DART Wins the First Trioba Race

Cyril Jay-Rayon/Mike Bitton / 24.04.2005

Team DART came out on top against a strong field of 48 teams in the first race of the Trioba Adventure Racing Series – www.trioba.com. The series which consists of 3 races (a super sprint 3-6 hours, sprint 6-12 hours, and a 24 hr race) is the region’s toughest adventure racing series that determines the Pacific Northwest Adventure Racing Champion. The first race was the super sprint and consisted of orienteering, trail running, mountain biking, and kayaking. The team was composed of Kimberly Shavender, Matt Hart, Glenn Rogers, and Cyril Jay-Rayon.

Torrential rains and cold temperatures greeted the competitors on the morning of the race at Saint Edward’s Park in Kenmore. “It wouldn’t be Seattle if we didn’t race in the rain in April,” commented Matt Hart with a large grin. The scene before the race was quite comical. Competitors were packed like sardines under a few pop-up tents trying to keep their bodies dry. Despite the foul weather, spirits were high and, in true Northwest style, a festive atmosphere had developed in anticipation for the start.

The race began with a short 5 Check Point (CP) orienteering leg designed to spread out the field before the kayak section. DART finished the short orienteering first but was followed closely by numerous teams. The paddle section required teams to run with their kayaks down a ¼ mile to the lake. The trails to the water were slick and made for some acrobatic moments as teams tried to keep their balance on the way down. Again, DART managed to come out of the water first, but was still followed closely by some experienced teams.

Next the team embarked on a longer orienteering leg that would send them throughout the park on foot. “This orienteering leg is what worried me the most,” says Cyril, team navigator. “ We navigate relatively well over long distances but I just didn’t know how well we’d do in a shorter orienteering format race where CPs are often hidden behind a tree stump rather than on top of a mountain in plain view, like in longer races.” With highly experienced orienteering teams like Mergeo.com hot on their heels, DART had their work cut out.