Raid the North
Vertical? What Vertical?
Doug Doyle / 19.08.2005
Multiple maps and grid point coordinates were handed to each team during the introductions and the next step for the team navigators is to plot the check points (CP’s) and transition areas (TA’s) to chart their routes from CP to CP in direct a route as possible, but also trading “as the crow flies� for efficient biking and trekking routes.
I was spoke with Pat Chan, who has travelled from PEI and is an experienced short and long course adventure racer: he has agreed to provide support for team Jam Cabins – he’s also there to cast a critical eye on his younger brother Brent Chan who is racing with Darrel Deane, Sarah Newman and Michael Fitzpatrick for the first time. Not only is it Brent’s first experience with Jam Cabins, an experienced team who have competed in numerous Raid the North events, but Brent is cutting his 36 hour adventure racing teeth in Nelson. Pat’s racing experience as well as older brother posturing will certainly put the pressure on Brent to perform and live up to the Chan name. Pat hinted that he might load Brent’s backpack with stones to bring a taste of what a long course adventure race backpack would feel like. Jam Cabins has it tough at the moment: the team is in a beautiful home on Kootenay Lake, kitty corner to Waterfront Park and are working on their maps. What a place to stage from although I’m sure that Brent and Mike are focusing on the mapping at this point and not the view from the deck. Brent and Michael will be sharing navigation duties for the race.
There are 22 teams registered and I’m told that team Backdraft – Kamloops Fire and Rescue, captained by Jim Freeze from Kamloops weren’t at the race briefing – who knows, maybe duty called and they are not able to make it. That’s unfortunate as Pat gave me a brief course description and the race course should be awesome. The course will be in mountainous terrain in the Kootenays and Selkirks and teams will be exposed to vertical changes that will seem endless. Let’s hope all the teams have trained for vertical on foot and on bike and maybe even upstream? Who knows?
There are a few teams that I’d be watching for to be contenders for first place: Holofibre, captained by Lawrence Foster, a seasoned adventure racer who had been a course designer or working on the rope sections in the early days of the Raid the North history. Joining his regular team mates will be Chad Ulanski, Trisha Westman and Seth Casden who is also attempting his first adventure race. He’ll be with seasoned pros and will have a great time out there. I’ve also been told that Lawrence will be on his best behaviour during the race to not upset his racing partner Trisha – they plan on being married in two weeks. Now that’s team dynamics!
Wild Rose, captained by Bart Jurmula, with Mike Brown, Brent Clark and Veronica Jarlehag will be in the lead pack: I’ve raced against this team on numerous occasions and they are an all around, well disciplined, competitive team with good navigation skills. Cheering them on will be Mel Clarke and six week old baby Natalie: Mel was racing with the team but is now providing encouragement from the sidelines as mother and partner with Brent.
DART (Dirtworld Adventure Race Team) are strong as well – excellent bikers and trekkers. They will definitely set the pace on the bikes and will hammer the steep sections. If you can stay on their wheel and suck it up…do it.
Helly Hansen with Denis Fontaine, Cheryl Beatty, Chris Christie and Justin Mark. Look for Denis to set the tone of this race with his unique style of pre race, during race and post race flavour. I’ve known Denis, Cheryl and Chris for quite a while in the racing circuit and all of them are freakin’ strong. I met Justin at the Shore2Shore race a few weeks ago and he’s the guy you want to have while biking – throw a tow rope around him and he’ll drag you up a mountain side. Don’t discount Cheryl either on the bike or trekking. Chris has been training and living la vida Whistler so he shouldn’t have problems in the up and up sections of this course.
I wouldn’t discount local Nelson team #40, White Light Adventures from the running, who should have home team advantage over many of the competitors. White Light Adventures is sponsored by Gerick Cycle and Sports Nelson and I was able to speak with team captain Randy Richmond of Nelson BC by telephone while they were busy during the teams’ gear check: he’s been racing the Raid the North series for six years and brings local knowledge of the area and adventure racing experience to his team. He’s racing with Joanne Stinson and Patrick Thrift, both seasoned outdoor athletes. The teams fourth member is a 57 year old adventure racing rookie who has taken on the huge task of navigating for the team.
In speaking with Geoff Langford, Race Director for Raid the North Nelson, he states that the Nelson area is a pristine, perfect setting for the RtN 36 hour venue: he sought out Leni Neumeier and Jeff Gfroerer to design the course. Leni and Jeff are local mountain guides and have lived in the Nelson area for years: they are intimately familiar with the race area and Leni has adventure racing experience having raced with team Advil in the Eco-Challenge.
The race start is midnight August 19, 2005, starting in Kaslo. Teams will have made their way to Kaslo to congregate at 2200hrs (10pm) at the SS Moyie, an old sternwheeler in Kaslo. The race course was designed to involve the local communities and Leni and Jeff have incorporated CP’s and TA’s in the small towns along the course. Kaslo has thrown their support to the Raid the North Nelson event and will have a community fair with fire jugglers, food, music and drummers to greet the racers pre-start and to send the on their way sated in food and spirit. Teams have been well advised to bring money and purchase food from any store in the towns they pass through: power bars and water do not a meal make and I’m certain all teams will not let this opportunity pass.
Once the race starts, the teams support crews will load up their vehicles and start their journey to the first TA. I’ve been advised that support crews will not have much time to drive to TA1 as the first discipline for the racers is mountain biking and is a short section.
The race starts on a paved road, but soon turns onto a gravel road for about 15 uphill kilometres and the expectation is for most teams to complete this in about an hour and a half. While teams are spinning along the gravel road, the support crews will be leaving via route 31A, driving up into the mountains along the river valley, which goes straight into Slocan Lake.
After the mountain bike and heart rate increase, the teams will trade bike shoes for trekking gear. This is the good part, the section of the course that will separate the teams into lead pack, mid pack and back ‘o the pack: it’s about a 25 km trek as the crow flies, up to Password Peak, at 7500’. Team will find a box and take a clue out of the box to prove that found the CP. Depending on route choices, this section may be where teams will be disqualified for not getting to CP2/TA2 before cut off in the town of Cody – teams have until 1600hours Saturday to be in Cody or they will be out of the race. The moon will be full tonight and the racers have been talking about having great visibility and therefore less use of their headlamps and faster trekking times, but Geoff Langford said he was on the course last night and the teams will be on the north side of the mountain and the moon will be on the other side…he said it will be 3D dark (Dark, Dark, Dark!)
At transition and probably a quick, hot meal, the teams will be back on the bikes. They will turn down Carpenter Creek then mountain bike through Sandon, an abandoned mining town, at an elevation of 2000’. They will then turn southwesterly and ride/push their bikes to Idaho Peak (elev 7000’) with numerous switchbacks – a 17 km bike ride (8 km point to point.) From there, the teams will grant their tired quads and low backs some relief, will likely throw on an extra layer of clothing then ride a long downhill run out.
From here, it’s to the town of Silverton, TA3, CP5 where canoes will be lining the shores of Slocan Lake. Paddling south on Slocan Lake for 25km, then into the Slocan River, then Lemon Creek where the teams will drop their paddles, jump out of their canoes and do short hike to a zip line which has been described as a stunning crossing of the river.
On the other side, teams will have reached TA4, CP6.
At TA4 teams will need to assess their race position and ability to finish the race either on the advanced section or regular course. Those opting for the advanced section will need to be at CP6 by the cut-off time of 2300hrs Saturday to start the advanced trek. The teams will hike about seven kilometres northwest to the top of an unnamed mountain peak to a fire lookout then descend. Team missing the advanced section cut-off will need to be at TA4 by 0900hours Sunday or they will not be allowed to continue.
No matter. Whether you take the advanced section or the regular course, you will be back on your bike again. Teams will follow a logging road up Lemon Creek for six miles to CP7 to Duhamel Creek, then to the village of Willow Point, (CP8) biking about 24 kms mostly on logging roads.
Tired yet??
At this point, teams will be inspired to pick up their pace, give their fatigued legs and sore feet a break and paddle an eight kilometre sprint south on the west arm of Kootenay Lake to the finish line at Waterfront Park in Nelson where registration took place. Through to the finish line and time to put the feet up!
It’s now 2053hrs and the race will be starting at midnight. Grab some sleep and see you back in a bit.
http://www.raidthenorth.com/2005/rtn/Nelson/
SleepMonsters
