by Heather Stewart, MOMAR Media Coordinator

The 2001 Galaxy Girls (L-R: Joanna Brownell, Tania Tasaka, Julia Bergman, and Heather Stewart)

Wow, what a stroll down memory lane!! I began my MOMAR career very unofficially as Bryan’s roommate and assistant course scouter. I have very fond memories of the MOMAR early days, hiking our bikes over dried up river beds, running into bears, grinning from ear to ear while zooming down Mt. Tzouhalem, and getting into great shape while Bryan dragged me up and over mountains. The first MOMAR, Duncan 2000, was the beginning of an adventure racing legend. It was the definition of fun. Truly. The after-party was such a blast, and it set a precedent for all MOMARs that have followed. The importance of celebrating such a grueling accomplishment has become the MOMAR norm… and deservedly so.

Denis Fontaine

As the MOMAR Media Coordinator, I have the fortunate job of summarizing the race results from the beginning until now. There are so many names that bring back very fond memories. For me, the name that stands out the most is Denis Fontaine – a name that when reading it fills me with such hilarious memories, and very sad ones.

For any of you that had the fortune of meeting him, I’m sure you will feel the same way. Denis was one of the top racers from day one, but even more than that, he had an unforgettable personality – comical and kind, with the capability to be both the life of the party and a professional representative at the same time. We lost Denis in 2007 to a tragic kayaking accident, but he will most definitely not be forgotten. His name lives on at the MOMAR, with the Denis Fontaine Spirit Award.

Calla Romses

Calla Romses is a name that you early MOMAR racers may remember. Calla came in second overall, along with her teammate Randy Hunter, at the inaugural MOMAR, and was instrumental in getting quite a few of us ladies out on the race course. She was new to the world of adventure racing but still managed to bust her butt and come out on top.

I remember grilling her on her training regime, and then got the nerve to attempt the Duncan 2001 MOMAR. Our team of four ladies, the Galaxy Girls, came first in our category! Well, to be truthful, we were the ONLY team in our category. We barely made cut-off and came in second to last, in front of a racer that had recently had back surgery. But did we have fun?? Hell yes!

There are too many names to mention, but many of them are below in a summary of the top racers throughout the history of the MOMAR. All of these names bring back great memories, plus so many names that are not on that list. If you’ve raced a MOMAR, congratulations, even if you came in dead last. Seriously. I admire you for your attempt and perseveration. It ain’t easy out there!

SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS:

Number of times on the podium:

Normon Thibault and Dave Norona at the 2001 Lake Cowichan MOMAR

1. Norm Thibault (19)
2. Shawn O’Toole (15)
3. Michell Steel (14)
4. Gary Robbins (13), Justin Mark (13)
5. Todd Nowack (12), Tom Roozendall (12)
6. Sean Lunny (11)
7. Randy Steel (10), Garth Campbell (10), Sarah Seads (10)
8. Dave Norona (8), Denis Fontaine (8), Wendy Simms (8), Shane Ruljancich (8)
9. Bart Jarmula (7), Jeremy Grasby (7), Ina Ervin (Kerchoff) (7), James Luxmoore (7), Gord Horth (7), Aimee Dunn (7)
10. Ryan Ervin (6), Graham Cocksedge (6), Heather McIntosh (6)
11. Doug Doyle (5), Jason Sandquist (5)

Number of times first overall:
1. Todd Nowack (9)
2. Dave Norona (7)
3. Gary Robbins (4)
4. Norm Thibault (3), Sean Lunny (3)
5. Jeremy Grasby (2)

Number of times second overall:
1. Norm Thibault (6)
2. Sean Lunny (3), Jeremy Grasby (3), Garth Campbell (3), Shane Ruljancich (3)
3. Gary Robbins (2), Jason Sandquist (2)

Number of times third overall:
1. Bart Jarmula (3), Shane Ruljancich (3)
2. Norm Thibault (2), James Luxmoore (2), Gary Robbins (2)

Number of first place finishes in ‘solo female’ category:
1. Sarah Seads (8)
2. Genevieve Burdett (3)
3. Annick Kvick (3)
4. Caroline Daubney (2)
5. Linda Morten (2)

Fun facts:
- The two women to have a MOMAR first place overall win: Caroline Daubney, Ladysmith 2002 and Tasha Dilay (with teammate Todd Nowack), Ucluelet 2006.
- From then to now, our most dedicated podium toppers (first time to most recent time):
o Team Where’s my Sherpa: Cowichan 2001 – Cumberland 2011
o Norm Thibault: Lake Cowichan 2001 – Cumberland 2009
o Ina Ervin (Kerchoff): Duncan 2000 – Squamish 2008
o Gary Robbins: Cumberland 2002 – Squamish 2010
o Sarah Seads: Cumberland 2003 – Burnaby 2011
o Sean Lunny: Comox Valley 2001 – Squamish 2008
o Jeremy Grasby: Cumberland 2004 – Cumberland 2011
o James Luxmoore: Duncan 2000 – Shawnigan Lake 2007
o Denis Fontaine: Duncan 2000 – Squamish 2007
o Amy Dunn: Ladysmith 2002 – Squamish 2008
o Wendy Simms: Cumberland 2002 – Cumberland 2008
o Justin Mark: Cumberland 2003 – Squamish 2009
o Tom Roozendaal: Cumberland 2002 – Shawnigan Lake 2008

*** THE COMPLETE LIST:  To view the list of 1st – 3rd place finishers from 2000 to 2011, click here. ***