Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing

The third race of the 2004 Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing Series took place on one of the hottest weekends of the summer. With temperatures in the 30s, the heat was sure to play into everyone's race experience and racers were diligently hydrating in the days leading up to race.

Racers converged on Ladysmith on the Friday for mandatory racer check in. The sun was setting and the tunes were playing. It was a festive atmosphere with Stefan Jakobson from Frontrunners selling racers lots of last minute gear and Lisa Nilsson from SISU sampling protein shakes. We even had the Vancouver Island Brewery Beer Garden hopping with Pale Ale on special for a Loonie!

On race day, we woke up to blue skies as predicted and you could already feel the heat. It was obvious that the racers were excited and once they received the course map, they were busy strategizing their plan for the day. This year, the racers had a lot of flexibility in choosing how to get from each CP during the trekking stage and this proved to be a 'race breaker' for a few of the teams.

The regular course race started first at 9:00am the next day with a 10km kayak in Ladysmith Harbour. TWC's Bill Hingley and Carol Tickner were the first to complete this stage with Dave Howells right behind. Racers then ran along beach and then up the creek bed to CP 4. It was here that racers could either bushwhack or take the trail up to CP 5. It seemed that most people bushwhacked and it was faster for those that could move quickly in the bush and knew how to navigate well.

CP 5 was located at Heart Lake and racers had to jump in the lake for a mandatory cooling off. The lake was the perfect temperature and many didn't want to get out, but it was a race so off to CP 6 they went. Again, it was either bushwhack or run the trails. In time trailing both routes, it was determined that both routes took about the same time. Lots of wasps in this bush section though and many racers were stung. Doug Doyle from Team Spirit was nailed 13 times!

Again racers had to decide to bushwhack or take the road to CP 7 and the start of the bike section. The bushwhack was down a step section of the mountain and racers had to watch for cliffs and very treacherous terrain. Here is were we had our first major casualty with a racer fracturing her ankle. Luckily, Search and Rescue BC and St. John Ambulance were on hand to respond quickly to the situation and evacuate her out on stretcher. MOMAR wishes you a speedy recovery!

Now onto the bikes. The bike course featured a big climb, a tromp through the swamp, another dip in the lake, and a fun single-track ride down the Holland Creek Trail. It was all self navigation so the locals definitely had an advantage. There also wasn't a lot of shade on the ride along the powerlines so this is where the racers really felt the heat.

It was a tight race for the top three solo men. Dave Howells, Darrell Sofield, and last year's champion, Ron Grant were within eyesight of each other at CP 8-10. Grant was determined to defend his title and at CP10 he hammered away from Howells and never looked back. Grant took the title easily with a time of 4:28:18 - 20 minutes faster than 2nd place Howells. Sofield came in at 5:07:19 but was penalized 10 minutes for leaving gear at the bike transition. Doug Doyle was fourth and followed by the first place team from Ladysmith, Where's My Sherpa.

Racers came in steadily throughout the afternoon. Everyone was very pumped to have completed one of the most challenging course that we have ever had at Ladysmith. Even the short course was more difficult but that was largely due to the hot weather. The racers on the short course had to endure the relentless sun as they rode along many kilometers of powerline trails. My apologies guys! Hopefully, there will be more single-track trails next year for you to ride and stay out of the sun!

The short course race was essentially half the distance of the full course but without the bushwacking. It was still a challenge for racers to find a few of the CPs and we did make them ride down the Holland Creek Trail for some great single-track riding. The Two Men of Tain and Team Tokolosh finished the short course within minutes of each other, but it the Two Men of Tain prevailing with a time of 3:38:30. The Hippie Chick (Diana Marchand and Taryn Landford) were the first team of two female. The Crash Bandits took the team of four title.

The next stage of the race was of course the banquet and afterparty. Pipers Pale Ale was on tap and it was the perfect way to chill out after spending the day in the sun. Eatables Unlimited put on a great Salmon BBQ and Roast Beef feast for all the racers and volunteers and everyone ate outside under the Bow-Mel tents.

We gave away tons of great draw prizes and the awards for 1st to 3rd. Some of the big draw prizes included a Simon River Sports Wing Blade Paddle, SISU product baskets, Helly Hansen clothing, Seaward paddle, and Reckless Tune ups. The spirit award went to the Hippie Chicks who came in a great costume and had tons of spirit. They won a fantastic prize package that included a SUV rental from Budget, a paddle tour from Sealegs Kayaking, and a weekend stay at the Aztec B&B in Ladysmith.

One more MOMAR all wrapped up for the year.It was a great time and we can't wait for next year!

KUDOS!!!

It takes so many phenominal people and companies to put on a race of this magnitude. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to the following:

* THE LADYSMITH COMMUNITY: Big thanks to the town of Ladysmith for hosting the 3rd Annual MOMAR. Special thanks goes to Gord Horth, Town Administrator; Dan Pagely, Julie Tierney, and Jason Blood at the Ladysmith Parks and Recreation; and Ladysmith Public Works for building the new trail for us and fixing up all the old ones!

* RACERS: Of course, it wouldn't be a race without all 160 of you.

* SPONSORS:
Presenting: SISU
Gold: Frontrunners, Reckless Cycles
Media: The Zone @ 91.3, Vancouver Island Newsgroup, 100.3 the Q!
Silver: Helly Hansen, Marin Bikes, Simon River Sports, Bow-Mel Crysler, Budget Car & Truck Rental, Seaward Kayaks,
Bronze: Hammer Gel, Vancouver Island Brewery,
Community: Old Victoria Water Co., Madrone Environmental Services,

* LANDHOLDERS: · Town of Ladysmith · BC Hydro · Ministry of Forests · Chemainus First Nation · Cal & Kate Wilson · Ron & Sandra Vanderplas · Timberwest · 1399 Developments, Inc. · Jane Lake Holdings Ltd

* SAFETY TEAM: St. John Ambulance Brigade, Timonda Emergency Services, Search and Rescue BC, and the Cowichan Valley Amateur Radio Society. You guys are an invaluable asset to ensuring swift response to an injured or lost racer and your skills were put to the test on this one!

* KAYAK OUTFITTERS: Alberni Outpost, Comox Valley Kayaks, Island Outdoor Centre, Ocean River Sports, Sealegs Kayaking, Simon River Sports, Vancouver Island Canoe and Kayak Centre, Rainforest Expeditions, and Wilderness Kayaks. What a huge service you provide to the racers by bringing boats down to the race start! And thanks to all that donated such great prize packages!

* PRE-RACE BIKE INSPECTION TEAM: Reckless Cycles, Urban Lemming, The Realm, Dodge City Cycles, and Iguana Cycles (extra thanks to Iguana Cycles for doing the Friday Night inspection too!)

* HEAD VOLUNTEERS: Lisa Wolff, Aimee Dunn, Bud Bell, & Alison Keple -- you guys did a fantastic job of organizing your area and your team!

* THE ENTIRE VOLUNTEER TEAM: To EVERYONE who lifted a finger to help with this race, on behalf of the racers and management team we THANK YOU for coming out and helping make the first MOMAR on the Mainland a HUGE SUCCESS!!!

Thanks again and we'll see you at the next one!

Bryan Tasaka
Race Director