Training Log Archive: AndreM

Event: Mt Billy
 

Event: Espresso 24hr Adventure Race
 

A great race and great result for us as first mixed and 3rd overall, and only 14mins off 2nd place Khaldi. Quite amazed.

Clocked up 100km on the bike, the paddle was 21 km, and will work out the walk later but estimate is 40km. We were one of only a few teams to get all the bonus controls on the rogaine.

The biggest highlight was getting passed by about half a dozen teams multiple times in the first bike leg right after the paddle - only to arrive to applause as the first team to TA2. Totally floored and buzzed, it certainly gave us a bit of pep to keep going and wonder what happened to the others. We were a little lucky picking a track that did exist towards the end which cut a bunch down, but we had some good nav, especially to 8 where we flew past about three teams looking in the wrong spot.

I'm guessing our training weekend two weeks ago had some effect. Our top speed was not very high which helped us do the navigation while stamina and organisation was great.

Murray and Marcus put on a top level race again - this one probably being the best longer race I've competed in. Lots of navigational challenges, good mix of different terrains - flats, hills, farm, tracks, bush and a good balance of optional bonus controls - we certainly didn't get the run-away team thing happening where you know the race is over halfway in.

We came in to finish about 10mins ahead of Woop Woop and first mixed, and then heard that they had come 2nd in the bike time trial, thereby gaining 40mins. Later we were quite happy to hear the results of having beat them.

More details later.

-------added on 19th--------

Prerace
Prep went well. We conveniently booked in to the Nannup Hotel motels unit across the road from the town hall. Done with all prep before 9pm which was a first. A very long sleep from 930pm to 7am wakeup. Map markup and org went fine and we finished with time to spare - again unusually quick and calm. I think we're getting good at the organisation side of things (and glad to have some talents in the team in this). Except for my last minute scamper trying to find where I put my spare ayup battery - didn't find it and didn't need it. And forgetting to add socks to the first box, but was able to borrow Tim's wet socks for the first bike leg which was fine.

Leg 1 - Paddle 21km
Strong men Tim or Mark were voted for the run, which Tim did since Mark had booties on. We got one good sevvy and found one nearby that needed air in a few places. Had a problem accessing one valve, but sorted it out, pumped it up and they both stayed pumped - so pumped about that. Tim and Janet had a slightly faster pace than Mark and I, so we were working fairly hard trying to keep up. My nav system of the map in a board with compass on the floor of the boat worked well and I kept contact with the map. It was hard to figure out where we were in the rankings - but I saw half the Yogi's (Si and Lou) consistenly passing us at great speed and sounding like they had an outboard motor on, and then passing them again while they waited for their other half. Passed some Doom early on. Got passed by TTT midway through, possibly at some embarressing turned-around time. Caught up with Robin's team about midway and kept up with them. Fun paddle through moving water with the odd obstacle. Ready to get out of the sevvy by the end of it. Glad I wore the full sharkskins since it was cold as always.

Leg 2 - MTB 33km
Had no idea how many teams had gone through at TA1, but we had a reasonable transition I thought. We rode around the corner and then bush bashed up the hill to find the trail, figured out where it was going, ran into Khaldi coming the other way and then later them heading back to catchup with us as the trail disappeared a bit - we kept going and lost them again for a while. We caught up with a bunch of teams at cp5 - bit lucky here since it looked like it required a bit of hunting. Tim must have been quite quick b/c we were in and out while others were still looking. To cp6 was interesting because of the doubling back we could see who was in front - One Night Stand ahead, then Khaldi, TTT, Yogis, Loose Unit (bit vague on the order). And then on the way out we saw Woop Woop finally. I was thinking that they may have aced the paddle like last year and were already well ahead. Expected Woop Woop to pass at any minute in the rest of the leg but that did not happen. To cp7 again a bit of a double-back where we saw a few teams. Then on the way to cp8 the trails got strange, had fun getting feet wet crossing a stream, then just as we hit a spot where there was no sign of a trail needed to lead us through to the east Khaldi caught up with us again - how did they ever get behind us I don't know - and we bush bashed together through to find a main road. Then Mark spotted the track we needed and we were off - not sure why Khaldi did not follow – as we did not see them again.

To cp8 and it was most enjoyable passing about 3-4 teams looking in various wrong places for the control too short into the track. Hit the control fast and doubled back. At that stage apparently we took the south option for getting onto Cambray Rd which was not a problem, and a bunch of others took the East option which was a problem. This allowed us to arrive at TA2 to an excited support crew, wanting to take photos of us since we were the first to the TA. I was totally stunned about that and couldn’t figure out how that happened since we got passed a number of times by really strong bike riders. But buoyed and excited to keep going hard. If nothing else, this would have made our race. We got out of there just as the bunch were arriving.

Leg 3 – Rogaine ??km
Khalid must have been really quick on the transition since they caught up with us at cp9 the first one in the rogaine - where we lost a bit of time trying to find it with no attackpoint. Walked with Khaldi for most of the way to cp10 but beat them to it and quietly kept going, our rogaine depth paying off. They then caught up with us and passed us after a catchup chat on the way to cp11 and then left for 12 while we continued to 15. We ran into TTT a couple of times too - on the way to 16 the last time, and then saw them at the TA at the end - again amazed that we were able to mostly match them for time on the rogaine, having got all the controls. We walked and navv'd well with no one having any trouble keeping up at any time on the foot legs throughout the race. We also jogged every down hill throughout the race. Mark navv'd the foot legs while Tim and I shared the bike legs. This also helped by sharing the load.

Leg 4 – MTB 33km
Starting to feel just a bit tired now - somewhere around 1030pm. Tim lead us out on the munda biddi track with map 5 - a good choice because we beat TTT to cp19 after seeing them leaving TA2 before us. They then overtook us just before a turnoff towards cp20. Last we saw of them was a few hundred metres away just before they took a right. This is where we were waiting while Tim checked an unmarked trail on the right. We finally went down the correct one where TTT had turned, which turned into a garden of a trail with zen-like following as someone else wrote. Our biggest nav error here was not following it far enough according to the map, and stopping short about 70m from the required trail crossing. We spent a good amount of time trancing about various faint tracks up there trying to figure out how to fit the map to them. At this point the Maids turned up and Leah promptly ran down some track we were looking at so we told them nothing here. A bit later we give up and decide to tackle it from the south option. Good choice, since after only 10mins we're at the control via the south, and then as we exit we see what I think is the Maids coming down the hill on the original overgrown track towards our lights.

I lead us home on map 1 to TA 4, but TA 4 was just off the map so I didn't know if it was the start or the town hall - and then ride us almost past the lights at the town hall to the start and then back again. That's about the lowest point in the race for me mentally, everything just slowed down round about midnight. But back in the TA I wake up again with my shock pack from the box - coke, condense milk and caffeinated gels.

Leg 5 – Trek 14km
Mark lead us out here into the cold night with Tim hounding up and down hills to punch the control. Some great legs in nice hilly terrain of pine forest, trails and pasture - reminiscent of the NZ worlds rogaine. Add to that the blackberry patches in the creeks, which we negotiated for the most part on nice little paths, except for Tim's bare legs which suffered a couple of times. Also enjoyed getting feet wet again in a refreshing stream at 29 comfortable with the thought of having spare socks in the box at the next TA. Going from 24 to 25 was interesting as my suggestion of contouring quickly became a really bad idea and we went back down to the creek to find a blackberry-less crossing point. We ran into Love Handles at 24, 25, 26, 27 and finally 28 before we managed to make ground on them - Karen smoothly navigating them through. We lost a bit of time to 25 and on a really thick bush bash to 27 and then not knowing where on the track we were when we got through - with Karen's team walking past just then we followed them to the control. All team members still pushing on like troupers and we're still jogging all downhills.

Leg 6 - MTB Time Trial 3km
Arrived at the TA with little bit of extra distance at the end missing a turn off. Glanced at the sheet to see about 4 or 5 teams on the list, but didn't ask or want to know who was ahead and by how much since I thought we were going really great and didn't want to burst the bubble with any news of a team being hours ahead. Given that there was so much variance in the rogaine, this would not have meant anything anyway - so credit to Murray and Marcus for setting a well balanced course!

It was great to get the enthusiastic cheers from the support crew, and Murray, Kris as we arrived at the TA. We started riding up the trail and then pushing bikes up. Halfway up wondering if we're on the right track since we didn't see a marker for a good while. Then hit the top and started riding. I was really happy that the team stuck together for this - Tim ahead a bit and calling the course out, me and then Mark and Janet who seemed to have no trouble - turned out to be great fun. I waited and towed Janet in to find our time equalled TTT's at 3rd place, but expected it to be beaten which it was.

Leg 7 – MTB 34km (est since the total was 99.6km on my odometer).
Here I navved which freed Tim up to focus on towing. We again worked well as a team - Mark joining in with pushing. As we started on the bitumen I was convinced I had a flat back tire, only to stop and feel it fully inflated – fatigue playing with my mind.

I thought the instructions said that we were to get the controls in order, which our highlighted route had. If this was different, then we could have done a lot better heading out of order and instead doing in order 33, 34, 32, 35, 36, 30, 31, 37. Anyhow, we pushed through with no real lost time, enjoyed the rough single track and had a few stacks there at low speed, and then by the time we hit 37 it was light and the downhill ride was much enjoyed except for the sensations of freezing pain. I stopped to refold the map and at that time was in a hole energy wise. Tim stopped as well, and sprinted back to the others, while I crawled my way back to the pack by the time they hit the Vasse Hwy. Got 38 fairly cleanly calling out to Tim from above the bridge - glad he could still run down and ferret around. Tim then got 39, the train loading dock, smoothly by spotting it as the only interesting building around. 40 was a little tricky - we over shot it, came back to where the map said it should be, and then fanned out and I found it under a tiny stream bridge. Then headed home with the a great feeling that we had a really good race and with everyone still together physically and mentally.

Again elated to find out we were the first mixed team and fourth (I think) overall home. The cup of soup and sausage roll from Murray’s mum tasted so good. All that time spent pushing it in the cold concentrated into a bit of joy for the 20mins or so after finishing. We heard that Woop Woop had come second in the time trial, so thought we were out of it since they came in about 10mins after us. I was also dreading getting caught by the Yogis in the last stretch of riding after having them pass us so easily on the bikes before, and knowing it would have been a battle to the death. But neither of this happened, and we were really excited to hear the results with 3rd overall and 1st mixed. Makes me want to do it all over again - looking forward to our next race.