RACE: Logs, Rocks and Steel.
DATE: 5th of September 2009
LOCATION: Minden, Ontario.
The Logs, Rocks and Steel race carries a reputation of having a very rough and technical biking section. This sounded like a great challenge to me and I signed up this year. Wanting to get the most out of my race experience I signed up for the Championship course as a solo competitor. I have raced lots of adventure in the past, but this was my first multi-sport race.
The 2009 Logs, Rocks and Steel race consisted of an 80 km point-to-point route traversing the Haliburton Highlands. The course started with a 16km single-track trail run, followed by a 14km paddle, and a 40km mountain bike.
The 16km run…Well it was an absolutely amazing running course. I’ve never run on such great terrain…ever! The ground was covered with exposed rocks, roots and sections of smooth bedrock; that was constantly rising and falling beneath your feet. The course was peppered with stunning ridge and valleys with beautiful look-out-points. Wish I’d had a camera. It was fun, gnarly and most challenging. I loved it! However, it absolutely kicked the snot out of me. I’d been nursing a sprained ankle since June, and as a result most of my training had been on the bike this season. I needed more running hours under my belt to have fully enjoyed this gnarly course. I chased the Tree Huggers for a great portion of that run. They eventually pulled away from me. They ROCK!
The 14km paddle…Coming out of the run I was low on energy, fluids, my ankle was raging and I’d already max’d out my Advil intake. I was very ready to take a seat and paddle for a while. All the paddling was flat water, not difficult, nor challenging. However, the portages were brutal. There was a total of three portages; the shortest being about 300m. I had a rental kayak not nearly as light as many of the personally owned kayaks being sported by many of the SOLO competitors. I was getting fried in the portages. Both, on the speed I traversed them and on the energy I was expending to go through them. I didn’t really enjoy the paddle nor the portages. I prefer a more challenging river paddle and less walking.
The 48km bike…The next and final leg of the race. I was eager to get onto the bike. This is usually my strongest leg and I had had enough toting my kayak around. The first 10 kilometers was absolutedly brutal. I’m a fairly strong biker, and found this very challenging. The terrain was treacherous; I never left Granny gear for this first 10 kilometers. I honestly thought I wasn’t going to make it out before darkness feel. However, thankfully the terrain changed dramatically after the first bike aid station. The course became double track, appeared to be an old logging roads. It was much faster. The only real challenges at this point were the hills and the WATER! The problem with the water was you never knew if it was going to swallow you up or splash you gently. I opted to go around when at all possible. The bike section was challenging and remote. I enjoyed it a lot. (Once I realized I wasn’t going to be stuck in the dark with no lights.)
This being my first experience racing the Logs, Rocks and Steel race, and my first multi-sport event I learned a few things. One being; multi-sport racing is fast, fast, fast. There is no stopping to navigate or discuss course options. It is go, go, go the entire race. Secondly, eight hours is a long time by yourself in the bush. I was starting to get bored and losing motivation. And most importantly I learned that I absolutely love this race course. I hope to race the Championship course with a team next year. However, should I be racing SOLO next year I think I’d prefer the shorter Frost centre course. I found it a hard to stay motivated through the entire race without a partner.
