O'fer Death Race

Pittsfield, VERMONT -- Although I am interested in the performance of others, I usually can't bring myself to read an entire race report if I have to use the scroller-thingy on my mouse. Admit it...you don't read them either. Therefore, in an effort to simultaneously reduce my carbon footprint and spare you five minutes of your life you'll never get back I'll keep this brief. The picture to the left is me pulling my son's BMX (sans wheels & chain) and a root stock (which I hacked out of Mother Earth at approximately 05:15) under a small wooden bridge and through a rocky creek to roughly 50 meters of low lying barbed wire over said rocky creek. [NOT PICTURED: my pack wedged in a 5 gallon bucket]. By the way, I had just finished a looong 3 hour river scramble carrying all this junk. Shortly after this I hauled all my stuff across RT100 to a pile of twenty logs which had to be quartered and stacked. Having nearly made two adjusted cutoffs, I was racing literally on borrowed time. Carrying the smaller lighter axe (vs. standard issue lumberjack model) became a liability on this task as the 12+ inch diameter tree trunks were more than a little too much for my nimble, but overmatched camp axe. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective) the last adjusted 10:30 cutoff for all logs quartered & stacked wasn't enough. I was DNF'd after having completed only 2 of the 14 challenges. Because I promised to keep it short I'll end my tale there, but believe you me there is PLENTY more to the story than that! The next time you see me ask about 1.) what happened to my teammate Dwight, 2.) what the hell a tap root is/does, and 3.) why thru hikers make great death racers.

PS. Thanks to 2008 Peak Races Series champion, Ri Fahnestock, for crewing for both Dwight and I...although it was a little like having Micheal Jordan watch you shoot jumpers.

Death Race Preparation

Mandatory Gear - Bicycle, Axe, String, Chain Break Tool (bicycle tool), Compass.

In four days Dwight and I will travel to Pittsfield, VT for perhaps the greatest challenge of our lives...the Death Race. Saturday I finished reading the Rock Warrior's Way and it really has helped me put this weekend into perspective. In my 20's this race would have held a much different meaning than it does today. What age has taken with respect to VO2max, muscle mass, and recovery time it has replaced with something far more important...wisdom. There is no "success" or "failure" this weekend, only learning. How often in our 9-5 existences do we truly get to experience what lies outside of our self-limiting comfort zones? To face fear and stay within the moment, open to the possibilities. There is a great deal to do before Saturday.

Bow Lake Dam 15k

Strafford, NEW HAMPSHIRE--Life is great when you get to race in your hometown. Actually, I'm technically from Dover but Strafford is where I now call home. The Bow Lake Dam 15k was revived after a several year hiatus and the committee who brought this race back to the Strafford community did a tremendous job. Many of the homeowners along the 15k route set up water stops and there were at least 3 live bands playing music from driveways along the way. Multiple water stops and a ton of volunteers made race day that much more enjoyable. Mother Nature cooperated as well and bathed the beautiful lake loop with sunny skies and temps in the 70's. I met fellow teammate Steve Wolfe before the race and quickly finalized a race plan. Steve is recovering from a mysterious musculoskeletal injury that forced him to shut it down for several weeks. A fierce competitor and incredibly talented runner Steve agreed with the plan to go out together around 6:30's, survive the "hill", and then hammer to the finish. We figured by working together we may be able to pick up a couple of spots late in the race and pull each other to the finish. Our first split was just shy of 6:25's as I worked to find a groove. The rolling nature of the first 6 miles made it somewhat challenging to run consistent splits. A little fast here, a little slower there we stayed within a few meters right up to the monster climb. Funny thing was I sort of lost track of where I was on the course. As we climbed the hill the thought crossed my mind...if this is a roller before we get to the hill I may be in trouble. Little did I know I was actually ascending the hill. As I plugged away I began to slowly open up a gap on Steve. He claimed I opened up a 30 second lead at one point during the climb. When I finally realized I was actually climbing the killer hill I was almost 2/3 of the way to the top. This immediately bolstered my confidence and I set my sights on the guy ahead of me. By the time I finished the climb I was on his shoulder. As we ran down toward Tasker Hill Road I peeked behind me and noticed Steve slowly closing the gap. Flying down Tasker Hill Road (marginally out of control) Steve caught and passed us. He never looked back. The final mile on Bow Lake Road was a struggle as I felt my engine running out of gas. Steve widened the gap between myself and the younger guy whom I had caught and was now pulling away from me as well. In one last ditch effort not to lose another spot I looked behind me and felt the next runner was sufficiently back not to challenge at the finish. I held on for a 1:02:12 (unofficial). It was good enough for 10th place overall and 4th in the 40-49 age category. Imagine that...10th overall and still finish off the podium. Steve's incredible rally and finishing kick were good enough for 8th overall and 3rd in our age group. It was great to see him on the podium after shutting things down for a while. With no rest for the weary, Dwight will be here in less than 24 hours for a 3+ hour Death Race training session. It's a good thing you don't saw logs with your legs.

Next Up: Exeter Trail Race, Fort Rock, Exeter, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Has anyone seen my adventure race?

Like the TAB and shag carpeting, the 12-hour adventure race here in New England is becoming endangered. Our friends at Racing Ahead announced last week that they are "postponing" their mid-May adventure weekend at Pawtuckway State Park which was to include the only 12-hour adventure race on our schedule in 2009 (the Frigid Infliction notwithstanding). And to my knowledge, aside from the GMARA's Bitter Pill AR (which doesn't fit my schedule), one of the only 12-hour adventure races in New England...period. With my decision last Friday to forgo the NYARA's Longest Day & Night Adventure Race due to cost, my "Slow Twitch Decathlon" bid is now in need of a tenth endurance sport to add to the list if in fact Racing Ahead's NH-12 Adventure Race is scraped. Finally, after talking with Dwight we've decided to try and find another event to race together (with TLD&N crossed off the list). After a lengthy discussion, we are seriously considering the Peak Death Race in June. If we decide to go for it, Dwight will likely make history as the only person in the world to take on the Tough Guy and the Death Race in the same calendar year. The plan is to make a decision on the Death Race this week so we can begin "preparing" for the misery. Ultraendurance athlete extraordinaire, Ri Fahnestock wrote a great recap of the '08 event on our website. It can be viewed by clicking <<HERE>>. It's worth it for the pictures alone.

Picture credit: Chris, Steve, & Christine at the '08 NH-12 Adventure Race