Ridiculous picture, even funnier since it was taken by Mari while we were running at a good clip!
We managed to get some separation early and maintained our lead throughout this brutal and navigationally challenging race course.
This is two wins in two weekends for me, and 6 adventure racing wins in a row with my
team DART-nuun. I'm taking a break this weekend! Heading to Chicago with HotWheels for my cousin Conrad's wedding.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sean, Glenn, Mari and Ryan say THANK YOU to all of our 2008 sponsors!
This was a course that put our bodies-and our sponsors' products-to the test!
nuun and Vitargo S2 kept me fueled throughout the race, with the occasional Gu for a quick blast. I did not bonk! nuun and Vitargo S2 has kept me "Bonk-Proof" all year long. The new larger nuun tablets are perfect for putting into your hydration pack, such as a Hydrapak or Camelbak. This makes hydration and electrolyte balance a no-brainer. As usual, I carried my Vitargo in two water bottles at all times on my backpack. When we hit a natural spring in the middle of the 9 hour trekking leg, I was able to refill my bottles with the Vitargo I carried in small ziplock bags. Each bottle kept me fueled for 2 hours, and the water and nuun in my Hydrapak bladder in my Gregory racing pack kept me hydrated. Perfect.
Our new Turner Flux mountain bikes, decked out with trick FSA components, Manitou forks with easy lockout, Hayes Disc brakes, Crank Brothers Egg beater pedals, and sticky Michelin tires worked flawlessly on the diverse Pacific Northwest terrain. Hopefully you will see us on our bikes duringthe FOX SPORTS TV coverage of the Gorge Games next month...(air dates coming soon).
Our amazing EPIC carbon wing blade paddles and Northwest Kayaks triple had us lapping most of the field during the opening paddling leg on the Columbia river.
Our VASQUE shoes and Teko socks kept our feet happy and blister free. I don't remember feeling any hotspots during this race. That is a FIRST for me, and my first race wearing the Vasque Aether Tech/Teko sock combination, with SOLE custom footbeds.
Anyone who does trail running or adventure racing knows this is critical.
Our Rudy Project glasses kept our eyes on the trail-and checkpoints. I noticed during this race that the lenses are very scratch-resistant! Several times I was smacked in the face and glasses with branches or flying rocks while running, trekking, or riding. I didn't take a "header" during this race but my Rudy Projet helmet is as good as new, halfway through a packed Adventure Racing and mountain biker racing schedule.
Our Light & Motion STELLA-180 lights were a God-send during the opening bike leg, which took us from 9:30pm to midnight. DART-nuun was the only team to hit every checkpoint AND finish the leg before the midnight cutoff/beginning of the trekking leg. I'd like to think that being able to actually SEE the terrain features and checkpoints helped us out! We also used our L&M Stella lights during the trekking section, using our L&M head straps. What a difference! I will not race with a 'normal' headlamp again during a 24 hour adventure race.
They stayed in transition this time with the warm and dry conditions, but we had our super light and bombproof Arc'teryx jackets and pants ready to go if needed.
Lastly, we could not get home with all of our gear without THULE racks for our cars!
See you at the next race in the CheckPointTracker.com Series race, the Big Blue Kit Carson 24 Hour Adventure Race September 13-14th.
Thanks for tuning in!
Sean
DART-nuun Adventure Racing Team
