Canadian National Adventure Racing Championships
Professional Volunteers
Doug Doyle / 01.06.2006
The crux of the National Adventure Racing Championships was the initial trek originating at the start of Stage Two. Bob Miller, Race Designer soon realized teams would be testing their racing fortitude as they clawed their way through the thick northern bush towards CP3/TA1. The drama of the race was played out with each team having an epic story to tell on arrival at the first transition area. The tone of the drama turned serious as those teams that could not trek beyond CP2 were forced to bivouac in the dense bush at this check point. Nigel from team Adidas Canada was unable to carry on and was soon joined by team Good2Go (Michael, Colin, Giselle and Mike.)
Race HQ realized any teams stranded at CP2 would require assistance to be taken out of the woods and reunited with their support crew.
An action plan was developed with the assistance of race volunteers Martial Lachappele and Laurent (Larry) Robichaud who were originally tasked to man CP2, a remote checkpoint only accessible by canoe and portage, south of Smoothwater Lake.
The day before Martial and Larry had made their way to the CP by traveling down the Montreal River which flowed into Smoothwater Lake. Larry had taken his motorized catamaran with pontoons and Martial paddled his canoe down the river. They left the catamaran at the south end of Smoothwater Lake and they took Martials canoe down a series of lakes involving four portages.
Martial returned to Elk Lake the following day only to be called by Race HQ and asked to return to CP2 to assist with the extraction of Nigel and Good2Go.
Martial drove back to the canoe put in on the south end of the Montreal River and paddled alone downriver to Smoothwater Lake. He then traversed a portage of ¾ of a kilometre and continued paddling. His next portage took him an hour and 15 minutes, then continued paddling for another hour. The third portage was about 15 minutes effort and another ten minutes paddling to the fourth portage over a hill and finally his last paddle to CP2.
His portages consisted of walking with his canoe for ten minutes, then running back to his paddles and packs, then walking from that point beyond the canoe to drop off his paddles and pack, return to the canoe and repeat this exhausting process.
In the interim, Larry was tending to his unexpected guests and making them as comfortable as possible with a fire to warm the teams bodies and spirits. He found some river clams and satiated the racers stomachs with clams and noodles.
Martial prepared to transport the five racers north along the same path he had thus far done three times. He would load his canoe with two racers then paddle to the first portage, return to the remaining three racers and repeat the process until all the racers were at the first portage. He continued in this fashion until he was at the south end of Smoothwater Lake having shuttled his canoe and racers over the portages. He then used the motorized catamaran to bring the racers to the put in along the Montreal River where the racers support teams were waiting for them.
An exhausted Martial returned home at the end of his second day canoeing and portaging for much needed rest. This did not last long as overnight, two more teams arrived at CP2 and dropped out of the race. Race HQ assessed the teams physical abilities and instructed them to begin a trek to the south end of Smoothwater Lake to be met by Martial in the catamaran.
Martial returned to the Montreal River, launched the catamaran and picked up the racers. He then returned to CP2 to assist Larry and overnighted. They were cleared from the check point by Race HQ, left on day four and returned to Elk Lake Campground, CP7/TA2 after six hours of hard travelling to be cleared off the course.
Larry and Martial are experienced backwoods travellers and their work at the CP was invaluable: providing medical assistance and nurturing those racers whose physical and psychological conditions had reached a deep trough. Through their efforts, a potentially dangerous situation was defused with the racers being taken out of the bush by a dedicated team of professionals and re-united with their support crew.
Martial and Larrys’ volunteer experience with the National Adventure Racing Championships may be unique, but their dedication and commitment to the race is the standard of the entire volunteer crew who have proudly donated their skills and time away from work and family to ensure race success. I was fortunate to meet most volunteers throughout Stage 1 and Stage 2 and in every instance, I made a friend. I was impressed with their enthusiasm for the event, their shared excitement with the teams and their compassion for each racer who arrived at a check point and was greeted by warm smiles and congratulations for a job well done.
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