FINAL RESULTS (pdf)    PHOTOS FROM THE RACE by TONY AUSTIN

I must first start off by letting you know Helly Hansen's Dave Norona wins the inaugural race in Ucluelet making it his EIGHTH MOMAR victory since 2000. Wow! Norona finish over ten minutes faster than next team on this 53km course -- the longest in MOMAR's 16 race history. That was just one of the many great things that happened this past weekend on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

The weekend started on Friday with the Frontrunners' Speaker Series. This time we had a panel of Helly Hansen athletes (Dave Norona, Sean Lunny, and Denis Fontaine) and long time MOMAR racer and top finisher, Ina Ervin, take part in a very animated and somewhat informative Q&A moderated by Frontrunners' co-owner, Normon Thibault. Wearing a very nice baby blue polyester suit and tie, Thibault fielded numerous questions and the panel shared their thoughts on subjects such as team dynamics, gear selection, and why they race.

The Panel (L-R) - Denis Fontaine, Normon Thibault, Dave Norona, and Sean Lunny. (photo by Tony Austin)

The Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce along with Creative Salmon offered up an amazing carbo-load dinner featuring spaghetti, BBQ Salmon, and Phillips' Phoenix Gold Ale. It was truly an amazing spread and almost everyone came for dinner. Many racers were already showing their team spirit coming dressed in their finest Hawaiian/surf themed outfits. For this race, the Spirit Award was a weekend at the Tauca Lea Resort and Spa so racers were going all out for their chance at winning. But it was off to bed early as the race would start at 9am the next morning and as I mentioned it was going to be one long race.

Race morning my alarm goes off at 6am and I get up and go straight for the window. The sky was grey, it was raining, and the wind was howling gale force. Oh boy... welcome to the West Coast! It was going to be a true adventure for the 157 racers that arrived at the start line.

The race began with a 8km kayak (shortened from the planned 10km due to ugly seas) in Ucluelet Harbour. Even with the misty and cloudy weather, it was a very scenic paddle as racers were treated to views of fishing vessels, canneries, the Ittatsoo native village, and even some sightings of porpoises and sea lions. The wind, tide, and choppy conditions made for a tough paddle, but everyone made it to CP 2 without swimming (but with our six safety boats, we were ready for you!).

The kayak in Ucluelet Harbour (photo by Tony Austin)

CP 2 was also Transition Area (TA) #1 and the start of the 21km mountain bike leg. On the way, racers hit CP3 and their first Mystery Challenge which was the "Thornton Creek Fish Hatchery Guess How Many Salmon Fry Are in the Tanks." Racers had to look in the tanks, try to figure out the number of fry, and on their way back (CP10) they had to write down their guess. The closest without going over won a free entry to their next MOMAR. The winnig guess was 140,000 which was only 375 away from the actual total!

Team SOL and the Mario Brothers hammering the bike course (photo by Tony Austin)

Next up was CP4 at the Mussel Beach Campground and the site of the second Mystery Challenge. For this challenged, teams were required to build a piece of functional and sturdy driftwood furniture. They had to use at least four pieces and stay for at least five minutes. The racers loved this challenged and there were many great pieces constructed. The event sponsored by Windsor Plywood was judged by Danny and Pippa, the operators of the campground, and the top prize went to the father and daughter team of Bill and Kirsten Lane (see photo below). The Lane's won a weekend at the Raven's Nook Guesthouse. Second place also took home a great prize package of a weekend at the Mussel Beach Campground and a surf package from Live to Surf. Cool!

The father daughter team of Bill and Kirsten Lane pose with their winning piece of Driftwood furniture. (Photo by Tony Austin)

Next, it was back on the bikes in search of CP5 and then next TA. This part of the ride featured the only significant climb on the bikes. It was a mere 100m of elevation but it was enough to make many heartrates redline. Racers traded bike shoes for runners and started the arduous trek to the top of Mt. Ozzard. The trek route went up some of the most insane downhill mountain bike trails to mid-mountain and from there it was nothing but logging road. The total elevation gain was 550m and once at the top, the location of the Coast Guard radar dome and CP8, teams gave their best team cheer for the Spirit Award judges.

Up the slippery slopes of Mt. Ozzard (photo by Tony Austin)

Kamloops racer, Ernie Carson, reaches the top of Mt. Ozzard. The Coast Guard's radar tower sits in the background (photo by Tony Austin)

There were more teams in costume for this race than any other past MOMAR. Of course the Pitre brothers and Justin Lee had the spirit going with the Baywatch theme. Their fourth teammate couldn't make so he was replaced by the lovely Pamela Anderson blow up doll. The Dirty Girlz were all Hawaiian along with many others, but it was the Muckin' Fiddle of the Pack that was awarded the Spirit Award because of their outfit, team cheer, and most importantly, the NASTY Mai Tai smoothy they feed me at the start of the race.

Team Baywatch and celebrity teammate Pamela Anderson were full of spirit. (Photo by Tony Austin)

From CP8 it was a 6km downhill run on the logging roads to CP9 and back onto the bike. This was not a run for those with weak knees! CP10 was back through the Thornton Creek Fish Hatchery (a great place to visit in the Fall if you want to see bears fishing for salmon). CP 11 was TA#3 and a transition back into the kayaks for a short but challenging paddle to CP12.

More kayaking in Ucluelet Harbour with Kvarno Island in the background. (Photo by Tony Austin)

At CP12, racers were given a new map of the incredible Wild Pacific Trail where they would find CP13 and CP14. CP13 was hidden on a side trail that came onto the jagged rocks and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. CP14 was the final Mystery Challenge of the day and here we tested for balance after racing for over 50km. Teams were required to walk 100m along a series of beach logs from one end of the beach to the other. Once successfully across they had to rockclimb up to 30' to the CP14 flag.

Linda Morden and Colin Rennie on the Wild Pacific Trail. (Photo by Tony Austin)

The Insurgents make their way up the rocks to CP14 (photo by Tony Austin)

The last stop was CP15 and the clue was "Julie McCoy may have worked here." Miss McCoy was a character on the TV showe The Love Boat so naturally the CP was located on the deck of the Canadian Princess Resort. Ucluelet's Mayor, Dianne St. Jacques, was there to greet most of the racers as they walked the plank.

All smiles after a few minutes on the Love Boat and visit with Julie McCoy. (Photo by Tony Austin)

From the Canadian Princess, racers could see and hear the finish line that was located across the bay at the Tauca Lea Resort and Spa. MC Dan with his groovy pink cowboy hat cheered and taunted racers as they ran the final 300m. "SWIM! SWIM! SWIM!" we all chanted to Dave Norona as he was the first to approach the finish line. Of course, Norona didn't need much encouragement as he dove into the water before crossing the finish line and as I mentioned earlier, capturing his eight MOMAR title in a time of 4:29:55!

The Finish through the tidal flats. (Photo by Tony Austin)

Racers came in steady over the next 4+ hours. All were exhausted but everyone had a big smile on their face from having completed the race. This was not a race for the weak and for many this was a true test of their mental and physical limits. For complete race results click here.

MOMAR champ Dave Norona with Race Diretor, Bryan Tasaka. (Photo by Tony Austin)

As at every MOMAR, the race doesn't end there. The banquet and the after-party are a big part of the weekend and this time it was at the Tauca Lea. The Boat Basin's chef Richard Norwood cooked up an amazing feast of chicken and snapper and we had copious amounts of Phillips Brewing Co's Phoenix Gold on tap. Awards and prizes were given out to the top teams which included a $50 gift certificate to Frontrunners for first place, a bike tune up from Reckless Cycles for second, and a Carb-Boom prize package for third.

Other big awards included a night at the Sandman Hotel in Penticton (went to the Andrea Keenan for showing her pink underwear), tons of Helly Hansen clothing, a Simon River Sports paddle, another weekend at the Tauca Lea Resort and Spa, prize packages from Seaward Kayaks, Ocean River Sports, and Bow-Mel Chrysler. The final prize package was a kayaking trip to the Broken Group complements of Majestic Kayaking and SubTidal Adventures. The winner went to Dave Norona!

Dancing went well past 1am and the it was back to my cabin for hot dogs, toast, and any other piece of food Team SOL and Denis Fontaine could scrounge up.

The After-Party... 1. Norona and MC Dan doing who knows what; 2 Ina and Joanna; 3. Norona and Parrota... oh god.. (Photo by Normon Thibault)

What a wicked weekend! We can't wait for next year! Thanks to everyone who came out and raced, to all the volunteers, to the entire village of Ucluelet, and to all my sponsors. Your support of the MOMAR is truly incredible and I cannot thank you enough!

Thanks!

Bryan Tasaka
Race Director

________________________________________________________

KUDOS!!!

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

* THE ENTIRE VOLUNTEER TEAM: To EVERYONE who came out and braved the cold and wet weather to be a part of this race, THANK YOU for coming out and helping make the inaugural MOMAR in Ucluelet a HUGE SUCCESS!!!

* UKEE: What amazing community support! Thank you for welcoming us into your town and being part of the event!

• Special thanks goes to Elke Loof-Koehler for your generous donation to the Chamber to make this happen.
• To Stephen Duke for making the first call to me and pulling everyone together.
• To Don McMillian, Kathryn-Ryan Wilson, Kim Lyons and everyone else at the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce for all the incredible work you did in promoting the race and especially for organizing the amazing Friday night dinner.
• To Creative Salmon for donating and cooking the amazing salmon.
• To everyone at the Tauca Lea Resort and Spa for the great nights spent in your luxury suites.
• To Richard Norwood and his staff at the Boat Basin for the great Saturday night dinner
• To the Wild Pacific Trail Society for building a great trail!
• To Tracy Eeftink and her staff at Majestic Ocean Kayaking for the great prize and organizing the kayaks and water support.
• To Brian Congden at Sub-Tidal Adventure the great prize and for being on the water.
• To all the other boat operators for being on the water making sure the paddle was safe.
• To Pippa and Danny at the Mussel Beach Campground for all your amazing energy at CP4! To Live to Surf, the Raven's Nook Guest House, Pacific Massage and Eagle's Nest Pub for the great prize packages.
• To the Co-op for all the post-race refreshments.
• To the Thornton Creek Fish Hatchery for being CP3
• To Don McMillian, Weyerhaeuser, Coast Guard, CFO, District of Ucluelet, Norm Wait, Oak Bay Marine Group, Ron Worley at Mussel Beach, and Marine Drive Properties for allowing us access to your property.

* RACERS: Of course, it wouldn't be a race without all 157 of you.

* SPONSORS:
Gold: Frontrunners, Reckless Cycles, Helly Hansen
Gold Media: The Zone @ 91.3, Vancouver Island Newsgroup, The Zone @ 91.3
Silver: Simon River Sports, Bow-Mel Crysler, Budget Car & Truck Rental, Seaward Kayaks, Phillips Brewery, Ocean River Sports, Bad Dog Graphics, Tauca Lea Resort and Spa
Bronze: Carb-Boom Gel, Bad
Community: Old Victoria Water Co., Madrone Environmental Services

* SAFETY TEAM: Timonda Emergency Services and the West Coast Search and Rescue. You guys are an invaluable asset to ensuring swift response to an injured or lost racer!

* KAYAK OUTFITTERS: Alberni Outpost, Comox Valley Kayaks, Ocean River Sports, Cowichan Bay Kayaking, and Majestic Kayaking. What a huge service you provide to the racers by bringing boats down to the race start!

* PRE-RACE BIKE INSPECTION TEAM: Reckless Cycles and Iguana Cycles

* EXTRA THANKS!: Marc Cooney for organizing the kayak transition area, to Normon Thibault, Dave Norona, Ina Ervin, Sean Lunny, and Denis Fontaine for a great Friday night speaker series, and Lisa Wolff for all of your amazing coordination of the volunteers, registration, and race central!