This was my 6th Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race - and my second time doing it solo. Last year, I'd also done Squamish solo, and I ended up making a gross mistake in the orienteering/navigation -- I followed another racer, lacking confidence in my own skills, and I ended up in the thick of the forest - totally lost. Luckily I was able to find my way out (I actually used my compass for one in a MOMAR!) - but it certainly cost me and hurt my confidence in the race. So -- this year, I was determined to come back and was hoping for a clean race (or at least cleaner). The biggest issue for me is trusting my navigation. I'm not a fantastic navigator, but I can usually figure out where to go. However, the times I've gotten into the most trouble have been when I've second guessed myself and started following other people. This has been a hard lesson to learn - to trust myself - and remember that the other racers don't necessarily know the way any better than I do.
The race started Saturday morning at 9am. At 8am, we'd received the course map, and one of the first things I noticed was the minimal amount of navigation that would be required on the bike. Most sections of the course were actually flagged, and there were only a few sections that would require self-navigation. Although I sometimes run into navigational challenges, I was actually somewhat disappointed, as I like the challenge of the navigational component of the race.
After a brief explanation of the course we were about to embark on -- the race got underway with a Le Mans style 1 km run. We ran around the Quest University to our bikes. It wasn't actually that challenging of a run - but wow it felt hard for me, mostly due to the amount of weight I was carying in my pack. I had totally forgotten how much liquid I consume during a MOMAR, so I packed 1 litre of water and 1 litre of an electrolyte/energy drink. So, this was 2 kilos of extra weight to carry around at the beginning of the race.
We got to our bikes, and I was actually closer to the front of the pack. I put on my helmet and was off - as we headed onto a gravel road. A sizeable uphill section was next on the list -- there were some pretty steep up hills that most people ended up simply walking. I might have been able to climb more of them, but it was hard to stay on the bike with so many other racers walking their bikes - plus the rocks were slipping around, so it was hard to avoid slipping out -- I also wasn't in the best gear, making the uphill climbing even more difficult.
Then shortly into this gravel section, came a nice downhill. My mind had gotten into race-mode and I wanted to try and push myself, so rather than slowing down on this section, I decided to let my bike go, and just go with it. But...... at the bottom of the hill I was in for a surprise ---
There was a water-bar that had been cut-out of the gravel road, to enable water to flow and avoid flooding the road during heavy rains. I only saw this too late - and I knew I was in for it -- I tried to slow my speed somewhat but then I hit the dip, then my bike hit the sharp uphill, I got some air and..... BOOM I was down on the ground. My bike lay beside me - and I knew I was hurt, but I didn't want to stop. I got right up and started walking my bike up the hill. Some kind competitors behind me helped me up the hill, where I was left to assess myself. Both of my knees were bleeding, my left thumb was sore and bleeding and blood was dripping from my chin. I opened my bag and began to search for the few bandaids that I had, as part of the mandatory first aid materials. Soon after, another Vancouver Island racer, Alison Sum and her partner came past. Alison helped patch me up, and we had a good laugh as I pressed a thin maxi pad to my chin, to try and soak up the blood. After most of the bleeding had slowed, I decided to get going, and get back into this race -as tens of racers had already passed me.
The gravel hilly section then changed into a trail section - it was a very soft, new trail that had lots of roots and difficult to ride sections. I just got off my bike and walked, following the many racers ahead of me pushing their bikes. By the time this section was over, I was already extremely frustrated by the amount of bike pushing that I had done. I wanted to ride my bike, not push it through the race.
We got back on for some more gravel road uphills - then transitioned onto another single track section of trail (Lower Powersmart), which involved some more bike walking for me. Finally, we reached the second CP (checkpoint). I was glad to get my second punch - after what felt like a long haul on the bike (56:18 min from the start). Back onto gravel roads for a bit, then onto Tsuga, a swooping, flowy trail downhill. Apparently, we took Tsuga last year, but I completely didn't remember it. I ended up riding a good portion of it, but still got off on sections I could have riden, but I ended up being tentative and a bit more cautious due to my fall. Unfortunately, it's also where the photographers were - so there's some great shots of me walking my bike! Overall I enjoyed Tsuga, and was glad to have my feet on the pedals, for at least portions of it. (this section took 22 mins from the last checkpoint)
Me, walking my bike -- yes, I should be able to ride this!
Next, it was a long climb up on another gravel road. By this point - my legs were definitely hurting, and I was ready to be done with the climbs. However, I actually ended up being a somewhat better climber than many of the other racers around me -- so that was a nice boost. (The climb took me 26 mins)
Half Nelson -- an engineered trail was up next. It was extremely swoopy -- with lots of jumps and big corners -- for a good rider, I could see how it could be a very fun and fast trail to ride. I enjoyed it, but definitely took it pretty slow. I'm still not at the level that I know how to handle jumps well, so I was quite tentative on it. It ended up taking me 32.38mins.
Half Nelson flowed into CP 5 - where we finally had a chance to get off of our bikes and tackle the orienteering/navigation section. It's also where Shane and Garth Campbell were stationed, so it was nice to see them, and give them a quick update on how my race had gone so far. I was told that this section would take approximately 45-60mins to complete, so I figured I was in for at least an hour's effort. I got my map and took a little while just to orient myself. I did a quick scan, and plotted out my route, and from a first glance, it didn't look too difficult, as most of the CPs were located just off a trail. Then, I headed off to get my first CP -- it was not too far away. Last year, most of the CPs were hidden in hard to find locations. You'd get to the spot where you thought the CP was supposed to be, and you'd have to search around to find it. This year, the CPs were much more obvious -- which was much appreciated. Overall, this section went okay, although I made a few mistakes that cost me some precious time. Right off the bat, I also ended up going up this long uphill section, which I ended up mostly hiking, as I simply didn't have the energy to really push it.
There was only one CP that really challenged me, and cost me at least 15 mins. The trail was marked as zig-zagging, but the CP seemed to be located on a section that double-backed on itself. This was one of the only sections of the trail that looked like it double-backed on itself on the map. So when I got where I thought the CP should be -- I was surprised not to see it easily visible. There were a few other racers who came up to this point at the same time, and we were all a bit befuddled. We searched around, a bit too much. I kept thinking that it didn't seem right, as all of the other CPs had been easily visible - but I was also hesitant to move on - just in case this was the right spot, and I then had to go back. Myself, and another racer finally decided to move on -- we hit another few points, that seemed they should be right (according to the map), but there was no CP in sight. Finally, we came up to the right bend in the trail, and right on track, the CP was right there, easy to see. I was soo happy to see it! I was almost done - only two more to get, and they looked pretty easy. A bit more of jostling through the forest, and then I was on the final home-stretch. I hadn't yet looked at my watch, but I knew I'd spent far too long in the woods. At final count, this section took me 1:25 mins -- frustrating, because I knew I could have cleared it better.
I knew one final technical section of biking was in front of me - and it was the hardest section of the race -- Powerhouse Plunge. I knew I'd be running my bike through most, if not all of this section - and I was right. If it had been a training ride, I might have tried riding more of the sections, but I knew this would have just slowed me down. So, I put my feet to the ground, and pushed and ran along my bike as fast as I could. I actually ended up being somewhat faster than some people who were trying to ride, as they were on and off quite a bit -- which ends up bieng slower. Glad to have that over with, I rolled into CP 7, said a quick hello to Kim Picard, a friend who was working at this station, and then headed off to finish the race. (time: 28:15)
There was a large hill following this bridge - which I was eyeing.
The climb up the Chief was a complete slog - it's about a 600m climb. I remembered parts of it from last year, but it felt much tougher this year. My legs were absolutely burning, but I knew I had to keep on going - past the weekend hikers (with their looks of shock at my bloody knees, chin and lip), and up and up. The last section is a steep climb up pure rock - with the checkpoint right at the top. (climb took me 39:46) Then, it was down a bit to the rappel site.
This is where I get a mandatory break. There was a backlog of people waiting to rappel, so I waited along with other racers, in the cold wind, for my turn. The rappel was awesome. The views were spectacular and I loved bounding down the rock. The run down was pretty fun - although I just wanted to get it over with. At this point, I knew all the hard stuff was over and the end was nearing. (23:26 from the rappel back to the bikes)
Back on the gravel road, across a river (man the cold water felt sooo nice!), a bit more trail and then onto the road, to weave through the town and make it to the finish line. But, it wasn't over yet! I still had a short urban nav to finish. The navigation was very simple, and we only had to stop at 2 checkpoints. I collected them both, and finished this last run section in 9:38 -- Crossing the finish line in 7:01:48. While not a fast time, it was my fastest MOMAR yet, and I would have gotten under 7 hours, if I hadn't forgotten my helmet at the Chief. If I hadn't crashed and had a cleaner orienteering/navigation section, I would have handidly come in close to 6 hours 30 minutes.
(CP 13-14, 9:25; CP 12-13, 12:41; CP 11-12, 9:26)
Crossing the river...
Overall I was happy with my race, but wish I would have done it completely clean. But, it was a good experience, and I hope to continue to improve on my subsequent races.
After the race, I went to the hospital to get myself cleaned up, then off to the after-party. I filled up on the fruit crumble, then had a great time actually dancing for once to the live band. A fantastic weekend!
Thanks to Brian Tasaka for putting together another stellar event, and for Jen Segger for all her hard work and time in arranging the course.
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