1 week and counting...

That's right. This time next week we will be traveling the backcountry of Northern Georgia looking race checkpoints. The last official news is that the race will be a rogaine style event, meaning the race will not follow a definitive course. We will have 30hrs to collect as many checkpoints as possible in any order and make it back to the finish line. This is good because it adds to the strategy and skills needed to do well, eliminates the pacing of traditional races, and allows for more teams to finish. This is bad because it will challenge us to stay consistant and motivated, and make it easier to get lost in an unfamiliar and semi-hostile environment, especially since the race association is emphasizing the recommendation to be prepared for bear encounters!

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, they can be found in three distinct regions of the state, including the North Georgia mountains (Blue Ridge Mountains).

Fortunately, they add that "there are no recorded bear attacks on humans in Georgia, and no fatalities. There have only been two documented fatal black bear attacks in the Southeastern United States."

And although we take this bear safety issue seriously, we cannot afford the weight a suit like this one would add. But, we are concerned because the number of bear related thefts is up this time of year.

Endurance Fowl on NPR

This awkward looking shore bird (Bar-Tailed Gotwit) has set a new continuous flight record ~7200 miles (Alaska to New Zealand) non-stop. It isn't a tortoise, but it can be another Team Torti mascot.
Fly on! (click title to go to npr article/story)

Track us at Nationals...

So...anyone who is interested, can follow our progress and get nationals race updates here:

http://www.usaranationals.com/race_hq.aspx

Two Weeks!!!!

Well...we will be lost in the Georgian wilderness by this time two weeks from now. Look for an update about tracking our progress during the race soon. Also, take time to view our awesome sponsor's/donor's sites (I finally got links posted in the sidebar!).

Fall Fell...But the chill couldn't stop the chillin'

With slight hesitation and concern about possible injury before nationals, I entered, ran and finished 17th at the Fall Fell 7 Mile Trail Race. My Time was 1:12:19. Not great, but not bad. Same as my last 10K!

Up next...Nationals (Blue Ridge Mountains)

We will soon be off to conquer these...

More photos...UTM plotting

Milford Lake Extreme Photos...

Milford Extreme...Cramps!

Well, we did it. We finished (kinda/barely) the Milford Lake Extreme AR. This surprisingly was the toughest 50 miles of racing I have endured. The course/race was great and well organized. My only personal complaints were inflatable kayaks, and not any technical/offroad riding. The coarse was definitely not the hardest and it showed early as we easily fought for 2nd place, the majority of the race. It was between 30-40 miles that we made a costly navigational error (probably brought on by early stages of bonkage) that put us back an hour or more and into 6th. It was also at this time that we started having serious hydration/cramping issues. My bro, Louis, cramped so badly during one of the last biking legs that he was forced off the course. I fought through several episodes and was eventually reduced to my smallest gear set and hiking. There would be no more running or powering through tough gears. Although it ended in frustration and exhaustion, I had a blast and am so thankful for my team and their efforts. Megan, you are a machine! Thank you for joining us!

Highlights:
-The town party at "The Tropics" bar & pizza shop for pre-race meeting (Classic)
-Catching team Inertia at CP 5 (the pond)
-Running through the awesome ORV hills
-Bushwhacking Kansas fields until my legs bled
-Crossing a lake inlet by crawling across fallen tree
-Sticking it to my wasted legs by finishing with the 12 hour limit
-Circumnavigating the entire lake

I can't wait for Georgia and peeing like a race horse all the way there! I will hydrate...I will hydrate...I will hydrate. (obviously, nutrition is the key)

Peace,

one more sponsor!

Thank you Barry Haley, owner of FBC (Fayetteville Bicycle Company) for his sponsorship!  He runs a great shop here in town and if you live in the Northwest Arkansas area you should definitely check them out.  The race approaches!  We are going to have so much fun this weekend!!  I'm with Fletcher--no injuries, be competitive, and have fun!  

Inaugural Events

Inaugural races are par for the course this season...

Louis and I did the POD TROD (http://www.psychowyco.com/id66.html) a few weeks ago where we placed 1st & 8th respectively in this mp3 mile trail race. The premise was that we would be narrated through the trails of Clinton State Park via prerecorded podcasts on mp3 players (ipods). It was a fun fast event put on by the KC Trail Nerds and directed by Gary Henry.

Coming up this weekend is the first ever Milford Lake Extreme AR! (http://www.acornsresortkansas.com/raceinfo.html) Our nationals team is participating as practice for the big stage in November. My goals are to be competitive, challenge ourselves and stay injury free. Should be a great race...