Whangamata Adventure Race

I seem to be going  through partners like they're going out of fashion.  Whangamata was a chance to race with my Bestie Rochelle.  She's an Ironman, although she says it was in a previous life, we all know it means she's tough.  She says she has a baby and two kids and doesn't do any training, but we know it means she's tough.  She says Ironman was in her early 20s, pre kids.  Tough!  ;) 

Anyway, she doesn't really ride a bike........... apparently we pretty much put her off that by taking her on a National Downhill a decade or so ago??????????  So she's on my spare bike for the day.  I'm a bit disappointed to hear the race has rules about collecting checkpoints in order, particularly as I hear this AFTER I've come up with a cunning nav plan to keep us out of congestion.  With that plan out of the window, Rochelle and I find ourselves arriving late to the Start line, from the opposite direction, and by default find ourselves leading the pack from the gun!  :)  Just where I like to be.  Rochelle copes admirably with the MTB section although later admits she was terrified - we skip a checkpoint early to get away from the crowds and to ease the pressure a little.  From here we're in front and don't really look back.  We're amongst a few teams as we head onto the trek, and spot a bit of cheating going on - we waste AGES on one checkpoint and eventually give up.  (gutted as we just didn't range far enough from the trail - &&**&!)

As we head through the forestry roads and up into the hills, the Nav is falling into place nicely, although there are a few which I feel 'lucky' to pick up as I say "I don't think it's here but I'll check just in case"  and find the CP.  I'm not sure if my nav is a bit off, or the mapping is......... but I seem to be 'reading' the course setter pretty well anyway, so I'll take it as a bonus.

At the top of the hills we hit a mystery activity 'treasure hunt' with clues to follow.  Except the marshall has only just arrived and the clues aren't out yet.  So, we help to put out the clues in exchange for the treasure and the points.  Some discussion about how hard to hide the CP for following teams ends up with Karma biting me on the bum as I fall on a punga log and send a whole lot of spikes into the palm of my hand!  All the CPs on roads we are flying through.  Well, I feel like I'm flying, as I'm  a plodder trying to keep up with a talented runner!   We have mismatched strengths with me on the bike, and Rochelle on foot, so I know it's a matter of pushing myself to keep going on the trek as I'll be able to rest a little on the bike where she's not so comfortable.  I don't want to know just how fast she could have run that trek.  I may have dawdled on some of the nav decisions just to give my poor legs and lungs a break.  She'll never know!!!!!! 

We head down a trail and make the tough call to back ourselves and go cross country to try and intercept the creek below and work up it to the CP.  The map doesn't quite match the land allocation of forest to open land, and my compass work lets us down a bit as we hit the creek, scramble up it for a few hundred metres and realise we're not sure where we are so have to bush bash out to the trail and head back to find the taped bush bash.  We weren't far off, maybe 50m where we hit the stream, in hindsight I didn't (know how to) take off the 20 something degrees for magnetic north??  Anyway, we probably haven't wasted much time on running the whole way around.  We're also having a great time, and the adventure of heading off trail is in the spirit of how we feel at the time.  You can never regret that decision to be tough chicks, away from the crowd, jumping down banks and walking across rotten logs over creeks.  Unless the log breaks, which I was pretty worried it might do.......

We stop for a mystery challenge and balance coins on oranges floating in buckets?  Really?  Turns out my teammate is pretty good at this.  I'll have to add it to my training regime.......  (yes, I know, I don't have one, but I always mean to.........)

Tearing down the final downhill before transition, Chelle hits a culvert and pops a tyre.  (Really?  The only time I've ever managed to do that was when Mike and I were trying to bunny hop the railway tracks for the kids railway by the Hamilton Lake!)  I'm a bit disappointed I'm not more of a speed demon, but am coordinated enough to ride my bike and pull the flatty bike beside me while Chelle runs the last 500m as punishment.  Except it's not punishment and she can probably run as fast as I ride anyway so maybe next time we just won't give her a bike at all..........

Out of the trek and back onto the bikes for the final leg.  This is the more technical MTB so we've left plenty of time to make sure Chelle is able to walk anything she's not wanting to ride, especially after 4+ hours and some fatigued legs.  It turns out she's more than man enough for the challenge, and although I get the chance to make some short nav stops at the bottom of hills while she follows me down more sedately, we're definitely not wasting any time.  

We have plenty of time for the mud run at the end, which I'm presuming will be in the estuary as it's unmarked on the map, so we've allowed a significant amount of time for it.  It turns out it's just a muddy bog hole within 300m of the finish line, just enough stagnant water to make sure all our cuts and scrapes are nicely septic.

We finish well under the six hours, with one missed CP on the first bike, and a few on an the trek.  It's always a bit gutting to finish early but without max checkpoints, as it gives others the chance to go slower but still win on points.  However the course setters later commented that after their first race was too hard, they'd over compensated and made this event a little easy. 

At the end of the day, we saw some great terrain in an area of Whangamata which I'd never been to before, and had a great excuse for a girls weekend.  It was a fairly comfortable race, without too much physical or navigational stress.  I still need to get some compass skills sorted, but I'm pleased with making the transition to a new course setter fairly quickly. 

Bonus is Rochelle attending prizegiving the following day and finding we're first women's pair, and high in the standings overall.  This teammate is a keeper.  :) 

2014 Adventure Racing

I'm writing this brief recap in 2015.......... so it'll be more results than 'riting.  It'll probably read like a show-off list, so I won't post it to my Facebook page, but do want a record of the events!


August
Great Forest Rogaine with Helen - 2nd female pair (out of 2!) 5th overall 6 hour MTB

Adventure Race Coromandel - with Helen, Taryn and Zoe

A new team, with Helen who I've raced with a couple of times, and some fresh new blood in Taryn and Zoe from my hockey team.  Both are new to adventure racing, both fairly green mountain bikers, but both in their 20s, age makes up for a lot!  :)  The race is set in Coromandel, from Long Bay.
Highlights:
*Building a raft then rafting it from Tucks Bay to Long Bay
*Abseiling 50m down a mine shaft, then navigating chest deep in a flooded mine, complete with floating alligator and giant (plastic) rats
*Solid nav all day.  (phew!)
*Game on with the men's teams!

Lowlights:
*Carrying wetsuits and bike helmets on a three hour trek
*Crap upper body strength for rafting
*Extra stress of a green team.

Anyway - a great first race at an ARC event, all thrilled to be the first 6 hour team, mixed, mens, pairs, school - winner winner chicken dinner!


Whangamata Adventure Race
 With Rochelle - 1st women's pair

Accidental Trigs - Paku

So, as I mentioned in my earlier blog, I'm spending the weekend as laundry lady, I mean support crew for Tom at the Coromandel Classic.  Today I have wished him luck then deserted him on a cold dark startline and raced him to the Kauaeranga Valley.  I've set up his transition area, given him his runnign shoes, been startled at his cold pale face, and sent him off on a 27km mountain run. 

Then I racked his MTB, drove for nearly two hours to Coroglen, set up another transition area and waited.  I've managed not to sound panicked when he turns up covered in blood and his hands taped up after a wrestle with a cutty grass bush.  Then I realise that the blood on his face is actually because his nose is bleeding.  I give him his road bike and then make my way to Tairua, stopping regularly and waiting for him to go past to cheer him on. 

At the finish line (for today!) I load him into the car, take him to the bach we're renting and send him to the shower while I hand wash all of his clothes.  It takes 7 basins to get the dirt out of his socks.  I give him a leg massage, feed him and leave him tucked up at home while I head out on my own adventures. 

Overlooking Tairua is the fantastic craggy peak, a little bit like Mount Maunganui.  It has some caches hidden on it, so, gammy calf and all, I head off for a run.  I run for all of 15 minutes and my gammy calf starts getting tighter so I walk, weaving my way up this crazy public walkway which goes down people's driveways and apparently through back yards.  As I walk up consecutive flights of stairs, my calf just decides it's toast.  Three weeks of growing tightness reach a peak and I'm done.  (update - the physio says the calf was just so tight, it caused a tear!).  So I'm left hobbling to the top (it has to be done, I can't go home defeated). 

The summit has AMAZING views, it makes me consider moving here.  I share it with some bikies, which is why the trig is leather clad in the photo.  They rode 80% of the way up, while I limped up a million stairs. 

Paku #2, A6LT

The cache has been stolen, but the unexpected trig is prize enough for me.  Although maybe not prize enoughto recompense an injury a few weeks out from a big race.....?

Accidental Trigs - Hauraki Rail Trail

Tom's racing the Coromandel Classic this weekend and I'm support crew.  We all know that I'm better at HAVING a support crew than BEING a support crew.  I have realised that I am essentially a selfish person.  So, it took a bit of a gulp and some later regrets to say "Yes, I'll miss my own Adventure Race (the one that I got 2nd at last year and has great prizes) to follow you around the Coromandel in the car, passing you bikes and shoes.)

Things started looking up when he took Friday off work so we could travel up in plenty of time.  A couple of late nights and I had planned a 60km cycle on the Hauraki Rail Trail, and a list of 20+ caches to pick up on the way.

(Geo-caching is my new nerds sport.  I can't believe it took me this long to start a geeky, online treasure hunt using gps and clues to find hidden caches.)

Tom drops me off in Waihi and I head off for Thames.  That's a decent car trip so it's a bit daunting on a bike.  With a gammy calf.  (Long story to do with overuse and finished off at hockey.)  The first part of the trail from Waihi to the Karangahake Gorge is very new, quite peaceful, not much going on.  Needing to be in Thames by dark, I'm on speed caching and have to give myself only a few minutes to come up with the cache or move on.  This is pretty tough going!!

I've got a map board set up on my bike, but no map on it.  Only a nong could get lost on a rail trail.  The map board is a list of caches and clues, with the gps coordinates already loaded into the Garmin so it beeps as I approach.  The watch beeps, I check the clue, jump off and have a search around, find the cache, sign it, and am back on my bike in a few minutes.  Well, that's the plan, but today I fail in around HALF of my caches.  :/  All the caches on this trail were laid by one operator, and I was silly enough to figure that choosing the bridge caches would mean I didn't have to navigate, as a bridge usually stands out.  Unfortunately the clues were as specific as "Where the troll lives", which is pretty bloody general when you're standing on a bridge.  Which end?  On the bridge structure?  In the creek? UP high or down low?  I was a grumpy troll about bridge caches!

The ride through the gorge I've done many times, and is just so pleasant.  I'm a bit surprised to hit a head wind rattling through the gorge, and whistling in my ears as I head through the 1km rail tunnel.  I have a torch in my pack but am too lazy to get it out... the tunnel lights are working but very dim and it's an uncanny feeling racing along in the dark, aiming for a speck of light in the distance. 

The gorge leads to Paeroa.  Where I get lost on my entry into town, missing the riverside trail and braving the main street instead.  McDs is tempting.  I refind the trail and head off on it.... then realise it's curving around to take me back along the river where I was supposed to come.  180 degrees and I'm on track, for all of 200 metres where I head out of town on the road... the wrong road.  Did I mention that only a nong can get lost on a rail trail?  I reckon this is a conspiracy to keep tourist dollars in town.

From Paeroa to Thames is straight and flat.  For hours.  At one stage I go around a corner which was actually surprising as I was just chugging along like a train. There's a head wind, and cows for a view.  For hours.  I plug in some earphones to relieve the boredom, seeing as there's no traffic to worry about.  I sing out loud for a while and scare the cows.  I see a grand total of ZERO cyclists on this part.  And then, whaddya know!!  A trig station!!  The best bit of the stretch.  :)

 Trig A6CH, 4975.

What a day.

I needed an adventure.  So we re-organised our weekend plans at great trouble to everyone else.

A (lovely) late night, saw me wake on Sunday, tired, dehydrated and feeling worse for wear.  Tough.  It's now or never.

I arrive at Blue Lake and it's pouring.  Proper wet, and three hours riding seems a tough proposition.  To liven things up, I duck up a nearby walking trail, and pick up a Geocoin from a cache I had looked up before I left home.

(Note:  Geo caching is a nerds sport, where people hide a 'cache', essentially a container in some random place, and you use a website, a map, and clues to hunt it out.  The cache will have a logbook to sign, and sometimes small 'treasures' to swap.  A Geocoin is a numbered coin, which is released into the caching system with a mission)

The Geocoin's mission was to go to caches on Terrain difficulty 5 climbing trails.  I found it in a forest, so obviously I'm not the only one scared of height.  I figured it would be fun to ride it up to the highest point in the Redwoods though, where I'd marked out a difficulty 4 cache for some Navigation practise.

So basically, I'm a child.  I had this whole 'I'm on a mission' mindset, transporting a helpless refugee to a better place.  Or something like that.  Seriously, I don't like training, have to do something to keep my kooky mind happy.

A big climb, a fun downhill, a grunt again, and I'm in position to head out for the Mount Moerangi Cache.  I pick a spot and head out for a bush bash in tall pines.  It's a trig, on a high point.  Can't be too hard to find, just go up right?

After 15 minutes walking, my gps is doing cartwheels, unable to make up its mind which direction I should go in.  My compass doesn't seem to make much sense, and the gps route says I've gone around in a semi circle, which doesn't feel right at all.  I stand still, with that sinking feeling, that I have no idea which way is in or which way is out.  My navigation tools are more of a hindrance than a help, as everything is contradictory.  It's been raining persistently for nearly two hours, and now I'm spending too much time navigating and not enough time moving, I'm getting cold.  I know I'm within a ring of roads, and a straight line of no more than 2km (worst case) will have me hit the road..... but the sensation of seeing my gps say I've walked in a circle without me realising it has me doubting that I can straight line at all in such dense bush.

I find a slightly open patch of bush and sit down to eat something, hoping that sitting still for a while will help the gps to secure satellites through the high trees and dense cloud.  Heading off cautiously, with one more try to find the trig before I go to Plan B, I'm pretty sure a choir of angels sings when I suddenly pop out at a trig surrounded by dense bush.  Extremely relieved is an understatement!!

A trig, a cache, and a forest.  Three of my favourite things.

 
With a bit more trust in my GPS now, I find a trail and decide I won't risk bush bashing again, following it down to the loop road then running back to my bike.   Then I feel a heavy weight in my jacket pocket, the geocoin which I forgot to drop in the cache.  Back up the hill, and this time I practise my tracking skills to follow my own trail down.  :)

This is what the Garmin says I did when cache hunting.  I don't believe it completely, but maybe a bit....

Just my favourite trail, Split Enz, then a road ride back to my car, 45 minutes or so.  As per usual, Split Enz brings a grin to my face, it's so much fun, even in the rain.  It really is my happy place, in the forest, not a soul to be seen, on a stunning single track with sweet corners and these little jinks where the trail pops around a jutting tree and root.  It's so smooth.  Until I take a tree a little close, veer away and find myself grinding along a small bank with no chance to manoevre and collecting a tree.

Shoulder, hand and knee took full brunt and it takes a few seconds for everything to calm down enough to think.  My knee immediately stiffens up.  A little hobble, a tentative stretch, then the shakes hit and I need to sit down and have something sweet to eat.  I might have a little cry from the fright, but no one saw it so it doesn't count.  I don't do falling off.  I'm a bit of a girls blouse.  I watch  tough ladies who I ride with fall, get back on and keep going.  I have great admiration for them, but think that if I fell off I would stop riding.  Today, I'm in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain (still), my knee looses up and riding is the only way out. 

I make it back to the car; late, wet, cold, muddy, bruised and a little bit disorientated.  Just what I needed.