 4:55 am.

What would later unfold can only be characterized as absolute unabated zaniness.

From this point we ran to get our canoe and paddled across the reservoir, landed, ditched our paddles and PFD's and ran to our waiting bikes.

Here they are, at rest in the morning mist. They look so peaceful, don't they? Not like the leg burning, ass bruising, ball chaffing bastards they really are!

Only moments later, the leading teams would swoop into this TA, put on helmets, gloves and bike shoes, check the maps, and race off--like the wind. Here we are moving so quickly, the camera could barely catch a glimpse:

From here, there was no place to go but up, and then up some more, followed by a little more up to the TA for the trek. Here we are taking off our biking gear and preparing for the trek:

At this point, we were second in our division and 12th overall--I think.

Stay tuned for more. In the mean time, if only to prove we're not making this crazy shit up, check out the results and pictures for yourself!

Oh my aching quads!!

As J notes in his post (see below), this race took quite a toll on us physically, maybe more than any other race. While some may think this is because we are weak, please note that, as he mentioned, we did WIN OUR DIVISION. Myself, I think the fact that we could barely walk by the end of the race is due to the fact that we raced harder than we ever have. That's not to say that we ran the entire trek (in fact, I don't remember running much at all), but I remember us moving steadily through the entire 12 hour race at a good, solid pace, and not stopping very much. When the race results come out I expect to see transition times of less than 10 minutes, even when J and Justin had to change shoes between treking and biking. Something thing we figured out early on is that even if we are going slowly, DON'T STOP! I know I was moving at a snail's pace a few times, especially pushing my bike through ankle deep mud up Old Country Road, but we were always moving forward. And no stopping for snacks either, we eat on the go, no matter how hard it is to choke down that Clif Bar while gasping for breath. Probably one of the best pieces of advice I would offer new teams, keep moving.


In any case, I have been riding the elevator at work today, as I can't seem to walk down stairs, but that will pass, and I expect to get back on my bike by Wednesday. Hopefully tommorrow we will have more results and some pictures from the race, and we'll start sharing some stories. Check back to find out!!!

Grambo

Finishing Broken and Busted, Team Runs with Scissors Swallows the Bitter Pill

First things first: A BIG shot out to the boys at GMARA for putting together another great race. It was one for the record book, that's for sure. If for no other reason than we won our division (3-person male). That's right, we won our division! We think we may have also finished in the top 10 out of the 36 teams racing. We'll be able to confirm that as soon as GMARA posts the results. We'll also have some photos to share with you, as all as some other details and interesting tidbits.

Special thanks to the race sponsors--especially MVP health care--without whom none of this insanity would be possible.

Until the final results and photos are posted, here's a quick summary of the race:

I picked up Grambo at 4:05 AM and we met Turtle at the Waterbury Center State Park for a 4:35 AM team captains meeting and 4:55AM race start.

From the starting line, just beyond the large secondary parking area at the park, we ran a short distance to the waterfront, grab a canoe and launched. For 5 or 10 minutes during that first paddle we were in first place--that was the only time we were in first. This initial paddling leg had us going, basically, to the opposite end of the reservoir. It took us about 45 minutes and we landed 12th, I think.

From there we bolted a mile or so to a transition area (TA) where our bikes were staged and we peddled up into Cotton Brook (see Grambo's post below. And, yes, home field advantage was nice) a few miles and, at another TA we dumped our biking gear and set off on one of the coolest treks ever. The trek sent us bushwhacking in and around terrain none of us had ever seen. There was moose and bear sign (and by "sign" I mean large piles of shit) everywhere. We nailed each of the 4 checkpoints (CPs)--and caught a rare glimpse of Team EMS--returned to our bikes, headed down cotton brook road, stopped at the bike TA to refill water --we were already out and I was starting to cramp in my hamstrings -- and set off to retrieve the last two bike CPs on a pretty long ride on paved roads, logging roads, cross country ski trails, and dirt roads until we wound our way back to the cotton brook bike TA.

We dumped our bikes back at this TA and set off, again on foot, back to where we left our canoe. We got there and did the over and back swim (with all of our gear, backpack and all) and loaded the canoe--just as a thunder storm was coming in--and headed out for the final rogaine canoe leg. Our race finished almost 12 hours later on the same beach from which we left.

It was awesome! There were lots of other experiences, challenges and frustrations that we'll detail later, but for now we're just enjoying our achievement. Even if we hadn't won our division, this would still go down as our best race--for many reasons.

One final thought: I'm busted and broken. It took 2 hours for the "pins and needles" in my finger tips to go (I started to get ultra cold in the last, rainy paddle sitting in 4 inches of water). Almost every muscle in my body aches (even my palms). There are bruises in place I can't possibly explain. And to top it all off, I've got a wicked cold (which clearly has nothing to do with the race), last night I had a fever and cold nasty sweats, and now a wicked sore throat (this explains why I was cramping so much more than normal, had a headache all day, and felt like such shit last night.) But I'm already thinking about when we can get out and race again!

CHECK IT OUT!

A local television station--Vermont's own Ch.3, WCAX--had a sports feature last night, and again this morning, on the 2008 MVP Bitter Pill and adventure racing in general.

You can check it out here: http://www.wcax.com/Global/category.asp?C=18198&nav=menu183_4

Many thanks to sports anchor Shawna Lidsky for helping us shine a spotlight on this exciting new sport. Now, we've just got to get her out there! And, hopefully they'll come by tomorrow to see the adventure unfold...

It's here...

Well, this is it, the day before the Bitter Pill, Team Runs with Scissors first race in about 14 months. How are we feeling? Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I am actually feeling better than I have felt in the last couple of weeks. I've had a lot going on lately between work, training, our enormous garden, our new kitten, and just general stressing about the race, and I haven't been feeling all that well. Mostly I've been feeling tired and run down. However, I woke up this morning feeling remarkably rested and energetic, and ready to get to it. If I count right, this will be our 7th adventure race together, and while we are not the most athletic team, we are in decent shape, and we have enough racing and navigation experience that I think (hope) we will do OK. In any case, not much we can do about it now, except wait for them to hand us the maps tomorrow morning and find out where the heck they are sending us. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we will find ourselves on some familiar terrain, but there's always a chance they could bus us somewhere completely unexpected.

The weather for tomorrow is looking rather variable. Accuweather has a high of 75 forecast, 4 mph winds, and a 30% chance of thunderstorms. Weather.com has a high of 71 degrees, with a 50% chance of rain. Our local station, WCAX, has a high of 77, chance of showers. From my point of view, low-mid 70s sounds like a great temperature to me, and clouds are not so bad. Better than 90 degrees and blazing sun, or sweltering humidity. As far as I'm concerned, as long as the rain holds for the first couple of hours, and doesn't turn into a torrential downpour, that's fine with me. Although some of the riding may get treacherous with wet roots and rocks. Well, what the heck, it's supposed to be an adventure, right?

I'll leave you with the picture below of us near the end of the Bitter Pill '06, when all that was left was a rappel and short hike to the finish. Yep, sweaty and dirty, but still smilin'!! Hopefully that's what we'll look like around 5 or 6 tommorrow night. Check the GMARA website for results and pics on Sunday if you wish, they are usually good about getting stuff up fast, and we'll have a full after action report up starting next week. See ya'll in the woods!!!

Grambo