Team Ragged Glory – Adventure Racing, Multi Sport, Friends

TRG looks forward to the latest edition of the Indianapolis Adventure Race. Started in 1999 by Greg Arnold and grown by Michael Sapper, the legacy continues with a new and secret venue. This is one of TRG’s favorite races.

Planet Adventure Urban Sprint Race Report
Doug Theis
August 11, 2007

Sunshine and 95+ degree heat were the conditions on August 11, 2007 for the Planet Adventure Urban Sprint in Indy. At 8am in Broad Ripple Park, teams loaded into two buses. Just 45 minutes prior, racers learned the progression of the course:

1. A secret start, unknown until 8am: Teammates from the first bus dropped off at Military Park would run to University Park. Teammates from the second bus dropped off at Roberts Park UM Church, 401 N Delaware, would walk all bikes to University Park and meet with their running teammate. This would be the only time that teammates would be separated on the course.
2. Bike to Conseco Field House, the RCA Dome, the State Office Building, then back to Roberts Park Church.
3. Run to 101 W Washington, climb and descend 21 floors, then run back to Roberts Park church.
4. Bike to the Peace Garden, the WWII Memorial, the Monon 10th Street Trailhead, then to Douglas Park.
5. Throw a football through a tire from 5 yards taking turns until completed.
6. Kick a field goal taking turns until completed.
7. Bike to the ropes course in Rocky Ripple.
8. Walk on cables while clipped in to overhead cables, and scale a cargo net.
9. Bike to Canterbury Park at 55th and the Monon Trail.
10. Score three points in a cornhole game.
11. Bike to Conners Pub. Each team member must drink an ice water, soda or beer.
12. Bike to Marrott Park.
13. On foot, navigate and punch six orienteering controls.
14. Bike to Broad Ripple Park.
15. Put in canoe, and then paddle in White River to collect five orienteering controls. The canoe leg would include two 500 yard portages out-and-back around the dam.
16. Perform a balance special test. On three balance beams, teammates on the outside beams had to put their hands and weight on the middle persons shoulders while advancing down them beams.
17. On foot, navigate three orienteering controls in Broad Ripple Park.
18. Bike to a home at 63rd and Central and collect an orienteering control.
19. Bike to Holliday Park.
20. On foot, collect 6 orienteering controls.
21. Bike a 13 mile loop collecting multiple orienteering controls, then back to Broad Ripple Park and the finish line.

Team Ragged Glory, featuring new member Greg Huffman, Nancy Gawrys and me, Doug Theis, finished 20 of the 21 sections to finish just before the 2:30pm cutoff. We shared success on the special tests: I threw the football through the tire, Greg got the field goal, and Nancy put the beanbag in the cornhole (?!). We took a swim just before portaging the canoe the first time, but recovered well. There is some really strange black silt on the bottom of White River. What do you think that is? Nancy helped me with the navigation and we did a good job at staying steady in the heat. We were fortunate enough to race along side of former TRG racer Dave Tanner and old friends Tony Coulson and Dana Little.

Congratulations to winners and friends Michael Sapper, Michelle Folz, Greg Grossart and all of Indy Rootstock for their rock solid performance in the heat.