Outdoors: Primal Quest Race Report

Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 05:04 AM

Our fearless adventurer from Running Free, John Yip, decides he hasn't spent enough time away from the office this summer....

MA, the uber-volunteer/medic at all the races sent an email to me from a team hunting to find a last minute replacement for the Subaru Primal Quest. This race was never on my schedule due to the hefty price tag and my full racing schedule. However, I was intrigued and decided to find out more about team Canada Post.

At the helm of this team is Jennifer Winariski, a 41 year old, mother of 3 children from Maple Ridge, BC. Her friend, Jennifer Cope, also 41 and former forestry worker both were on the team that raced the Eco-Challenge North American Championships. The two of them work for Canada Post. The fourth teammate, Scott Covey, a recent “immigrant” to the West Coast is someone I met shivering in a cabin at Raid the North Parry Sound. He raced with Hamilton-based Canadian Outback. SPQ would be their first international expedition race. Their fourth had to withdraw due to personal issues.

My initial thoughts were what an opportunity and also what a challenge! Canada Post was in a less than ideal situation and this caused me great angst. Did they have the skills? Did they have the ability to suffer? How well did they work together? Well it turns out the team had never raced together before. In addition to losing the teammate, they also lost support crew. Then there is always the time and money aspect that gives a real dose of reality. After a couple of conversations and emails with the team, I was still riding the fence.

In a conversation with Little Jenn to indicate to her that I was still on the fence and that they should go and find another racer, Little Jenn with the big heart convinced me in one sentence. I asked her what failure was to her. She responded that failure would be not getting to the startline. This inspired me, and lit a fire in me that demonstrated that Little Jenn had the right attitude and without knowing more, it was enough to me say yes.

As time wore on, a simple post on ARA-LIST got us our support crew: Natalie (race director for Ukatak) and Catherine, both from Montreal agreed to join us. Within a two week time span, Canada Post was on the verge of withdrawing from the race to having a complete team! A good lesson on never giving up! This would be a theme that would persist throughout our SPQ experience.

And so, I would embark on my 3rd expedition race of the year. Those of you reading that have done an expedition race, know how much mental energy is required to get geared up, get flights done, get time off from work etc. At this point in the season after a difficult World Championship race, some personal issues and a heavy workload, it took a lot to get myself mentally “in shape.” Physically, I knew I would be pushed to the envelope, not by going fast necessarily but to help push the team along. This was going to be a test of mental and physical power and when I said yes, I wasn’t 100% sure I had the strength.


Prologue

A couple of weeks later, I met my teammates and found myself at the startline, not without first getting into a car accident en route from Vancouver to Anacortes, WA. No major damage was done but it sure did give an ominous start to our experience!

The prologue was a neat twist to expedition racing, much like the prologue for the Tour de France. The finish order of the prologue would determine the starting order for the start of the real race. The top 6 would start first, with other teams following at 2 minute intervals. The last wave would leave 20 minutes behind the leaders. Twenty minutes in an expedition race amounts to nothing, well at least at the back of the pack. Our strategy was simple: to take it easy and not to get injured. In fact, many teams joked how their goal was to finish last. I laughed nervously and put money down that we would be that team. Ironically enough, I almost won that bet!

The prologue began and the top teams moved to the front. Our girls struggled with their spray skirts and were the last to leave the beach but were within striking distance of the last group of kayaks. Soon, they disappeared into the distance. Scott and I paced around nervously and awaited the return of the boats. In short order, the lead pack of Nike/Seagate/Montrail exited the water. One after another boats returned and soon the main pack had all arrived. In the distance was the last group. We thought for sure they would be in that pack, but surprisingly they weren’t. Instead they were a speck on the horizon surrounded by safety boats!

I looked at Scott with a look of concern. The girls were at least 15 minutes back from the second last place team! I buried my face in my hands. I know we talked about going easy, but not that easy! Finishing dead last wasn’t that concerning. What was more concerning is that we knew there would be a massive ocean paddle tomorrow. They were also predicting bad weather.

Unfortunately, David Kelly (AR legend who has been featured on Eco with his former partner Teri Schneider), was part of SPQ race management and brought us over to chat. At that moment, the big swing boom with a camera from the CBS crew swung over, and was planted firmly in front of Scott and my faces. As I tried to conceal my concern, I almost started laughing.

With that, the girls got the beach and we took off for a short trail run to the MTB transition area. Scott and I took off on our mountain bikes. Although a relatively short ride, it was very hilly with a big climb of switchbacks. We started to pass some teams and soon hit the fun descent back down to the Transition Area where we rejoined the girls and ran to the finish line.

We didn’t finish last but pretty close to it. Right after we crossed the line, we were zipped away by the CBS camera crews for an interview. The setting for this interview was on a point behind the resort was quite beautiful. We had the pleasure of meeting Angus Yates, the executive producer of the CBS broadcast of the show but also a former producer of Eco-Challenge. He really drilled down to some detail about how our team formed and the challenges we faced and liked what he heard that he said we would be ideal as a featured team!

Angus wished us well and in a private conversation with him, he really emphasized safety and to make smart decisions. He really was concerned for us and I appreciated his thoughts. I left the camera shoot and headed to the pre-race meeting where my nervousness increased with Dan Barger’s video footage of the course – just jaw dropping stuff!!! Oh boy, what have I done?

It turns out that our assigned camera guy would follow the lead teams through the first couple of days and meet us later in the course. Due to the sequence of events that were about to transpire, our camera guy did not catch up with us, and therefore we did not end up being a featured team! Oh well, CBS would have gotten some real entertainment value out of us!

Day 1 – 85k Ocean Paddle

We woke up to a blustery morning. The rain had subsided but it looked pretty miserable as we mowed down our breakfast of eggs and bacon that Catherine had prepared. I woke up late having a sleepless night on the floor on my Therm-a-Rest and Marmot DriClime Trail sleeping bag. I was very nervous and did not know what Mother Nature had in store for us. I tried not to show my nervousness but I think the team could tell I was uneasy.

The docks were bustling with activity as all the teams were making final preparations for the start. In what seemed like no time at all, the teams were organized into waves as predetermined by the prologue. As wave by wave left, our wave was left to start. And off we went! We followed the long line of kayaks off the beach and paddled contently into the sunny, windless day. We had really lucked out as the only ripples in the water was done by the 120 odd kayaks in the water.

The day turned out to be quite beautiful and the scenery stunning. We paddled past sea lions and some amazing coastal homes. The pace wasn’t that hard to begin with but as the day wore on, the sheer distance was beginning to take its toll. Fortunately, roughly half-way through the paddle we managed to do a small portage. As we continued to paddle, Scott’s wrist began to act up and hooked up a tow system for the big channel crossing back to the western side of Orcas Island.

Although things were going relatively smoothly so far, I still worried about the massive 15k channel crossing back to the mainland. Luck was with us and as darkness fell, we set a bearing and aimed for a set of lights in the distance. As time wore on, the lights did not seem to get any closer. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally hit the mainland and found the dock, hidden behind a massive rock. We dragged our boats up the ramp and walked 3-4km to the TA where our support crew was waiting.

Day 1 - First Trek

We began our first trek at a letter carrier pace – very fast! Following an out-of-date trail map and a less than helpful topo, we managed to weave our way to CP6 at the top of the hill. We picked up a couple of spots as teams struggled to find this first CP as it was quite confusing. Although, we nailed CP6, getting to CP7 was a completely different story.

We picked up a trail and headed on the correct bearing. According to the trail map, the trail we were on, was supposed to lead us pretty close to the next CP. This wasn’t the case as the trail, eventually fanned out to 5 other trails. This was a funny sight. Around 10-15 teams were all bunched up here, trying to figure it out. We didn’t waste any time and followed our bearing which did not lead us anywhere. We followed another trail and it led us to another 10 teams pondering which way to go: another 4 trails opened up. Navigators were huddled around maps, and extra maps some teams had brought which was concerning. It looked like the rules did not ban extra maps! Well, they didn’t help them very much!

We continued along our bearing, and picked trails that led in that general direction. Soon we popped out on a logging road with another 5 teams in various states of discouragement. At this point, it wasn’t clear where these roads were headed, but we needed to make a call: bushwhack or pull the golden parachute, an escape route that would be the long way around but would get us to our destination.

Since we didn’t know exactly where we were, it was pointless to bushwhack. If you don’t know where you start from, you don’t know where you will end up! Most teams did bushwhack and virtually stumbled on the CP while we and as it turns out about 10 teams, decided to go the long way around. It ended up costing us an extra 1.5 hrs.

Day 2 – Ride n Run / Ride

BANG! We heard a loud noise and then some fizzing sound. A scooter tyre had exploded! Poor guys. We got suited up and bombed down 2 miles of gravel which the Dirt Dawg scooter handled perfectly. Only when we hit the pavement that I saw the difference between my scooter, my team’s and other teams on kickbikes. I was working very hard on the scooters but couldn’t keep up to my team. Meanwhile a team on kickbikes, blew by us like we were standing still! It was absolute misery going up the hills where it just made more sense to walk up then to burn all our energy scootering up.

We finally entered the TA, got some food, and got an hour snooze before heading out on the ride n run. Our plan was to get the girls on the bikes to ride ahead and Scott and I were to run. The road was a rail trail, so pretty straight forward. Scott and I had ran about 4kms and still no sign of the girls. We were getting worried and slowed down to a walk. Soon, we saw the headlamps coming from behind us. The girls passed us and made it to the end before we saw the CP. A pretty non-eventful section except that the temperature dipped into single digits!

Soon the route became very hilly with a number of side-roads not marked on the map. The road then descended sharply to the base of a mountain which we were supposed to ascend. We curled up for a quick snooze before ascending. we essentially hiked-a-biked all the way to the top of the mountain, over 4000 ft of elevation! At the summit, we prepared ourselves for a nice smooth descent. Sadly, that wasn’t the case!

Day 3 – Bike-Whack from hell

“F***! F***!” We cursed our way down the mountain. You’d figure after a hike-a-bike up the mountain we would be able to ride down it? Nope. Ok, maybe even a trail? Nope. A straight bike-whack down through steep and unforgiving terrain. We lost our only odometer, a niterider battery pack, and I broke a spoke. It was nasty stuff. Even nastier when I got poked in the eye. Soon enough, my eye began to puff up, with green stuff coming out of it. My eyes looked like the devil and they sure felt like his pitchfork was tearing my eye apart. I took my contacts out, rinsed them and put them back in. It didn’t feel any better.

We descended down the drainage, following a trail that had been cut by other teams. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at the base of the mountain. We were greeted with a fast flowing river that looked difficult to cross. On the map, there was a bridge about 500m to the east of our position. We bikewhacked again and found no bridge. It had been washed out. We contemplated our next move which was obvious: we had to cross this river before sundown.

With Team Flowmg, we entered into the sketchy river. The current was very strong. We used our bikes to prop us up and proceeded to cross together. The water line made it to Big Jenn’s knees which equated to Little Jen’s chest. Little Jenn’s bike almost made it downstream as the current pulled on it. Slowly and carefully we made it across. We bushwhacked another 400m and got on the trail which took us to our desired road!

Day 3 - Eyes Wide Shut

We had lost our odo, we didn’t have good lights as our batteries were dying from the previous night and to top it off my eye was really bothering me. It got dark quick and we began our ride at a miserably slow pace uphill. I tried to look at the map, squinting through my half-shut eye, while trying to control my bike in less than ideal lighting. The road swerved back and forth with some curves having a good steep drop on the side. Not a good idea to wipeout! My eye was completely shut. I started to get concerned as I had heard that people who wore contacts and got infections that weren’t treated had lost their vision.

Scott busted out the sat phone and called in for medical advice. The radio crackled to life and it was suggested that I completely remove my contacts, rinse my eyes out. There was an additional piece of information that would transform the entire race. All teams were being recalled to TA 4 as soon as possible, there was a serious incident that had occurred. No other details were given. In cases where teams have been recalled suggested only one thing: there had been a death in the race.

Day 4 – The Accident

It was a somber day as teams milled about. TV crews and cameras dotted the campsite. We found out from one of the TV crew that was present at the site was that a rock had been dislodged and had crushed Nigel Aylott from Team AROC instantly. We were stunned by the recent turn of events. It gave us a sense of vulnerability and made us question how safe the race course was.

It was almost surreal as everyone talked in hushed voices. Team AROC made an emotional speech commemorating the life of Nigel. It was funny, sad and courageous all combined. I was moved beyond belief and I know more than a few tears were shed by the race staff, racers, crews and volunteers. We all proceeded to the Skagit River where Teams AROC and Montrail led the way, each with a rose in their hand which was then tossed into the river. The procession would have been more meaningful had the TV crews not been there. It almost seemed contrived but I know it was a way to honor a fallen teammate.

Team captains were polled to see what the next steps the race organization should proceed with. Many of the top teams debated about how to split the prize money, while other teams just struggled to find the mental strength to continue beyond the accident. Shutting the race down would have global implications to the sport, despite the fact that the accident was indeed an accident. After much deliberation, it was determined that the race would continue with the top teams leaving at midnight and teams staggered based on their positions prior to the accident. We would not leave until 6am and thus had a full night of sleep!

During the night, Big Jenn decided not to continue due to a number of reasons, the major reason being that someone had died on the course. She did not trust the race organization to provide a safe race. There wasn’t much discussion on the issue as it was a personal choice and a choice we had to respect. We were sad to lose Big Jenn but Little Jenn, Scott and myself decided we would continue on as a threesome.

Super Crew Natalie went out and searched for a 4th to replace Big Jenn. She found a 4th but race organization would not allow him to join us. Apparently due to race rules, reforming teams was not possible. The explanation the race organization gave was that it would upset team dynamics. We were bewildered by this explanation. We opted to continue on and re-address this issue when we returned for the kayaking leg where a foursome or joining another threesome would allow us to continue on the course. Little did we know that this would be an ongoing challenge!

November’s issue of Adventure Sports Magazine does a wonderful job of describing the emotion, the life of Nigel Aylott and the impact of the accident on the adventure racing community. Contrary to the article, we were not lost and did not need to be rescued!

Day 4 – 80k bike

We were the last wave to depart TA3 at 6am. The anti-biotic cream on my retina had done wonders, and I could now see! It was a somber and dark morning, with light drizzle with the cold air made it tough to leave the warmth of the TA. We biked along the Mountain Loop Highway, a scenic ride through Mt. Baker national forest. The ride was beautiful and had a good series of climbs and descents. We held our pace steady, and stayed with Team Flow, Endurance and Adventureracingconcepts.com. We were rewarded at the ended with a 5k highway descent into CP 27 where we ditched our bikes.

We pressed on foot to the summit at Independence Lake while we discussed our options. One option was to take the long long long road back down roughly 18km and around (as Team Dirtworld did) with 1-2km of bushwhacking around a protected wilderness area or 6-8km of bushwhacking overland and up a ridge through the mountains (just as Team Dirtworld had done). It was just after noon and I projected that we could hit the ridge by 7pm. Any later, the road would be the better option. The route through the mountains we had outlined was the route that was recommended to us by race director Dan Barger.

We mulled it over and I said that the team up to this point, we had not seen any mountains and that the team had paid good money so why waste it on the road. We watched Team Vasque head up into the mountains, and Team Adventureconcepts.com take the road.

Scott said that if it were him, he was fine with either route but preferred to take the safe route. Jenn said to take the mountain route. I agreed and with that, we shoved off and headed up a very very steep ridge which made we rethink if this was the right choice. An hour later we were at the next lake with Team Policedefenders.com. They chose a less aggressive route, following the contour lines of a creek as it descended into the valley. We chose to take a more aggressive which we followed around a contour so that we would not have lose elevation and climb back up. We caught up with Team Vasque who had chosen a similar route as we went up and over a second ridge.

At the second ridge, we nailed our waypoint. The view up top was spectacular and we contemplated our next move down the ridge. It was super steep and the likelihood of getting cliffed out was more than likely to happen. Team Vasque took an aggressive route which required the team to downclimb and pull some nifty rock climbing maneuvers. Jenn descended after them. Scott and I eyeballed the route down – it was sketchy at best. We called Jenn back up to say we would not put ourselves at risk, and returned back up to a safe spot where we had seen some flagging tape. We followed the flagging tape and it led us down the ridge safely.

We had hit our waypoints in good time and it was 6pm when we hit the bottom of the ridge. The fog was heavy and it was difficult to see more than 20 ft in front of you. The sun was still out and it gave the valley a dreamy, light feeling to it. We were feeling good, pleased of our progress and all we had to do was get on top of the ridge before descending.

As we approached the bowl of the ridge, we stopped to examine potential routes up. Looking to the right, there was a good route that was long. A good route being, not so steep, lotsa vegetation to hold onto, not a lot of loose rock. It looked decent enough and it was right on bearing on where we needed to go. On the left, since we had contoured on the left hand side, the route was a lot shorter, there appeared to be a good gulley going up with the last 100ft questionable. As we got a closer look, there were 3 teams going up the left side – Teams Vasque, Policedefenders and Mandatorygear.com. That reassured us that it was a good route.

We climbed the steep slope and it became apparent to me that the last little bit was extremely steep and dicey. I stood on a small ledge and looked over to the right again and compared to our current route. I was nervous but agreed to follow the other teams as there was safety with numbers. The fog and mist made it difficult to see a safer passage, so we pressed on.

We slowly made our ascent up. Calls of “rock” were yelled out periodically as small rocks slid from the teams above. This was getting sketchy as we proceeded upwards by grabbing onto shrubs and rocks. Noon said much as we all knew what had happened to Nigel Aylott. We rounded a small bend where teams were plastered against a rock face, jamming feet and fingers into whatever holds we could find. I was getting increasingly nervous about this route.

As we rounded the rock face, we had about 100ft left to go. The lead team had scouted a route. I watched them as they pulled some big rock climbing moves. This was not good. The next team followed. I suggested to the Jenn and Scott that we do not proceed up this route and try a gulley we had just passed which looked seemingly safer. Just as I mentioned that, Roman from Team Mandatorygear.com slid 15ft off the rock face. We were all horrified as we braced against the cold rock face. That made our decision easy. We began to downclimb.

Roman was unhurt but shaken. He proceeded to traverse around the steep gulley to another one further to the right. His teammate Oliver followed him. All of a sudden there was another horrific scream as first Oliver slipped and cart wheeled down the cliff face about 40-50ft. We braced against the rock face and caught a glimpse of Oliver’s face as he went flying by us – it was a look of death. Oliver whizzed by us, and thankfully got stopped by a log. It was just a log that separated Oliver from a big drop down the cliffface. We were relieved that he was ok, but trapped in no-man’s land.

Moments later, Roman too fell a second time but only 20ft as he was stopped by a tree. Unfortunately, he could not get himself out of his position. One foot to the right or left of the tree would mean he would slide to where Oliver was. He was a dicey spot, especially as the sun began to set. All the teams were all shaken up. Team Vasque and two members of Mandatorygear.com had made it up while Teams Tango, Endurance and us remained stranded on the side of the mountain.

We yelled at Roman who was stuck:

“Do you have your climbing gear?”
“No.”
“Do you have your sat phone?”
“No.”
“Do you have your space blanket?”
“No.”
“What team are you?”
“Team Mandatorygear.com”

We all laughed at the irony of this although the situation was no laughing matter. Sat phones were broken out and race HQ was notified of our situation. We were 4500ft up, perched on small ledge. It doesn’t get any more romantic than this as the sun began to set creating a stunning visual backdrop. Somehow with all the beauty around us, it was deceptive.

Day 5 - A Birthday to Remember

Darkness began to fall. Team Tango had scouted the gulley we wanted to go up but we were informed that it was too dangerous to tackle it at night. We all agreed we would be hunkering down for the night to await daylight before another attempt at the final 100ft. We broke out all the clothing we had as we knew we had a long night ahead of us.

Jenn called over to Oliver who was stuck on the log. He had no space blanket and covered himself in the maps to keep warm. We asked if he could make it over to our little ledge which was no more than a small shelf with two trees preventing us from sliding down the cliff. It would be a tight squeeze but at least Oliver would be safe with us.

Amazingly enough, Oliver scampered his way across. We had an extra emergency space blanket for him that he climbed into. He was cold and wet. We huddled together, knowing that we had a close brush with death. This was going to get cozy, as the four us cuddled up. Oliver quickly proclaimed that he had a girlfriend as he leaned against Jenn. Jenn was loving it as she could “sleep” with a hot man! Scott and I cuddled up. It was Scott’s birthday – I am sure it was a memorable one for Scott!

The night passed slowly. Dark thoughts passed through my head as I wondered if we would be able to get out of this situation. I was upset by the fact that this was the “recommended” route and that there could have been a 2nd fatality on this course. Clearly, the course was unsafe and dangerous but somehow 40+ other teams had managed to come through safely. The gulley had looked eroded and with the wet dew of the evening, it had made the route quite slick.

Roman was still stuck on the tree and could not fall asleep. If he did, he would risk his life. The poor guy, a former Olympic paddler from the Czech Republic summoned all his will power and stayed against that tree in a measly space blanket all night long. With a log jammed against my spine, a couple hundred foot drop below us it was a bit unnerving. Jenn and Oliver could not lie down and sat on a tree root propped against each other the entire night. Scott and I could at least lie down. With a torn space blanket and tarp over us, it didn’t protect us from the cold mountain air. The teams below us were in similar predicament and it was clear that

The morning didn’t come quick enough. Rich from Team Tango jumped into action and collected everyone’s climbing gear. Rich was a ropes rigger from New York and also the president of the NYARA. He took everyone’s lanyards, carabiners, prussic, etriers, and made a homegrown rope out of it. He made his way up and set a fixed line for us to hold onto. Just as the line got set, a helicopter appeared. The helicopter circled and threw out two ropes and zipped off. Rich took these ropes and set a second line. This provided a great safety line as people pooled their jumars which provided additional safety. I was so impressed how the teams cooperated and pooled together their resources – this is the adventure racing spirit. In my opinion Rich from Team Tango deserved the SPQ Sportsmanship Award as he demonstrated unbelievable leadership and resourcefulness.

We scrambled up the gulley. I could not believe what I was seeing. There was no way in hell we could have gotten up this gulley without the ropes. As Dan Barger had mentioned earlier, this race was about choices and we had definitely made a good choice by not proceeding in the dark.

Once on top of the ridge, a Search and Rescue team had been dispatched from CP30 finally arrived. They indicated that we would have to hump the ropes back down to CP30. We all shook our heads in disbelief – what about the other teams that needed to scramble up this thing? What fate awaited them? Race HQ later clarified via the GPS technology that no other teams were proceeding this way. Scott and I offered to take the ropes down as we were unranked and the other teams were still racing – it was the least we could do after Team Tango really showed their leadership in this section.

We cut across the ridge and descended down 2000ft to find a little overgrown trail. This would require pinpoint navigation and just as I was about to admit that we had missed this trail and would hit the road instead, we popped onto the trail and onto the road that took us to CP30, the start of the ropes section. Due to Scott’s painful wrist, we decided to opt out of the ropes and proceed on the shortened course as we wouldn’t be penalized for missing this section. Our rationale was that once you were committed to this section, it was a 1200ft up, you were committed. Watching all the other teams prepare themselves for the ropes section made me envious but again, we had made the right choice.

Day 6 – Short Bike

It was odd to do a short bike leg, roughly 40k on gravel roads. Once again the entry into the roads was tough but we found it with Team Tango. Jenn got on tow and we began our ride high up into the mountains. The sun began to set and the scenery along this route was breath-taking. Soon, we were covered in darkness and the only thing that we could see was the beam of our headlamps. My urgency in the TA was to get out as soon as possible to take advantage of the light, concerned that without an odometer and the many trails cut across the mountain would confuse us at night. With Scott’s help we made our way through the maze of logging roads.

We arrived at the CP relieved that we had made it with some minor turnarounds. Navigating on US trails/roads is a difficult task as many roads are not marked on the maps. Without an odometer, and doing it at night, makes it even trickier. Fortunately, Scott’s was right beside me on the maps as we made it to the CP. Team Tango was also there contemplating route choices. Given our lack of desire to even contemplate any hike-a-bike or uphill riding, we opted for the straight descent. The route paid off as we hit the road in 10 minutes and were soon in a paceline straight to the CP/TA in short order. No hike-a-bike or bike-whacking!

Day 7 –The Jim Class

We sat in our campsite and pondered our options. Our problem from two days ago still plagued us – race organization would not allow us to continue as a threesome. We were clearly frustrated by this rule. Natalie continued to harp on the race volunteers and the message soon reached Dan Barger himself. As we waited around for 6+ hours for a decision to be made, we got ourselves ready to leave at a moments notice. It was frustrating to wait around but we would wait all day for us to continue on!

Natalie, other support crews, the volunteers were all working for us to find us options to race. First, it was to wait for a team that was behind us that had talked about going down to a threesome due to an injury. Then, it was finding a fourth person, but there weren’t any teams that had withdrawn. And so the saga continued until suddenly a race volunteer raced up to us and said we were a go! We were elated and then Natalie found us Jim from Team Jim Class (Jim = Gym), whose team had withdrawn due to an injury.

Jim C, was a West Point grad, a veteran of the first Gulf War and a seasoned executive. He looked strong and had a desire to see the finish line. His team also got caught on a side of the mountain where one of his teammates got injured. The other teammates didn’t want to continue on. We were thankful to pick Jim up. Over the next 2 days, we would all welcome Jim to our team. By the end of the race, Jim became part of Team Canada Post.

Although we were ready, the fog persisted and we decided to wait it out, until the race organization deemed it unsafe and closed the river. Once again, we found ourselves getting a good sleep. Finally, we entered the water with Team Endurance with enthusiasm. The water looked inviting and was moving along at a fairly good pace. We clearly saw the strainers – there were at least half a dozen of them, basking in the bright sunlight. We steered well clear of them but suddenly the current picked us up and we started to drift dangerously towards a strainer. I yelled at Jenn to paddle hard and that was enough to escape the strong drift. We were lucky on that one and we could not imagine paddling this section at night or in the fog.

We learned later that Team HYPE from New York hit the same section but weren’t as lucky. Their kayak got wrapped around the strainer, the current so strong it folded the boat into two. A local fisherman, saw them and picked them up. Team HYPE was later disqualified.

We paddled down the river, observing the massive salmon spawning in the river. We joked that we should have brought fishing lines and white wine so that we good have a salmon bbq at the TA!

Day 7 - Losers!

We strapped on our wheels to our kayaks but had difficulty in maintaining a straight line. We opted to go with one set of wheels instead which made it much easier. In doing so, our pack of teams took off without us as their headlamps disappeared into the darkness. We regrouped and shoved off, walking quickly, our kayaks in tow. What an awkward sight this would have been. A team of dirty racers, pulling two tandem kayaks down a major road in the middle of the night!

We proceeded down Maclean Rd, what seemed like it was for hours. Cars and trucks zoomed past us and the road markings did not match up to the map. The sleep monsters began to set in as I started to zig zag across the road. Scott suggested a quick nap, we all vetoed it and said we had to continue as sleeping on a major road was not a good idea. At that moment, an SUV pulled up beside us and window rolled down:

“What is the purpose of this? You guys are LOSERS! LOSERS! The race is over! What is the purpose? You want to kill more people? You are costing taxpayers hundreds of dollars. You are LOSERS!” yelled the woman.

We were stunned. I almost lashed out at her but Jenn held me back, reminding me that we were in the States where guns were a common place, particularly in the boondocks where we were. With that, the SUV pulled away. We all yelled a bunch of expletives at the car. On the positive side, at least the exchange woke us up!

We were making steady progress and we saw a Shell gas station coming up. We were dying to spend our $20 we were carrying around. Apparently many teams had also stopped here, clearing the place out of chips and ice cream. We managed to catch the owner just as he was about the shut down. We mowed down on chocolate, coke and chips. A sheriff’s truck pulled over and asked us how we were doing.

“Team 17 right?” he asked

“Yeah, we responded.”

“I’ve been following you guys for awhile. Look…” he turned his computer laptop towards us. On it, he had the Subaru Primal Quest website with a flashing red dot. It was us! How cool was that?! He informed us that Adventure Racing Calgary had also stopped here and were not too far ahead. He wished us well and I thought he had taken off but that was not the case.

We were to cross a major highway intersection that had a short light. So I figure when we had the chance we would jaywalk Toronto style. Just as we entered the intersection, I looked behind and there was sheriff. Whoops – wouldn’t it be funny to get charged with jaywalking?! The Sheriff laughed, pulled his truck into the middle of the intersection and put his lights on, allowing us safe passage. We smiled and thanked him before proceeding onwards.

We continued on into the fog. We would see signs indicating a turn in the road notifying drivers to slow down to 35mph. We joked that we too would need to slow down, not that we were going slow enough! These turns in a car would take seconds to reach but for us dragging these kayaks, seemed like hours before we saw the turn. At one turn, a car’s lights cut through the fog and sped up behind us, nearly hitting us. He stopped and rolled down his window and said we didn’t have far to go. Then he just sat there. We tried to continue but his car was blocking our path but he just sat there. Yup, all the freaks come out at night – full moon too!

After much cursing and much strain, we finally hit the State Park only to hear that the ocean leg was shut down due to heavy fog. We had learned that team Adventure Racing Calgary was forced to spend the night on a nearby island and narrowly missed getting hit but a massive barge. We were thankful to get some sleep in the TA, albeit much more than we wanted – we just wanted to get to the finish line!

Day 8 - Last paddle

The fog still sat in front us giving us less than 100m of visibility. It was no surprise to hear that the ocean leg had been closed. We hunkered down for another sleep on the beach!

We shoved off, relieved that we could finally paddled but we quickly realized how dicey the situation was with the heavy fog. Although the waters were calm, it was difficult to see more than 5 ft in front of you. Our little armada hit the markers and the waypoint where we were supposed to meet our safety boat. As we paddled through the soup, it began to clear and we could see what lay in front of us were 2 major ocean crossings.

The first group paddled off setting a breakneck speed which was unbelievable for the back of the pack. We were in the second group with Teams Flow and Endurance. We paddled at a furious pace with Jim and Scott leading the charge. Despite Scott’s pain, he persevered and led out our group. We all tucked in behind them and charged forward, eager to take advantage of light, good weather and favourable currents.

Staying in the paceline was tough with more than 180k of paddling behind us, the strain of moving a heavy tandem kayak stashed with gear and two bodies was taking its toll. Add on the fast pace, the level of effort expended was quickly reaching my threshold. We continued to soldier on. If there was a place to leave it all on the race course, this was probably it. It was worth its weight in gold to stay with the pack and make the big channel crossings together.

After 3 hours of hard paddling, Team Endurance finally stopped. We were all relieved. None wanted to be left behind and none wanted to admit they wanted to stop. The break was much needed as we refueled and rehydrated for the last push to the finish, only a 2.5hr paddle left.

We continued on as the sun began to set. The light was a pinkish-reddish colour that bathed the sky in magnificent colour. A sea lion popped its head up wondering what we were up to, itself enjoying the calm waters and disappearing sun. We looked behind us and the full moon could be seen, casting its light on Mt.Baker, its glaciers covered in soft light. Jim had a camera and we snapped off a dozen pictures – this was definitely a Kodak moment!

Day 8 - The Finish

We rounded the last point into the last bay. The lights of the Rosario resort were blinking in the horizon. We let out a cry of joy, realizing that finally after 8 long days, we were going to cross that line. Under the cover of darkness, the 4 teams paddled and chatted under the glow of our glowsticks and stern lights. Someone let out an airhorn, another one blew their whistle. We wanted all of the resort to know we were coming in.

We arranged ourselves in a line and paddled the last 100 m together. The spirit of racing and the camaraderie formed over the last couple of days exuded from our line. Much like how Nike/Seagate crossed the line by swaping boats, we wanted to celebrate the outdoors, life and Nigel Aylott in our special way at the back of the pack. The emotion of seeing the line amidst the bright camera lights was indescribable.

We finally hit the beach, whoopin’ it up, high-fiving each other. I stepped out of the boat, and nearly fell in the cold water but managed to hold myself up and grab my teammates and Jim for a deep group hug. We had done it! Together with the other teams, we walked up the steps, arm in arm, our country’s flags proudly displayed. The champagne bottles were uncorked and we crossed the line. It is a moment that is etched in my memory.

Under the bright camera lights, we celebrated our finish with our support crew. Pictures were snapped at the finish line. Angus Yates, the producer from CBS came by to acknowledge our accomplishment – he couldn’t believe we finished (neither could I!). We stood at the finish line and relished the moment. Our race wasn’t over yet. We headed to our rooms, showered and headed straight to the bar where we polished some much needed beverages before staggering to our rooms at 4am!

Day 9 – Post-Race

The main tent was packed full of teams, volunteers, staff and media. It was an impressive show and many awards were handed out. The ceremony was emotional as an impressive video montage of Nigel’s team, and his life was shown. Nigel’s mom and brother showed up and gave a heartfelt tribute to the teams and race organization and Trust Fund was setup in Nigel’s honour. Once again, I was moved beyond comprehension.

Special congrats to Lawrence Foster from Team Holofiber for a 3rd place finish and Team Team Supplierpipeline who finished 9th. It is always good to see Adventure Racing Calgary and Subaru Canada, both teams which I have tremendous respect for. And not forgetting Team Northern Orion, a hearty congratulations for finishing: us Canadians finishing 5 for 5! We like our hockey, but we also like our wilderness! Jim from Team Jim Class, your Canadian passport awaits!

We were very lucky on a number of fronts. The weather cooperated for most of the sections. Due to the death, teams were rerouted to TA3, which gave us a second chance at restarting with the pack. The shortened course with the mountaineering sections taken out gave us hope to make the kayak cut-off. But this should diminish the fact that this team preserved and worked through some tough spots. After all the emotional ups and downs of this race, the challenges this team faced going into one of the most technically difficult expedition races of the season made crossing the line extremely gratifying. For some reason, crossing the line at the back of the pack seemed much more rewarding than crossing in the top 20. We also recognized that many things were in our favour: weather, shortened course etc. but we never took it for granted and continued to push on, taking on whatever challenges were thrown our way.

As for the race itself, the race was definitely harder than in previous years. Given the terrain the race organization had to work with, they did an honourable job at putting together a half-decent race course. To be honest though, it may be due in part to the accident or weather or even where we were in the pack (at the back) but the course seemed “choppy.” There were sections that did present choice but even then, they were through “stupid-hard” sections, sections that were hard because they were stupid. However, having said that, it is always up to the teams to come prepared with the right skills and training before tackling any race and this race did require those skills.

A big thanks to MA for getting me hooked-up, my teammates Little Jenn, Scott, Jim C., and Big Jen who were awesome, Canada Post for supporting us, Natalie / Catherine for being our “French girls” for a true team effort. This one is for the books!