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.

Is there anything more synonymous with the start of a new year than hangovers and resolutions?  For me, the hangover wasn’t too bad and I’m working off the same resolution list as in years past. On the top of the list continues to be “Achieve work/life balance…”  and sure I’m one of a billion people with this same goal.

Trying to balance my time producing two MOMAR events and the Big Chop Summer Paddle Series with my demand of my day job and my family life is nothing short of challenging.  And add to that, my need to get outside for some fun on the trails puts even more pressure on that delicate balance.

Back in March 2011, I signed up for Challenge by Choice’s Virtual Coaching Program. I was excited but skeptical that I could find consistancy long term.  However, here I am, nine months later and, wow, what an impact the program has made on my life.

How it works?  Simple.  Adventure athlete and professional trainer, Jen Segger, set me up with daily workouts via the Training Peaks website. I would log in and see my workouts for the next few weeks. The workouts would always vary depending on my training goals but most of the training was running based with different types of workouts (e.g., fartleks, hills, tempo) on different terrain. She also included bike and strength workouts with different objectives for each.

The results have been awesome. Since March, I averaged over five hours a week of training, dropped 10+lbs and feel fitter than I have in a very long time.  I attribute  my success to the simple fact that I feel accountable not only to myself, but also to program and especially to Coach Jen.  It’s a great feeling to get home from a hard workout and log the results into the program, get an email from Jen saying something along the lines of “Good work, B!”

I will admit that fitting the training time into my already busy schedule continues to be my biggest challenge.  However, I’ve made it a priority and the delicate balancing act seems to be adjusting just fine.

Thanks Jen!

Professional adventure athlete and owner of Challenge by Choice Perfomance Coaching, Jen Segger, has recently launched a brand new studio in the heart of Squamish, BC.  Jen and her team helps their clients “achieve personal goals, sport specific success, and a healthy lifestyle.”

As MOMAR’s Race Director, I struggle to balance work, family, race organizing, and exercise; and as a result, training time is often the first to get cut. I’m hoping that will all change now that I’ve signed up for Challenge by Choices’ “Virtual/Web Based Individualized Sport Specific Coaching Package.” 

Jen has set me up with a series of workouts all administered using Training Peaks software. She will monitor my workouts and progress and make changes as necessary.  Right now, she has me on a program focused on April 30th’s Suburban Rush.  After that, I’m hoping to just stay consistant through May-July since I have three major events to organize in that time.  Wish me luck!

Now is the perfect time to get in touch with Jen to set  you up with a program for the upcoming MOMAR.

Here's my 'before' photo...

Jen Segger at the 2009 Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race in Cumberland — Photo by Tony Austin

Via Media Release:

The final preparations are now underway as Jen Segger from Salomon Canada gets ready to head to Costa Rica this week to participate in the TCC Coastal Challenge 6 day staged ultra running race.  This will be her first multi day event of 2011.  Last weekend Jen raced at the 4th Dimension Off-Road Winter Duathlon down in Tacoma, WA as a last minute intensity workout where she finished first.  The past few months have been busy balancing training with the preparation to open her new high performance training center in Squamish the day after her return home (www.challengebychoice.ca). 

Jen has not yet done this race, nor has she been to Costa Rica.  She is looking forward to seeing the country and the sunshine.  Jen is also the Canadian ambassador for the race and this year, she has 12 other Canadians from across the country headed down to participate.  Jen has been coaching several of these runners for the past 8 months.  Although everyone races as a solo competitor, there is a team category as well to compete in.  The Canadians have split into 2 teams with the hopes of taking 1^st and 2^nd.

Those interested in following Jen’s progress can watch live race coverage here: http://leadadventuremedia.squarespace.com/tcc/.  Jen will also be blogging and updating facebook as internet connection allows each night from camp:  http://challenge-by-choice.blogspot.com/ 

The race gets underway on Saturday, January 30^th and finishes on February 4^th. Stage lengths range from 30km to 50km each day.  Jen is hoping that the hilly course profile will play to her favor. This is going to be a fast race and with other top female competitors on the start line, it’s sure to be an exciting event.

Wow. That was a long break from Blogging! I was getting lazy and posting updates via Twitter for the past month.  But, I’m back now and a lot has happened since the last update.

The first MOMAR of the season is just a few weeks away and we are all set to go.  We have over 200 racers signed up and ready to rip it out on a newly designed course by Jen Segger.  Over 90 of the 200 are first time MOMAR participants which is a great stat to see as we love having a new batch of weekend warriors give adventure racing a try.

MOMAR sponsored athlete, Gary Robbins, has been running and running and running and running some more.  He’s become the Forest Gump of the North Shore!  Gary was named Ultra Runner of the Year so he gets a BIG CONGRATS.  He’s been blogging his race stories and they are a well worth a read especially while you drink a milkshake and eat a cinnamon bun!

Last weekend was the Suburban Rush and Aimee Dunn and I had a blast in our third year racing together. It was actually my fifth time doing this race and that was enough to get me a nice certificate for participation! They sold out their event with 250 racers and the competition keeps getting better every year.

I also spent time in Squamish scouting out Jen’s course.  The rappel site is so awesome. Freaky as hell. It makes the rappels from the last two years like bumps in the prairies!

The final few weeks will be busy behind the scenes for the organizing team, but we are very excited for the big day and most of all the big PARTY!

More blogs to come!

Bryan Tasaka
Event Director

The April issue of Explore Magazine has a feature article on MOMAR Squamish’s Course Designer, Jen Segger. The article details the amount of training and focus it take for Jen to complete at the international level.

Jen is currently in Whitehorse, NWT, taking on the Rock and Ice Ultra.  She is running in the 6 day stage category and just finished the first day in second place (third overall).

Jason Terauchi-Loutitt who did the MOMAR 2006 and won the recent Yeti Snowshoe series was also on the start line but suffered from frostbite and is a DNF. Tough break for Jason.

MOMAR’s media sponsor, Sleepmonster.ca, is doing a great job in covering the race with reports and photos. Read it all here.

The new issue of the Georgia Straight newspaper has a good feature on the sport of adventure racing. Charlie Smith interviewed John Markez, Jen Segger, and myself for the article.  A Tony Austin photo of John is also included in the feature.  You can check out the article online here.

Markez also won the Dirty Duo multisport category (ride 30km & run 25km).  Could he be the one to watch this year at the MOMAR with Todd Nowack gone to Norway and Gary going at it solo?

Apparently, MOMAR is also mentioned in the new issue of Explore Magazine.

Great to get some coverage in the big magazines!  Keep it coming!

Photo by Sleepmonsters.com

It is only mid February, but the hardcore are already out racing some big events.

• Gary Robbins put in a solid performance at the Orcas 50km Ultra this past weekend.
• Jen Segger is ski racing down in Colorado competing in a 24 hour ‘rondo’
• Chris Koch and Jim Mandelli are down in South America racing with Team Spirit in the Pategonia Expedition Race. Lina Augaitis is also competing with Team Buff.
• And Dave Norona is ripping it up on the sled in the Chilcotins.

Meanwhile, I spent the day celebrating my 38th by eating about 5000 calories… although I did get a good workout in at the gym (hot tub)…  Living the dream… ;0)

Life outside the MOMAR sure has been hectic.  I have just finished producing the Surrey WinterFest event and that was all consuming. We had over 20,000 people attend and it was big success with lots of fun activities for the whole family as well as a rock concert featuring Eva Avila, Faber Drive, and Thornley.

Now that it’s over, I can refocus on the ’09 MOMAR season and locking in all our sponsors.  Jen Segger has been working on a new course design for the Squamish race and based on preliminary designs, it’s going to be epic!  This Enduro course will feature a BIG surprise section that is going to absolutely rock!

And I’m way ahead of the game for Cumberland.  The course concept is already complete and once the snow clears Liz Tribe will be start the vetting process.  I think there will be a bit more trekking in this one compared to previous years.

Keep checking back for more exciting news in the coming days!

Professional Adventure Racer and Certified Conditioning Coach, Jen Segger, is offering a 16 week training program geared specifically to the MOMAR.  Here are the details:

The MOMAR Training Plans which includes:

• 16 week (four month) duration
• a detailed sport specific training program (week by week) specific to preparing for the MOMAR (periodized mountain biking, trail running & kayaking program)
• a monthly strength training program (including plyometrics & core stability strengthening)
• monthly Q&A session with Jen if desired (email or phone call)
• unlimited email communication with Jen for program clarification or personal questions related to specific workouts
• tips & hints manual on becoming a better adventure racer (solo & as a team member)
• information on topics related to hydration, nutrition, recovery and tapering

*choose from either a Beginner or Intermediate Racer Program (based on your current fitness level & future race goals)

Why train? The more fit and prepared you are, the more you will enjoy race day!  The focus of these programs is on improving endurance, the foundation for MOMAR success.  Perhaps you have had a lingering rivalry with a fellow racer and you have decided that 2009 is the year that you will beat them!  Or, maybe its simply that you don’t want the hills to eat you alive this time!  Whatever your reason, commit to a plan and you will be ready!

Starts: Jan 23rd to prepare for Squamish MOMAR or May 26th for Cumberland MOMAR

Price: $399.00 CND

Jen is a certified conditioning coach who has years of racing experience to share! Tap into her knowledge and understand the benefits of applying structure to your training.  In Jens initial years as a racer, she too had a personal coach, enabling her to learn and understand how to prepare properly for competition and to enjoy the racing experience.  Jen now races for one of North America’s top adventure racing teams, DART nuun who is currently ranked 6th in the world.  She works and coaches individuals throughout the USA and Canada, helping people of all levels achieve personal goals.

To register or for more information:  Contact Jen via email at jen@challengebychoice.ca or online at www.challengebychoice.ca.

Be prepared to work hard and achieve great results!

Note: If you are wanting a plan that is customized to your personal schedule, goals & abilities, contact Jen about her online individualized coaching options.

Jen’s support crew is doing an awesome job of emailing me reports from the field:

here we are, back on line, it was 30 hours without any signal, rolling around very remote areas, wich are awesome! so, the team is at the moment arriving in Viçosa do Ceara, coming from trekking, and switching to biking. it is going to be a big trek, including climbing, ascent, descent! they are considering to do this piece in 10 hours time, since they already payed 5 from their 8 mandatory hours! on the last PC, about 5 hours ago, according to myself, Jen was the best shape in the team, she is handling very well the local hotness! Good girl! now, dart nuun are at 8th position, checked on the last PC, 5 hours ago! that’s gonna be all for now, coming back from the next PC, if the signal helps! 8-)))))))))

They have been racing for over 53 hours now.  The race organizers estimated the winning time to be around 65 hours, but i’m not sure how close the top teams are to that.

Rob Howard from Sleepmonster.com wrote:

Dart Nuun were another team who found the ride hard, but the US team are still racing and are in the top 10. They said the ride was so sandy it was hard to make progress and wasn’t an enjoyable experience! (It was because of the sand that SOLE were stripping down their bikes as much as possible and rigging a new towing system to cope with it.)

Be sure to head over to Sleepmonsters.com and read the full race report.

Another message just came in from DARTnuun’s support crew:

Hi from Brazil!!!!

Our team looks good, they used some good sleeping hours through the kayaking section and were feeling well and positive….  First thing Seggs said  smiling when came in ” Look at my hands,”!!!!! after 20 hours paddling….they were nasty…wrinkles!!!!
The team took a 25 min break, and start the bike section, we will probably meet them in 8 hours. Not sure if we will have internet connection from now; we;ll try to keep you updated!!!!

Support crew, Tati and Fred.

I’m also going to through my support behind the French team Wilsa Helly Hansen because Helly has supported the MOMAR for the last five years.  They are sitting in 10th place right now. Go HH Go!

Here’s a message from Fred who is part of Jen’s support crew:

So, yesterday, the team left the starting point at 15:30h, and ran for 5 hours approximately on the dunes, close to open sea, arriving in Tutoia for the first transition, where they got the kayaks and left to Parnaiba, racing for approximately 18h, with maybe, and only maybe, 1 or 2 hours of mandatory sleep.

The team was feeling pretty well on the transition, and they were in very good shape after running on the dunes! They spent around 10 minutes to drink and eat, then left for kayaking cruise on open sea, and mangroves!

They are now sitting in 12th spot but according to the SPOT map, they seem to be very close to the leaders, Team Nike.

Holy shit. Jen Segger finished Badwater in 9th place overall and was the 5th female! 32:37:57 was her time.  I don’t think I’ve run 32 hours this year!  Way to go, Jen!!! You rock!  You’re an inspiration to everyone and congratulations on ripping it up?

Did you leaving anything in the tank for the MOMAR in 11 days???

The MOMAR Squamish Course Director, Jen Segger, is down in Death Valley running the Badwater race.  This is one of the toughest races in the world with a course that stretches 217km through the scorching dessert sun of 55c temperatures.

This is a race that you only accepts the best of the best and you have to apply to get one of the 80 spots. Jen is the youngest female to ever make it in.  She’s running strong and as of now she sits in 9th spot (possibly 7th — the results aren’t that clear).

I think Jen is hoping to make a go at the 28 hour course record!  She started the race yesterday at 10am so she’ll be finishing around 2-4pm today.  You can follow her progress at www.badwater.com.

GO JEN GO!!!