Checkpoint Challenge Time

Today's race would begin like any other with a challenge. One hour before starting time I took the bike I borrowed out of the car and much to my dismay saw that it had a flat rear tire. Lucky for me my friend left the bike complete with hand pump, spare tube and tire iron. 

I walked the bike to the staging area where a really nice guy offered to help me. Although accepting help isn't a strong point of mine, I was happy to let him pitch in. The tire was fixed, put back on the bike and I was set to wait for our wave to start.

My friend Kristin the co-race director saw me and asked if we'd take a third person on our team as the racer's partner had not shown up. I said of course especially because it was another female. The three of us reviewed the map, plotted strategy and the course we would take. The three of us were instructed to tether the kayak Denise was using to the kayak Corinne and I would be in.

Coming into this adventure race Corinne said she would be slow and hadn't kayaked much or ridden a mountain bike. I was here to have fun and also to let Corinne gauge where her knee was in it's surgery recovery. Time wasn't important. 

The three of us women started toward the area we believed the checkpoints to be. We are looking for an island, but we also are under the impression that checkpoint 1 and 2 can be run to one another. What isn't known is that I've volunteered at adventure races in years passed so I know the checkpoint is a bright orange triangle. We see another team shore their kayak and take off running up a hill. We choose to continue forward all the while looking for an island. We then see a boater who says something about a spillway and we go toward the spillway. We see another boater who says kayakers have come and left this area. Up ahead on shore we see a bright orange object on a box and start paddling toward it only for me to look left and start screaming that's checkpoint three the triangle is white with orange on it attached to a buoy. Corinne punches our two cards and we set off for the next checkpoint. It's on a hillside. Corinne and Denise stayed in the kayaks while I ran to get the cards punch on another checkpoint. Our strategy was to paddle to another shore and send a runner up the island to the next checkpoint while the other two carried or dragged the kayaks up and over a small hill. Garret a pro adventure racer for team Tecnu would spot us at this point. He had already finished and was kayaking out for fun. He made a comment about sending our teammate out to run and we responded it was part of the strategy. Garrett watched me lift the back of the kayak Corinne was carrying and grab the handle of the kayak Denise had been using and start dragging it. He yells, "go gun show." I had to laugh. I loved getting cheered on.

Corinne was a trooper with the kayak and scored herself a hat for her efforts. Just doing her part cleaning up the trace some fisherman had left behind.

Denise comes running down the hillside and we set off to paddle back to the starting line.

We made it back and transitioned onto our mountain bikes. The ride starts with nice flat flowy single track and fire road then takes a right turn where the volunteer advises to use those granny gears and get ready for the 1-2 mile climb. There may or may not have been some hike a bike taking place here.

The bike course was beautiful single track. It consisted of berms I could ride still clipped in, some very minor technical rocky sections most of which I chose to skip and really fun downhill and roller coaster sections. Corinne did a million times better than she tried to tell me she would.

Last was the run. It was hilly, involved a lot of bouldering and a little pond with a checkpoint Corinne swam out to get.

The checkpoint challenge ended with some fun obstacles. Corinne had Denise step on her to get into the closet climb obstacle. Denise grabbed the rope and finished it like a champ. I jumped up after Denise found the technique I wanted grabbed the rope and made my way up. Corinne took the side next to me and powered up it like the obstacle specialist she is. We climbed down wall steps and proceeded to the cargo net obstacle. We took turns holding the net for one another and we all ran to the finish line.

This was such a great new challenge for me to take on and every aspect of it was enjoyable! The scenery was beautiful most of which I'd never seen although it's minutes away from my home. The terrain provided different challenges. The course was the most well laid marked course I've ever been on and the kayak element provided a new skill I want to practice both the kayaking and navigating.

All-Out Events has been doing this adventure race for a number of years and each year Yishai is able to create a new element of surprise. He spends days prior removing poison oak, loading kayaks, marking course, loading boxes of finisher pint glasses into the trailer, assembling the finish arch and the list of work that he, his awesome wife, friends, staff and volunteers put in to make this great really shows. I received a phone call at 9:00 pm because earlier in the day I asked what our time was and Yishai was following up with an answer.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves outdoors and seeks new challenges all while checking the points and directions their lives are taking.

Time To Test Limits

This weekend seemed to have a theme. Much of it revolved around tires. At it's end my car would get another 1,011 miles on it's tires.

I am so lucky my friend Joe is an early riser (literally we all question if/when he sleeps) and could direct me to the race venue I completely drove pass. I was able to later thank Joe for taking my call at 5:00 am when he woke up to a flat tire on his car the morning after the race. Joe, Seth and I took turns pumping the tire back up with the small Lezyne hand pump I had brought to air my personal flotation device that was part of my HH12HR checklist.

12 Hour Hurricane Heat began like the shorter version of the Spartan Race Hurricane Heat at 6:00 am. Teams were formed and names were chosen. I became one of ten on the team "Nothing Else Matters. The burpee fest began. I lost count at 143.

We then log rolled about 100 yards. This was the part where I got annoyed at my syncope and motion sensitivity and mentioned how glad I was I couldn't throw up.  A bridge of Spartans in plank position was created to crawl under. 

I'm going to leave the other details of this part of the day out as I want individuals to register for a Hurricane Heat and learn what it is all about for themselves. I will say one thing we all went to the rope climb and I watched incredible teamwork take place as a team assisted one guy in trying to get his rope climb to ring the bell. After a period of amazing effort another Spartan climbed to remove the bell from the top and it was brought down to ring.  I watched another guy struggle time after time without anyone noticing or without him asking for help. I walked to the young man who was alone and defeated and I coached him up the rope a short distance. He said he'd never tried or learned to climb a rope before. I was really proud of his drive. 

At approximately 9:25 we all finished together. Hurricane Heat0048 was dismissed and the 12 Hour Hurricane Heat 001 was given their first assignment. We were to run 3/4 of a mile, retrieve a tire and return to the starting point. I was excited about this I'd trained with my tire I kept in my car for the last 6 weeks.

We all returned in time where we learned our next mission was to complete the Las Vegas Super Spartan Race course and we had 4 hours to finish with our tire.

I climbed walls went under nets climbed more walls did some more obstacles and came to the bucket carry. It appeared some racers were choosing to burpee out of this obstacle and that may have been the better strategy, but it's a favorite of mine because it's where my stubbornness plays a key role. In the past I've always set a goal to do it as quickly as possible without setting the bucket down. I adjusted the tire to rest on my pack grabbed my bucket and off I went. Numerous racers asked why I had the tire. There were so many women that expressed appreciation and words of admiration. Numerous men called me crazy or badass. I must have said thank you 4,000 times throughout the race.

I would come to an aid station shortly after this where I would realize I couldn't find my banana in my pack and I also needed to refill my hydration bladder. I got completely annoyed and just at that time I saw a familiar face. It was Ben my friend from home who was a complete stranger I picked up last Thanksgiving to do a beach run with me as he was training for his first Spartan Race.

The monkey bars which are usually my favorite obstacle would earn me my first 50 burpee penalty. My tire was set and just as I reached my hand for bar number 3 my fingertips missed and down I fell.

I went over more walls. At one wall I heard my name yelled and it was Janice who I met at an expo last month. She introduced me to her nephew and off they ran. It was tricky reaching my tire up to push over the walls. The invert wall another favorite obstacle would prove to be the one where I would become creative with my tire. I'd done the wall in the earlier part of the day before earning the tire. I attempted to climb the wall with the tire. After one failed attempt and wasted energy I grabbed my paracord and tied it around the tire. I got myself over then used the paracord and tire like a Hercules hoist and pulled it over the invert wall perhaps even losing some skin on some fingers.

I got to the rope climb and chose to set my tire down as I saw another tire sitting nearby. Without staff or a volunteer to direct me I figured it was for safety reasons the tire wasn't used on this obstacle.  I was successful on bell ring number 2 for the day.

The spear throw would cost me another set of burpees. The one race that I have only had one penalty it was from this obstacle. I think I may be utilizing those hay bails my dad always has set up for archery practice when I am home in June just prior to the next race I will complete and earn my first Tri-frecta.

I did more running on the course and arrived at the Barbwire crawl. I pushed my tire with my feet as I crabbed walked and waited for race participants to move forward through the obstacle so I could continue. At one point smoke cloud canisters were opened and set on hay bales. The smoke came near my face somehow. I breathed it in and began choking. This just made me scared and determined to finish the obstacle as quickly as possible.

I arrived next at the slippery wall rope climb. I got to the top my feet slipped as I took the last step, my arms gave way and down the wall rope in hand I slid. Mr. Goodyear broke the fall. I tried it again with the same results and now a cut on the palm of my hand. No blood no glory. I saw two guys at the top and yelled to them I was going for attempt number 3. They saw to it I was successful, but got stuck with my tire around my pack at the top. I found a way to fix it and down the wall I went to the dunk zone. It was so awesome after being hot and tired. I don't know that I've ever had that much fun jumping into cool muddy water. I jumped the fire, crossed the finish line and was told to go to find the group. I knew I had missed the 4 hour completion time, but I wasn't sure if I was going to earn a penalty or be disqualified. This is where I got the best news. I could choose to quit or continue on unofficially without earning a patch or shirt. Of course I chose to continue. The ethos we chanted throughout the day includes two of four lines: I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. 

From here we were a team again. We did various challenges up and down a hill. We lined up and were given the partner in front of us then asked to move one person to the right which placed me running to the opposite end of a line to get my partner. We were to fireman carry our partner taking turns carrying one another one lap around base camp. Base camp consisted of 4 large shipping containers parked in a square. I told my partner I weighed his same body weight and I decided I would carry him all the way. I took two rests with my partner and was the last one in. We then got into 2 person teams and our team added a third person. We were given a mission to run to a tunnel collect our poker chip and return. I loved this part it reminded me of a Santa Barbara hash I once did that led to a tunnel and drink check. The only difference with this was we went without our packs and I could have really used a drink check at the tunnels end. We earned our chip with completion of 100 push-ups. 

We ran back to the starting point and gathered around where we signed our golf balls, did some squats, water burpees and other exercises then went on an Easter egg hunt for our golf ball. 

We finished the 12HRHH with an Indian run with a very large tire. The winds kicked up at that point and started wreaking havoc on the festival and staging area so we used the last 20 minutes to assist in breakdown then took a photo finish by the fire.

This was an incredible experience and training for life day. I wouldn't change a thing, but I will continue to strive to improve my speed as to better prepare for cutoff times.