DART-nuun News
presented by nuun

Friday, May 18, 2007 9:52PM (Pacific Time)
Reporting on the Trioba Sprint race, Sponsored by MPGear, from the Starlight Lounge. Ellensburg, USA, Eastern Washington. 110 miles East of Seattle, on the Eastern edge of the Cascade Range.

Quick note: The team meeting has taken place and all the teams, except those that will check in at the last minute Saturday morning, are ready to move fast through this 4-8hr sprint race. Few know that this will not be a fast paced race. Race directors Joel and Justin Yeager told me, â??This is not a runners race and it will be very navigationally challenging.â??

Todayâ??s moment: DART-nuun racer, Ryan Vangorder was overheard saying, â??They, (the race directors), are going to have to dig some teams out of these hills.â?? Pointing to his map.

Report: There are 38 teams in the Trioba Sprint tomorrow. All of the teams will be giving it their all to get to the finish line. Expected first will be some combination of DART-nuun, Mergeo, and MPGear. We will see. DART-nuun are the defending champions, made up of Ryan VanGorder (team captain), Aaron Rinn (navigator), and Matt Hart. Mergo will be keen on taking them down.

It will be a cloudy and slightly breezy at 66F in the dry foothills of the cascades. Rocky open grass lands spotted with pine trees will lack significant underbrush but still be difficult going. There will be no water on the course, except at transition, so water management and electrolyte balancing will be important for teams moving at a lead pace.

The course will have a central transition area, starting with about a 10K trekking loop and moving to about a 24K bike section. DART-nuun is excited about the trek section as a result of almost all of the 10K being off trail and the navigation being difficult. â??We took bearings from every checkpoint but two, we will need them.â?? Mentions Ryan VanGorder. The team figures the bike section to contain two quick 100m hike-a-bike sections.

The race will start at 8:30AM tomorrow, where I will be hiding in the bush waiting for the first teams to blow by me in the trek. I will report to you as much as possible over the 4-5hrs DART-nuun will be in the field.

From the Lounge, listening to team POWAR and DART-nuun discuss race strategy and preparing to chase the team, Erik Nachtrieb.

Labels: Real Time Race News