Storm the 10
10 Hour Adventure Race Relay
Kelso Conservation Area, Milton On
Saturday September 22nd 2007
Storm the 10 is the brainchild of Sean Roper, race director of the ever-popular Storm the Trent race series. The race is designed around a 1 hour (approx.) loop with a combination of paddling, trail running and mountain biking. The race was open to solo racers and teams of 2 who would race the course continuously, and tag-team combinations of 3, 4, 5 and 6 racers who would have one pair do a lap and then “tag-off” to a second (or third) pair that would go and attack the course with the goal of completing as many laps of the course as possible. As the coach of the Aurora High Adventure Racing team, this event catered to our athletes perfectly and we had 24 athletes competing throughout the day (more on them later in this report!)
Pre-Race
Now I had never done anything like this before as a solo racer so I really did not know what to expect both physically and mentally. Thankfully, Sean provided all racers with a detailed outline of the course and a clear, concise description of the transitions that we would be making throughout the day. In the days leading up to the event, I spent most of my time creating a couple of master lists for both myself and my students. The first being the equipment that we would need in order to successfully complete the course and the second being the food list for the day. I spent a lot of time trying to determine what, when and how I would eat throughout the day. Bananas, apples, Cliff Bars and Gu (Chocolate) were the key components of my list with Chocolate Chip Cookies and these awesome Nature’s Path Granola Bars being my go-to when I needed a real pick-me-up! In addition, I had a good supply of fresh water, GU2O and Gatorade to keep me hydrated. The plan was to eat twice per loop. First at the start/finish line (banana) and then at the TA from Bike to Run on the Escarpment (Cliff Bar, Gel, Granola). This system worked really well and I did run the race without feeling hungry. IMAGINE!
The Race Course
Ok, so let’s talk about the race. First off, a huge “Shout Out” (like the kids say) to Sean Roper for designing a wicked-awesome course. The start was a Lemans-type that had racers open up a supplemental map that directed them to the first CP (that would only be used once) and back to the beach to jump in the boats and head across the pond. At the other end, racers had to run to the base of the ski hill by the chalet to Bike TA. Once on the bikes, racers followed a gravel track that led to a twisty singletrack climb up the escarpment. Now, after the first climb I made it my goal to not walk the bike up this section at all (as several racers did) and I am proud to say that it never happened. Another climb through a tricky rocky section took riders to a sandy climb and to the first CP on course. This climb, though not steep, was tricky and sapped a lot of energy from the legs. Once through the CP, racers were treated to a cool twisty, technical section of singletrack that really rocked!! A second shorter singletrack loop brought racers out of the forest and to the Run TA at the top of the escarpment. The run section of the course was fantastic. Great flow and lots of cool terrain to keep you on your toes (or on your butt if you weren’t careful) brought racers to CP 2. The back end of the run was just as awesome with a couple of tough climbs and some twisty sections that led racers back to the bike. Back on the bike, racers were treated to a thrilling downhill run to the Bike TA where the bikes were dropped off and racers set out on foot back to the water, into their boats and back to the shore where it all began. And just to make the day that much more fun, the Start/Finish CP was located at the top of the stairs that led down to the beach (again, I made it my goal to run the stairs everytime). With 1 loop of the course successfully complete, it was back out for more.
My Day
As I mentioned, this was my first race of this type and I was anxious to see how I would perform. This was my 9th event of the racing season so I was in the best shape of my life heading into the race. Now that being said, I had just finished the Keen Adventure Race the week before (10km paddle, 60km bike and 10km run) so I was praying that my body would hold up. Well, it did. To describe my day in one word…consistent. My loop times were within 5-8 minutes of each other from the first to the last lap of the day. I felt strong throughout the race and if I had completed my last lap in time, I know that I had at least one more left in me. My paddling improved with each lap (my weakest link as I don’t own a boat to train on yet!) and my bike and run sections kept me within striking distance of the top 3. It also helped that my awesome wife Meagan, my 2 year-old son Noah and my Mom and Dad showed up after my 6th lap to cheer me on and keep me going. In the end, I was able to complete 8 laps in 9 hours and 30 minutes good for 5th place and only 8 minutes out of 3rd!! I am already looking forward to this race next year !
The AHS Adventure Race Team
In addition to my racing, 24 AHS Adventure Race Team members entered the event. We had teams entered in the 2-man, the tag 3’s , the tag 4’s and the tag 6’s. Now I don’t want to sound too confident (and I apologize if I am coming off that way) but I have seen the future of Adventure Racing and it is bright indeed. These young men and women were a joy to watch as they raced throughout the course cheering each other on and shouting words of encouragement to all racers to push harder to reach their goals. Their enthusiasm on the course was electric and I am so damn proud of how they represented our team, our school and our sport. And not only did they compete, several of the athletes were recognized at the awards banquet for their accomplishments. Teams from AHS finished 3rd in both the Men’s tag 6 and in the tag-team division, 2nd in the Co-Ed tag 4’s and 1st place in the tag 3’s. It was such a thrill to see them race and I can’t wait until our next event.
Shout Out’s
1. My family. Your support means the world to me. Love you both xoxo
2. Sean Roper. Awesome Race.
3. Want to give a huge shout out to Jill and Kalon Sparks. To watch these two race is an awesome sight but to have the chance to race with them was a real thrill. Thanks to both of you for your encouragement on the course and for being such fantastic ambassadors for the sport. You are both amazing!!
4. The Team Running Free Athletes: You all inspire me to be a better athlete. I love being a part of this team.
Cheers
Marcus
I did my first Storm last year. It was great, and I was really looking forward to doing it again.
I really enjoyed the canoe, hike and most of the bike – Yes the conditions on some of the trails were quite gruelling.
The only thing that kinda annoyed me was that the last part of the bike, after the last mandatory checkpoint was soooo difficult. Carrying my bike over rocks for about 2 kms was very gruelling. Other teams took the road back. If we had known that there were rocks on this part of the trail, we too would have taken the road back. After the race, we found out that almost all that took the road back had done that part of the course in a previous year, therefore they knew what lied ahead of them. This cost us precious time, and took approximatly an extra 45 minutes, due to the terrain.
I think that if there should have been a mandatory checkpoint somewhere after this part of the bike, so that all teams had to do it.
We had a great time, and look forward to Storming again next year!
Mike