Endless Mountains Adventure Race
Smart Choices, Fun and Free Beer
Abby Perkiss & Brent Freedland (Rootstock Racing) / 24.06.2022
Day four of the 2022 Endless Mountains Adventure Race –characterized by persistence and grace, smart and strategic decisions, elk encounters and an eternal tap.
Team Bones, who jockeyed for first place for the first two days of the race, arrived at TA5 at 11:11am, nearly 24 hours later than they expected when they entered the Quehanna Wilds. They had spent four of those hours searching unsuccessfully for checkpoint 25, a mandatory control on a rock band at the top of a 700-foot climb. They spent most of the leg clinging to some hope that the point was misplotted, or that the flag had been removed by a visitor, and when they learned a couple hours before finishing the stage that everyone else had found it, their spirits momentarily flagged.
By the time they arrived at TA, though, they were laughing. Buoyed by grilled cheese sandwiches, they briefly contemplated returning to the woods to re-attack CP25 once more. But Charles Triponez’s knee had been nagging for several hours, and they ultimately decided to cut their losses, put aside their competitive ambitions, and enjoy the rest of the journey as a team.
They set off on the bikes with only two teams behind them on the course. Less than an hour later, they returned to TA. “Injuries can be expected given what we put our bodies through in races,” they later said, “given the stress of non-stop motion while sleep deprived and a bit broken. Most can be overcome during the race with a healthy dose of perseverance and a few handfuls of ibuprofen. Unfortunately, there are times when they cannot… [and] no amount of grit, determination, or stubbornness will get you to the finish line.”
As of this writing, Bones is the only team who has left the course, a testament to the smart decision-making and strategic short-coursing by a field that is diverse in experience, fitness, and performance ambition. The four women of Team Wildlings elected to stick to the mandatory course through Leg F, wanting to make sure they had enough time to enjoy the long paddle down the Clarion to the finish.
Jim Farmer of Privateer Chattanooga had dealt with an injury in the weeks leading up to the race, and the team committed to focusing on the suggested short course – what race directors have called the “highlights reel” of the region – to ensure that they could get to the finish healthy and feeling well. TeamsthisABILITY – Choice Insurance Agency, Chaos Required, and GOALS ARA Masters all include members who are new to expedition racing. Their more experienced teammates wanted to make sure they had fun along the way, and they all planned their routes accordingly. The strategy worked; morale was strong across the board when they left TA5.
Stage F was particularly emblematic of these smart racing decisions. Only five teams visited checkpoints F1 and F2, two optional controls which require a rugged and rocky descent followed by the hardest climb of the course. They also add thirty miles of distance. The rest of the field focused on the scenic route through the wide-open landscape of Elk Country, where almost every team encountered the majestic animals.
When they left the forest, they pushed through a mundane ten miles of rail trail – what many described as the most challenging riding of the race, because of its monotony and exposure to sun – to checkpoint 33, Straub Brewery and their famous Eternal Tap.
The taproom – which has served as a de facto media headquarters for race staff throughout the week, after a tornado took down the infrastructure at the rented Airbnb in the days before the start – greeted racers with pitchers of ice water and umbrellaed tables to rest their feet.
Many teams took the opportunity for a sit-down meal, and some partook of the free ale that has flowed from the eternal tap since 1872 (limited to two beers per visit!). Dotwatchers were likely focused on the battle for the podium, as second-place Rootstock enjoyed sandwiches, unaware that third-place Rib Mountain Racing was pushing toward the CP.
When they arrived, Rootstock packed up quickly and made for TA6 at Lazy River Canoeing in downtown Ridgway. Rib pulled out only a minute later, and within twenty minutes, they passed Rootstock on the road into town.
The foursome arrived at TA with a four-minute lead, and Jesse Spangler was buzzing with excitement. “That was one of the best legs I’ve ever done in an adventure race,” he offered. “It had everything, and there was so much to see!”
When they arrived, Rootstock got down to the business of transitioning, and they left for the final stage fourteen minutes in front. The two groups jockeyed into the night, the competition no doubt keeping the sleepmonsters at bay, at least for a little while.
Back in Clarion, race personnel began setting up the Toyota Tundra finish line arch in anticipation of the first teams arriving on Friday. Mari Chandler of Team Bones lent a hand, putting her untapped energy to use as teammate Triponez nursed what early diagnosis suggests is a meniscus tear.
“The Mountain may have won this round,” the team reflected,“but we will be back in 2023. Not only to slay our new demon, but to experience the magic of the Endless Mountain Adventure Race once again.”
