Expedition Idaho
Survival Quest in Idaho
From Race Blog / 19.08.2011
Today we may have set a record – by tonight, we could be manning FIVE different TAs! The time cut-offs have started, but we still have teams NYARA and Gramicci attempting the awesome feat of completing the “Premier� full course, and other “Sport coursers� who have moved ahead without completing every section, and then we have Thule Adventure Team and Seagate, who have blown the course apart, racing at 15 and 12 hours respectively ahead of organizer’s expectations.
“They will complete the entire, tricked out, beefed up course – 528 miles, 137,000 vertical feet – about a half day ahead of what we thought possible,� says race director Dave Adlard. “It’s been an awesome display by two extremely fit, dedicated teams of athletes… this was NOT an easy course. Most of them said it was the hardest one they ever raced, and yet it was like we couldn’t slow them down.�
The top team’s navigation has been extremely good, with only a very few minor miscues. Other teams have not been so lucky, and spent significant amounts of time “off the grid,� so to speak.
The fun thing about yesterday and this evening was that “Survival Quest� took centre stage. The athletes left almost all of their gear at the TA, only taking a water bottle, knife (which they used) and compass with them as they attempted to complete 9 different “survival� skills, including building and sailing a raft, swimming, “no match� fire starting, Orienteering, rappelling/Tyrolean, building a Travoises (a native American-style litter for carrying a wounded team mate), communications puzzles and more, winning food, soda, tools for later, clues and even ice cream along the 8.5 hour trek through Farragut State Park.
Even the top teams enjoyed themselves as they got a bit of a breather from the Expedition course that was more than enough challenge for most. It was great seeing them have some fun building rafts, eating ice cream etc. This is kind of why many of us started racing, I guess.
As of this update Thule Adventure Team has just started on Section 9, a 35k kayak paddle on Lake Coeur d Alene, with Seagate just a few hours behind, finishing up Section 8 – the Mineral Ridge trek.
Team Bones is on Section 7 – “Back in the Saddle� – on their bikes riding toward TA 6 solidly in 3rd, with Light n Motion and Team Gear Junkie/Yogaslackers swapping places for 4th and 5th, despite GJYS being unranked after losing Chelsea Mangness to a gall-stone attack on Day one.
SleepMonsters
