Grog & Dog Jog

The camera loves me as I'm groggin' & doggin' rockin'
the Mississippi mudflap mullet and Wal-Mart t-shirt
[Photo courtesy of Scott Mason Photography]

"There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous."  -Napoleon

Providence,  RHODE ISLAND -- They say a picture tells a thousand words.  But no amount of those words can describe the fun that was had at this weekend's Grog & Dog Jog at the Wild Colonial Tavern.  Our buddies from the south, the Tuesday Night Turtles, introduced us to this race last year and we were finally able to accept the invitation to join them this weekend.  In fact, we actually sent two teams of aR "athletes" to see what all the fuss was about.  As a jack of all trades master of none this type of thing fits exceptionally well into my fall transition period.  I'm neither 1.) motivated to train, nor 2.) currently training for anything important so the way I saw it, a 1.25 mile city loop followed by a hot dog and a beer would be the perfect "training" for my planned November shutdown.  Turns out, seven of my other aR teammates felt the same way.  I divided us up into two fairly evenly matched teams with (of course) my team constituting not only the lion share of the runners, but the hungriest doggers to ever order a round of grog.  This one, as they say, would be like taking candy from a baby.  My aR-GOLD included Jon "Where's your shirt?" Letendre, "Super" Sam Watts, Nick "Capt'n Feathersword" Lavoie and of course...me.  aR-BLACK was represented by Nick "Malibu" Langelotti,  "Downhome" Amanda House, Jeremiah "Gettin' Tail" Fitzgibbon, and Craig "What are you a pirate?" Poirier.  The two fastest dudes in the bunch, Jon and Langelotti, led off the race for their respective aR teams.  Jon entered the 'Eatatorium' with about a :30 lead on Nick.  However, not having eaten a hot dog in years cost him dearly as his lead was quickly erased by Nick's engulfing the dog with three swift bites and washing it down with nearly one swig of the warm Narragansett.  And from there it was all downhill for my aR-GOLD.  Jeremiah, always a poor front runner, took off like he was being chased by a pack of crazed dogs nearly :45 seconds ahead of me.  Knowing that he has a tendency to take it out hard and then fade back to me I set off with the plastic mug baton to run him down.  What I didn't account for however, was the jean cutoffs and the mullet.  Both binding and billowing I felt like I couldn't really pick up any momentum which was surely aided by my lack of warm-up and/or the energy drink induced slight state of dehydration.  Nevertheless I averaged 5:53's for the 1.25 mile loop.  Just sayin'.  Unfortunately while I made up a little of his gap it wouldn't be even remotely enough as his gullet-stuffing-mashed-dog-regurgitating-beer-swilling exhibition got a HUGE rise out of the crowd and put us even further behind.  It's funny, I never would have guessed how nauseating the smell of steamed tubular pork product would be immediately following a mile dash.  And I like hot dogs!  Okay, love hot dogs.  Fearing I'd take a large bit of wiener sideways down the esophagus and need to be Heimlich'd by a dude dressed like a nun I decided to play it "safe" and alternated chomping small bites with big gulps of 'Gansett.  How did you spend your Columbus Day weekend thank you?!  As soon as I finished the dog and the grog I handed the mug to "Super" Sam who did her best to catch "Downhome" House but alas it was not aR-GOLD's day.  Craig closed the deal for aR-BLACK as the corduroy clad Lavoie represented himself, his family, and the town of Scarborough, ME proudly with an impressive hot dog eating and beer drinking display.  Our guests from TNT won the event again (yawwwwn) but we were really there for the 'fun of it'.  Who takes these things seriously?  The event was hosted by a tavern so I doubt results will be up soon but it really doesn't matter.  I had a great time GROGGIN acidotic with my 'mates and by the smiles on their faces (and the beers in their hands) after the event I think they did as well.

NEXT UP: "No Brakes" Mountain Bike Race

L-R BACK ROW: Jeremiah,  Langelotti, me, Lavoie
FRONT: Letendre, House, Poirier, Watts

Pinnacle Challenge VII



Heading out to loop the Pinnacle for aR-WHITE
at the Pinnacle Challenge VII
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

 "Teamwork is essential.  It allows you to blame someone else."  -Anonymous

Newport, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Growing up playing and loving team sports I find it incredibly special now as a adult to get the chance experience it from time to time.  For the most part endurance sports are individual pursuits but every once in a while I get the chance to contribute my effort to the collective success of a team.  This weekend was a fantastic example of that as I once again raced the Pinnacle Challenge VII in Newport, NH hosted by the folks at Team Pinnacle.  This incredibly unique double duathlon has quickly become a showcase for acidotic RACING as we now send as many as eight teams with a scattering of solos.  This year 32 aR athletes made the trip to RACE acidotic at the Pinnacle.  My team (aR-WHITE) figured to be competitive in the highly contested 4-person male category with our brothers from aR-BLACK being one of the favorites.  Arriving around 8:00 am for a 9:30 am start there were already a dozen or more aR athletes already on site.  It was awesome to see so many friends and all of them wearing the aR colors.  Dan Dion would lead us off on the 5 mile road run putting down an impressive 28:17 and sending me out in the top 5 overall.  As my trail runner Rich Lavers worked to remove the timing anklet from Dan's leg he, in haste, removed the timing chip mechanism and then became all thumbs as he tried to thread it back on the sweaty velcro strap.  With precious seconds ticking away we fumbled for nearly a minute in the TA before finally approximating it close enough to send me away.  Although they immediately began to worry about it staying on, I never thought about it again.  Having raced this course for the past five years I was pretty familiar with the layout...or so I thought.  When I did the Pinnacle mountain bike race earlier this year (and DNF'd) we actually rode to the high point of the trail network (or "Pinnacle") but in years past the double duathalon followed a slightly different course avoiding 100+ feet of climbing.  Because I never looked at the course map I didn't see that the Pinnacle Challenge mountain bike course would be the same as the 2nd lap on the Pinnacle mountain bike race.  By the time I realized we were racing to the top of the Pinnacle I was so focused on keeping the rubber down on the slippery, muddy course that I forgot about my pathetic DNF on Father's Day weekend.  I was passed by at least 7 stronger riders during my 5.4 mile loop but I stayed on the bike, dabbed a handful or times, and only ran-a-bike for 5-10 seconds when I yielded to a faster rider on some singeltrack and put my front wheel in a bad spot.  The new "playground" pumptrack was once again worth the 3+ miles of ascending as I whipped around the 6 foot high berms on the descent to the finish.  I entered the TA in 41:39 and handed off to our road cyclist Jay Myers.  I knew I had given up a number of spots but I was hopeful I hadn't given up the podium spot Dan had handed me.  By the time Rich tore out the TA for the last leg of the race we were in 4th place in the 4-person male category trailing the 3rd place team by less than a minute.  Running with his sights fixed on third place he caught and passed the guy with less than a mile to go and held him off for the podium finish.  As a team we finished in 2:21:14 just 6 seconds from a overall team podium finish.  I was clearly the weakest link for my group of four but me + mtbing = not always stellar.  I feel like I'm giving a solid effort but I'm a very weak downhiller and not much of a risk taker.  Perhaps I can't get the "survive to race another day" mantra out of my brain?  Nonetheless I have a tremendous amount of fun particularly when I'm racing for a team. 



3rd Place 4-person Male
R-L Me, Rich Lavers, Dan Dion, Jay Myers
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

NEXT UP: Grog & Dog Jog

Post-script:  A big "THANK YOU" goes out directly to RD PJ Lovely and his teammates and volunteers who put together a fabulous event.  It's by far the biggest aR team turnout of any event we race all year.  And what a turnout it was; 32 athletes and podium finishes for aR-BLACK (1st 4M), aR-PINK (1st 4F), aR-DUO (1st 2M), aR-CLASSIC (3rd 4CE), Jay Massa (2nd AG-solo), and Steve Wolfe (3rd AG-solo). 

Reach The Beach

"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding."  -Pre


NEW HAMPSHIRE -- For the sixth year in a row I've had the good fortune to race with an unbelievable group of friends and athletes in the most epic of relay races in the US.  The Reach The Beach Relay has for Karen and I become "our" event.  The one race we do together each year.  And at 200 miles and 24 hours it's easily longer than all the other races I do the entire year combined!  I coordinate aR's entry and each year the team changes slightly.  This year we added three new members, Bob Swarthout, Piper Davis, and Judson Cake.  Bob and Piper had been alternates on the 2010 team and were the first to be called when Jay Curry and Mike Chagnon gave up their spots this year.  Judson, on the other hand, found out he was racing the day before the event when Doc Sprague hurt his back and had to withdraw from the event at the 11th hour.  Luckily for us Judson is in decent shape.  Joining Bob, Piper, and Judson were my wife Karen, Ann Rasmussen, Nick Lavoie, Matt Rousseau, Kevin Burt, Austin Stonebraker, Rich Lavers, and Scott Dodier.  With Doc originally slotted in my van (#2) I decided that placing Judson in our van would cause the least last minute disruption.  With Judson being a better runner than myself it then made sense to assign him the top spot in our van thereby moving me from the #8 runner position.  In a little bit of musical chairs I took Ann's spot (#9) and she took Doc's original position (#7).  Piper, Karen, and Nick would run 10, 11, & 12.  The entire crew met at the Northwood Mobil Friday morning and headed up to Cannon Mountain for the start.  Our 2:40 pm start time would be the latest we had ever had at the event.  We watched Austin get our race started and then headed down to Attitash to the first Vehicle Transition Area (VTA) to await our pre-determined 7:30 pm start time.  Hurricane Irene had caused incredible devastation along the eastern coast of the US with parts of VT and NH especially hard hit.  Turns out Irene had washed out a bridge on RT302 that the RTB passed through resulting in a last minute course and event plan.  Arriving at Attitash at 4:00 pm resulted in a significant amount of just waiting around.  But I did get the chance to meet our newest teammate Chris Lalmond who happen to be standing next to our van when we pulled in.  We chatted briefly before his team was off to continue their race.  I also ran into snowshoe racing competitor Christopher Smith of Dungeon Rock Racing.  When Ann finally got away it was dark and starting to get cold.  Not accounting for our later starting time I had only packed one change of warmer running clothes (ie. long-sleeve top).  My first leg would be a 6.36 miler starting from HAM Arena and finishing at Madison Elementary School.  As Judson approached it was around 9:00 pm with temps in the 40's.  Fortunately the wind had died down leaving behind a bright moonlight night with a sky full of stars.  It's always a challenge to figure out how to pace at this event.  Racing three times in less than 24 hour while driving 180+ miles without sleeping can wreak havoc with the body.  Perhaps inspired by Judson's presence I took the baton from him and pushed hard out of the TA into the darkness.  I felt a little tight for the first 10 minutes but then settled into a groove.  I had told Piper to expect me in around 40 minutes.  I handed him the baton at 40:43 good enough for 6:25's for my opening leg.  Our van finished running our first legs around midnight and then headed to Laconia for our overnight break.  We got about two hours of rest before Van #1 had us in cue and we were grabbing some Starbucks VIA and banana chocolate chip muffins my mother-in-law Judy had made.  My second leg (#21) would be an 8.5 miler with 554 feet of elevation gain.  Nearly all of it in a 1.5 mile stretch just before the half way point.  I again gave Piper a rough one hour estimate of my arrival time so he could be prepared.  The first 2.5 miles of my leg were downhill but the uneven pavement of RT 107 made the footing a little unpredictable and I was a cautious not to turn an ankle.  Studying the course profile beforehand I knew than just before the 3 mile mark the course began a three mile ascent to the high point of the leg before descending 2.5 miles to the TA.  Running at night gives me a misleading sense of pace...I always feel like I'm running faster than I really am.  After slogging through the climb and beginning to descend a fairly steep slope I felt a sharp pain in my hip with every footstrike.  Fortunately I was able to run through it and I handed Piper the baton at 1:01:56.  I was a little disappointed and slightly surprised with the 7:17's effort.  I knew it was a conservatively paced leg but I felt like I might have held back a little too much.  But the great thing about RTB is that there's still a ton of racing to do and absolutely no time to second guess.  We met Van #1 at Bear Brook State Park VTA around 8:00 am.  They we all in great spirits and were holding up very, very well.  As soon as Nick handed off to Austin we loaded in the van and drove to the Longbranch Restaurant in Raymond for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast.  Once again our nemesis the Grumpy Old Men, led by aR teammate Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, beat us to breakfast and were just being served as we sat down next to them.  After we ate we drove to Sanborn Regional High School VTA to rest before our final set of legs.  When the text came in from Van #1 that they were approaching it was becoming evident that we had a legitamate chance of finishing in under 24 hours.  And as we had progressed later in the event it was also clear that we had raced up toward the front as the VTA's were much less crowded.  My final leg was a 4.15 miler from the TUCK Learning Center in Exeter, NH to Timberland Headquarters.  Warming up my legs felt suprisingly good.  I broke out the racing flats and dug deep into my bag of expectations.  I wanted to go sub 26:00 on the mostly flat run through downtown Exeter and finish my portion of the event as an assest rather than a liability to my team.  The first mile I probably ran sub 6 as the excitement of the downtown crowd and the steady stream of runners up ahead pulled me forward.  But my legs felt heavy in the middle two miles and I couldn't seem to find a pace that felt fast enough not to be too slow.  With a mile to go I recognized where I was and began push a little harder.  I passed off to Piper at 25:19 (6:06's).  For the last leg of the race and without having raced on ashphault all year I was very happy with the result.  The last three legs of the race flew by as they always do and before we knew it we were standing on Hampton Beach with Van #1 waiting for Nick to arrive so we could finish together.  Crossing the finish line around 2:50 pm we celebrated another fantastic aR team performance.  The official results had us in 19th place overall in a time of 22:17:48.  We averaged 6:58's for 200 miles and finished 8th in the MENS-OPEN division out of 119 teams.  I would have never imagined in 2006 when we finished 164th in 30:17:26 that five years later we'd crack the Top 20 without intentionally fielding a Top 20 team.  This race has always been about two things for us; 1.) having fun and 2.) reaching the beach.  I am incredibly proud of my teammates who once again demonstrated what RACING acidotic is all about.

Video clip of Ann leaving Attitash VTA

Post-script:  Turns out we weren't the only aR athletes who "reached the beach" this weekend.  Thanks to Chris Lalmond, Scott Graham, Dan Dion, Jason Massa, Matt Benelli, Jeremiah Fitzgibbon, and Andy Corrow who all RACEd acidotic for their respective teams. 

NEXT UP:  Pinnacle Challenge VII

Run to Fall

"Play not only keeps us young but also maintains our perspective about the relative seriousness of things. Running is play, for even if we try hard to do well at it, it is a relief from everyday cares."  - Jim Fixx

NORTHWOOD, NH -- With less than a week to go before Reach The Beach I once again headed 25 minutes north to Coe-Brown Northwood Academy for the 11th Annual Run to Fall 5k XC race.  This is easily one of my favorite races of the year.  It's not just that it's close to home, but it has a really low-key friendly trail running vibe although it's probably technically a XC race.  Hosted by two CBNA XC seniors as their "senior project" it's always very well run.  This year would feature a new course on a recently finished section of double-wide track in a classic figure 8 loop.  Purposely arriving early I was eager to pre-run the course and see the new section of double-track.  I ran into teammate, CBNA XC coach, and course designer Tim Cox before the race and got the course description.  With about 75 minutes before race start I set out to run the course as both a warm-up and preview.  The course begins clockwise on the "old loop" before entering the new section of trail.  This new section rolls and turns for about a kilometer.  The footing is excellent and features smooth crushed gravel.  The figure 8 set-up would have us racing this new section in both directions.  Finishing the warm-up preview I changed into race attire and attempted to stay loose while catching up with numerous familiar faces.  The entire 180+ field lined up on the starting line in the baseball outfield and after a momentary starting gun misfire we were off.  Within minutes I was directly behind the lead pack.  I was warned that the first mile was fast and my 5:48 was proof enough.  A quick checkpoint assessment revealed that although I was pushing pretty hard I didn't feel like I was in too deep.  Around the same time I began to close hard on CBNA alum Derrick Hamel.  A legit 28 year old "skinny legger" the thought crossed my mind that 1.) he must be having an off day or 2.) I'M WAY OVER MY HEAD to even be within 2 minutes of him.  Last year at this race he beat me by almost 90 seconds finishing a very strong 9th overall.  I latched on to his left shoulder and was immediately struck by how effortless he seemed to move.  I, on the other hand, felt a little like an ox at a state fair pulling competition.  But amazingly I held on and actually moved around him on a slight incline.  Before I could get comfortable he blasted by me on the next slight descent and I figured that it would be the last time I saw him.  It wasn't.  Moments later I was again on his hip and matching him stride for stride.  As we entered the final new section of trail with less than a mile to go I gaped him on a climb and remarkably was able to hold on to the very slim :05 margin finishing in 19:12 (6:11's) good enough for 9th overall and 3rd 40+ master.  I am incredibly excited with the performance considering this is the only 5k event I race and my training has been pretty mixed (mtb & trail running) for the last few months.  Now time to recover and begin to plan for Reach The Beach at the end of the week.  Looking to carry some of this mojo with me to Cannon.

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach

Great Adventures Challenge

Finishing the bike leg.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"Children, gather round! No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun. An age of freedom, and all will know, that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it!" -King Leonidas from the movie 300

Bridgton, MAINE -- No retreat, no surrender!  That is aR law.  Heading into the Great Adventures Challenge (Bridgton, ME) I had one single purpose...race as hard as I could and "blow up or show up".  My legs bounced back nicely from my little bicycle ride last weekend aided in part by the planned restoration week.  Doc Sprague had done this race the past few years and was the inspiration behind Timmy Lindsey and I (along with our team photographer Gianina) taking the 2 hour drive north to Shawnee Peak.  The paddle was a mass start of humanity with oars clashing in the craziest game of bumper boats you've ever played.  I was struck by how challenging it was to keep the boat straight with the water so churned up.  As quickly as I could I found some quiet water and spotted the first buoy.  I did my best to pick a straight line wasting as little time as possible with needless zig zagging.  But even by the time I reach the first buoy the leader was already nearly a 100 meters ahead of me and the rest of the field.  I stayed around the Top 10 for the entire paddle neither gaining nor losing any ground to those around me picking a "straight as an arrow" line.  Doc was about 10 meters ahead the entire way and transitioned to the bike almost a minute ahead.  He had paddled with his helmet, bike shoes, and gloves already on while I chose to make a quick "costume change" (thanks Timmy) at the paddle/bike TA.  Doc had a killer weekend at the 24HoGG finishing 4th overall in our King of the Glen competition last week, so I already had my work cut out for me if I had any hope of beating him.  As soon as I got on my bike I stood up on the pedals in the big ring and mashed as hard as I could trying to close the gap.  Immediately I picked up two places passing some faster kayakers but slower mountain bikers.  Within a mile I caught a glimpse of Doc and my energy levels soared.  Not long after seeing him I was on his back tire and made him an offer to work together.  He graciously accepted and I attached myself to his back wheel letting him do most of the work.  Shortly there after I felt him slow on a flat section of road that we should have been hammering.  I decided to jump in front and return the favor encouraging him as I got into position.  He said his legs were gassed from last weekend and for me to go ahead and race for a podium.  I insisted we would race together and help each other to a Top 10 finish.  For the next few miles of dirt road and snowmobile trail we stayed together with me pulling him along.  Just past the half way mark he had fallen back as a signal for me to go.  Standing up again on the pedals I cranked as hard as I could toward the rider a hundred meters ahead.  After a little work I finally caught him and worked my way past.  My legs felt strong and I rode most of the next 5 miles in the big ring with the lone exception of the last hike-a-bike steep ascent back up to the ski area.  I had come out of the water 11th overall (solo's & teams) and finished the bike in 6th.  I transitioned to my trail shoes, grabbed my bottle of HEED, and headed out for the final two miles of the race.  With full sun and temps in the 80's it was a challenge to remain hydrated although I had made it to this point in the race without even so much as a muscle quiver.  I ran the first 20 meters up Pleasant Mountain and then realized it was a futile exercise.  We would gain ~1300 feet in a mile to the summit house.  With 15.5 aggressive mountain bike miles on my legs and very, very little tri-specific training (ie. bricks) in the bag I immediately switched to survival mode.  The two guys ahead of me were walking and as I peeked back EVERYONE else behind me was walking as well.  The way I reasoned as long as I walked as fast as everyone else my place was secure.  Counting the top competitors ahead of me I estimated myself to be somewhere inside the Top 10.  Although I don't know if they were solo's or teams, I lost two places on the mountain.  The downhill sprint was punishing on the legs but it felt great to move so purposely toward the finish.  I crossed the finish line in 2:17:23 good enough for 5th/49 solo (8th/83 overall/).  Obviously I'm really, really pleased with the result.  Despite a couple of sections on the mountain that I wished I was anywhere else but there...I raced hard from cannon to finish and held up remarkably well.  For my first real triathlon in nearly 20 years I'd say it was a success. 

Google Earth map and elevation profile.  As you can
see, Pleasant Mountain isn't so much.

Post-script:  I must say "kudos" and "thank you" to race director Rob Knowles for putting on such a unique race.  Rob was very gracious and generous with all three aR athletes in attendance.  This really is a great event.  Super challenging and fun course and a killer free lunch with burgers, dogs, and ice cream.  Great volunteers and a heaping dose of Maine "charm" make this a race I'd definitely go back to do...I just hope he moves it back another week from the 24HoGG.  I'm going to "run" Pleasant Mountain next time!  [At least to the first aid station]

NEXT UP: Reach The Beach Relay (NH)

24HoGG

Sunrise on Sunday morning starting
my second of two laps.
[Photo courtesy of Gianina Lindsey]

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."     - Cesare Pavese
Gorham, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Like Reach The Beach and Pineland Farms 25k, the 24 Hours of Great Glen mountain bike race I've now done for the past five years.  It's an event that everything else gets scheduled around.  I even plan my work vacation in conjunction with the race.  And the funny thing is...I'm only a recreational mountain biker.  Yeah I've taken strides over the last 15+ years to improve my 'technical ability', but really I'm an average trail/mountain runner who happens to love this little 24 hour mountain bike race.  Those of you who follow this blog and these race reports know that there are times (very recent times) that mountain bike racing hasn't gone very well for me.  [Reference " The Pinnacle"]  My love-hate relationship with the sport is well documented.  But the 24HoGG is different for a few very important reasons and those start and end with my aR teammates.  I race the event as part of a 4-person team and have shared some pretty incredible experiences with some pretty incredible people over the years.  This year was no exception.  aR brought the most teams to the event in our history (3) and it would be the first time that all four winners of the King of the Glen award would race together including Steve McCusker ('07), Steve Sprague ('08), Ted Hall ('09), and Jay J. Dunn ('10).  It's also a special weekend because I get to share it with my family.  My son Brayden and brother Jay have raced the past two years and my wife and daughters typically come up on Saturday and follow the action through the cannon on Sunday.  Last year I had a pretty miserable time and it was completely my own fault.  I got a little too caught up in the intra-aR competition and I lost touch of why I love the weekend so much.  This year I was determined to re-focus my attention, race as hard as I could, stay healthy, and enjoy what really is one of my favorite events of the year.  When I put the first two teams together back in the spring I attempted to make them as even as possible.  aR-BLACK was led by Ted Hall and included Austin Stonebraker, Ri Fahnestock, and myself.  aR-GOLD was captained by my brother Jay and included Steve Wolfe, Steve Sprague, and Brayden.  Shortly after these two teams were finalized there was enough interest to form a third team, aR-GREY and it included Timmy Lindsey, Jay Curry, Steve McCusker, and invited guest David Cretsinger.  With Timmy and Curry as first timers and David an unknown it was really unclear as to how this third team would fare in the competition between aR teams.  The week leading up to the race was anything but typical for me.  Fortunately I had taken the week off from work because I spent most of it nursing a strained muscle in my back suffered at work the previous week.  I took 4 consecutive zeros and spent most of the time lying on the floor as it was the only position that provided any measure of relief from the crippling back spasms.  I had actually lined up my teammate Amanda House as a replacement if I couldn't ride.  Hell, I could barely walk less than 4 days prior to the race.  Needless to say it wasn't the ideal way to taper but by Thursday I was feeling better and felt confident that I would be able to ride (racing may be another story).  With three very strong and very experienced teammates to back me up I took the 4th place in our rotation.  My first lap was serviceable as a I rode a 51:04.  With the improvements to the course I was able to ride the entire 8.5 mile loop including the infamous "bone yard" plunge at mile 8.  Other than some expected stiffness my back held up and I rested up for more riding.  A little before 6:00 pm I went out for lap #2 and decided to tone things down.  Like so many of my longer events I have experienced some epic physical collapses at this race which significantly reduces the "fun factor".  I once again rode all 1100+ feet of climbing and logged a 56:28 for Lap #2.  At this point we were able to determine some predictions about subsequent laps based on lap times.  It looked like my next single lap would be under darkness with lights around 9:30ish pm.  Ri came storming into the transition area at 9:24 pm and I was off for my first night lap.  Knowing that it was my last single before a solid five hour overnight break (while my teammates did their 'doubles") I continued my conservative approach trying to ride smooth and clean.  Riding all the ascents on the "Blueberry Hill" side of the operation I settled for walking the new Whiplash and Angel Station singletrack climb.  It was a little disappointing because in past years I've ridden the Angel Station singletrack on every lap.  With discretion being the better part of valor I walked but maintained a brisk up tempo 'hike-a-bike' cadence.  I finished Lap #3 in 1:03:28.  After a quick shower and a snack I set my alarm(s) for 2:30 am and laid down in Wolfe camper.  Steve has brought the camper for the past few years and has graciously offered a bed for me to sleep in during the overnight.  I rested as much as slept and awoke just before the alarm chimed.  My 'double' was next and thanks to my rider position and the timing, I would only have to do one of the laps with lights because in all likelihood my second lap would be started at dawn and finished around sunrise.  Overnight doubles have psyched me out in the past so knowing that I'd be riding in the daylight was a huge mental relief and it allowed me to relax and enjoy the 17 miles of riding.  I walked quite a bit of the first lap (Lap #4) and finished in 1:12:53.  I quickly ditched my lights and hydration pack, ate a quick snack, and then began my second lap.  Shortly after starting and right around the Honeymoon Cottage I was caught by my son.  He had done his overnight double hours earlier and was setting out on his 5th lap.  He offered to ride with me to pull me along and thanks to his company (and draft) I was able to negative split and ran a 1:12:36 for my Lap #5.  And by riding together we kept our two teams (BLACK & GOLD) in a virtual deadlock for the aR team title.  To this point in the event my conservative strategy had paid off.  I hadn't had any health issues and was having a great deal of fun hanging out with teammates between laps.  All that conservative fun and games changed less than three hours later and my son and I waited in the transition area for our riders (Ri & Doc) to arrive.  Since we had handed the batons to Ted & Jay hours earlier the two teams had battled neck and neck and were still less than a minute apart after having raced for 20+ hours.  Knowing I had raced a smart race to that point and knowing it was not only my last lap but it was also a chance to help keep aR-BLACK on top for our last two riders I was going to give it everything I had.  Ri came into the tent less than :10 seconds before Doc.  It was my 18 year old son and myself for bragging rights on the last, typically hardest, lap.  Right out of the transition area I stood up in the big ring and hammered with what little I had left.  As I made it to the Blueberry Hill switchbacks I could see him right behind me riding hard and closing fast.  He had crushed me at The Pinnacle in June so this was my chance at revenge.  Riding through the tunnel I felt as if I had kept the slim :10 margin I had started with but with 6 miles to go I knew anything could happen.  Brayden is particularly fearless on the descents and with his carbon fiber bike and 18 year old fearlessness I knew I had a race on my hands.  Giving it everything I had in as big of a gear as I could push I started to lose glimpses of him behind and I felt like I had gaped him.  I rode most everything I could and ran with my bike on everything else.  At one moment during the Angel Station singetrack climb as I pushed my bike hard I felt my quads begin to quiver.  I quickly pulled out the Endurolyte FIZZ I had put in my back pocket just in case.  Popping it in the water I had left in my bottle I drank a 1/4 of what was left and almost immediately felt better although this bobble allowed Brayden to close and although I couldn't see him I knew he was right behind.  When I made it back to the meadow I once again stood up on the big ring and peddled as hard as I could through the chicane finish, dismounted the bike, and handed the baton (and a :30 lead) to Ted.  Thanks to Brayden's 'push' I rode a solid 56:32.   After he finished, Brayden told me that he had to stop to fix a chain suck just before the last switch back climb.  He said he had started to see me again before the mechanical but the :30 he took to fix his bike was the difference in our lap times.  With very strong efforts from Ted and Austin were able to hold off the very tough aR-GOLD team by just a scant few minutes with each team completing 26 laps for the race.  As I reflect on the race, I had a much better time this year than last and it was probably due to 1.) my new Felt Q720 ran like a charm with zero mechanicals, 2.) my racing approach consisting of riding to my fitness level, and 3.) my general disregard for competing specifically against any other rider racing the course and myself instead.  If you're a mountain biker you must do the 24HoGG as a 4-person team.  It's an incredible experience and a fantastic weekend.

COMPLETE PHOTO SET COURTESY OF GIANINA LINDSEY

NEXT UP: Great Adventures Challenge (Bridgton, ME)