Mind Over Mountain
Show me the Lunny!
Bryan Tasaka (Mind Over Mountain) / 03.11.2003
Over 180 excited racers lined up on the shores of Comox Lake for the start of the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) season finale. The sky was blue, the water was clear as glass, the trails were ready to ride. The 90 volunteers were set to cheer on whoever crossed their path. The foghorn blew, signaling the start and a sea of adventure racers sprinted frantically down the cobble beach for an intense 500 metre Le Mans style run. The 10th Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race had began.
On a foggy Friday night, racers had arrived in the Village of Cumberland - a historic coal mining town in the Comox Valley - for mandatory racer check-in. An event in itself, the Riding Fool Hostel played host to an evening of racers mingling while drinking their free pint of Piper\'s Pale Ale beer (or six if you work at the Urban Lemming bike shop ...). Hopefully there was enough beer to settle the nerves of the many first time adventure racers and ensure a good night\'s rest after a long afternoon of travel.
In the week leading up to the race, the weather conditions were poor and on the day before the race, fog blanketed Comox Lake and Cumberland until mid-afternoon. Needless to say, we expected an ugly weather day on Saturday; however, the MOMAR race karma came through AGAIN and blessed us with the only sunny day of the week. Thank you weather gods!
Following the beach run, racers launched their kayaks into Comox Lake for a 8 km paddle to the other side of the lake. First to hit the beach was Dave Bergman and Justin Mark of Team Puke, followed closely by soloist, Dave Kvick from North Vancouver, and Team Alpha Adventures. Once on the beach, racers met the first Mystery Event.
This was a simple map and compass PAPER exercise where racers had to figure out the bearing and distance from one point to the next. Time penalties were two minutes for every incorrect answer and even with a three degree and a 30 metre leeway, many racers made costly mistakes.
\"One of the things that defines the sport of adventure racing is a racer\'s ability to know how to use a compass properly and how to calculate real world distance from a map,\" says race director, Bryan Tasaka. \"This relatively simple paper exercise tests just those skills and it separates the men from the boys.\" See All Event Posts
