2014 USARA National Championships

The Quest To Repeat

Tecnu adventure racing
One of the reasons why we love the sport of adventure racing, is you never know what
might happen from one moment to the next. You try to control the variables, and the
more experienced you get, the better you are at it, but invariably some elements elude
you, and you make mistakes, and it is because of this quest for the perfect race that we
continue to toe the line. You could get a flat tire, be hit by a freak snowstorm, or in the
case of Team Tecnu at the 2014 USARA National Championships, go from a
commanding lead, to falling to 5
th
place being sure wed lost the race, to finishing in first
place as the first repeat National Champions since Team Travelor did it in 2000-2001.
Proof that if you just keep a positive mental image, and never stop pushing, anything can
happen, and usually does.
Despite the dismal forecast, some unexpected sun shone through as the gun sounded
Friday October 3
rd
sending 60 teams from 27 states up the Wisp Ski resort in western
Maryland to literally dive into the first of what would be many wet sections of the course.
At the top of the ski hill was a manmade whitewater park, which we were required to
swim through, relay style, using boogie boards. After the run up the mountain ahead of
the pack, the frigid water wasnt quite as unwelcome as anticipated, however it quickly
became clear to each of us that the boogie board was best used as a shield rather than a
swimming aid. After crashing through the rapids, coughing and just trying to hang on,
we were finally spit out into a large open poolall that was left to do was an easy swim
across to the exit. In reality, this serenely calm pool on the surface was instead a wide
sea of adventure racers struggling to swim against a strong current of a massive swirling
eddy. Inch by inch we each made it out of the water, and reunited to run back down the
mountain and hop on the bikes, only minutes behind the leading team Dart/Nuun.
As we ran into TA1 in 2
nd
place Dart/Nuun was just leaving. These two teams battling it
out for the top spot was becoming a tradition.
Next up was the King of the Mountain Hill Climb, a USARA Nationals tradition that
awards the fastest team up a designated climb. In the past five years, every team that has
won the King of the Mountain has failed to win the entire raceCase in point we won
twice and finished 2
nd
both years, and last year Dart/Nuun won the KOH award and
finished in 2
nd
place to us. Our hope was to break this trend, however the rest of the race
was ahead of us and with the bigger picture in mind we cruised to the top and kept
pushing hard to the next checkpoint.
It was during the short bike section following the hill climb that we passed Dart/Nuun
and took a solid turn in the lead. A quick transition and a short mile run with our paddle
gear put us on the water mid-morning at Deer Creek Lake, ready to tackle some
whitecaps. It was quite the bumpy and soggy ride in our beamy canoe as we plowed
directly into the wind. With severe winds and white-caps the media team came alongside
in a speedboat to take some pictures and later told us how impressed they were by the
pace we were pushing. Apparently they had us clocked going upstream in the wind at 6
mph. Luckily, Kyle brought a bilge pump, formally known as Mr. Thirsty, and we
were able to make good time by periodically pumping water out of the boat while on the
move thereby keeping us more aerodynamic. After a tour of the reservoir to collect a
couple distant checkpoints, we finally landed the canoe at Deep Creek Lake State Park
for a short orienteering section, just as it began to rain. With no major errors, we
stretched out our lead a little here and there, and although soaked we were feeling good
as we jumped back in the boat for the final short paddle and run back to the resort.
It was during the next long bike leg when things got interesting. Not only was the sun on
its way down, but so was the rain. It poured as we made our way along the main road
and then into the woods for what proved to be a very challenging section of the race.
Unsure of our current standing, after a couple errors that set us back about thirty minutes
each we were convinced wed lost the lead. Drenched but determined, we pressed on
only to have more struggles, which included hiking our bikes down a steep ravine
through thick brambles in search of a mapped road that no longer existed.
When youre tired, soaked to the bone, and things go wrong in an adventure race, its a
constant battle to keep the discouragement from creeping in. All you want is a warm bed
and a cup of hot chocolatebut the bittersweet reality remains that there is no choice but
to keep pushing your team forward and even in those frustrating moments, remember that
anything can happen! Adventure racing is about maintaining your composure, not
wasting energy, and to keep moving. It was this battle-worn belief that kept our team
driving hard and powering through the night.
After the hapless bike leg, we learned we had fallen behind several teams but they were
not as far ahead as we feared. We had gone from about an hour ahead in the lead to
about an hour behind so we were now in 5
th
place behind Bushwhacker, Untamed, and
Dart/Nuun. The next five hours spent on foot in the dead of night was a combination of
smart route planning, excellent teamwork, and spot-on navigation. The relentless and
arduous orienteering course took us up and down mountain after mountain, sliding along
on slippery wet leaves and through nasty thorn bushes. Emerging from the woods and
into the Transition Area, we were happily surprised to learn that only one team,
Bushwhacker, was now only 10 minutes ahead of us. As the sun came up it was time to
hammer out the last bike leg and go for broke.
Still drenched to the core, we rode hard through biting wind and freezing temperatures,
grinding out the last 25 miles with frozen hands and feet. We arrived back at the resort
almost 30 minutes in the lead and with only three hours left to complete the final trekking
section before the race cut-off. Back up the ski resort mountain we went, legs tired, lungs
hurting, but with inviting thoughts of crossing that finish line first but still knowing
anything can happen, for better or worse! With pure focus, Kyle led us to the remaining
few checkpoints smoothly. As we crested the top of the ski hill one last time, knowing
all that was left was a swift run down to the finish line, we heard Tecnus manager and
founder Earring Doug yell out from the finish line, Whaaa Hoo, you did it, and the
realization that we had pulled off another win began to sink in. We were going to be
National Champions! Wow! We came down the hill arm in arm enjoying the last few
moments together as a team before the finish line demanded we stop. It always feels good
to win a race, but crossing the finish line at the National Championship, after a brutal and
unforgiving fight through relentless highs and lows, is a feeling unmatched. It is a sport
of mostly solitude. Only you and your team-mates know what hell you went through to
get there, but it those friendships forged in fire that keep us coming back time and again.
In the end we won by 38 minutes over Bushwhacker and our friends at Untamed finished
just a mere 90 seconds after them as they only 3 teams to finish the full course. It was the
longest National championships we have ever been too.
Finishing only 50 minutes before the 30-hour cut-off time, we were one of only three
teams to clear the entire course. And, as the icing on the cake, we also pulled off the
King of the Mountain win as well, and forever dispelled that myth.
A huge THANKS to all our sponsors we couldnt have done it without you! Thank you
to Tecnu, and Tecnu Extreme for making amazing products that keep us safe from poisin
ivy and poisin oak. Thanks to Adventure Medical Kits and Survive Outdoor Longer for
making amazing first aid kits and breathable escape bivvy sacs. To Champion Systems
for our amazing racing kits, Leki trekking poles, and Skins Compression gear. To Out
There USA Packs, Headsweats performance hats, the Probar, Light & Motion, KEEN
Footwear, Darn Tough Vermont socks, Kinesys greaseless sunscreen, Julbo USA for
their killer Pipeline and Trail sunnies. Princeton-Tec, and Pacific Health Labs makers of
Accel, 2
nd
Surge gels, and our secret weapon Endurox R4. To 1UP USA makers of the
best bike racks on the planet. Without your belief in us we cannot do what we do, so a big
shout out to you and your amazing products that help us go fast, and have a chance to go
for the win.
Off to Ecuador we go with a 7 race win streak hoping this is a great omen for us at the
World Championships in 3 weeks. Last race of the 2014 season, and were hoping to go
big. Good luck to everyone. See you there.