Discussion: 2017 CBT/ARWC

Here's the initial lineup, following today's initial registration period (which sold out in 2 minutes):

http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/teamroster

361 Adventures Lemaster, Shawn Coed USA United States of America
Adventure Enablers Pameijer, Fritjof Coed USA United States of America
CanadaAR Long, Nathalie Coed CAN Canada
Journey Racing Ferrington, Katie Coed USA United States of America
KoliFit Nash-Underwood, Celia Coed USA United States of America
Lupine Racing, USA Pearson, Paula Coed USA United States of America
McGinley Orthopedics McGinley, Joseph Coed USA United States of America
Moxie Racers Galligan, Sarah Coed IRL Ireland
Nord Vrai Cary, Scott Coed USA United States of America
Nw Zealand AR Smith, Isla Coed NZL New Zealand
NYARA Courain, Aaron Coed USA United States of America
Off-Course Navigation Hebert, Jim Coed USA United States of America
Orion Cochran, Molly Coed USA United States of America
Peaklife Sport Fjellstad, Jo Inge Coed NOR Norway
Quest AR Caseria, Dusty Coed USA United States of America
Rev3Adventure Mason, Britt Coed USA United States of America
Rootstock Racing Perkiss, Abby Coed USA United States of America
Silent Chasers Nicolas, Phil Coed USA United States of America
SOS Garrison, Michael Coed USA United States of America
Storm Racing Laughren, Chris Coed CAN Canada
Team DART VanGorder, Jennifer Coed USA United States of America
Teton Adventure Racers Broughton, Abby Coed USA United States of America
Tumbleweeds Gerrits, Adrian Male USA United States of America
Untamed New England Urckfitz, Jason Coed USA United States of America
USWE Adventure Team Westerberg, Jacob Coed NOR Norway
WEDALI Korsch, Emily Coed USA United States of America

I only registered because i need to go back and find my paddle and lost gear from last year =]

Don't know if anyone else has noticed, but if you check out the team list on the registration page (not the actual CT page), the list of lottery teams registered has expanded from 26 to 30 (not including Seagate and AMK). All four new teams are elite level teams (Yoga, Radys, Naturex, and Haglofs). Wondering if this means Rev3 managed to expand their permit, something they have suggested they might try to do or something they would do if they had to modify their course.

Any other theories or knowledge on the matter?

Interesting...

oh yes...we have noticed!

now East Wind is in!

broots i am wondering if their A-course permits were not allowed and now that they're on the B-course, they can have more teams? or some lottery teams dropped but aren't deleted on the runsignup roster?

Yeah, we wondered the same thing. Apparently Randy's interviewing Mark Harris next week, so we may get some insights there.

I'm thinking that must be the explanation. Unless they convinced the "A Route" to allow 5 more teams. If it's a sign the B Course is on, then I'd think we would see another 5 teams added to this list shortly.

That said, I'm still curious for this reason. Here are the new 5 and their rankings:

5 (Naturex), 7 (Haglofs), 13 (Radys), 15 (Yoga), 56 (East Wind)

I am fairly confident that at least two teams ranked between Yoga and East Wind (Tecnu, Happy Mutant) are on the waitlist as well. Now, the fine print of the announcements regarding the waiting list noted that the RDs have the right to essentially consider resumes and admit teams to essentially diversify the field.

Still, I'm surprised East Wind was the next team in based off the rankings. I for one think it's great they are on the list and I have no problem with the decision if it's based in diversifying.

I also would imagine there are several other top level teams on this waitlist that haven't appeared yet: Columbia, SWECO, Merrell, ACE, SAFAT, various other teams from France and eastern Europe, some of the Aussie teams, Tecnu. All of them are ranked highly, all would diversify the field in regards to international teams. And several of them don't seem lined up to race any qualifiers from what is currently online (notably, for example, neither Merrell nor Painted Wold appears on the XPD Africa roster), so I'd think they would be on the waitlist...

Interesting indeed!

Has anyone been able to see the wait list?

Agreed very interesting how they are adding teams to the list.

No, they haven't published it. And considering how they are running it (taking into consideration rankings and resumes rather than order of sign ups) I don't think it matters. The only interesting thing would be to see how many international teams, and strong ones, have added their name. The more such teams that do add their names, the slimmer chance non-elite teams have of making it off the list.

At least that's how I see it.

24 more hours and technically teams that haven't paid up have their slots released?

Also, this is a hybrid of sorts, and I know they have changed their approach after seeing how this all unfolded.

The precedent is Godzone. My understanding is Godzone opens registration, but they don't notify everyone right away allowing them to look at the applications. If I understand correctly, this allows them to balance the local teams with international teams, strong or not. I think this makes good sense for races that you know are going to sell out immediately.

From what I've heard, for this race, they didn't think it was going to sell out so quickly and get messy like it has. I don't think there is a perfect solution to it, and I think overall they have handled it as well as they can without having a flux capacitor...

at least this year, ARWC reg didn't open during another ARWS race!

@broots- That may be what happened (relative to Godzone registration) but it certainly didn't increase the diversity of the field based on the newly released team list. There is 5 teams from outside NZ.

JayXC, I know, and what I described is what I recall from a few years back. I'm not sure about this year, but I also took notice of the dearth of international teams. Personally, I think it's because 1) it costs a ton to get to NZ and race and 2) I think for international teams they have a smaller window to race and qualify.

For any international team hoping to qualify for Worlds or perhaps win the prize money for ARWC, Godzone is probably the worst race to travel to. The homefield advantage there not to mention the fact that NZ is loaded with AR talent, known and unknown, probably scares teams away if their goal is to win a slot at ARWC.

I love that they are doing ARWC during the summer for selfish reasons as a teacher, but I know it made scheduling the qualifiers really problematic. Tons of overlap so fewer chances to race and qualify.

All that said, I don't know. Maybe they had a lot of other teams from overseas try to get in, but from what I know of Warren, I think they just didn't attract the foreign applications this year for one reason or another. I think he wants non-Kiwi teams there. So I'm guessing the list reflects a lack of applications rather than something about their selection process.

Looks like Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team was just added to the list.

http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/teamroster

And Merrell!

Feels like the race has already started...who is where? How'd they get there? :)

Roster is shaping up.

http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/single-post/2017/01/2...

11 more spots

http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_news.php?article_i...

more entries!

ARGeorgia.com, Haku AR, Mountain Race Company, Outnorth Adventure, The Yukon Wild, and USMES added this weekend.

roster via runsignup.com
361 Adventures
Adventure Enablers
ARGeorgia.com - new
CanadaAR
DART
East Wind
Estonian ACE Adventure
Haglofs Silva
Haku AR - new
Journey Racing
KoliFit
Lupine Racing
McGinley Orthopedics
Merrell Adventure Addicts
Mountain Race Company - new
Moxie Racers
Naturex
New Zealand AR
Nord Vrai
NYARA
Off-Course Navigation
Orion
Outnorth Adventure - new
Peaklife Sport
Quest AR
Rev3Adventure
Rootstock Racing
R’ADYS Team Switzerland
Seagate
Silent Chasers
SOS
Storm Racing
Sweco Adventure Team
Swedish Armed Forces
Teton Adventure Racers
The Yukon Wild - new...also the "new Tecnu" ??
Tumbleweeds
Untamed New England
USMES - new
USWE Adventure Team
WEDALI
Yoga Slackers

Yes, Yukon Wild is the new name for the 2016 version of Team Tecnu, anchored by Denise and Greg McHale.

EDIT: Hmm, I see they are listed as a U.S. team on the ARWC team list, which wouldn't be possible if both Denise and Greg are racing. However, Doug Judson is listed as the captain so maybe they haven't figured out their team roster yet.

I think Trump heard that the Yukon is amazing and he wanted to make Alaska "more huge", so he got out his coloring book and redrew the Alaska border, 'cause the morons have been getting it wrong (previous depictions of the boundary have been bad... very bad). This is tremendous news for Denise and Greg... they no longer have to worry about racing as Canadian Lightweights.

.. couldn't help myself ;-)

^^ :D thx FB :)

also added to roster today is MONARX.

now we just need to hear who from GodZone and Guarani is coming!

How many teams are we up to? 66?

When I talked to Tiki Tours they said they are planning to come. I am talking to Cyanosis next week.

I believe 44 including AMK. This according to the roster on the Run Sign Up page, which isn't always 100% the same as the roster on the CT homepage. Still, that's close.

Does not include teams from Godzone or Guarani.

And I think they said their hard cap is now 68 teams?

So, technically they have 23 slots reserved for the qualifiers AND winners of the Epic and the ARES championship. Means 1 lottery slot is currently open. And then some handful more as some teams decline the invite from the ARWS events.

I'd venture we'll see another 5-7 lottery teams admitted. Still some high caliber teams who aren't on the list including Godzone and Columbia to name a couple quickly.

STARTING IN JACKSON HOLE!

https://www.facebook.com/AdventureEnablers/videos/...

64 teams
500 mile full course
prolog around Jackson Hole Mtn Resort

Sad news from Graham and Hanno of Merrell Adventure Addicts:

"Plans up in Smoke, Goal Post still Standing

When life gives you lemons, you make lemon pie, we all know that. When life sends the massive #KnysnaFires to destroy your home along with everything you own and burn down your pine plantations and livelihood, it can be difficult to find that pie recipe amidst the smouldering ashes.

So we poked around and found another metaphor: “The hardest/toughest/ finest steel is forged in the hottest fire.” And this, we feel, is much more applicable to South Africa’s formidable Adventure Racing team, who we can refer to going forward and following this latest adversity, as the Merrell ‘Metal’ Addicts.

With the complete devastation of personal and business property to deal with, the team has reluctantly withdrawn from the 2017 AR World Championships to be held in August in USA.
..."

More details on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/MerrellAdventureAddicts/p...

Wow, what sad news. Glad to see everyone's OK.

just a little team update from my last post 3/13/17:

361 Adventures
Adventure Addicts Racing - new (this is NOT Merrell)
Adventure Enablers
Adventure Medical Kits
ARGeorgia.com
BendRacing/YogaSlackers - changed name
BlackHILL/Opava Net - new
CanadaAR
Cloud Peak Cowboys - new
Cyanosis Adventure Racing - new
DART
East Wind
Estonian ACE Adventure
Expedicion Guarani - new
Fenix Multisport - new
Freemind Italy - new
GODZone Adventure Team - new
Good 'Nuff - new
Haglofs Silva
Haku AR
Journey Racing
KoliFit
Lozere Sport Nature - new
Lupine Racing
McGinley Orthopedics
Merrell
MONARX - new
Mountain Race Company - new
Moxie Racers - dropped
Naturex
NV Journey
NYARA
New Zealand AR - changed name to The Sneaky Weasel Gang
Nord Vrai - dropped
Off-Course Navigation
Orion
Outnorth Adventure
Peaklife Sport
Quest AR
Racing Denmark Adventures
Rev3Adventure - changed name to Adventure Enablers i think?
Rootstock Racing
R’ADYS Team Switzerland
Seagate
Silent Chasers
SOS
Storm Racing
Sweco Adventure Team
Swedish Armed Forces
Tall Dude and Dirt Skirt Sistas - new
Terra Aventura-Finalin - new
Tiger Adventure - new
Tiki Tour - new
Teton Adventure Racers
The Yukon Wild - dropped
Tumbleweeds
Untamed New England
Uruguay Natural Ultra Sports - new
USMES
USWE Adventure Team
Vignette - new
WEDALI

Rev3 switched to Adventure Addicts

Can't help but place my vote for fave team name to "The Sneaky Weasel Gang."

No Columbia or Tecnu (Yukon wild?).

Any other top teams not on the list.

Merrell is out, as mentioned above.

I wonder if Columbia Vidaraid is not on the list because they hoped to win their entry in China.

I just heard from a team looking to sell their entry. Contact me and I'll put you in touch

Is anyone interested in a fantasy league for ARWC? I'm thinking about setting one up, but wanted to see if there was sufficient interest to make the effort worthwhile...

Full team roster here.
http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/teamroster

@StrongMachine, I'm in!

Noticed today that Kyle Peter is no longer listed on AMK's roster. Too bad, with his experience on that course, the battle for first could have been heated! I've seen Olof in action, so I still think they've got a good shot with him on board as a replacement.

That's sad. Does anyone know what Kyle's been up to?

Olaf and Whitney will be on next weeks podcast

#OlofnotOlaf

Course overview has been published: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/207419868/Race...

That 163 mile bike leg with ~70% on gravel roads sure looks like fun...

I'll be curious to hear how many parts of the foot section forbid off-trail travel.

@ccarroll824-

Leg 1, prologue trek, 3 miles, no off-trail (this is inside Jackson Hole resort)
Leg 2, trek, 7 miles, all paved trail, probably the fastest way is to stay on this paved trail.
Leg 4, trek, 38 miles, 100% trail, off-trail permitted unless noted on maps.
Leg 6, trek, 40 miles, trail/gravel road mix, off-trail permitted
Leg 8, trek/ropes, 4 miles, 100% trail, off-trail permitted

seems like KP's been focusing on getting engaged rather than Worlds! congrats!

Last call for fantasy ARWC...it will be done via email. I've got arhub's...anyone else?

According to KP, He's been racing hard and his body revolted at the worst possible time. I for one can't wait to see what happens when he recovers and is hungry.

Coverage is starting: http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_news.php?article_i...

Any other APers going as media?

I might post a photo or 2

Nice story on my dark horse pick for a top 10 finish:

http://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/outdoors/local...

Article on Sleepmonsters of top picks, including AMK, UNE, Yogaslackers, Wedali, etc.

http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_races.php?article_...

Do we have an attendee list of AP goers? Happy to give shout outs as I follow UNE along and see folks and dot watch.

Canadian team Storm Racing includes APers STORM (Sean Roper), IronParent (Julie Parent) and Double_Downon11 (Chris Laughren). Tom Martin rounds out the team.

Canadian RipkinRacing (Brad Jennings) is joining U.S. team Orion.

APers nmulder & nthompson representing South Africa on Team Cyanosis. An extremely technical night-time navigation section would be perfect, thanks! ;)

Had a good AM session today of walking 2 miles to the BART train station with a 50 lbs duffle bag on my shoulders.

The rebuild has commenced!

That you, Kyle?

Other APers (that I know of):
Andrei Karpov - Space Monkey - WEDALI
Emily Korsch - SilkyChrome - WEDALI
Scott Erlandson - Sami11 - WEDALI
Justin Bakken - Rainbow Unicorn - WEDALI
Brent Freeland - broots - Rootstock
Abby Perkiss - abiperk - Rootstock
Mark Lattanzi - marklattanzi - Rootstock
Jason Urckfitz - JayXC - Untamed New England
Alex Provost - jackson5 - Untamed New England
Glen Gibson - glenmtn - Silent Chasers
Phil Nicolas - bugeater - Silent Chasers
Kevin Poirier - kpoire - Silent Chasers

I'm sure there are others...

Also, to start the analysis, I'm really excited for the race-within-a-race for the top 10 American teams. Here are my picks:

1) Adventure Medical Kits
2) Yogaslackers
3) Untamed New England
4) WEDALI
5) DART
6) Quest AR
7) Rootstock
8) Teton Adventure Racers
9) Journey
10) MRC MainNerve
Honorable mention: Silent Chasers, Rib Mountain, Vignette, Adventure Addicts, NV Journey

other APers

Mindy Fernando - shrek feet - Untamed New England
Mike DeBolt - MADman - MONARX

The place is exploding! Bikes everywhere, and opening ceremonies are this afternoon. Lots on FB under #arwc. FWIW, strangely a lot of the red WT shirts are around today. :)

other APers

Tane Cambridge - Tane - Sneaky Weasel Gang

Yay, WT shirts! Thanks for keeping us informed, W4J! I'm not going to have much Internet access over the next few days so I'll be counting on AP for race info.

Big day for Team Untamed New England. Still had shopping to do for all, and WalMart did have some empty shelves! Then, on to check in and opening ceremonies. The parade was pretty cool, saw a lot of people I know...and was astounded by the magnitude of 20 countries coming together. After the parade, there were speeches, which were quite hard to hear, and I could see how teams from other countries were a bit bored. I am a native English speaker, and had a hard time, can only imagine if one were not.

There was a short O prologue through the businesses of Casper. At the end, there was a bull bronco ride that Jesse did, which resulted in a broken finger on his right hand. We went off to an urgent care and they took care of it but waiting to see how it holds up biking, rappelling and paddling. That was a crazy few hours.

Tomorrow is skills check, including O and rappel. Then the team meeting, media meeting and at 5 all gear is to be transported to the storage area.

Lots of pictures and info on the UNE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/teamUntamedNE/

No CPs on the first 62km trek - just TA2 to TA3. Don't have the maps but that should open up some interesting route choice variations!

Race maps available on the official site: http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/maps

Turns out the 62km trek has some major paths following a pretty direct route between the 2 TAs, so not much route choice after all, it seems :-/

Yep, that's disappointing. Looks like the only off-trail section worth doing could be the first 5k from TA2 - you could climb the spur directly to cut off a corner and save a km or two. It looks viable on the satellite imagery.

In fact, looking at the maps in more detail, the whole course is on trail! Not sure what the land access laws are like in the US, maybe that's the reason that there's no cross country navigation elements?

It'll make for a fast race, but I don't think the navigators are going to be very excited. I wonder if anyone has taken cyclocross bikes? With so much of the biking on gravel and tarmac, it could be an interesting gamble to take!

CX bikes specifically not allowed per gear list.

I haven't looked at the maps yet (just getting back from the hospital, where our newest AR teammate was born!), but from my own personal experience with Rev3/Adventure Enablers and from what I've heard about the organization, I'm not surprised the course isn't overloaded with navigation/off-trail sections. Talk before the race was that this ARWC could be a glorified triathlon...we'll see if that holds up. Again - I haven't seen the maps yet so I could be speaking too soon.

Talked to teams after getting maps...some are expecting to go longer than initially thought. Many still feel pretty good.

How so, Work4justice? Certain stages or disciplines looking longer than advertised?

Anyone know what the penalty for travel in off-limits areas generally is? Seems like the potential is there for some teams to inadvertently travel into the red blocks of off-limits terrain on the first big trek.

Terrain more unpredictable...potentially.

Also...Beautiful day in Wyoming! Busses are on schedule. Nights will be quite cool. Interesting fact: Jesse Tubb of Team Untamed New England (and of the US Army band) will be playing The National Anthem at the start!

With a broken finger? Wishing everyone a great race!

I saw that Jesse broke his finger on the bull ride during the pre-race party...that SUCKS! I hope it isn't too painful out there for him.

Has anyone figured out what the optimal route around the off-limits area on Map 5 is? Or why that area is off-limits?

You don't have to go around the red zones, just not off trail. Plenty of trails inside the red zone would be fine, the way I read it.

Aha, I didn't see that note on the map. Thanks Mr. Wonderful.

Congrats Kate and Cliff on the junior team member!

With the exception of protecting newbies from their own mistakes in judgement, I'm in favor of RDs allowing racers to choose their own type of bike. The line between mountain bike and other has gotten very blurry. Its a tactical/strategical decision I think racers should be allowed to make for themselves. There are plenty of other comfort versus speed tradeoffs that are part of the game. I've done plenty of races where the optimal bike was def not an all-trail bike.

Some of the decisions that are made are to keep the sport affordable for more racers. The elite teams tend to have more resources, but for newcomers it can be overwhelming when they start thinking about bikes, paddles, boats (pack-rafts) sails, tents.. etc etc... and then needing to have several variations of each...
it's a tough balance to keep the playing field fair (as possible) without hampering potential. It's a grey area for me, but I think the RD's factor it into their near and long term plans.

T-minus 20 minutes! Let's get this thing started!

Congrats StrongMachine!

Dots moving!!! Go go go

Couple of notes:

regarding CX, i raced CT in 2015 and went with CX tires. Bad idea. Flatted so much when crossing the ranches. Waste of time.

How do i enable breadcrumbs. i work in IT and have followed many races, i still struggle with this.

And they are OFF! Start video on UNE FB page.

They took off faster than I would for a 70 minute o race!

W4J has AMK and then Silva back in from the opening points.

Excited to see how teams navigate this first water leg. There could be some fun scrambling as teams realize they've taken the wrong channel.

I feel like it's been forever since I've been on AP (cough...I blame Strava...cough), but seeing as how I'm relegated to dot watching for this local ARWC, I'll join the convo!

Go teams (especially Journey)!

What's up, Fletcher?! Sad to see you aren't racing, but happy to have you as another experienced commentator hangin' on AP.

Cliff! Yep, was scheduled to do PQ and wasn't prepared for the compressed training, and less desirable last minute team formation for Worlds when plans fell through... But just like Kyle and others, this is definitely making me hungry!

Has everyone already made their predictions? Seems the open terrain and lack of traditional paddling could shake up some of the expectations.

If you want to be added, I'm doing a fantasy league with a bunch of racers. Pick your top 10 overall and top 10 American teams and email them to CliffordWhite2@gmail.com.

W4J is live at the put in including short commentary with Kyle

I think Kyle said Teton on the water first, with AMK hot on their heels.

Leaderboard entering packraft TA

AMK
Teton
SAFAT
FMR
Seagate

YEAH TETON AR!

Apparently some locals are a bit sheepish about having the race run through their grazing lands...
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/newsletter_pm...

I posted on UNE their overview of expectations in a video. Also, in a longer video had an interview with Cali Cowboy. On another note, I am so not stealth...JayXC got a bright blue mustang convertible for our travels. Far cry from my Outback Adventure Bus!

River looks to be moving per UNE Facebook.

CP3/TA does not have cell service so connectivity will be limited from this evening until tomorrow morning. Dot watch commentary will be appreciated for those of us on the ground to catch up.

Leaderboard from takeout has the top four teams within the same minute:

AMK
Silva
Seagate
Tiki Tour

very close behind:

FMR
Teton
Lozere
SAF

and a ton more hot on their heels.

Dots have Silva leading the charge up the +500m climb away from the TA.

Untamed 20 minutes behind the front.

I think most of the leaders took the green line up the hill, while Teton is trying a shortcut. It'll be interesting to see if it pays off. Perhaps a few more will try it as well.

For breadcrumbs...all I've been able to figure out:

Get your screen to look like this, then click on the desired team name in the list on the right, and you'll see their blue track with dots for their pings.

Teton's spur shortcut may have gotten them five minutes back - now tracking even with AMK.

Seagate in the lead, others not far away. It looks pretty open - it'd be funny to see how far away they can see each other as they cruise this ridge tonight!

Teton's shortcut makes a lot of sense when I switched to the satellite - not so much vegetation.

Our Canadian APers are off the water now - Canada AR first, then Storm Racing and Orion (with Brad) just in behind!

ooh is WEDALI trekking down Willow Creek? Brave move early in the race.

I'm glad somebody is doing it, just for comparison's sake. Looks like Off-Course Nav is following WEDALI into the valley.

Lower elevation and denser vegetation plays to Wedali's strength, but if the trail on the ridge is "fast" there is probably not an advantage to staying low. curious to see the route choice play out and pulling for them!

Is water access an issue if a route atop the ridge is taken I wonder? Likely not for the quick teams but perhaps Wedali will be able to stay pretty hydrated with their move...

Can anyone get the time lapse/playback mode working in the tracker?

Team Uruguay descending off the back of the ridge...intentional (for water or an alternate route choice) or accidental?

Seagate almost on top of TA3, with SAF, Silva, AMK, and Teton about 2 ish km back, and Naturex another km back.

good morning dot watchers! Looks like Seagate is about 15 minutes ahead of the rest of the lead pack (SAF, Haglofs, AMK, Teton) and just outside the TA.

Also looks like Naturex had a great night and are sitting 6th after leaving CP2 in 20th!

Does anyone know why Columbia Vidaraid is mid-pack? Shouldn't they be up front?

Tiki Tour have gone walkabout. Seems like an odd mistake to make - all they needed to do was follow the creek but they've climbed a hill out of the valley and are now heading towards a gravel road. Possible bailout?

RE: Canadians and water, Randy briefly chatted with some at the packraft put in, show on the Adventure Enablers page.

Looks like Tiki Tour is bailing. That would stink.

Seagate with a quick 7 ish km lead on the bike over Silva, SAF, and AMK.

Tiki Tour posted three dots at the top of that forest road, now moving down it further from the course. Bailout suspicion sounding reasonable.

Why wouldn't they just keep going to the TA though? It's the closest source of assistance. There's nothing down that gravel road for miles!

Day 1 Recap:

https://www.facebook.com/arworldseries/videos/1435...

Tiki Tour listed as retired.

Top six are about the same through CP 4 - Seagate with about its same lead over AMK, SAF, Silva, who have a small gap to Teton and Naturex.

Swedes moving to catch Seagate, now just over 4 km back, while AMK holds pace closer to 7 km back.

From Adventure Enablers FB:

Tiki Tour Adventure Racing Team (team 20) has requested a ride to help a teammate (who started the race already not feeling well). All is stable, but it was a long, cold night. Not sure yet if the rest of the team will be carrying on or not. We will keep you updated.

Best I can tell, Top ~9 are ahead of the fast time estimates for the paddle and trek. Impressive!

Yes, VidaRaid being 4 hours behind the leaders at the TA seems a bit odd this early in the race. However, if memory serves, they raced very similarly early on in Australia, only to come on very strong at around the Day 3 point. I hope they've got some quick riding teams to work with on the bike as these sections appear to be largely aerobic and where wind needs to be managed well so as not to burn out.

I think WEDALI lost an hour to NYARA on their route choice. But, without the elevation changes perhaps they'll have fresher legs for the bike. I can't seem to get playback to work on the tracker. Is it working for others?

Hello all! Coming to you "live" from CP 4. Sneaky Weasel gang just "snuck" off. :) And the team before stopped into the restaurant for a meal. Justified it with the fact they had a fast TA. Expect to see Canada AR and UNE soon. I just posted on the UNE FB page video interviews with the team and an early video from Kyle Peter. I first heard Seagate at about 4:45 from my tent saying they felt good about the trek. Most are saying the race is going faster than they expected. I noticed Mari is really driving AMK.

Also, to start the analysis, I'm really excited for the race-within-a-race for the top 10 American teams. Here are my picks:

1) Adventure Medical Kits
2) Yogaslackers
3) Untamed New England
4) WEDALI
5) DART
6) Quest AR
7) Rootstock
8) Teton Adventure Racers
9) Journey
10) MRC MainNerve
Honorable mention: Silent Chasers, Rib Mountain, Vignette, Adventure Addicts, NV Journey

Current standings, picks looking not too shabby!

1) AMK
2) Teton
3) UNE
4) Journey
5) Yogaslackers
6) MRC/Main Nerve
7) DART
8) Rootstock
9) NV Journey
10) WEDALI / NYARA / Quest

Seagate almost done with uphill biking approaching CP06, Top 6 holding their pattern AMK caught SAF or SAF fell back a little, now Seagate | Haglofs Silva | AMK + SAF

Shout out to our Milton Canada home team of Storm Racing who climbed at least 10 spots to now sit in 28th at TA 3!

Seagate onto trekking, Swedish teams in TA, AMK ~8 km back. A few teams behind AMK exploring an alternate route to the last CP before the TA. It is shorter, but not sure how it's moving.

Seagate and Haglofs both went back up the red line then hopped to green to get to #8. AMK almost could have watched them.

Estonia ACE and Teton press on with the short cut to #6 while Naturex is retreating to the red line.

Yay storm racing!!

Yeah Storm!

5-7 closing a bit on AMK, who are a few k back form the Swedes, who are a few k back from Seagate.

How many teams are going to lose time trying to "short cut" CP06?!

I wish I knew what it looked like on the ground. Bonus trail for a bit?

FMR in the running for 4th, having caught AMK.

Sneaky Weasel with an interesting track at 6 - looks like they considering going back and then said stuff it and took the shorter line.

Good Day 2 video of teams coming off the trek including a quick spot with Canada AR who are doing great. But, I've finally seen what Chad Spence looks like tired (never thought it possible)!

https://www.facebook.com/arworldseries/videos/1436...

Oh no, is Uruguay and ARGeorgia bailing to the road for a pickup?

Vignette maybe missed a turn or trying to avoid a little climb? They can get back to the CP soon.

More carnage at 6 - Peak Life wandering up into the hills right now. USWE looks to be back tracking to the mainline.

I can't tell what Vignette is doing. Surely they know they're on 191 and not 353. I thought they might be going for food, but there's a convenience store by CP5.

Wondering why Teton fell back, looks like they missed the cut from the red line to the green line that everyone's taking on the trek leaving the TA, and added a decent out and back, unfortunately.

I saw that sleepy look on Chad's face last year in Spain after going for a while on no sleep. Doesn't seem to slow him down any, however! Their 4th was on tow so I hope they're all managing team energy well. That would have been an exhausting ridgeline trail run at elevation.

UNE said they ran out of water for 10 km on that trek, can't be helping either!

Vignette shows at the start now. Looks like they may have retired.

Vignette's pinged three times in the same spot on that alternate route out of Boulder. And now their tracker is at the start/finish??

I correct myself - USWE also choosing the "screw it, make it work" shortcut to 6, looks like they'll get it, while Peak Life is still up the creek a bit and hasn't moved back towards 6 yet, still pinging in an away direction.

The 884 split after CP08 has teams going both ways - Seagate looked to go CW, others are going CCW around.

This trek seems to have more route options at least perceived by the front - Seagate closer to the green line while the Swedes are taking a different southern route to 9.

Meanwhile on the earlier trek, Uruguay is back on the Green Line! No bail out to the Tiki Tour forest road.

On Trek 1, AR Georgia is also headed back to the green line!

I think i'll quit commenting, it looks like Vignette is now at CP4. Must be a tracker battery change or something.

I say, keep commenting. Speculating and being right or wrong is half the fun! You were in good company.

Looks like Seagate should hit the bike before I wake up? ~20 odd km to go, 4 km an hour? They have an hour on the Swedes. Anyone care to speculate on sleep strategies? My longest is only buzzer beating short courses at Wilderness Traverse, so out of my element here.

oh no, Dart and Storm Racing, along with Freemind Italy are going up a wrong reentrant looking for CP6 in the dark.

I think Storm might have caught 30 to 45 mins of sleep after a short nav uncertainty before CP6, they are back on course now heading to CP7. Rootstock did an excellent job in this section. Seagate is catching a big snooze trailside, likely waiting for their competitors to come by and wake them up after CP10, they already have at least 1.5 hours of rest and still have a 50 min lead over Haglofs Silva. AMK dropped significantly back but this was due to an at least 1.5 hour nap in a cabin between CP9 and CP10. Doesn't look like Haglofs or Silva have had any rest yet.

Lupine has been at CP3 since 7PM last night. McGinley is retired.

I guess my post woke up Lupine as they just started moving with Adventure Addicts.

Ah Lupine lost 2 members and are unranked but continuing on according to Liam.

UMSES not taking the conventional route to 6 (hopefully they punched 5? Their most recent post isn't so far, could be turning around?). Race maps say there's a trail from their current location back to the trails that'll get them to 6.

CP9 seems to be causing a lot of difficulty for many teams, maybe just darkness playing the biggest factor

Nooooo...my local team Monarx has entered Wrong (Willow) Creek @ 6. Turn back, Phil!! They have company in KoliFit also wandering up that way.

USMES must have missed the turn to 5, no fancy route choice to 6. They backtracked.

Swedes split, with Haglofs Silva in second 30 ish minutes ahead of SAF. 5 way race for 4th, with AMK, FMR, Lozere, Naturex, and Estonia ACE just catching onto that four pack.

AMK with a different direction out of 13, skirting around the east side rather than the west. FMR has 4th now.

From the ground...just got service. Fenix, tiki, Terra, mcginley, racing Denmark adventures have retired. The overnight trek to south pass took a greater toll than expected...quite rough!!! AMK slept 90 min on that trek...swedes said they feel great...

W4J or anyone, who is navigating for UNE? Alex?

Seagate skips the small town on the big bike. At least an hour on the Swedes who are around the ropes/caves.

W4J says Alex with JayXC as backup.

Lupine and adventure addicts combined

@mrwonderfull and WFJ, thanks. I assumed but wanted to be sure.

Oh crud, Storm Racing is off track again with Journey. Veer north Storm, veer north!

I count Seagate's raw lead at about 2.5 hours. Not sure about their sleep versus others though.

Browner, I think Storm Racing has already corrected!

Keep it up Storm!!!

Good 'Nuff short coursing? Skipped some bike and went straight to the trek.

One of friends on the ground was mentioning a 1 pm short course cut off after the trek, I think, which might be tight for anyone not closing in on 9 if they intend to sleep at all. Lots of dots on that trek from previous teams.

FMR looks to be charting their own way to 21.

FMR backtracking, although at that point they could have continued and just gone through 22 twice, unless they somehow missed 20.

I was thinking the same thing. While it's impossible to know if they missed CP20 100%, it could be the case as their two pings (before and after CP20) are quite far apart, meaning that they covered quite a bit of ground in 15 minutes. I'm going to guess, yes, they mistakenly missed it. We'll see.

1p tomorrow at South Pass City to short course. Posted more updates at the UNE FB site. This race is so big, hard to share a lot, but I can say that overnight trek was quite tough for many teams. Lots of hobbling coming into the TA. Weather is unusually cold, so teams are taking a beating for that. Funny story, a czech team had to retire, and at that moment it was quite hot. I happen to have a cooler with a few beers in it and gave them all to them. They were SOOOO HAPPY! Don't tell UNE. The beers were for them if something happened. :)

Main Nerve is just reaching South Pass City. It took them 24 hrs to complete that 2nd trek. With that, I think Monarx may be the last team to make the cutoff and be full course.

W4J, at Tierra Viva in 2013 a czech team retired (team had Pavel Paloncy on it as well). They gave us a bunch of apples they had and extra food. I guess he paid it forward and you repaid him for us. Thanks!

That was my hope for Monarx as well - if they don't wander too much and don't have to sleep too much, they can make it, based on back counting dots from an earlier team.

Monarx is projected as maybe the last team to make the cutoff...fingers crossed...that trek is awful and tough at night. But they really have a chance...

Well both Florida teams, ARGeorgia and Good 'Nuff, have been short coursed. Must be those damn contour lines. We don't get to practice with them much down here.

The terrain is huge...maps are 1:50k and there are either no trails or lots of game trails or two tracks everywhere. The first bike had some hike a bike as well.

Yeah, we couldn't do that Nav for sure. We'd still be on Trek 1.

I had the chance to sit down with Rob Howard of Sleepmonsters and Randy Erickson...and they both agree there were just weren't any surprises. The thing I find most notable is Vidaraid going from 18th at CP7 to 8th in line on the big bike. UNE seems to be in 14th. I do wonder if there will be more withdrawals at CP17/TA because it is the "last chance" before the big bike unless they use the brick. We will see what the morning brings!

We'd still be on Trek 1.

Same here, it's not so bad when the maps are say 1:10k with every last tree on them, but that....oof.

I counted 30 Quest dots from Monarx's position to the TA. They have 7 hours, versus the 7.5. But they'll have daylight versus Quests's night hike. GO GO GO MONARX!!!!!

Seagate's going to paddle the next leg, it looks like, rather than hike paddle hike.

If SAF stays ahead of H-S to keep 2nd, it'll be from the 24-25 split. SAF chose an interesting non redline straighter shot, while Silva took the right hand (southern) option and had some troubles overshooting the road w/ 25.

25 Storm Dots to be one CP short of full course for Monarx. MOVE MOVE MOVE! Six hours to go, hopefully daylight is to their advantage.

If you haven't stumbled onto this yet:

https://www.facebook.com/arlivecoverage/

Haku and Kolifit are still in the same spot? No way!

Noo...Monarx was reportedly in good spirits as of 12:30 am, but based on Storm's >12 dots, it's looking like too much for the remaining 90 minutes. So close!!

Darned if Haglofs Silva hasn't worked their way back into 2nd! Wow!

Just got back to cell service. Thanks for all the great info!

Swedes can't slow - the hungry 4th place four pack is only 2-3 km back.

Seagate finished the entire CP32+ paddle by themselves.

Lozere ("Fanny's team") tracking ahead of the Swedes! AMK and Naturex side by side in 5th.

We missed your commentary Bash! Welcome back!

Yes, definitely not the same without Bash!

CP34/TA is going to be chaos. Paddle to bike can make for a slow TA and yet 2nd through 7th is anything but certain at this point. Teams will be going nuts, trying to get everything sorted and get the %^&* out of dodge and onto the bike. I hope no one forgets anything!

Has anyone seen a map of the caves section? Its not on the supplemental maps section of the race website and that's where Storm Racing is right now.

Looks like the afternoon wind may becoming a bigger factor for Videraid across the reservoir. Seagate coming to the finish now and live on FB.

I posted the supplemental on the UNE fb page sometime...

Trackers down everywhere.

Maybe this is the cave supplemental.

Both Swedish teams at paddle to bike TA, but Lozere not currently tracking. AMK not far from taking out. AAaaaaaaaaah

SAF and HS taking a different route up Casper mountain than Seagate. 12 km on AMK. Lorenze per AMK FB has one team member being treated for hypothermia.

Swedes did not take the next turn either. AMK, swoop in! Pedal pedal!

Swedes persisting. AMK headed to the junction.

and here I was thinking about some sleep!

This is so entertaining!!!

Looks like Haglofs has figured it out.

I wonder what the sight lines are - will AMK see Haglofs make the turn?

SAFAT still headed south!

They'll probably only see if they're around that corner.... but it would be a big advantage if they did!

Haglofs on the right road, six minutes ago. AMK track 17 minutes old...can't wait to see the update.

Naturex in the fight for 4th now if SAFAT doesn't turn around soon.

I feel so bad for SAF! Such a good race and one silly case of upside-down compass...

Looks like SAF has turned around! This is going to be a hot ride to the finish line!

AMK and SAF shown equidistant from junction, but SAF's track is 8 minutes fresher.

Sad for LSN's fantastic race and 4th place position ending abruptly in the hospital. Hope to see them return in fury as the French host next year...

AMK found rt 251 and is now in 3rd!

Four teams within about 6 km!

AMK is 10 min behind Silva and leads SAF after their detour by 15. With the terrain and based off Seagate's comments, they may be able to see Silva and SAF's lights on either sides.

This is reminiscent of Ecuador when Team (Tecnu at the time) AMK stormed late to take a top spot in front of some others who made late mistakes. The drama!

I'm wondering if AMK even knows that they're in 3rd. They might now as there's a switchback in the road and it's possible that they could spy headlamps. But, maybe not. Harrowing!

Haha! I was just going to say how #harrowing it all is! AMK may have seen Haglofs' headlamps as they turned up this road, but they might still not know what place they're actually in.

Haglofs Silva from the opposite direction as Seagate for 2nd

AMK had a little trouble with the CP on Casper Mountain but made 3rd. Hard to tell when the others will come in, if they are having similar trouble or just tracker issues.

I just finished watching the Facebook Live feed from the finish when Silva and AMK finished. That was a fun way to experience the race. And great job AMK!

I think BlackHill forgot to read the rule that says "Stay within the river banks at all times"...

http://imgur.com/kn2ZQBf

Hopefully a tracker error. It wouldn't be worth it!

FMR also slightly overshot the climb to Casper Mountain, but caught it quickly and Vidaraid is farther back than in the earlier drama.

Left on the ground for actual internet and coffee! Looks like a lot of teams slept before the trek/packraft section and the bike finish. The bike was tough on teams I am sure and going into that section in the dark would be tough...there are two tracks everywhere.

Ok, back after a run to Vermont to do the Bitter Pill. What a great night last night to be up comforting a newborn! How excited was Olof about AMK's finish!? I couldn't help but laugh with him - congrats Olof and AMK!

Also thrilled to see Estonia and FMR finish strong...I got to know members of both of those teams at Raid Gallaecia and they are really great people. Crushed for Lozere - they deserved a finish after their gutsy effort.

The race continues to be fascinating in regard to the race-within-the-race for the top 10 U.S. teams. The Yogaslackers have overtaken Teton AR on the final packrafting leg. UNE has fallen back a bit and now are bunched with Journey and MainNerve, both of whom are having outstanding races.

Near to finishing up the endless bike ride through hell are DART, Quest AR and Rootstock, with NV Journey trailing a bit further back in the 10-spot.

Even though the overall race is over, clearly there's still lots of great spectating remaining!

I can't tell when Journey and MainNerve last slept. UNE has their sleep from just before the packraft - could be interesting to see if that gives them more for the finish, with double digit hours to go.

Where is Journey? Tracker is down!

Speaking of not sleeping, I think Team Canada AR has been on the go since 4 a.m. Sunday morning and they didn't nap when they reached the reservoir around noon today. I guess they're planning to push in daylight as long as they can. They lost 4 hours overnight when they rode a fair distance past CP27.

tracker is down

New batteries for those yellow bricks before 2018! This was shorter than some past years, and lots were getting low after just 3.5 days, if the lightning % is the remaining juice.

Our other Canadian team, Storm Racing, appeared to nap last night at the cave/rappel stop. They're moving well between CP24 and CP25 and should arrive at the reservoir during the night.

From Adventure Enablers Facebook just now: "Update because some trackers are lagging: Journey Racing just got out of Fremont Canyon, headed to CP32. Probably at least another 15-20 hours or racing for them. Godzone just reached the top of Casper Mountain and should finish within the hour. Cyanosis just left CP34 and have 4-5 hours of racing!"

Thanks for the update!

With GODZone's arrival, we have our top 10!

1 Seagate 79:13:30 Finish
2 Haglöfs Silva 83:48:45 Finish
3 Adventure Medical Kits 84:11:13 Finish
4 Swedish Armed Forces 84:59:00 Finish
5 Naturex 85:06:05 Finish
6 Estonian ACE Adventure 86:55:15 Finish
7 FMR 92:52:34 Finish
8 Vidaraid 94:59:00 Finish
9 Black Hill/Opava NET 95:44:00 Finish
10 GODZone Adventure Team 97:12:27 Finish

Today is certainly hotter than past days. And, while rovers were running Thursday, today their section was low

I assume you mean "rivers"?

Oi stop slagging off the trackers :-) a few teams in the heat of the event have buried trackers in rucksacs. One for the tracking team to review - suffice to say taping it to their heads with gaffa tape so it gets a good view of the sky maybe required.

The teams are carrying two trackers - a cell service tracker (which is the battery % shown on the screen) and these were swapped out for full course teams at CP12 as we knew pre event they would not last the event (they only weigh 65g). And the yellow brick which reports on a lot less frequent interval.

Teams are also carrying a Sportident timing chip - this data is used to colaborate leaderboard data to check they did actually go to the CP (particularly in the cave!)..

Orange Dot.

Thanks for the info! :)

Team Canada AR appears to have left the river and taken Fremont Canyon Road to CP31a. Is that a legit route choice or does it suggest they're having trouble with a pack raft?

From the rules of travel:

Logistics: Helmet must be worn between CP31 and CP32.
Restrictions: Check in at CP30 for any travel restrictions related to conditions. Portage around dams. Do not cross warning lines and buoys in front of dams. Stay clear of intake and outfall areas of dam structures. Between CP33 and CP34 you must remain within the river channel at all times.

So it looks okay.

I think you might be right, Bash. They seemed to spend about an hour on river right just below the bridge and I can't think why else they'd do that. I guess they can't all fit in one packraft!

They're on the move again now so hopefully any problems have been solved! I wondered if they'd napped on the river when I saw that long stop. I don't think they've had a real sleep since the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Mr. W, where are the rules posted? That's great info.

Hey Bash, I and another photographer happened upon Canada AR when both of their packrafts were punctured and a loss of a paddle. The paddle was retrieved and we provided "proper but not interfering" assistance to them out of the canyon. They are walking to 32, 33 and we are trying to scrounge up pack rafts. If UNE is off the water in time, I will see about shuttling their rafts to them. They are fine, just very cold. Glad we just happened to have stopped! Chad slipped and fell and hurt his back a bit, and James and Ben are fine. They were happy to find bacon in their packs!

Thanks for the details. And thanks for the "proper" helping. Hope they find pack rafts!

Rules of travel

from

Racer docs, supplemental maps, and support crew maps

Hmm Storm racing turned around and are back into CP27.. Hope there are no major issues..

UNE was on the way up Casper Mountain but turned around?!?

W4J says it's been raining for a while now, and there's some quality mud around, perhaps a factor.

UNE turned north on 220, so no TA forgetfulness, but perhaps hoping the north approach to the summit is easier based on W4J's mud comments.

The 3 previous teams did the same thing, got to the road and turned around. We had downpours and it seems impassable.

Ah yep, see it now, eg Main Nerve.

Storm Racing took shelter from the rain at CP27 with other teams. It looks like they made a couple of attempts to leave during the night but they returned.

Hope they keep going!!!! Go Storm!

They're on the move this morning!

Sweco and Main Nerve seemed to be on the road up to CP35 at the same time last night, no? I wonder why Main Nerve decided to pull the plug on that strategy while Sweco kept on with it. I think it meant that it took Main Nerve 2h30m longer to get CP35 by going around.

Monarx is the latest team to take a crack at the red line route to the summit. I hope it goes well for them!

I talked to Sweco and they said they took that road bc "it's an adventure race!!!!"

Four teams past the Main Nerve / UNE Casper climb turn around choice. Go Monarx! Also rooting for Lupine to successfully make it up - Eric shows up in our parts from time to time.

The RD said that by now it would be some rideable. Apparently Mainnerve and Sweco went at the same time and Main Nerve got there first. I'm at HQ and teams are here cleaning gear and swapping stories. The talk is really the packrafting for sure.

I was going to ask you if it was drying up!

UNE flying downhill to the finish - excited for the half dozen teams current climbing Casper that they'll get to open a bit in not too long.

Yay, UNE! Also, Team Canada AR has started the final ride, and it looks like Rootstock will be the next ranked team to finish pack rafting.

Hi all! I raced with MRC/Main Nerve and am enjoying reading through the commentary. Usually I am dot-watching myself so fun to catch up from the other side.

Re: Turnaround on 220... the thunderstorms that rolled in earlier left the road sticky by the time we got there. SWECO had left the last TA a while before us and we were surprised to see their headlamps on the mountainside not too far up from us when we made the turn onto 220. The road was rideable for a bit but then we hit a big patch of mud sticky enough to cake our tires and chainstays and stop our bikes from even rolling. After multiple stops to clean bikes to even be able to push them, we considered our options and decided to go back around would be the right choice for us (I absolutely HATE that kind of clay-sticky mud and would have probably had a mental breakdown, no joke!). Our choice was influenced by seeing a team as strong as SWECO struggle with it ahead of us too. If teams behind us were able to ride it without major issues, that is great, but we were happy with our decision. And our bikes probably are too, mine needs to go to MTBO World Champs next week. :)

Thanks for the update! And congratulations!!

Rachel it was great to see you out there. Great job!

Storm can get in before race close but they have to move!

Storm has moved out to the road! Good thing they're runners!

Is that second pack raft "do-able" in the dark and rain storms? Sorry if this has been covered I've been consumed with the back of the pack. I guess - there are 2 teams in there now and the radar is showing storms.

It's going to be really close for Off Course, Silent Chasers and Uruguay to hit the race deadline. It's at Noon tomorrow, right?

I guess it's 1PM not noon: To remain official, you must be off the course
by 1pm on August 16, 2017.

East Wind did the pack raft overnight and made it from where Storm is to the finish in about 17hrs, so it's doable. But I don't know what weather they had.

There has been a lot of rain and cool weather than I don't think was predicted and it affected teams.

Getting ready to board a plane home and realizing how many APers I had hoped to catch up with that I didn't. The course was long and difficult, as well, just doing this race was a massive undertaking. Huge kudos! Heard this was the coldest wettest Cowboy Tough on record! I had an amazing experience and learned so much!

The water section was closed due to flash flooding and hazardous water conditions. Teams were transported ahead to CP34. Storm Racing retired there and have returned to their hotel. We've heard from them and everyone is OK but exhausted.

Part-Canadian team Orion was also transported ahead and they are riding to the finish now.

Too bad with Storm racing coming so close to a full course finish! Amazing achievement none the less. Great news about Orion, I didn't realize that Brad was racing and still out there.

Thanks for the great commentary throughout the race!
What is Tumbleweeds doing? They were on their way to collect the last CP and then turned around and are doing their best to avoid it!

Maybe they're going to approach it from the top.

Under "Casper Mountain" shares the condition of the road. http://live.arworldseries.com/arwc17/

Thanks all for the updates.. I'd usually be following/contributing more but not in the cards this year. Congrats to everyone!
Crushed for Storm, but hopefully they had a great experience and are happy!

Tumbleweeds got CP35 from the north side of the mountain, as some other teams did when the road got super muddy. They will finish. It looks like Orion has decided to push on to the finish without collecting CP35. Based on Tumbleweed's time, Orion had just enough time to make it up and down but it would have been super stressful and they must be exhausted after their rough night.

Haku's going to be cutting it close. Using UNE as a rough reference, it was over 90 minutes to punch 35 and get back to the finish from Haku's current position, and they have by my watch, 94 minutes to do so.

Orion decided to go get CP35 after all? Wonder what the deal is there? Cut was 13:00 wasn't it.

From the Adventure Enablers FB:

Fun fact: Team Orion skipped CP35 because a team member wasn't feeling well. When they got to the finish, we gave them the option to see the medic, regroup a bit, and then go for the CP so they could finish the full course. He has been checked and is okay (just tired), so they are headed back out

Awesome! Thanks!
Big Congrats to all teams that took part! Amazing accomplishment for all.

Congratulations to all who took on this beast! Please post your race reports ASAP, as I don't have another race on my calendar until late September and I need something to do.

By the way, was there any info given at the awards banquet about Shenandoah Tough? It's listed on the ARWS calendar for September 13-16 next year, but I can't find anything else on the internet about it. I know Mark mentioned it on TA1, but I'm looking for more details.

Hi StrongMachine! Thanks to you and all for following along. It was a beast of a course!! Just seemed to go on and on.

As for ST. Nope, nothing more than that it is happening. And Mark did say somewhere along the line (in person to me/us, I think) that the idea will be to alternate between Wyoming and Virginia moving forward.

Edit: There was mention that Shenandoah Tough could be a good "first" XPD but not much more information than that.

Not sure what you are referencing, Work4justice?

Less polished race report than quick-and-dirty recap, but mine is up, starting on 8/10.

Race report from Team Canada AR
https://teamcanadaar.blogspot.ca/2017/08/arwc-2017...

Broots wrote a book about Rootstock's experience: https://rootstockracing.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/c...

I am just going to have him read it for the podcast

Wow, great report!

Great write-ups, all!

I found Sneaky Weasel Gang's report if anyone's hungry for more:

https://tanecambridge.com/2017/08/27/weasels-go-wa...