Florida Coast-to-Coast Eco Adventure Race
Fast Forward in Florida
Christopher O’Connell - Team Water Turkey / 06.06.2003
Early dawn on Friday, standing in a crowd of 65 teams on Daytona Beach, our team, Team Water Turkey, huddled together listening to the waves crash a few feet away. We glanced back and forth between the first light in the East and the race directors preparing for the start. It would be the last chance for us to stand still for the next three days. We were about to embark on the 280 mile Florida Coast-to-Coast Eco Adventure Race, Memorial Day Weekend, 2003. Finally, the race official spoke up. “This is the Florida Coast-to-Coast, so in order to make it official, I need you all to back up into the water!�A slight chuckle issued from the crowd. This was a joke, right? Rains were reported to be coming, and keeping our feet healthy and dry was a worry for most of the racers. And now we were expected to dive in to the salt water? There were all sorts of confusion and joking. Finally, we realized they were serious. “Lets jump in, guys!�
Susan Walsh, and I took part last year, when the race went from West-to-East. This year, we would be headed back West, so we headed out into the Atlantic. We only got about ankle deep, but it was good enough to make the Coast-to-Coast concept official. We just smiled, and shook our heads. We were all trying to get ourselves mentally ready for whatever was to come. Like so much else that stood before us, a little humor, and a willingness to enjoy the adventure in whatever form it took on was the attitude we would need to get through the course.
Finally, with a shout, the race began. Out of the water, and onto the beach, we began jogging 10 miles down the beach. For Susan and I, this race is very important as both our families live in Florida, and it gives them a chance to see us. This year, we were happy to share this experience with our teammates and friends from Nashville, Colleen Grierson and Patrick Bair.
Portages and Tree Climbs
We held on to a good pace, probably near the middle of the pack and at the boat TA, we transitioned quickly, but with new rental boats it took extra time to get out into the Intercoastal Waterway. Once on the water hundreds of boats were spread out all around us – it was quite a sight to look up and down the river at the variety of kayaks and canoes. Susan paddled with Patrick, while I paired up with Colleen. We kept together pretty well, passing slower boats with fast runners, and getting passed by slow runners with kick-ass boats.
At the end of the paddle, we had a portage, so we slapped on the wheels, and began dragging the boats – until it became obvious that the path was a muddy mess. Patrick and I took the first boat, and told the girls we would come back. The “boat-whack� became brutal, and our friend and event photographer Eric Beach was there taking shots of the carnage. Susan was behind us dragging the 2nd kayak all by herself, while Colleen was laden with all the gear. These girls were not going to just sit by and let us do all the fun stuff. See All Event Posts
