Training Log Archive: Timato

Final day of Quest for a Cure. We paddle through the night which is really fun because the lake is nice and calm and we can just follow the tree line right to the checkpoint.

From here it's and interesting little hike that involves way too many directions as we go through the heart of Arnprior (which includes being cheered on by the OPP) and then negotiate the banks of the Ottawa River and some cottage roads until we get to the swim put in. Cross the lake, put the warm clothes back on and walk the road into a canoe put in.

We jump in the canoe for what looks like a nice easy little canoe to a portage, that we can't find. So in our tired state we decide to bush wack this thing. Not our brightest move, but luckily we find the trail that takes us to the other side of the lake and then to the checkpoint.

At this point we're holding second, but not gaining any time on first, so we make the decision to really push the next bike leg. We takes us roughly an hours along some quite fire road to the base of Gatineau park.

The next section is a long, painful hike to Luskerville falls, and then on to Meech Lake. We're trying to run what we can, but the pain in our feet is definitly getting the best of us.

We pull into the TA aroung 3:30 pm. The course cutoff is 6 pm, and they're telling us the first place 24 hour team did the next 2 sections in 3 hours. So we ask for some clarification on the race rules and it looks like unless we suddenlty grow wings we're going to be unranked no matter what. With both of us in a lot of pain and our feet badly blistered we make the decision to try and finish the race no matter what.

I have to say at this point that the only thing we can count on in a race is the bike leds always revitalize us. I think we were on the bikes for no less then 15 minutes and all Eddie's energy was back. We ride for a bike on the trails in Gatineau until we come to trail 5 which is a paved bike path, and most of it goes down hill. We keep pushing the pace and make out way out of the park, onto the bike trails running along the Ottawa River, cross the river and pull into the final TA at 5:20 pm. Eddie grabs the paddles and I grab the canoe and we hike up the hill to the Rideu Canal. We put into the water at 5:30 and now have 30 minutes to cover 8 km to the finsh line.

Well, seeing as paddling is definitly our weakest link, it ends up taking us 45 minutes to finish the paddle so we end up as an unranked team. However, I have say I couldn't be more proud regardless because we finished what we started and only 2 teams can attest to that.

C • Quest for cure 7

From here it was a beautifull bike leg, where my new lights prooved to be worth every penny. We then come into Lower Madawaska Prov Park and head our for some paddling. Of course, with our canoeing skills we lost a bit of time walking around all the rapids, but still we're doing well. We get on the bikes pass 3 teams that caught us in the canoes and head our for a long trek in fourth place.

First part of the trek is on trails, which I make a wrong turn on and instead of going around the lake the short way we go the long way. We get to a point see the hydro wires, figure out our mistake and pull into the CP. You can imagine how surprised we were to find out we were the first team in (definitly helped to moral at this point). We head out from here for some bush wacking and find out way to the rappel site. We arrive exactly at the same time as 2 four man teams. 200ft rappel down the cliff just looks great. Eddie runs out of water so we make a detour to a lake (I'm going to move to this lake because it was so beautiful) grab some water and head to the TA. Pete Cameron's team beat us by 30 minutes, but we're holding onto second place. Which is pretty good since I've been throwing up with the heat.

Of course at this point everyone is moving pretty slow so they fast forward the race through the next 2 checkpoints. So we jump in the support vehicle and grab some sleep as they take us to the next starting location.

From here we get in the boats again, paddle across the lake and head out for a 3 hours walk that had to be the most boring thing I've ever done. All we did is walk along a road until we arrived at the next checkpoint. Definitly could have done without this section.

We pull into the TA put on the life jackets and take off for a night paddle. At this point Eddie's feet are in terrible shape so we're holding second, but we've lost about 90 minutes on first right now.

Quest For A Cure

Ahhh, the start of Quest for a Cure. Right at the bottom of Calaboogie peaks, and guess where the first checkpoint is??? You guessed it right at the top. From they we do a little down hill biking walk in a stream with the canoes and head out for 5 hours of trekking at night.

Can you call it a race when you take it easy?

Rest.
My bags are packed I'm ready to go......

C • Good Luck! 2