MNOC Adventure-O 2010

Sometimes, getting to the race with an intact team is half the battle.  At least you see it that way from a "before the race" perspective.  The 2010 Adventure-O, hosted by the Minnesota Orienteering Club (MNOC) seemed to be one of those races.  Coordinating training, getting crushed by rain when you do get a chance to train, and personnel swaps add to the excitement.  From an "after the race" perspective, that was all trivial.

MNOC puts on excellent events.  The group, composed of map geeks with a penchant for going deep in the woods, places a premium on navigation vs. outright physical prowess.  They don't mind getting dirty, and certainly don't mind it when you get dirty.  This years event was held at Savannah Portage State Park, near McGregor, MN.  The course was set and vetted by two members with a lot of Adventure Race and Orienteering experience, Jerritt Johnston and Ian Harding.  Special thanks to Pete Curtis for the photos he took and provided for our blog.

The TMMAR team was composed of Will Eddy, Clark Flowers, Suzanne Pfeifer, and Peter Wentzel.  The format:  short O-course, transition to bike for a medium length Bike-O, transition to kayak for four controls on big Sandy Lake, transition to bike for a longer Bike-O, and a final O section on foot.  The race was given a 7.5 hour time limit.  The weather was warmer than expected, highs in the mid 80's and a nice strong wind was expected to kick up.

We started out with a sprint for controls 1-4, right at 9:30 AM.  Clark and Pete sharing the nav, with Will and Suzanne following close behind.  Suzanne volunteered to be towed during the runs, admitting that running wasn't her strongest suit.  PROPS to Suzanne.  While the MNOC regulars sprinted the course with TMMAR practicing a fast follow, Suzanne volunteered to hook herself to a bungie cord while Will attempted to pull her over logs, rocks, stumps, holes and pits, so the team could get in front of traffic on the bike section.  Not for the faint of heart.  All went well until Will caught a root and twisted his ankle.  This caused a minor change in pace, but we pressed on and finished the first O section, a little over a mile, in good position.

We transitioned well to bike and headed down the trail, looking for control 5 and 6.  You knew it was going to be fun when there were already teams doing some head scratching as we left the first road and entered the XC trail system.  Jerritt had warned us all, "Take it easy on the trails, especially the downhills, as there are a lot of hidden obstacles." So, we didn't bomb the first downhill, or the second, or the third, but that was getting a bit old....  We followed a group bobble (control confusion, map error, group think) and dismounted to find the first bike control in an area I thought was way too early.  But, we did it non-the-less.  Remounting and recalibrating, we cruised through a rutty section where Pete almost bit it, and secured the first bike control.  We navigated the maze of trails, growing increasingly frustrated with having to dismount to cross trees and go slow through thick grass because, "you just don't know" what lies beneath.  Pressing on, we witness a fellow racer find what lurked beneath.  A quick stop to critique the triple flip (and ensure all his parts still worked) and we left with a new appreciation for "the junk below the weeds..."

We emerged from the woods, unscathed and did a quick road ride to the paddle put in.  A quick transition and we are floating... and eating.  Most of us had not been keeping up with our fuel and took a quick break to shove food in our mouth before pointing down course and trying to catch the five teams in front of us while seeking controls 7-10.  Pete and Will in one boat, Clark and Suzanne in the other.  Luckily, the forecast wind had not picked up yet and we followed a mild chop south to a sheltered bay where the controls were located. Pete, not being the smoothest motivator, responded to the other boats reminder that Will and he couldn't get too far in front, with a reminder to the other boat that they can't get too far behind.  They didn't.  You would have to go back nearly two years for TMMAR to have such a good paddle leg.  We were setting a good pace coming off the first control when we ran into a bay full of grass.  It looked to us that the whole bay was grass (we missed the channel) so we picked a thin spot, pointed in the right direction and let her rip.  We looked like a cross between the Swedish Chef and the Tasmanian Devil tossing a salad.  Grass, moss, fish, frogs, and unknown entities went flying in the air as we attempted to maintain pace through the obstacle.  Coming out the far side, we saw that we made some serious time on the other teams.  We hit the next control and did a U-turn, this time, it was more of a slap chop scenario.  Equally effective.  We passed a couple teams!  Dig deep team.  We quickly grabbed the last two controls and headed back to the transition point.  The wind on the main lake had really picked up.  Teams were struggling to get to the sheltered bay as we surfed the downwind waves back to dry land.  We returned as the 2nd team to exit the water, passing 4 teams on the leg.

Off we go on the bike, in search of controls 11-16, catching up on food and arriving back at the XC trails with two other teams who pushed hard to catch us.  Pete did a quick map swap and the other teams went ahead.  Will put forth a huge effort int his next section.  We tow when we run, we tow when we bike, and we tow when we paddle, only when necessary, but such is AR.  Suzanne, an accomplished racer, came out of retirement for this event and admitted that she would need help on occasion.  Towing is a team exercise.  You rotate, you collaborate, you communicate and you get it done.  Unless you forget to bring your towing equipment....  So the team had one tow rig, and will agreed to be the tow on the bicycle.  Again, Suzanne gets props.  Most people don't like to tow or be towed on anything but asphalt.  Suzanne, held on through thick and thin.

We progressed down the trail, watching for key intersections and more obstacles.  There were plenty of the later, and just enough of the former.  The first half of this bike O saw plenty of logs, one tricky intersection, a crazy bridge, and a chest deep beaver lake that we carried our bikes across.  Jerritt and Ian at their best.  The second half made the race.  Coming in to an intersection, it was clear that a lot of traffic went right, which was actually straight ahead.  There was a hidden trail entrance that require a turn of approximately 135 degrees, which TMMAR took.  A smile crossed our faces once we confirmed we were on the right path, some others were not....  Making the turn was half the battle.  What followed was multiple dismounts, some voluntarily, others... not quite as graceful.  Nobody got hurt, a few got laughed at, but the course was competed with TMMAR in 3rd place.

Final transition to the run went well.  On to controls 17-24.  We knew Orion was less than 10 minutes in front of us.  A bobble on their part and maybe we could capture 2nd.  We set off at a jog and found the first control with no issues.  Getting in and out of the next control was problematic.  Not from a navigation point of view, but the terrain between the controls was thick.  A lot of trees down, then bog hopping, and then more trees.  The flies were horrible. We got out of the thick stuff, grabbed the next control and moved east, deciding that trails may be a quicker route after all.  We jumped on the continental divide trail (who knew?) and gained the next two controls in short order.  A quick look at the watch showed we had to change strategy. Jogging the flats and downhills while walking the uphills was not going to get us back in time.  Switch to jog the uphills and make your heart pound on everything else.  Luckily, the controls and map were dead accurate and the next three controls came quickly.  The last involving wading through a river...twice.... all of us.  I am sure some other teams opted for a drier approach, but we didn't have the luxury of looking for that route.  One final bushwhack through the woods and we are on the road home.  A good pace to the finish led to a third place overall.  The last team to sweep the course.  Congrats to WEDALI and Orion for first in the 4 person and two person coed divisions.  TMMAR took 2nd in the 4 person.

Good race, good times with the friends, new and old, from MNOC.

MNOC Lake Elmo Score-O

The mind numbing exercise that occurs on trainers and treadmills takes it’s toll on us all during the winter.  It’s always great to pry yourself from the warm confines of your home to get back outside and enjoy Mother Nature.  So Pete and I participated in the MNOC Score-O at Lake Elmo.  Pete and I needed some time to work together as a team to prepare for POCAR.

It was a cold day with a temp of 10.0 °F at the start of the race.  Pete and I both navigated the course together.  We bounced ideas off each other very well thru out the race.  We ran the whole course, most of the time thru shin deep snow. 

Our nav was good for the whole course to hit each point.  We could have made a few better route choices.  For example early in the race we choose to take a short cut by running across a lake.  It was a great choice.  The wind had blown much of the snow off the lake making it a very easy run and saved a lot of energy and time.  Later in the race we made the same choice to run across a lake but this time the lake was in a much deeper valley and so was the snow.  The wind didn’t blow any snow off the lake.  It was almost knee deep in spots.   It cost us at least 5 minutes.

We came in with 8 minutes to spare.  With the extra five (making 13 minutes) we might have been able to eek out another point.  Shoulda woulda coulda.  Can’t hang your hat on that!  Pete and I came fourth with 20 points in 1:22.  It felt great to get out and see some great vistas, exercise, and share good times with friends.

-- Clark

Possum Trot at Knob Noster State Park

The 13th Annual Possum Trot was held at Knob Noster State Park in Missouri on 13 December, 2009.  I (Pete) went down with 11 other MNOC members to compete in this goat style orienteering event.  It was my first event of this type, which reminded me of Adventure Racing with the mass start, following, and sadistic course setters.  The course measured 15.1 km and included 600 meters of climb.  Contestants were allowed to skip any two controls on the course, which adds a little strategy in to the mix.

The weather was overcast, but relatively warm in the low 40's.  This was great for running, but the warmth melted the layer of snow, making for a muddy, slick track.  The 9AM start featured contestants from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado and England.  36 in total including several Possum Trot champs, medalists from the US Champs, and one World Champion.

We got the maps two minutes early and I discussed potential skips with fellow MNOC racers.  Good potential double skips from 7-10 and 15-18.  Nice one control skips at 5,7,9,17,19,21,25 and 29.  My strategy was to be a follower for as long as I could hold on to the lead bunch. The race started and we flew.  Andrei, followed by 4-5 MNOC racers all in blue and white.  By the 4th control, after 5 climbs, we were pretty strung out, at least I was...  I navigated to the 5th control by watching the leaders leave the reentrant.  I knew I had to get back on the map.    I followed a racer toward the 6th control, but didn't understand his route choice and set out on my own.  Six and seven came easy and I decided to skip early and go straight to 10.  I could then grab the leaders as they came through a few controls down the road.  Well the leaders skipped also and I boomed the control. (wasted a lot of time).  The cue sheet listed a man made object, which I anticipated being somewhat larger than a 3/4 buried, rusty 55 gallon drum.  Anyway, I eventually found the control and went on to 11, bobbling it slightly and found Andrei and Ian coming up.  I tagged along on their run, contributing on a few control finds, but mostly observing Andrei's 20+ years of experience.  Andrei started pulling away after control 15 and was a ghost by the time we left 17.  I followed Ian and Jason until 18, where they decided to take their first skip.

I navigated the rest of the race solo.  Moving steadily, but not as quickly as I was during the collaborative effort.  A few lessons I am tucking away for future events:  not all slow go woods is slow go, all clear woods aren't clear, paths aren't always the easiest route (especially those churned up by horses that have since frozen).  I was still feeling pretty good coming into the last 5 controls, tired, but not tanked.  Coming in to 27 I started noticing more competitors and set my mind on catching them.  I didn't know if they were on the long or short course, but I could tell they were hunting the same controls.  I bobbled/boomed 28 and 29, which also caused positional changes among the top 6 finishers, and found my self in a sprint between myself and two others whose combined age is probably 10 years below mine.  Route choice helped me pass one and longer legs got me past the other.

I ended up 12th in a competitive field.  All those ahead of me have done multiple events of this type, except for one fleet footed female who proved to be a very adept follower.  I am looking forward to travelling down towards Kansas City again.

MidWest Mountaineering Adventure Race Team -- 2009 -- Looking Backward

It has been a long time since we posted an event result on our blog. The season got underway and team priorities changed as time passed. The team had a great deal of success and fun in 2009 and we are looking forward to 2010 to build on our efforts.

2009 started with a big win at POCAR in southern Indiana. This January event hosted by the Purdue Outing Club is a three discipline event involving orienteering, trekking, and mystery events. We kept up a steady effort and crossed the finish line in a fraction over 20 hours. The final team came in as we were headed home, 27 hours after our finish. We completed 40+ miles of hilly trekking and tricky nav. Great job Paula W., William and Pete. Interesting note: The temperature when we left Minneapolis was 24 below zero. The temperature at the start of the race was about 20 degrees. Balmy!

In February, Clark was in an automobile accident that sidelined him for all but one race of the 2009 season. He is truly chomping at the bit for the 2010 season.

Spring saw Pete and David team up for some local fun runs. They finished first in both the AR Tuneup hosted by MNOC, and the annual bike-hike-BBQ put on by local enthusiasts. While these are fun events, the competition is stiff, a fun way to work out the kinks of a long winter.

The first race of the year was the Wild 12 Hour in Redwing, MN. Paula W., William and Pete competed with super sub Alan Eastland. A strong start on an 8 mile trek put us in third place as we entered the water.

Some minor difficulties on our poorest discipline dropped us one place to 4th. Leaving the water, we completed a word jumble to regain third place, only to lose it again at the transition to the bike. Still among the lead groups, we chose to complete the rappel section before setting out on the long leg of the bike section. A navigation error by one of the lead teams put us back in third place, where we stayed until the end. This race ended up a 7 hour sprint between the lead teams with only 35 minutes separating the top 4 finishers. We missed 2nd by three minutes.

The Wild 6 Hour took on a new format in 2009. A score-O format with random event order took the place of the traditional format. The event was held in William O'Brien State Park, just north of Stillwater, MN. Once again, TMMAR struggled to put together a full roster.

This event featured our first race with new team member Chris Mehus, and a last minute sub, Nicky. Chris is a proven performer, while Nicky was a willing participant, but had no idea what she signed up for. We chose to go bike, boat, followed by the O-section. The bike section was a convoluted score O on six overlapping maps with very small CP designations. We wasted a lot of time trying to figure the maps out and ended up skipping some easy points inadvertently. We finished strong, even though we had one minor mishap when Pete dumped Nicky on tow. Boating in MN this summer was not the best, with low water levels on most rivers, but we persevered and posted one of the better paddle times. Not bad for having one person with no boating experience. With only the trek section ahead of us, we set out on a blistering pace. A week of the flu, and the heat started catching up with Nicky and we had to stop for some personal maintenance. We did the best we could with teamwork and efficient navigation and came in just under the six hour bell. Again, 3rd place overall. Well done team.

The end of June saw Pete and Paula W. compete as a two person coed team for the first time. They chose to enter the Race for the Booty, in eastern Wisconsin near the Northern Kettle Moraine. 37 teams were lined up for the start at 0500 in the AM for this 14 hour event. The format for this event was similar to the Wild Summer Sprint, in that teams selected which leg they wanted to go on first when they signed in the day prior to the event. The choices were paddle, paddle, or bike/orienteer. Paula arrived early and secured one of the coveted bike leg slots. 5 minutes after the start, Paula and Pete found themselves the only ones left in the lodge, plotting their course and setting up a strategy. A 15 mile bike, found them caught up with several teams, and the only team at the first orienteering point. Most of the teams chose a different order for the first event, which puzzled us somewhat, because there were only two logical choices. We set out in to the mosquito infested woods on some really sketchy maps and ended up back at our bikes 5 minutes later, either the maps were really poor, or we weren't in the correct location. It was a combination of both. We readjusted and knocked out the first section and loaded up for the single track section. Some great single track riding, followed by two more orienteering sections, separated by road biking found us hunting for water and headed back to the transition point. No idea that we were the first to finish bike leg. We set out on the canoe, another sketchy map in hand, and played hike a boat down the river to collect two controls, turn around and hike a boat back. We checked in, got the final boat map and learned that an all male team was approx. 30 minutes in front of us, having completed one of the boat legs first. Alternating between paddling, hike a boat and cramping, we collected the last two points and were faced with a climbing challenge to complete the race. We finished 30 minutes out of first place. One of two teams to complete the entire course. The only coed finishers. In the end, only 15 of 37 teams were categorized as finishers, all the others.... DNF. I am sure this is due to the sketchy maps in very difficult terrain. Interesting note: This race is run by two people with no support. A big endeavor. They are in to in enough to get their Pirate Logo tattooed on to their arms....

In July, the team competed in the Minnesota Orienteering Club's annual Adventure O.  This 7-8 hour event places a premium on navigation.  A misplaced plot, and a stutter in the first O section through a damper on a great event.  However, racing with Clark, and new teammate Paula Meyers, made the well designed event enjoyable.  The order of the day was Orienteer, Creek Trek, bike on trails, kayak, bike on trails, single track, and bike on trails to the finish.  The team ran well, but had some organizational troubles since we hadn't raced together in a long time, or ever for that matter.  Highlights include a good paddle section, one of the best the team has completed, and some fun single track cycling.   This event had some great variety in terrain that was remarkably unique compared to most MN events.

August saw the Midwest Mountaineering Adventure Race Team head to the Northern Kettle Morraine in WI for the second time in one year.  This time the event was the Sweaty Otter, put on by Fat Otter racing.  Both Paula's, Chris, William, and Pete went down to compete as both a 2 person and a 3 person coed team.  The team stayed at the Long Lake campground and endured a nice thunderstorm the night prior to the race.  Not the best way to get a good nights sleep.  A cold wet breakfast greeted us in the AM, but the team loaded up and met Paula W. at the transition area with clearing skies on the horizon.  The sun came out 15 minutes prior to the start and what was cool and wet quickly became hot and muggy.  The start of the race featured a 3 mile single track run, extended leMans start to a road ride.  The initial ride consisted of a que sheet map (turn right leaving the parking lot, left at first intersection, etc.) to the top of a local ski hill, about a 7 mile ride.  Arriving at the top of the ski hill, we were given the race maps and headed off to the next section, a road ride to a horse barn where we had to haul 10 hay bales per person from a trailer, 50 yards to a loft.
Back on the bikes, we traveled a few miles to a local lake for a swim.  This was a new event for some of the team and not one we were overly proficient with.  All members survived.  At this point we were firmly bedded in the middle of the pack, hovering around the top 30% mark.  A return to the start for a quick refuel and a mountain bike repeat of a portion of the run start with some extra trail thrown in.  After safely completing the single track, all five of us set out for the first large O section, consisting of 9 points.  A few easy points, a few hard points and some good teamwork later and we exited the O section in second place.  Next up was a good road bike session with two micro O sections in the middle, 2 controls each.  Next up, a midnight start to a paddle.  The paddle consisted of a series of bearings which bounced you off the shore until you reached the first control.  Paula W. and Pete each plotted the azimuths and came up with the same location for the first control.  45 minutes later we were off what turned out to be a frustrating water section for most teams.  Back on the bikes, we found ourselves tied for first after one of the leading teams members had to drop.  The coed male team we were chasing seemed to always be a few minutes ahead of us.
 A medium ride put us back on foot for another 9 point O section.  This one was wet, having to wade bogs several times.  Some tricky nav that had controls hidden so well you would have to almost run in to them (I have never been on a night O section that had zero reflective tape)  Another good section of team work had us catch the leaders, and leave about two minutes after they did (faster runners).  Back on the bike and we are off to the start area for the last section, another large Orienteering section.  This section combined both distance and difficulty to make sure we got our monies worth.  A slight falter on the 2nd to last point had us backtrack, a loss of about 10 minutes.  The leading team was nowhere to be found, so our assumption was they had completed.  Coming around the bend to the last point, we find them punching the last control.  They take off at a sprint while we punch and follow.  That didn't last as we saw we could not stay in a group and catch them.  All were smiling as we came in to the finish, 2nd and third overall, 1st place in both coed 2 and 3 person, and 2 of only 4 teams to complete the course.

Sweatty Otter turned out to be our last event of the year.  The economy caught up to our priorities outside of racing.  We abandoned the idea of a visit to nationals, cleaned up our gear and enjoyed the fall, training and sweating together, dreaming of next year.

MNOC AR TUNE UP

MNOC AR Tune up

Not an official race but it is structure and operated like an AR Sprint. This week Pete and I again as two person. The race was up north of Elk River in the Sand Dunes State Park. This race is structured to be 4-6 hours with Orienteering, Running, Cycling and some Kayaking.

We started at 9:15 and based on experience we jumped out in a quick lead to make sure we stayed ahead of the CP1 pile up. After grabbing the next five CP’s we transitioned to our bikes for about 12 miles and a few CP’s. Back on foot for some more orienteering using nothing but a satellite map of the area. Back on the bike for another CP before we transitioned to the Kayaks. This leg was on a marshy lake. Lots of weeds and cattails. Three CP’s hidden the weeds and back to the bikes for a few more miles and the last three CP’s. These ended up being in an area where “hiking the bike” was necessary as the sand was so loose and tons of downed debris.

Pete did a great job at navigating this race as we spent less than five total minutes looking for all 19 CP’s. For the most part, they were right where we expected. Even though we finished in three hours even this race kicked my ass. Not sure if it is the lack of sleep, poor nutrition, out of shape or just……a tough sprint.