Shrugging off temperatures that frequently dipped below freezing, blustery snow showers, driving rain, creek crossings so numerous they kept racers wet from start to finish, lake water temperatures around 35 degrees, and winds gusting to 40 mph, the veteran racers of Eastern Mountain Sports (Jennifer Shultis, Chad Denning, and David Lamb) out-paced the competition across the nearly 100-mile course and won the 2nd annual Checkpoint Zero Adventure Race presented by Inov-8 this past weekend in Hiawassee, GA in 25 hours and 48 minutes.
"That course was an ass-kicker even without the weather," commented Jennifer Shultis. "We knew this was gonna be a tough course with a very competitive field. We underestimated the reality of the situation on both counts and simply didn't count on the weather playing as big a factor as it did. We're still in shock that we were the only team to finish the entire course officially. This ranks among our most proud accomplishments. We can't wait for next year."
With the win, EMS made up for finishing just behind Enduraventure/Outspokin' Bikes last year and builds on their recent 2nd place finish at the Swamp Stomp last month to take the points lead in the Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series, also presented by Inov-8. The team will receive a check for $1500, 100 Series points, and their choice of sunglasses from Numa Sport Optics, Inov-8 packs, or Inov-8 shoes.
EMS wasn't the only team to complete the entire course. One other team had the moxy to go the distance in a spectacular show of willpower and determination. ATAC/Active Cycles not only completed the full course in 29 hours and 32 minutes, just 28 minutes shy of the official cutoff at 3pm, but they did it knowing they would not be ranked officially. They lost their passport just beyond CP13, the first checkpoint on the final trekking leg to the Finish.
Eddie Cremonese, Jennifer Moos, and Scott Pleban of ATAC/Active Cycles showed true grit and demonstrated exactly what this sport is all about. They conquered their emotions, ignored their misery, and kept racing despite the knowledge that they were out of the competitive rankings. Their performance at this race should serve as an inspiration to racers everywhere. It's easy to quit when you're tired or cold or lost or suffer a mechanical breakdown or when you know you can't win even if you make it to the Finish first. It takes a rare individual to ignore all of that and press on. Hats off to the racers of ATAC/Active Cycles. You are adventure racing. For their effort, despite being unranked due to the lost passport, Checkpoint Zero, LLC has awarded the team two complimentary entries to future Checkpoint Zero events. "These are exactly the kind of racers I want at my events," commented Paul "Yak" Angell, President of Checkpoint Zero, LLC. "Next time your team is about to quit a race, think about ATAC/Active Cycles, man up, and get a move on. There's no crying in adventure racing."
Of the 74 teams that set out on canoes from the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds on Saturday morning, only 47 teams made it to the Finish. Of those, 45 teams were forced to skip several checkpoints and in some cases entire sections of the course in the face of nature's fury, just to stay in contention for an official ranking. For many that meant a reprieve from a treacherous paddle on Lake Burton on Saturday afternoon amidst gusting winds and lashing white caps. 32 teams did set out on the water to fetch CPs 5 and 6. One of them dodged a bullet when their canoe capsized and sent the already frozen racers into the bone chilling water.
After a strong gust of wind flipped their canoe, team Bear North/Black Sheep Cycles (Tracey Lewis, Bill Jordan, and Corbitt Simmons) found themselves floating near shore but unable to swim through the chop and driving wind to safety. As is always the case when adventure racers see their colleagues in trouble, a team paddling behind Bear North quickly put aside any concern for the race and diverted their canoe to lend assistance.
Team Primal Instinct (James Carr, Brian Bills, and Bill Erwin) towed the hypothermic racers of Bear North to the dock of a lake house adjacent to their capsized canoe. Fortune smiled at that point when the residents of the lake house enthusiastically put aside their weekend holiday to provide a warm refuge, dry clothes, and food. By this point, Bear North had already called 911 concerned that Tracey was dangerously cold. Ultimately all racers recovered quickly with no lasting impact, though all agree it was a close call. In light of this near tragedy the paddling section on Lake Burton was closed immediately and all racers were routed to the second bike leg.
The race continued uneventfully through the night. By this time the weather had abated though temperatures continued to hover below freezing. Most teams opted to skip the unmanned CPs and 3 of the manned CPs on the final trek to ensure they reached the Finish at River Bend Campground by the cutoff of 3pm. In a twist of irony, the sun rose Sunday morning behind clear skies and the mercury soared into the 50s. Throughout the day, teams arrived on foot and the campground was filled with harrowing tales too numerous to count. Despite the harsh conditions and grueling course, virtually all teams reported a great experience and were already alluding to racing again in 2009.
Black Dome/Sports Factory and WEDALI (We Eat Dust And Love It) rounded out the top 3 in the Coed Elite division. They'll receive $1000 and $500 respectively, along with gear from Inov-8 and Numa Sport Optics and hydration tables from nuun.
Salomon Crested Butte, a well know and accomplished team of professional athletes will be racing in Buena Vista at the Gravity Play AXS Buena Vista 24, their first Series event of the season. The team won the Gravity Play Adventure Xstream Series last year and are looking to duplicate that impressive performance while chasing Series points at the same time. Look for them to dominate the field from the start. Baring an injury, mechanical problem or alien abductions they are the clear favorite to win.
800 miles to the southwest the powerful racers of DART-nuun are also joining the hunt for Series points at the Desert Winds adventure race hosted by Kayak Lake Mead in Nevada.
