Rss/XmlYou say Missouri, I say Missour-ah...
The t-shirt could say, "I went to the Berryman Adventure Race and all I got was this stupid a** kicking." Hey! That's not me talking-- that is the pride of the Berryman Adventure Race! Bonk Hard Productions calls their race "A Real Ass Kicker" and the logo features a kicking (ass) donkey, (what did you think I was talking about?) Race directors Jason and Laura pride themselves on giving racers a tough race for their money and they arenâ??t messing around.
Team Eastern Mountain Sports members Dave Lamb, Chad Denning, Dmitry Drozdov and Jennifer Shultis packed up their bike boxes (no, it never gets any easier) and rode the friendly skies to St Louis. In a moment of impulsiveness, Jennifer upgraded the mini-van to one with satellite tv/radio and we were off.
The fact they we spent the next 4 hours playing "Name That Tune" as we bounced back and forth between the 60s, 70s and 80s stations may have contributed to our navigation errors that first night, but eventually we arrived in Van Buren after avoiding the numerous white tailed deer (with little suicide notes pinned around their necks) that lined the highway.Kevin of Thrifty shows Jen and Chad how to operate the satellite system in their pimped out mini-van.
We knew our competition would be fierce at this late season USARA national qualifying race. Wedali would be there from Minnesota, former US champs- MOAT from Texas, plus many strong local teams like Springfield Bike. In all, racers hailed from a total of 23 states for the what would be biggest turnout ever of the mid-west's premier adventure race. We were there for several reasons, including a chance to see what racing is all about in Missouri before Nationals are hosted here in November.
Prior to this race, my single experience in Missouri was on a business trip in the 90's with my then-boss. It was here, following a 4am departure from a riverboat, where I first learned of his gambling addiction. That is another story for another time, but I admit that this experience clouded my vision of what Missouri had to offer.
Therefore, nobody was more surprised than I was when I suddenly exclaimed, "I could live here," while paddling down a beautiful spring fed river, 10 hours into the race. But I must admit, it's a great state. The rivers are almost turquoise when the light hit them, the forests are beautiful and open for running, the people are so nice everywhere you go and just wait until you see the size of the cinnamon rolls they bake!
We knew our competition would be fierce at this late season USARA national qualifying race. Wedali would be there from Minnesota, former US champs- MOAT from Texas, plus many strong local teams like Springfield Bike. In all, racers hailed from a total of 23 states for the what would be biggest turnout ever of the mid-west's premier adventure race. We were there for several reasons, including a chance to see what racing is all about in Missouri before Nationals are hosted here in November.
Prior to this race, my single experience in Missouri was on a business trip in the 90's with my then-boss. It was here, following a 4am departure from a riverboat, where I first learned of his gambling addiction. That is another story for another time, but I admit that this experience clouded my vision of what Missouri had to offer.
Therefore, nobody was more surprised than I was when I suddenly exclaimed, "I could live here," while paddling down a beautiful spring fed river, 10 hours into the race. But I must admit, it's a great state. The rivers are almost turquoise when the light hit them, the forests are beautiful and open for running, the people are so nice everywhere you go and just wait until you see the size of the cinnamon rolls they bake! Jennifer unveils the Cinnamon Roll That Ate Missouri...
We had a small lead after the initial foot navigation section and were fortunate enough to hold onto it throughout the race. While first is a nice position to be in, it is stressful as you never know if the next team is 5 or 50 minutes behind you. We found the course tough with lots of navigational options. The terrain is fast moving and straight-forward, so you needed to be able to make decisions fast and keep it rolling. Maps were good and accurate, so without a lot of mystery, it was clear than an error here would be hard to make up. In Missouri, being in the lead also means that you can expect to be clearing the trail of spider webs ( I can assure you that the spider population on the Ozark Trail is robust). I hit a couple of webs on the bike that were so thick that I am fairly sure that they actually slowed me down. There is nothing to do except ride on and just PRAY that what built it is not on you, somewhereâ?¦
We had a small lead after the initial foot navigation section and were fortunate enough to hold onto it throughout the race. While first is a nice position to be in, it is stressful as you never know if the next team is 5 or 50 minutes behind you. We found the course tough with lots of navigational options. The terrain is fast moving and straight-forward, so you needed to be able to make decisions fast and keep it rolling. Maps were good and accurate, so without a lot of mystery, it was clear than an error here would be hard to make up. In Missouri, being in the lead also means that you can expect to be clearing the trail of spider webs ( I can assure you that the spider population on the Ozark Trail is robust). I hit a couple of webs on the bike that were so thick that I am fairly sure that they actually slowed me down. There is nothing to do except ride on and just PRAY that what built it is not on you, somewhereâ?¦
We were exhausted when we crossed the finish line, but thrilled to have held it together on such a demanding course. While we were lucky enough to win, we know that Wedali and Springfield Bikes were always there within striking distance. They will be just two of the strong teams to watch at this year's USARA National Championships in Potosi when the gun goes off this Friday morning, November 2nd. In some sports, they say that you are only as good as your last race, but I often say that in adventure racing, you are not necessarily as goodâ?¦ or as badâ?¦ as your last race. You can prepare your best for race day, but there is so much that is unpredictable about the sport. It never hurts to have luck on your side.
We have had a good season and we feel ready. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, Rocky Mountain Bikes, Teva shoes, Gregory Packs, Thule racks, SmartWool, NUUN, Bolocco Burritos and, of course, our incredible title sponsors, Eastern Mountain Sports. Your support of us and the adventure sports community is unmatched.
Good luck to all the competitors and get ready for a great race. Bonk Hard Racing knows how to deliver and no matter how you pronounce it, Iâ??m sure youâ??re going to love Missouri.
posted by Team Eastern Mountain Sports @ 2:48 PM
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