Let’s do one more Registration Promotion since the January promo was such a success. Here’s the deal. Everyone who signs up for the MOMAR by Monday, Feb 28th, goes into a draw for the following prize packages:

GRAND PRIZE: MOMAR & BC FERRIES PRIZE PACKAGE!

• One MOMAR Race Entry
• A return trip on BC Ferries for an underheight vehicle, driver, and passenger
• One brand new limited edition 2011 MOMAR bike jersey

RUNNER UP PRIZE: Whislter Weekend Adventure Getaway!

• Call of the Wild ATV Tour (2 ppl) from Canadian Snowmobiles
• One night stay at the HI Hostel 

We’ll also draw for consolation prizes including:

• A $60 gift certificate for a funky wall tattoo from Surface Collective
• A free entry into a 2011 Yeti XC Snowshoe Race
• With more to be announced…

Everyone who has already signed up is eligble for the draw.

Merrell is celebrating a milestone birthday this year and the MOMAR is very happy to be part of the festivities.  As our new Presenting Sponsor, look to see Merrell activating in a big way at both MOMAR events this year.  Normally, one gives presents to the birthday kid but instead, Merrell is giving us over $3000.00 worth of Merrell prizes! Awesome.

You can find an extensive selection of Merrell footwear and apparel at all Atmosphere stores.  Or you can shop online too.

Thanks to Shaun and Pierre over at Merrell for believing in the MOMAR; we look forward to a great partnership!

And to see Merrell in action, check out Dave Norona’s video:

The brand new edition of the MOMAR Bike Jersey is now available!  Designed by the boys at Suarez, we are offering a blue unisex version and a female pink version.  Classic in design and strong in quality, the 2011 MOMAR Bike Jersey will get you noticed when riding the trails. 

Be one of the first 25 to purchase the jersey and get it at a special price of $65 (regular $75).  Place your order by March 15th to guarantee your size.  Jerseys can be picked up at the MOMAR Burnaby (or by other arrangements).

To order, please visit the Retail page on the MOMAR site.

We would like to welcome Skeet & Ike’s to the MOMAR team of sponsors!  They will be sponsoring the refreshment station at the Burnaby MOMAR so look for them when you cross the finish line.  Also, be sure to look for a sample treat in your goodie bag too. Here’s what they are all about:

Out here on the left coast, we look at life a little differently. We like to keep things really simple, focusing on what’s important and not getting too stressed about all of the “other stuff”.  We integrate that attitude into our products. Skeet & Ike’s snacks are made with integrity, using high quality organic and natural products that WOW customers. We are creating REAL food backed up with REAL values.

We take this same approach with our Hippie Chips™. We’ve put a unique spin on plain ol’ tortilla chips by adding simple whole food ingredients, and that’s it. No processed seasonings, flakes, fibers or flours, just the real stuff the way nature intended. You get a product that looks like real food and tastes even better.

So, go ahead and try our snacks – we think they’ll speak for themselves.

Look for them on the shelves of your favorite grocery store.

Trekking in Cumberland. Photo by Dave Silver Photography

The Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing Series becomes only the third Canadian race series to join the US based Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series.

The winners of the 2010 Get Out There Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards have been announced and the Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing Series wins in three categories.  For the third year in a row, the MOMAR was voted Best Adventure Race, Best Post Race Party, and Best Event T-Shirt in Western Canada. 

Here are two photos from the MOMAR After-Party with a packed dance floor and great live music.  Interesting fact:  Over 95% of participants and volunteers stay for the banquet/awards/party and with guests, there are close to 500 people that fill the party hall.  I’ve been told that some teams race just so they can come to the MOMAR After-Party. 

Here are our award winning shirts.  The blue one was designed by my brother Rod Tasaka who owns and operates Surface Collective — a MOMAR sponsor. The owl shirt was designed by Paula Solanoy who does our poster designs.  The MOMAR has been producing quality shirts with a female cut since 2002.  The back of our shirts are not covered in “logo soup” and only have the Atmosphere and Make-A-Wish logos in a small area on the bottom of the shirt. We focus on a cool graphic design that makes the shirt wearable.  Numerous people have told me that the MOMAR shirt is the only race shirt they keep and wear. Good and sustainable, right!?

The MOMAR would like to thank its staff, sponsors, volunteers, suppliers, and participants for helping us put on a top notch race experience for everyone involved.  We would also like to thank everyone who took the time and voted for us.  And thanks to Marissa and her team at Get Out There Magazine for the award and recognition.

LIST OF 2011 AWARD WINNERS

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: 

• Marc Leblanc – $25 Gift Certificate from Frontrunners
• Carmel Ecker – Double Kayak Rental for Burnaby MOMAR
• Roger Morgan – Free Entry to the Yeti XC
• James Hiebert – Free Entry to the MOMAR
• Brandy Hughes – MOMAR Bike Jersey
• Katherine Nicholson-Acorn – $50 Gift Certificate from Surface Collective

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

I wish I had the time to go through the MOMAR’s massive image bank and put together a comprehensive photo gallery of all the great team costumes that have graced our start.  Time… not enough of it.

From a vast array of superheros, bravehearts, brokeback cowboys, spacemen, and french divas (photo), I always think I’ve seen it all and then another batch of teams show up in the craziest batch of outfits.

This year, the team with the most spirit wins free entry to their next MOMAR so it’s well worth the effort of putting together something good.

How do we judge the winner, you ask?  The outfit is key but a good outfit with no personality probably won’t make you a champ.  Always being in character goes a long way!

What are YOU going to be wearing in Cumberland? Bring it.

When participants arrive at the Riding Fool Hostel in Cumberland for the MOMAR’s Friday Night Registration, they will each get an Atmosphere Gift Bag loaded with surprises.  One of the featured products is a fruition™ bar which comes from our sponsor PROBAR.

The website describes the cherry fruition™ akin to “biting into a handful of late summer cherries, freshly picked from the tree… well, almost that good. Loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and 2 servings of fruit, this bar is a medley of flavor and nutrition.” YUM!

Racers who did the May MOMAR in Squamish will remember recieving the original PROBAR which I personally love and so does my 3 year old kid.  And for those of you that are fast enough to take the top position in your category, you will each receive a BOX of PROBAR in addition to a new pair of Ryders sunglasses!

It’s been a week since MOMAR Cumberland and in that time people have been sharing their race experiences all over the blogosphere.  I’ve also had numerous emails from both racers and volunteers telling me what a great time they had.  It’s so great hearing everyone’s stories especially those from the mid pack who are out there more for the experience rather than a podium finish. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to write these up; I love reading each one and hearing first hand how things went out on course.

I have posted all the blog reports that I have found so far on the Race Results page of site, but here they as well.  Grab a coffee or a beer and enjoy the reads. Be sure to add your comments to the posts if you like them!

• Sleepmonster report by Jackie Windh
• Article in the Comox Valley Record Newspaper
• Article in the Revelstoke Times Newspaper
• Blog Report by Gary Robbins
• Blog Report by Sarah Seads
• Blog Report from Team HHVI
• Blog Report by Shane Ruljancich
• Blog Report from Colin Wilson
• Blog Report from MC Dave Norona
• Blog Report from Barb of Coast Mountain Sports
• Blog Report from Erik MacKinnon

I just arrived home from the final MOMAR of the season. I’m too exhausted to write up the wrap report or get the results formatted and posted.  However, the great Tony Austin, did send me a few great photos so I’ll leave it at that until tomorrow morning. Thanks to everyone from coming out and celebrating the end of our 10th season!!!

The race started with a kayak stage on Comox Lake. Team Helly Hansen VI I & II battle it out.

The fastest racer on the water was John Markez with a split time of 49:50.

Jeremy Grasby heading out of the CP 7 transition gives John Markez a high-five.

Kevin Hodder from Whistler rides Bucket of Blood.

Victorious Secrets Cute C's Dayna Egyed and Penny Rundle from Surrey work the Urban Nav Stage. Nice job on the custom made jerseys!

Curtis Sanders and Tanya Berg of team T-Dot on the techinical trail Off-Broadway

The winner, Jeremy Grasby from Cumberland, crosses the finish line in 4:28:30!

Results to be posted by Monday noon.

It was nothing but blue skies for the first race of the 2009 MOMAR season!  A record turnout of 241 registered racers signed up for either the 30km Sport Course or the 50km Enduro course designed by Jen Segger.  This was our third year in Squamish and to celebrate we added a checkpoint at the top Stawamus Chief.  I would like to thank all the Squamish community and landholders for supporting our event. More kudos go out to all of the racers, volunteers, and sponsors!!!

Congratulations to Bart Jarmula from Revelstoke for his first overall win of the MOMAR!

For full race results, click here.

Here are some photos from the day…

REGISTRATION AT THE HOWE SOUND INN & BREWING CO.

Volunteer, Yun Cheung-Ford, gives out a MOMAR T-Shirt. Everyone loved the design that Roddy Tasaka from Surface Collective created  (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

The Helly Hansen Gift Bags filled with goodies from our sponsors (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Registration lines flowed steady all night long. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Team Live to Tell Rob Macleod, Graham Schulz, Malcolm Schulz, and Chris Bishop from Squamish show off their pipes. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Volunteers, Laura Comuzzi and Yun Cheng-Ford take a Breather from their duties to peruse the latest edition of Breathe Magazine (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Pam Skeans and Shannon Collier from Squamish. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

RACE MORNING AT ALICE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK

No apparent pre-race jitters for solo racer Bart Jarmula with Team Sleepmonsters.ca, Erica Gray and Heather Fraser, (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Coast Mountain Sports looks over the first of two maps that they would recieve on the day.  (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

The Victorious Secrets featuring Caroline Mackay, Alison Sum, Rosanna Sheppard, and Antonia Grady sex it up at the MOMAR. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

AND THEY’RE OFF

Enduro course start (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Live to Tell (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Sarah Seads rips down the road past Quest University (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Gary Robbins with a view of Howe Sound in the background. (photo by Amber Thom)

Mountain Devils (Lesley-Ann Marriott & Terry Stuart) summit the Stawamus Chief and arrive at CP 11 and then off to the rappel site. (photo by Amber Thom)

The father and son duo made up of Roger and Aaron Walmsley raced as team Generation Gap. Aaron was our youngest racer at 15 years old. (photo by Amber Thom)

Bart Jarmula from Revelstoke. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Team Helly Hansen Vancouver Island’s Justin Mark falls in the glacier fed river while wife and teammate Carey Sather looks on. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Meanwhile, teammate Jeff Reimer rides the river in style. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

THE FINISH LINE IN DOWNTOWN SQUAMISH

DONE! Happy times for Michelle Maislen from Washington State.  (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Garibaldi Highlands’ Kim Stegeman and Kate Drew celebrate their MOMAR finish. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

The Ladies of Suburban Rush and the Gentlemen of Suburban Rush at the finish line. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

Canadian adventure racing legend and seven time Eco-Challenge competitor, Bob Faulkner, crosses the finish line. (Photo by Mark Teasdale)

THE AWARDS CEREMONY AT QUEST UNIVERSITY

The top three in the solo male category: Gary Robbins (2rd), Bart Jarmula (1st), and Shane Ruljancich (3rd). Winners took home a Helly Hansen and Smartwool prize package, second place won Ryders sunglasses, and third won a wall tattoo from Surface Collective.  (photo by Amber Thom)

The top three in the Sport team of two female (photo by Amber Thom)

And the party! DJ Q-Pid played great tunes all night long and these were the last ones on the dance floor. (photo by Amber Thom)

Unfortunately, due to some technical delays, the final results will not be posted until late Monday night. However, Tony Austin, official photographer of the MOMAR, has posted his photo gallery online. Go to www.pbase.com/autie to view and purchase. Other photo galleries will be posted as they go live. In the meantime, here are a few great shots from the weekend!

And a Happy Mother’s Day to all the MOMAR mommies with a special shout out to the Chilliwack Yummy Mummies who were the winners of the Denis Fontaine Spirit Award presented by Keen Footwear (see photo below)…

The MEC Big Chop Summer Paddle Series start this Thursday! After a very successful inaugural season, we are excited to head back onto the water for paddle races that pits kayaks against outriggers and canoes. Paddlers can enter in either the 7-10km ‘Big’ Chop or the 4-5km ‘Little’ Chop.

Race registration is only $8 and include a post race smokie and drinks! We also give out a TON of great draw prizes. The season ends with a big party and we are giving away two kayaks (one Think Evo surfski and one Seaward Infiniti TX kayak) to two lucky winners.

When: Thursday, May 1st (and then every two weeks after that)
Time: 6:00pm registration, 7pm start, 8:00 Smokies, 8:30 Awards
Where: Vanier Park, Vancouver, BC (under the Burrard Street Bridge)
Kayak Rentals Available

This is a great way to get ready for the final two MOMAR races that have a kayaking stage. The race is owned and operated by the MOMAR and Vancouver Ocean Sports. For more info, go to www.bigchop.ca.