Adventure Rage Recap
News Feed / 13.10.2005
Eighty racers, set out in the foggy predawn chill, canoeing out of the little town of Ellsworth, Michigan in the 4th annual Infiterra Sports Salomon/Moosejaw Adventure Rage race. The start saw some teams paddling straight out together and some canoes on a collision course until they settled down into the 22-mile paddle on the first leg of the race. Glow sticks attached to the fore and aft of the canoes and onto the racers lent a festive glow and helped those on shore track the progress of teams until daybreak. The paddling was sheer flat water endurance on lakes and canals broken up by one CP at the end of Central Lake and a short portage over a dam in the picturesque town of Bellaire.Not surprisingly, the first team out of the water on the sunny Saturday morning was the Ausable River Rats followed closely by another team of paddlers from northern Michigan, The Wood Turtles. About 25 minutes back, Team Holofiber, The Beaver Squad, and Absolute Endo/NMET rounded out the top five off the water.
Most teams were done after five hours of paddling and ready for the next section, a 35-mile bike on paved roads and Michigan quality, and energy soaking, sandy trails. Teams picked up their bikes at CP2. From there, they were to navigate to a total of 5 manned control points during this bike section. A support crew access point / team-cheering-section half way through provided a quick refueling station. Chocolate pudding cups, Rice Crispy Treats, and other racer fuel was devoured quickly, just before teams plunged down a rut filled, washed out, steep, sandy, two-track. More deceptive back-woods trails were navigated, as teams knocked off two more required CPÃs before reaching the first transition area and the start of the Orienteering course.
The bike navigation proved to be a little tricky for some and route choices were everywhere. After the long paddle and even longer bike section, teams were ready for the first transition area. The two person coed team Holofiber was the first into TA1/CP7. Within fifteen minutes, 4-person coed teams Absolute Endo/NMET and the Ausable River Rats came racing in. At this point, the field became very separated, as some teams did not arrive in the TA until a full 6 hours after the first place team. Nonetheless, the huge orienteering section with numerous choices would prove to be the crux of the race.
While the maps for the rest of the race consisted of a 1:30,750 scale, the orienteering maps offered the greater detail of a 1:24000 scale. There were 13 total orienteering points broken out between an eastern and western side to the course. Two of these CPÃs on the Eastern section were especially physically and mentally challenging due to the expanse between points; as if the directors were taunting the racers to push themselves to the edge.
The weather in the afternoon and evening was perfect for racing. Sunny skies and high temperatures in the 60Ãs made for fast travel. Per usual, daylight played a huge factor. Top teams enjoyed 5 hours or more, where the later arriving teams barley got to get underway before the sun started to disappear. Of the 13 O-course points, a team only needed to get 3 to remain ranked, but to be competitive they needed to collect as many as possible before the 1:00AM deadline to leave the O-course.
The varying navigational skills of the individual teams resulted in a huge spread in the amount of points gained and time consumed. Team Absolute Endo/NMET blasted through the O-course and left TA2 with all 13 points at 9:18pm. They took just under 7 hours to clear the 16-18 mile O-course that contained many hills & valleys, thick bush, and open forestland. Teams Holofiber, Peckerhead Racing, and the Ausable River Rats also managed to get all 13 points on the tough course.
Next up was a 13-mile bike, a deceptively short distance given the difficulty of locating the next two CPs, especially in the dark of night. CP8 was some distance off trail, and up large hill, so wooded that it was impossible to see the campfire with the two volunteers until racers were almost on top of it. CP 9 proved to be a navigational puzzle to more than a couple teams. It was located back among a labyrinth of trails, with wheel sucking deep sand that twisted around endlessly. A huge bonus was the cold cokes the race volunteers gave out to competitors once they found this point.
The first team with all the O-course points into CP10/TA3 was Absolute Endo/NMET, biking in just past midnight. They had now opened up a 2-hour lead on the nearest competitor; team Holofiber. TA3 proved to be a welcome place for both racers and support crew with its location at the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery. While the support crews waited for the racers to show up, a hatchery staff person was there giving guided tours of the facilities well into the night. Here racers dropped their bikes, replenish their gear stock and set out for a 6-mile trek to the final paddle put-in. This trek took racers down through the heart of the Jordan River Valley into some beautiful country. Unfortunately for the racers, it was nighttime and the scenic vistas of the valley where not to be seen by them. Along the trek was another optional CP that competitive teams had to forge the Jordan River and navigate up a reentrant to find.
CP11 was the start for the big surprise of the race ñ 6 miles of pack rafting on the Jordan River. Racers were required to blow up provided rafts and were advised ìif you stick to the middle of the channel youÃll be fine.î For teams that reached this section in full dark the experience was like a cross between a carnival fun house and a log flume ride with unanticipated twists and turns in the river, fallen trees threatening to pop the rafts, and a few minor rapids to pass through. Absolute Endo/NMET maintained their lead through these sections with teams Holofiber and Peckerhead Racing following approximately 2 and 3 hours behind respectively.
At the end of the rafting was the start of the final leg; a 12-mile bike leading to the top of Boyne Mountain to punch the last and much anticipated CP13 and then ride down the front side to the finish. At this point many teams found themselves in a true downpour. Clouds moved in over night, but the good news was that the temperature did not drop. En route to the finish, the rain, soggy clothes and muddy tires, while flying down the side of the ski hill, just heightened the experience.
In true Infiterra style, the Rage involved huge mental and physical challenges, many surprises, and all the enjoyment of an autumn excursion through classic Michigan woods and waterways. Seven out of twenty eight teams that started did not finish, three teams were unranked and two more teams were put on an alternate course. All in all, the race was a huge success with superior competition, wonderful volunteers and afterwards the hospitality Boyne Mountain Resort is famous for.
Congratulations to the Coed 4 Person and Overall Winners, Team Absolute Endo/NMET, winning in a time of 25:37 with 14 O-course points. The 2nd place overall finish went to 2 Person Coed Team Holofiber in a time of 27:36 with 14 O-course points. Coming in 3rd overall was 2 Person Male Team Peckerhead Racing in a time of 29:00 with 14 O-course points.
For more information and complete results see www.infiterrasports.com.
