Big thanks to Paula Solanoy for creating this year’s poster design. I love the concept and the photos by Erik Peterson, Jill Collins, and John Crosby really tell the story of the MOMAR. Look at all those sponsor logos too! What a great team we had last year and I’m hoping they all sign on for this year too!
Once again, there were so many great moments from the 2011 season of the Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing Series. We started the year off in a brand new venue, Burnaby, and ended in Cumberland for the 12 year in a row. I had hundreds of photos to review and came up with 20 images and two videos. Enjoy!!!
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1. WE WERE THE FIRST – Photo by Mark Teasdale —- A partial group shot just before the start of the inaugural race in Burnaby, BC. The weather was ideal — cool in the morning and bright sunny skies in the afternoon. The race started and finished at Barnett Marine Park, a bit of a hidden gem in the Lower Mainland.
2. WHAT A PADDLE LEG – Photo by Mark Teasdale —- Todd Nowack leads this group of paddlers on a 10km paddle in Burrard Inlet /Indian Arm and up to Jug Island and back. Todd won this race and Cumberland (another series sweep!) and adds two more to his overall win tally.
3. SWEET SINGLE TRACK ON BURNABY MOUNTAIN – Photo by Matthew Beckett —- Frontrunners’ Stefan Jakobson cruises down the trails during the MOMAR Burnaby. Frontrunners is our longest running sponsor having been with us for the past 12 years. Love you guys!
4. COMPASSIONATE VOLUNTEER – Photo by Andrea Beckett —- The MOMAR has the BEST team of volunteers. They are always so hardworking, enthusiastic, and ready to help a racer out when needed. Here, longtime volunteer, Thomas Howard (and his chicken) takes the time to click a shot of a wiped out racer before helping him up (and asking if he’s ok). What a guy!
5. CELEBRITY APPEARANCE – Photo by John Crosby —- Not only did we have one of the best female adventure racers (Jen Segger) on the start line of the MOMAR Burnaby but we also had Raid the North’s race director, Geoff Langford, too!
6. CHAMPAGNE WISHES – Photo by Mark Teasdale —- Team Beer O’Clock (Nicole Gibbons, Beth Henschel, Alison Perras, and Jaimie Isaac) from Vancouver celebrates their first place finish (4F) with champagne and big smiles. They found all 36 checkpoints in 7h and 13m. Great job!
7. HEART AND SOLE – Photo by John Crosby —- The Momamas were the winners of the Sole Spirit Award. Tons of spirit all day long.
8. VIDEO: WATCH THE FOOTAGE – Video by Erik Nachtrieb of 1iOpen Productions —- Big thanks to Erik for coming out and shooting video and putting together this stellar video that captures the essence of our inaugural race in Burnaby. Click here to watch.
9. WELCOME TO THE FOG – Photo by Erik Peterson —- Paddlers set out on Comox Lake for the start of the Cumberland MOMAR. This was the foggiest morning that we ever had and it made for a really eerie but calm paddle stage.
10. NEW CHECKPOINT – Photo by Erik Peterson —- There has been 12 races in Cumberland and finding new terrain is always a treat. Here, a new trail was cut allowing us access to a set of fantastic bluffs with a great view of the glaciers to the west. Team Frontrunners Westshore (Nick Walker and Eric Findlay) look pro as they approach CP 3. I predict a big year at the MOMAR for this duo in 2012.
11. A FAMILY AFFAIR – Photo by John Crosby — It was great having Vernon’s Sheila Sovereign take on the 30km sport course with her niece Karly. The Vernon Morning Star reported: “We did really well with the route finding, but we really had to take our time and think it through,” said Sheila. “I did the Squamish MOMAR and the trail finding was way easier. This was actually pretty tricky so we really had to pay attention.”
12. LOST AND CONFUSED – Photo by Erik Peterson —- We’ve all been there… you know… in the Orienteering Stage of the MOMAR… your navigator isn’t quite sure where to go as your teammate waits (im)patiently for a quick decision. Right? Sarah Newman and Geoff Huenemann from Bike Over Teakettle figure things out in the final stage of the MOMAR Cumberland course.
13. SPIRIT OF TWO BODIES IN ONE – Photo by John Crosby —- In the most touching story in the history of the MOMAR, Steven Crerar from Campbell River races the MOMAR Cumberland in memory of his brother Bryan Crerar, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2009. Steven and Bryan had raced together for four previous MOMARs and this was now Steven’s first solo. More on Steven’s story, click here.
14. FOUND IT! – Photo by Erik Peterson —- Aside from crossing the finish line, is there any better feeling than finding a Checkpoint? Sometimes they can be found easily and sometimes they are hidden; either way, seeing the orange and white flag is a great feeling. In this photo, ELM Fearless Leaders (Kathy Campbell and Lynn Swift) punch the CP at the top of DCDH.
15. OH THOSE CUMBY TRAILS – Photo by Erik Peterson —- A forest is sometimes just a forest but when you get a community of dedicated trail builders you can end up with a forest with it’s own very unique identity. The trail network behind the Village of Cumberland is simply the best on the Vancouver Island. In the first years of the MOMAR Cumberland, we took racers on the Crafty Butcher trail, but subsequent logging kept it out of future course routes. Last year, the trail was refurbished and a wicked double teeter todder was added making this the must ride trail of the race. Super fun, super fast, super buff.
16. OH THOSE CUMBY TRAILS – Photo by Erik Peterson —- Just south of the start/finish line for the MOMAR Cumberland sits a steep boulder filled forest and rugged cliffs. The terrain here is super cool and is the home to a rock climbers, wasp nests, bears and our final orienteering stage. It’s one of my favorite places in Cumberland.
17. YOU’RE ONLY AS FAST AS YOUR SLOWEST TEAMMATE – Photo by John Crosby —- Last Year’s Losers (Irene and Neil Borecky) cross the line with almost all of their limbs attached…. Runner up for the Sole Spirit Award. What a riot.
18. ATMOSPHERE – Photo by John Crosby —- A big BIG thanks goes out to our title sponsor Atmosphere who have been with us for the past three years. Without their support and the support of all of our other sponsors, the MOMAR would not be possible (or at least you wouldn’t get a cool shirt, shiny medal, tasty dinner, rockin’ party, accurate maps, heaps of prizes, a crazy MC, etc… ). And it was great to have a staff team from the Victoria store compete too! In this photo: Steven Craig, Hannah Mashon, William Rankine, and Nick Brame.
19. ROCK STAR – Photo by Erik Peterson —- What a great moment it was when MOMAR’s own event coordinator, Tamara Rhodes, took the stage and sang a few songs with Megalicious at the MOMAR Cumberland after-party. This capped off another killer after-party!
20. THREE AMIGOS – Photo by ‘some dude with my camera’ —- Dave Norona, Normon Thibault, and me (Bryan Tasaka). These guys were at the first MOMAR back in 2000 and they are still here today — 35 races later. Wow. What a run.
21. THE REAL HEROS OF THE MOMAR – Photo by Erik Peterson —- The MOMAR is produced by a core group of hard working, organized, and dedicated event team. Thank you Tamara Hung, Janine Tasaka, Sheron Chrysler, Elaine McHugh, Lisa Au, Liz Tribe and Gary Robbins!!! (Note: Dave Norona represents Lisa, Liz, and Gary for the purposes of this team picture)
22. THE NASTYASS ADVENTURE RACER – Video by Kootenay Kaos —- Words cannot properly explain what the Kootenay Kaos are all about… it’s best if you just watch the video.
That’s it! Nothing but great memories! Let us know what you think by posting a comment below.
Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race duing the month of December. The winners of the early bird prize packages as determined through a random draw using Excel’s =RAND() formula are:
I will email all the winners with details on how to claim your prize.
Thanks to Frontrunners, Surface Collective, Big Chop Summer Paddle Series and The Yeti for contibuting prizing!
It’s not easy capturing the essences of an adventure race that spans 50km of remote wilderness. However, the MOMAR is incredibly fortunate to have an amazing team of both professional and amateur photographers moving throughout the course on race day taking some awesome shots. BIG THANKS goes out to David Silver, David Fornier, Nick Sopczak, Sophia Ha, Matthew Beckett, Carla Yarrow, Rumi Kodama, Aimee Asselin, Melissa Marsh, Earl Purvis, Jordy Ydse, and Caroline Falconer!
Here is my list of the Top 20 Best Photo Moments from the MOMAR in 2010. The first ten are from Squamish and the last ten are from Cumberland. Enjoy!
1. MOUNTAIN BIKING DOWN HALF NELSON – Photo by David Fournier —- The Half Nelson Trail opened just in time for the MOMAR in Squamish. Local trail builder Ted Tempany led the design and construction which was a government funded project. This 3km roller coaster like ride is a true rush for the XC rider and was a highlight of the Squamish course. This photo captures the Trent Hillbillies in fast action.
2. UP THE CHIEF - Photo by David Fournier —- I still remember the ‘oh shit’ look on many racers’ faces when on race morning ’09 we handed out the maps and it revealed the tightly guarded secret that we were sending them UP the 600m Stawamus Chief. This stage was near the end of the race again this year as David captures the ‘death march’ up to the top. It’s all about the reward though, right? Next stage: Rappel!
3. RAPPELLING OFF THE CHIEF - Photo by Nick Sopczak—- A team member of the Ponytails descends off the top of the Stawamus Chief down to a rock shelf 150′ below. The Sea to Sky Highway and Howe Sound are in the background. The MOMAR is the only company to have ever used the Chief trails for an organized race. Big thanks goes out to Colin Moorhead and his team at the Squamish Rock Guides for managing the rappel!
4. TEAMWORK AND FUN PERSONIFIED – Photo by Rumi Kodama—- Richard Alm lead a team of Innovative Fitness trainers and clients through the rigours of the MOMAR. There are other photos showing Richard crossing the fast flowing and glacier cold Mamquam River numerous times with not only his teammates’ bikes, but also with his teammates on his back. What a stud!
5. CROSSING THE MAMQUAM – Photo by Jordy Ydse —- This is the Mamquam River crossing where the water is cold and the bottom is slippery. Team Corsa Cycles look like pros making the trip across. Big shout out goes to Dave and Sandra at Corsa for their incredible support since our first year in Squamish.
6. BATTLE WOUNDS – Photo by David Fournier —- Megan Fretter and Hailey Van Dyk of Team Atmosphere show off their injuries during a rest stop on the Chief. Megan apparently went over the handlebars and cut both knees; the medics had to order her to stop and get patched up. Hailey’s is more in the ‘boo boo’ category.
7. MAKING RICHARD SIMMONS PROUD – Photo by Earl Purvis —- There’s always a strong contingent of teams that bring some serious spirit to the MOMAR. At the Squamish MOMAR, it was The Richard Simmons Fan Club (Brie Ansell and Erin Van de Water) who had the most and walked away with the Spirit Award.
8. FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY! – Photo by Earl Purvis —- Vancouver’s John Markez is an incredible adventure athlete and is always a favorite to win the MOMAR. For years now, John has come close but something (big crash, urban nav, controversial CP location, etc) always seems to prevent him from having that totally clean race. But at the Squamish MOMAR this year, there was NO stopping John and he FINALLY won it all! Woohoo!
9. HOW DO THEY DO IT? – Photo by Mark Teasdale —- It always amazes me that the MOMAR racers can hammer through eight hours of racing and then still have the energy to stay until last call. This year’s afterparty at MOMAR Squmaish was fantastic with a great band and DJ that kept the dance floor packed all night long.
10. JEN SEGGER RULES! – Photo by Mark Teasdale —- Yes. She. Does. For years, I had always wanted to bring a MOMAR to the Sea to Sky corridor but it wasn’t until I saw professional adventure racer, Jen Segger, at the Yeti that the ball actually started rolling. Jen became Squamish’s Course Director and designed some of the most challenging and spectacular MOMAR course to date. Thanks JEN for raising the bar and for your amazing work with the MOMAR!
11. IT TAKES A GREAT TEAM TO MAKE THE MOMAR HAPPEN – Photo by David Silver —- Friday Night Registration is a big part of the MOMAR’s complete weekend experience. In Cumberland, we’re hosted by the Riding Fool Hostel and the casual and historic nature of this venue is great for giving the racers and volunteers a chance to hang out with a cold beer. In this photo, we have our volunteer Emily handing out beer, RFH staff Innis, and MOMAR staff (Tamara and Lisa). Cute MOMAR shirts too!
12. THAT’S A LOT OF KAYAKS – Photo by David Silver —- It’s always a great sight seeing the hundreds of kayaks take to the water on Comox Lake for the start of the Cumberland MOMAR. I would bet that there is not another race from Alaska to Peru that has this many kayaks on a race start line as there is at the MOMAR. Of course, this could not happen without the incredible support of all the kayak companies that rent and deliver boats for this race!
13. GREAT RIDING IN CUMBERLAND - Photo by David Silver —- Cumberland ‘s trail network is amazing and it’s a big reason why the MOMAR has remained in the Comox Valley all these years. Two new trails were build last winter called Thirsty Beaver and Blue Collar and both were part of this year’s MOMAR. Racers love them both despite the mucky conditions. Thanks to all the people like Jeremy Grasby, Dan Espeseth, Terry Lewis, Al Munday and many more who dedicate countless hours to creating all the flowy trails.
14. WHERE THE #%$& ARE WE? - Photo by David Silver —- A significant portion of the MOMAR Cumberland course requires teams to self-navigate from one checkpoint to the next. Here’s a team trying to orient themselves from a viewpoint on the Trekking Stage. Those teams with good map reading skills and patience usually have the advantage over the teams that rush their way through or follow other teams. It’s always interested to watch from the transition to see who emerges from the trails first (and last).
15. ASS OVER TEAKETTLE - Photo by Matthew Beckett —- We’ve all been there. Wikipedia should use this photo to go with the phrase “Ass Over Teakettle.” Enough said.
16. REDNECKS LOVE ADVENTURE RACING - Photo by David Silver —- I think this is my favorite costume of all time. The Bong Cousins (Irene Borecky & Dave Hope) came complete with mullets, beer hats, and a pregnant belly. They were the unanimous winners of the Spirit Award for the Cumberland MOMAR. Seeing this photo still makes me laugh.
17. PROPS TO JEREMY – Photo by David Silver —- He’s the owner of the Riding Fool Hostel and has raced in 9 of 10 Cumberland MOMARs. He’s won a few and been on the podium pretty much all the other years. And he does it all in a plain old sea kayak and a single speed mountain bike. Jeremy Grasby is his name and we honoured him with an Award of Excellence for his amazing support for the MOMAR over the years. Great guy.
18. THE CHILI MAN - Photo by Sophia Ha —- Not only has Al Bergman of Berg Bikes sponsored the MOMAR for the past six years, but the Berg Chili Stand has become a fixture at the MOMAR finish line. Credit goes to Berg Bike athlete Lisa Hughes Fisher for making the awesome veggie chili. Think custom when it’s time for a new bike.
19. ALL DONE! – Photo by Carla Yarrow —- It takes racers up to 8 hours to finish the MOMAR and for those that come in close to the cutoff time, the MOMAR inflatable arch and finish line chute is enough to make them (almost) weep. We put a lot of effort into making every racer’s finish line experience special — MC Dave Norona will call your name and cheer you on, volunteers will give you a finisher medal and rattle some cowbells, and we’ll take a souvenir photo of your sweaty smiling face to prove you did it!
20. SUPPORTING MAKE-A-WISH – Photo by David Silver —- The MOMAR is very proud to have the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC/Yukon as our official charity. Over the past four years, MOMAR participants have generously donated $17,000.00 to a cause that “enriches the lives of children with life threatening medical conditions through its wish granting work.” Here’s a photo of Dee Raffo who was the lucky winner of the trip for two anywhere WestJet flies.
Well, that’s it! So many great photos and so many great stories to go along with them. I could easily do a TOP 100 but 20 took me long enough.
Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you at the MOMAR in 2011.
Bryan Tasaka
Event Director
Normon Thibault from Frontrunners takes on the rappel (photo by Nick Sopczak)
If you are following the MOMAR on Twitter, you would already know that the photo gallery from the rappelling stage on the Stawamus Chief is now online. Big thanks to photographer Nick Sopczak for harnessing up and taking all the great shots! Check it out here.
I have also posted up new galleries from Larissa Buijs, Mark Teasdale, and Amber Thom.
It’s time to size up the competition for this weekend’s MOMAR in Squamish. Over 200 racers will be on the start line for the Jen Segger designed course including racers from Australia, New York, Texas, Illonios, Washington State, Alberta, and from all parts of BC. Click here to view the list of registered racers.
Can Team Helly Hansen / MOMAR’s Gary Robbins and Todd Nowack continue where they left off last year? They are fresh off a win at the Suburban Rush and last year, they won all three MOMARs. Who will challenge? Frontrunners Normon Thibault should be up there and you may even see Jason Sanquist (although he claims that he is not as fit as he would to be).
In the Team of 4 category, watch for solid battle between Team Player, Mergeo.com and last year’s top team Live to Tell. And in the team of 2 female category, my money is on the Chilliwack Chicks to be on the podium, but the Just Two Cool Chicks could be up there as well.
But this is an Adventure Race and anything can happen. Over the past 24 MOMARs (holy crap, has it been that many!?) I’ve seen it all — from mechanicals, to injuries, to getting lost (the most common) the race is never over until it’s over. That’s what makes this sport so great.
Volunteers are still needed! If you would like to be part of the MOMAR, please go to the Volunteer Page and sign up.
MOMAR in six days!
The above photo is of Rozee Hyder at last year’s GutBuster Trail Running Series on Mt. Tzouhalem in Duncan. Rozee is a regular at the GutBuster and you might get to see her this weekend (Sunday, May 4th) when the race returns to the Cowichan Valley.
If you haven’t heard yet, I sold the GutBuster to Mark and Nick at the Frontrunners Westshore store. It was a sad day for me to have to give it up but living on the Mainland and organizing a race series on the Island was a bit much for me. In October, I landed a dream job with the City of Surrey in their Filming and Special Events Department. Our department is in charge of all the signature events in the City including Canada Day which drew over 90,000 people last year. I really wasn’t looking for a ‘real’ job but I just happened to find it late one night while surfing the web so I decided to apply. Everything happened really quick and a week later I was offered the job.
So, things had to change and thus I had to sell the GutBuster and resign from my big contracts with the BC Bike Race and the Edge to Edge Marathon. BUT lucky for all you adventure racing enthusiasts, I was able to keep the MOMAR going with a full three race series (please note that because of this, I’m sacrificing time with my family, weekends, evenings, and my training (as witnessed by my performance at the Suburban Rush… ;0) ), so please be grateful! ha ha). My true passion really lies with the MOMAR, putting on a quality race and, most of all, a killer after-party so it’s all worth it.
Anyway, this blog post was simply to plug the GutBuster race this Sunday in Duncan! I guess I got on a bit of a roll. Sorry! The Tzouhalem course is legendary and is probably the one that people love to hate. It’s a big climb to the top (500m) but after that’s it (almost) all downhill through the most flowy singletrack trails that I have EVER been on. I wish I could be there to Bust-A-Gut with you but I will be running a million errands and hammering away at my mile long TO DO list in preparation for the MOMAR Squamish! At least this blog post was on the list so I can cross it off and go to bed!
Goodnight and thanks for reading! Cheers, Bryan
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