Expedition Idaho
Race Director’s Update: Day 1 - Expedition Idaho is underway with a bang! Or, more precisely, a siren
Press Release / 12.08.2014
The teams had all arrived to the beautiful Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho by Saturday morning, and even from the start, the racers were commenting on the beauty – and the plethora of the mountains surrounding the small mining and resort town located 40 miles east of Coeur d’ Alene.
Gear check was quick and easy, and then the teams got to demonstrate their ascending skills by jumaring up a short section of rope. Laughter was plentiful, especially on the descent, which requires a rhythm all it’s own. They also received over $500 worth of ExpId clothing, including jackets, vests, shirts etc, the coveted blankets, glow in the dark “Suck it up, Princess!” bracelets and more.
Saturday night was the official maps presentation and briefing , and a few eyebrows were raised when they realized they had exactly 100 square feet of amazing, 1 – 24,000 high def topo maps to navigate with. They were treated to a pizza and salad dinner as they began to work through the course book and the maps, after hearing a description and “helpful hints” primer from race director Dave Adlard, or Perpetual Motion Events, which is based out of Coeur d’Alene.
The CPs for the first 60% of the race were pre-plotted for them but they still had to match the points to the clues in their course book, and start to figure out a route over the 540 mile course which, if completed, will have more than 147,000 vertical feet of climbing. The festivities wrapped up (relatively) early, and they were left with the cryptic hints “swimwear, 1 headlamp per team, and helmets” for the mystery prologue, which was to take place on Sunday morning, in the Resort water park, of all places.
Sunday dawned bright and warm, and at 9:00 am, the racers convened at the water park for the prologue. In various states of sometimes comic dress (thanks Tom Ambrose of Peaked Sports and Dan Staudigel from Yogaslackers to name but two), they got an interesting surprise as they faced the mouth of a giant waterslide. Their task was to go up the inside of the waterslide (a very dark one, normally used for a raft ride) as a team, then take one of the rafts down, then jump in the lazy river, and go completely around it against the current. The fastest team would get to start the race first (the teams went off in 10 minute intervals). Hijinks ensued. After several “bonus” slides from slips in the tube, every team finally made it, and the fastest time was put in by James Luttrall and Bill Campbell of “Journey Racing: Just Survive!” (JRJS).
The race proper began 30 minutes after the prologue with the teams taking the 20 minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain and then running the 10 miles off the ridge to the first TA, where they picked up pikes for segment 2, named “Schizoid.” Despite starting a full 30 minutes behind the first team off, the Yogaslackers reached TA 1 in first place, having ran almost the entire leg, and making a risky but worthwhile nav choice at the beginning that saw them leapfrog several teams. JRJS was second to the TA, but was passed in the TA by Peaked Sports’Jason Poplisky and Abby Broughton who have been racing with Technu this season, and their teammates Tom Ambrose and Jeni McNeal, formerly of Grammici. The co-ed duo of local favorite Steve Bristow of Kellogg and Scottie Trevino were 4th and Team Everyday Adventure, led by Julie Ardoin was 5th.
“Schizoid” is certainly approximately named. The 110 mile bike, included every type of terrain from smooth flat bike trails to dusty fire roads to winding ATV trails through old growth forests, and everything in between. It also included a river crossing that required them to swim/float their bikes across, a “Bike-O” course on some beautiful single and double track, two substantial climbs and a “fun” little trek through untracked alder and underbrush to one of the highest points of the course at Skitwish Peak.
As of this report, all the teams had made it across the river to CP 9 or beyond. Yogaslackers extended their lead over Peaked Sports with an outstanding time of 2:49 on the Bike-O, and were now 2 hours ahead and moving strongly toward the trek. Peaked Sports have left the Bike O and were beginning the nearly 14 mile climb, and the remaining 3 teams were making their way from the river to the Bike O course at 4th of July Pass. After the teams finish the trek, they will be treated to almost 18 miles of descent to TA 2 at the Coeur d’ Alene river, where spaghetti will be waiting for them before they start segment 3, “A Pirate’s Life we lead,” a 60 mile kayak paddle down the river and across the southern 1/3 of Lake Coeur d’ Alene. From there, the course will turn toward the VERY rugged and wild St Joe area for the next few phases.
The racers are already saying this is one of the greatest courses they have ever done, as well as one of the most challenging. Daniel from Yogaslackers, who are training hard for Worlds, said “It looks like the other races I have done lately have been (bleep – easy) races… this is the real deal.”
We will have more tomorrow, but you can track the race at www.expeditionidahoadventurerace.com.
We would also like to announce that Expedition Idaho will take a hiatus for 2015 as we concentrate on producing Expedition Alaska, June 28 – July 4th, and will return in 2016 as a 5 day race based in southern Idaho! Hope to see you there! You will find it one of the greatest racing experiences of your lives!
SleepMonsters
