[ This report was copied from the ImOnPoint.org blog. Thanks to Shane for the writeup and Jen for providing the pictures! ]
On last weekend in October, the Odyssey Adventure Racing – ImONPoint.org race team of Jen, Charlie, Mark and I all converged in Moab to race in the inaugural Checkpoint Tracker Nationals. This was our final race of the year, and the best teams in the US were showing up to go head to head for 28 hours of racing. When the dust had settled, the punches reviewed and times tallied, we were crowned the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker National Championship race winner.
Wow, what an awesome race. The venue alone was worth the trip. If you have not taken the time to ride, run, hike, climb, paddle or just take pictures in Moab, UT – do it. This place definitely meets the “bucket list” criteria. The Race Directors Will and Jenny Newcomer from Gravity Play Sports put together an unforgettable event. The course had riverboarding, paddling, trekking, a Tyrolean traverse, rappelling, biking and epic Slick Rock trail riding.
This was a modified rogaine course. Checkpoints had to be collected in order with the exception of two sections where the racers could choose the order that they obtained the points within that section. On the second section (Slick Rock trail) racers were also given the option of trekking or biking to the points. I like this format for races, you get to see other teams throughout the race, and it is interesting to watch as teams use completely different strategies to obtain the points.
Pre-race, the atmosphere was festive. The Red Cliff Lodge was an awesome place to host the race. Spacious, rustic suites with gorgeous views gave us plenty of room to spread out our gear. Leaving your room and walking around outside, we caught up with old friends and made some new ones.
From the word “go” at 8:00 am we didn’t stop (except in the queue at the Tyrolean traverse) until we crossed the finish line 21 hours and 19 minutes later. Throughout the race, we worked extremely well as a team. Jen was an absolute animal, paddling with her we may have been the fastest thing on the Colorado River. Watching Mark and Charlie work together on the navigation was extremely impressive; working with multiple maps (both topo and aerial) they constantly kept us headed in the right direction. During the race we had the opportunity to see a lot of the competitors and were fortunate enough to race alongside some impressive teams and individuals. Thanks to all of you for the memories.
My highlight from the racecourse has to be the experience of riding the Slick Rock trail at night. Our helmet and bike lights illuminated a seemingly monochromatic landscape of rock and shadow. It was absolutely stunning and completely surreal. The best way to describe it would be to imagine riding on the moon at night.
From Charlie, “The CPT Nationals race was everything that an adventure race should be. There were sections that tested your technical running and biking skills, and others – like the 4,000ft hill climb towards the La Sals – that put your endurance and overall speed to the test. I especially enjoyed mountain biking the Slick Rock trail at night. I remember downhills with my weight so far back that my butt was almost rubbing the tire, my brakes fully applied, tires losing traction, and hoping that Mark didn’t crash or stop in front of me, because I would have run over him! There was no way I could have stopped. That was some fun stuff!
When you add in the challenging navigation, riverboarding, two ropes sections, and the spectacular scenery of Moab, its hard to imagine how they could have made the race any better. The bar has been set high. If next year’s race is even half as good, it will still be one that racers should not miss!”
Mark’s observations, “CPT Nationals started like no other – with a river swim. It was quite a scene with 150+ athletes all in wetsuits, fins, carrying river boards and jumping off the Red Cliffs Lodge dock like lemmings into the cold Colorado river. It was a great start to a great race course that included paddling down the windy Colorado river as well as orienteering around on the mesas above the river. We ascended from the valley floor on a via ferrata set up by the race organization. After a few hours of orienteering, we descended by zip-lining across a 350ft wide canyon and then rappelling back to the valley floor. The rest of the race involved mountain biking on some of the classic Moab trails (Slick Rock) and then ascending 4000′ up a jeep road to the foot of the La Sal Mountains only to bomb back down Castleton Valley to the river (15 miles in less than 30 minutes!). It was a great race. We held off Dart-Nuun on the last ascent and managed to pass Team Gortex on the last descent. It was a wildly competitive race and we loved every minute of it.
For me, the high point of the race was cycling out of the last orienteering section on the Slick Rock trail. With all the points obtained, we raced back to the transition area in the early morning hours before dawn. The lights of other teams were all around us like fireflies; it seemed like there was a team on every mesa and hilltop looking for CPs or heading back to the TA. Some were on foot; some used bikes. Racing down the Slick Rock trail in the dark was truly an unforgettable experience! The darkness made us far more daring than we would have been in the light when we could have seen all the long treacherous drops from the trail down into the rocky ravines below. I only wish we could have done it a second time in daylight!”
Jen added, “Every part of this race was so gorgeous, and yet so painful, just what I like. What an amazing course! This was my first experience riverboarding, and it was in the COLORADO! How cool! Literally! We also had a 20+ mi flatwater paddle in duckies, which I’m sure tested every racers’ mental strength. I was happy to have Shane paddling with me controlling the boat and finding the moving water. On foot, the guys rarely stopped, running, climbing, and leaping all over the rock. Mark was really pushing the pace here. I really enjoy technical riding and I’ve never seen anything like Slick Rock before, what a prize. The last bike leg included a 20 mi+ climb over 4000ft into the LaSal Mountains, which I only made since Charlie was feeling like an ox and was able to pull me. This was by far the most difficult race of the year for me, but the scenery in Moab was amazing and well worth it! I’d definitely go back to race again. Of course, I have the greatest teammates ever, so I’d race anywhere with them. :) ”
As always, check out our sponsors on the right. Their direct support allows us to race at the level we do. Ronnie and the Odyssey Adventure Racing crew, thanks for all your assistance this year. Please, visit the On Point Foundation at ImONPoint.org. You can directly affect the lives of disabled service members with a donation.
See you outside,
Shane
