2005 Midnight Rush Adventure Race (MRAR)
Team Mighty Dog Paws it way to 3rd Place
Sherry Olson / 09.08.2005
This year’s Team Mighty Dog was represented by Ardie Olson (Team Captain/Navigator), Patricia Williams (who will soon be competing in the Raid World Championships) and Jon Barker (who usually races with his team, Tally Ho.) Ardie and Patricia were returning to somewhat familiar ground having won the Midnight Rush in 2004 with teammate, Allen McAdams.
Kevin Fordham, the Race Director, putting on the race as a membership drive for Trailblazers, an Atlanta based adventure racing club with satelitte chapters in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennesee. The real winner of this race with Trailblazers having signed up 90 new members at race registration. Maps were handed out at the race start.
After quick plotting, Team Mighty Dog started out strong on the first leg, a ride and tie, with two runners and one biker. Ardie and Jon traded off on the bike while Patricia ran the entire section. They came in 3rd place to the next checkpoint and transition for a long bike course.
A few complications and a bad bike crash by Jon Barker put the team back to 10th place going into the water for the next leg of the course.
The paddling leg was a short downstream paddle on the Etowah River to a long upstream paddle/drag/hike a boat on Shoal Creek.
Team Litespeed sealed their first place standing in this section, by doing a short downstream paddle then a long hike a boat. Team Mighty Dog came out of the water in 3rd place at Checkpoint 9.
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