Momar = #VALUE!

I think on the list of Adventure race how you would want to be ranked would be as follows
1.Finsih Full course 1st Place
2. Finish Full course
3.Short Course
4. DNF
5. #VALUE! (what the hek?)

First I have to say I wouldn't even change a thing about the race itself or about our performance -even if it meant one tweak or change would have put us at first. I had so much fun. I wouldn't change ONE moment. It was amazing from start to finish.
The course design A+
AR community A+
The location A+
Race Director (personality and presentation) A+
Medals A+
Volunteers A+

When we got our passports and found out we were on foot first - we ran to the furthest checkpoint and came backwards 6 through 1, and then 7. You could go in any order. We spent forever and day looking for check point 6. TOO much time. And the fact that each team kept hitting our same road, then giving up left us with maybe we are on the right track. The other teams gave up after moments - time restrictions - and the ones we didn't see on the road were at the right check point.
That was our only BIG mistake. After that hitting check points 5-1, 7. Nailed like dead on. Check point 4 to 3 D said, "Do you trust me?" I was completely thrown off by the question but of course, "yes" Then I realized he was making a navigational decision that he would be putting 10 tree's lives in jeopardy. Actually these trees were already dead for any green peace readers, they just were standing up - lets just says I moved them from purgatory to laying down dead.

He points out the map and says "this hill down (cliff) or couple miles running up and then a switchback" I am like, "I trust you"

So we both on our own on little paths down, he is leaping like a deer, and I am feeling like I'm scaling from a cliff so I am cautiously taking my first steps,
Then I see my only hope for me not to fully roll down this cliff is to use branches and trees - the first branch I grab - it came fully off. I fall forward to another tree - and had that branch not been dead too - it would have pierced my chest! Instead when I fall forward to the what i think is a dagger to my death, the branch nearly diminishes like ashes. Then I decide -no branches - I will use only tree's to put any weight (if I have too). My first slipping foot I lean on a tree - circumference is about the size of grape fruit, not largely tall and i seriously push it down (There was a moment I felt like say "fee fi fo fum" and continue marching, but even these shattered trees, I didn't want to hurt.) SO then I decided a low crouching walk - and I start going under fallen trees, trying to use ground if I need to stop from falling and then I poked my head up and I was in the middle of ten fallen trees - small -not large - double my length - and I feel like I just entered a game of pixy sticks, like one move and I am causing this forest to fall all at once - so I crawl underneath and finally make it to the bottom at the road- D says "The next checkpoint should be three hundreds meters on the right of the road, down in the trees" and boom there it was! Then we ran a beautiful run around the lake for check point, 2 and 1 and the had to locate 7 (a girl) on the beach because she thought there was nobody else out there.

On to bikes - It felt so GREAT - The view already from the trekking had blown me away, but my energy level just started to rise, and we were on a major time crunch from our checkpoint six snafu (I blame myself). However I was reminded "next race, speed, this race, navigation and mostly here for FUN" - I wanted to chase ahead to make the cut off time, and then my bag was being inspected by D and he was throwing away my Arby's sandwhich (where is the fun in that?) He was like “that meat will make you so sick after this heat, eating Arby's off their shelf is questionable."

On bike route - To date I can claim - my best riding yet. I was standing up on the uphill(s) and I was going faster than I ever have. I wasn't even begging for tow or wishing death upon me or even thinking, "When will this end?" Just LOVING it. There was the section, "Hike a bike" where I did dream of RVG popping the woods and saying hey JP let me carry that up for you. That hike a bike could be a race in it's own. And I am not counting it against my riding and I made it.

Then we got to the pink flags bike design - you just go through and then at the end you loop back for your check point. FUN. Gorgeous. Stayed on my bike the whole time except one backwards wheelie. Even after I fell I had to bring my hand through by bike to undo my shoe - at my angle I couldn't twist one shoe out. That ride was FUN.

This is where -
LOGISTICS grade D-
of the race - so we weren't speedy enough to make up for our lost time - although we did go fast but we had such a tiny window – so they say you are supposed to be short coursed, you know when people say “who is the they?” there was really no they. No one was there to say, “here is your new course” or go on to check point _____.

So then it was the executive decision to ride the course, since we were loving it this far, and we ended up getting check point 13, 14, then we knew we would miss another time cutoff - so we rode the course, since this seemed to be the best part of the whole race - the views, the rides, WAS gorgeous- but we wanted (or thought somebody must be worried) so we decided to go to check point 17 - passing 15 and 16 - because that is where you check in again and repel.

They didn't notice us missing and we checked in then jumped back on to course -finished 17- 21. I heard a team didn’t even get to ride out some of the flagged designed course because they didn’t realize a team was out there and picked up the flags. So I am grateful we were able to ride that.

We also decided once we were not going to make it to 15 in time and we were ready to take major bombing hill all the way down because we rode up hill FOREVER and earned it! But at such speed and so much fun -the one left we were going to take we zipped by it, and ended up on HWY99. Our navigator looked at that map, knew which residential streets to take to get us up to checkpoint 17, and there we were again. Only one beginning error and it cost us so much time -crazy. Again, I would not change a moment because that could mean one change could take away how much fun we had. How hard we rode and we didn’t get hurt. D did have one moment where his legs cramped – we were NUUN-less (yeah all that bragging about sharing my NUUN left us with NONE) So a girl gave him salt and he instantly was back in the game. I watched her do that, I licked my arm cuz I was really sweaty and salty and thought it might work. I never cramped so my test is currently just a theory.

BUT - had things not happened how they had we would not have had some of the fun, the great riding, the people we met and these two guys for the city run. HILARIOUS. They actually hit all check points so they were "qualified" dead last.

When watching the slides show - Alex -one of the guys we met, was slouched, in pain, drinking and watching the slide show. As they would show people on the podium he jump and say stuff like, "my grandpa beat me?" FUNNY.

By the time we did come in the clock was on the ground.
In the slide show we found it fell down. Rinn was there as witness to the fall and to witness people putting it back up.

I had a marvelous time all the way up until I read results
I wouldn't mind dead last, but to read NO VALUE or at least #value! esp since we had check points in those sections.

Looking back I am glad we continued to follow that map. That course was AMAZING!!!

Food - good - but the Beast post race -immediate tailgate provided by Bruce has forever ruined me.

The dinner and party was fun.

I did have to go eat BigMAc an hour later.

Only posting two pictures today. Tomorrow no words, just a few more pictures. I have some cool ones of Dart Sport too. AR is an extremely nice and a fun person. A+



Picture 1) A Commandough going back to find the guy that typed #VALUE! by our names. Kidding!




Picture 2 New Team Outfit