Jen Moos, Mark Lattanzi and myself are off to the USARA Adventure Race National Championship
October 22-24, 2009 in Pilot Point, TX. This will be the debut race for the On Point Foundation (ImONPoint.org) race team.
Pilot Point Texas - here we come!
See you outside (in TEXAS),
Shane
This gets me thinking about our teammates about to do the day of endurance this weekend. The incredible scenery reminds me of Colorado - Brian and Shannon I am jealous!!!
UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.
From the 25-26th of September I will be off racing with Ronny and Holly from Odyssey Adventure Racing. We will be completing as a 3 person, coed elite team in the Bushwack 2009 Adventure Race down in the Raleigh/Triangle area of North Carolina. This should be a great event, Bushwack Adventures and Don Childrey have a reputation of hosting great events. On top of that - Ronny, Holly and I managed to get a great 10 hour training day in a few weeks ago and our teamwork was excellent. Look for us racing as Odyssey Adventure Racing.
See you outside,
Shane
Teamhalfwaythere.com will be working closely with the On Point Foundation. Check them out at: www.ImONPoint.org
Here is who they are and what they do:
Helping service members regain control of their lives through education, rehabilitation, services, and equipment.
ARE YOU ON POINT?
“On Point” is a military term referring to a person who takes the lead in a patrol or tactical movement. This lead individual carries the mission of guiding the rest of the unit and assumes the responsibility of protecting all that follow. That individual is known as being ON POINT!
Service members have always worked around the clock, devoting their life to duty. The attacks of 9/11 brought forth a new era for service members, along with the high price they would pay to protect our way of life. All service members have made sacrifices while some have paid the ultimate price in defense of our county and community. With the shifting economy and the ever present strain carried by our men and women in uniform it is time for us to be “ON POINT” and take responsibility for our service members.
On Point Foundation was formed as a nonprofit in 2009 by three former soldiers. With combined military experience of over 30 years, 20 years overseas experience, and 11 operational deployments - these three service members have now focused their dedication, knowledge, and love of country to “helping those who protect us”.
When deployed overseas and engaged in combat we put our trust in other organizations to protect our family and our way of life at home. These organizations do not violate our trust! The soldiers that founded On Point wish to honor and take responsibly for many service members, not just the members of the Armed Forces. We define service members as personnel - past or present - of the Armed Forces, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and federal agents.
On Point is dedicated to providing honest and valuable services that can truly make a difference in the lives of the people we sponsor.
For Adventure Racing, I had a set of criteria I wanted to meet. Durable, light, and comfortable. These bikes may spend a portion of a race in the bottom of a canoe, be pushed through thick underbrush, and be ridden like an XC race machine. After a lot of research and a few test sessions, I concluded that the Salsa Dos Niner was a perfect fit.
I have been riding, training and racing on a Salsa Dos Niner for just over seven months. I am right at six feet tall, so already a good candidate for the 29er wheel craze. I really like the way the bigger wheels roll over obstacles and take the edge off of small bumps, roots, washboard and trail chadder. The Dos Niner is a softail (a shock in the back, the chainstays flex up and down, there is not an actual pivot, nor is there the associated pivot hardware). Those big wheels coupled with the 1″ Relish shock in the back really makes for an efficient, fast and smooth ride.
Bottom line. I like the bike so much I am seriously considering getting a Selma as my singlespeed training tool!
See you outside,
Shane
Overtrained and overraced.
So, the last two races were pretty miserable. Thankfully I had great teammates to pull me through. Lessons learned: don’t race at 100% plus, have completely debilitating lower body cramps (curled up on the side of the road - see the Odyssey One Day write up), throw your back out a few days later, take Percocet and Flexiril and think that is an adequate recovery and taper for a race 2 weeks after the blow up race!
Did I mention how lucky I am to have the teammates I have!
For this year’s Lionheart race, TeamHalfwayThere.com fielded three, 3 person coed teams. I was fortunate enough to be racing with Jen and Jeremy again. It was great seeing Doug Crytzer, and as always he puts on an incredible event. This years race was a modified Rogaine format. You choose which points to get while following a general overall route by, with, through and around Ohiopyle State park.
Doug surprised us this year with a short prologue up to the campground entrance and back. Then a quick TA to our bikes and we rode straight up Sugarloaf Mountain. About 1100′ to 2800′, as fast or slow as you raced 
Another TA, drop the bikes and run 9 miles, mostly downhill to the Yough River and the put it for the Duckies. Paddle downriver for a few hours and the takeout was just downriver from the central TA. Out of the boats, in to TA and get on the rappelling kit. Jog over to the bridge, do the rap and hoof it back to the TA.
At this point we are about 6.5 hours into the race, feeling good and staying competitive. Time to do the Mount Laurel trail. Fast forward about 1.5 hours, and I am not feeling well. Let me surmise this trail: 1100′ to 2500′ to 1250′ to 2600′ to 1500′ to 2600 (ish)’ again. In about 8 miles. Did I mention I wasn’t feeling well? Wow, I was completely in the hurt locker. Jermey and Jen ended up grabbing my pack on portions of those uphills, they are both animals!
Next, it was off the trail, through a small town and down to the Yough (1200′). Cross the Yough (straight across, we don’t need no stinkin’ bridges!) and about 7 miles up (the way we came down earlier) returning to our bikes (back up and over 2800′) on Sugarloaf mountain. Anyone see a trend here?!?! Ultimately, as the sun was disappearing and we were seeing our bikes again I believe we had logged a total of 31 miles on foot.
Time to bike. We set off on the bikes with a good plan for all the points provided we could find a feasible way to hit CP12. We didn’t. CP 12 was dropped, we got the rest of the bike CP’s and I managed to convince myself we should see the top of another 2600′ mountain. We did fall into some unmarked trails, got back to the the final first/last bike CP and descended the mountain back to the central TA.
We checked in, and I was completely destroyed. Jeremy and Jen were very understanding. As I dry heaved (nausea x 10 hours, nearly 0 food, alternating hot sweats and chills) Jeremy laid out a tarp. I stammered something about this not being a 5 minute TA and he looked at me and said, “I know.” The tarp was for the sick guy to crash on. I grabbed a fleece blanket, and passed out. In a few short minutes, Jeremy woke me up. I asked him how long I had been asleep, he replied, “19 minutes.” ”19 minutes?” ”No, 90 minutes!” Ugh!!! They wanted to keep racing. I didn’t.
I changed my mind, and we went off to bag a few more points. Two very painful bike points later (with a lot of them pushing and pulling me), and we were on our way back to the finish. Yeah, all done.
A special thanks to Doug Crytzer at American Adventure Sports for his direct sponsorship for his events. Doug - we couldn’t do this at the level we do without your assistance. Additionally, all our other sponsors, friends and families - without your help, acceptance of our addiction to this sport, and understanding we wouldn’t be out here doing this. Thanks!!!
See you outside.
Shane
