Team Ragged Glory – Adventure Racing, Multi Sport, Friends

Scott joined TRG during this year’s race. Here’s his report:

For team Lost In Transition the woes started before the race ever did…

The morning began innocently enough; up early to finish packing gear, load the vehicles, and depart early enough to drop the bikes at the bike drop and get back to the start/finish with enough time to settle in and make last minutes preparations before the start. At least that was the plan. While transiting to the bike drop, we managed to miss a turn and ended up touring the course. By the time we located the bike drop and made it back to the start/finish the rest of the field was lined up and the start gun was seconds from firing. We took it in stride and decided we would give the rest of the field a chance by giving them a 30-minute head start. Our team number was, after all, “1”.

We departed the start line promptly at 8:30am and within 10 minutes ran across another team headed in the opposite direction. Great, we are not last any longer, or so we thought. After considering what just happened, we realized we just made the same mistake they did, not properly negotiating the left turn to CP1. Therefore, we turned around and were back in last place. That is O.K. because we have 23 more hours to make up ground. Now, where is that thigh deep water crossing?

After hitting CP1, 2, & 3 we were on our way to making up some ground, then my novice navigating skills really showed and we were slowed by the brown county terrain. We finally made our way to the bike drop and were already planning to eliminate some checkpoints so we could at least finish the race. Then the worst happens, about 30 seconds on the bikes and our teammate lost control and wiped out. Not realizing her condition, I began consulting the map to plot our route to the O-Course. After the route was confirmed, I looked over and she was still down. When I went over to check on her condition, I realized it was pretty serious as there was a pool of blood on the ground and about a 4-inch gash on her right calf. Our other teammate just happened to be a trained EMT and was treating her. We then decided to be transported back to the start/finish for further medical evaluation, where it was determined she would need to head to the ER for some stitches. (Kara ended up with 19 stitches to close her wound). The day was over for team Lost In Transition.

Luckily, the race was not over for me! After consulting with race officials and the support crew for Team Ragged Glory (TRG), who was racing as a two person unranked team, I was transported over the CP8/9 to wait for TRG to complete the O-Course where I could graciously ask them if I could continue with them. I ended up waiting a few hours at CP8/9 and got to spend some time on the other side of the race. I have to stop here and thank all of the volunteers that make these races so successful. I have a newfound appreciation for the long, long hours they put in out in the same weather conditions the racers face. THANKS TO YOU ALL!

TRG had completed the O-Course and were coming down off the ridge as I approach. At this point they have got to be thinking, “what is going on here?” as the last time they saw me I was at the start line cheering them on as they went by with a puzzled look on their faces wondering why our team wasn’t starting. (Remember, our team gave the field a 30-minute head start at the beginning of the race). I had done several long hikes and runs with this team in the past, so we were familiar with each other and they allowed me to continue on with them. I was back in the game. I put my pack on, got on my bike and was ready to go. But wait, Steve has a flat tire! Off with the pack and I go over to assist Steve. With the tire changed out and pumped up, we are on our way to TA1.

The paddle leg was quite pleasant until about a mile from the 2nd strobe light, which is when dusk began settling in. When we reached the 2nd strobe, it was dark and we could not locate the “cut-through”. We figured we wasted enough time looking and decided it would be better to just go around. This is when things started getting exciting. I can only equate navigating a canoe through the woods at night as being lost in the Everglades. (I have never been lost in the Everglades, but I did catch the Everglades episode of Bear Grylls in Man vs Wild, and that it what it looked/felt like). Without any visible landmarks and navigating the canoe around logs and downed trees, you very easily became disoriented. At one point, we realized we were a short distance down the tributary to lake Monroe. This was actually a good thing (except for the team that was near us and kept going), as we were able to get our bearings, turn around, and luckily navigate to the other side of the second strobe.

From locating the second strobe the first time until this point about two hours had passed, we were all wet, real cold, and hungry so we found a piece of land and took a short break to get some dry, warmer clothes on, and fuel up. I cannot stress enough how cold we were at this point. I believe we were all shaking uncontrollably but decided it was time to get back in the canoe and continue. We had to complete the paddle section and figured if we just hugged the ridgeline on the left, we would find the channel that jets out to the right and lead us to the end of the paddle section. Well, I think about 15 other teams had that same theory. We passed each other numerous times and I am sure we were all thinking, “Are we going the right way, or are they? Should we turn around and follow them?” After a couple more hours of battling the water and being bone chilling cold, for safety reasons, we decided to locate a piece of land, start a fire to get warm, and evaluate our situation. Other teams had the same logic and followed us in.

It probably was not the best choice for a group camp, but we purposely chose a location that had a high ridge so that we could utilize our cell phones to call race officials. After pulling the canoe on land, I phoned the race director to apprise him of the situation then handed the phone off to a more experienced navigator to discuss solutions to get everyone back safely. In the mean time, I began collecting firewood while others were attempting to start a fire. Everything was damp and the waterproof matches just weren’t cutting it, luckily, someone brandished one of those “torch lighters” and after a few attempts to keep the fire lit, we had a decent campfire going. After I made numerous trips up and down the ridge using the phone to speak with race officials about our options, we finally had them: 1) Paddle back to the road that leads to the bridge that was under water and get picked up, 2) hike back to the road that leads to the bridge that was under water and get picked up, or 3) stay put till daylight and paddle back to the road that leads to the bridge that was under water and get picked up. The group consensus was to wait it out until morning and try to stay warm by the fire.

As the “camp out” began, people began setting up their little camps around the general area, some by the fire and others on semi-flat locations underneath their emergency blankets. Since race officials asked me to make contact with them once and hour to keep them updated on our situation, I chose a spot up the ridge about 20 ft from the fire and behind two small but stable trees to keep me from rolling down the ridge. After getting my two pair of dry socks on and settling in I closed my eyes only to awaken about 30 minutes later shivering uncontrollably. I quickly found a spot on the uphill side of the fire with the only way to keep myself from sliding into the fire was with my knees at my chest and my heels dug in, which is how I sat for the next 5 hours. As the night rolled on, the cold rolled in and the emergency blankets not offering much resistance to the cold, everyone moved next to the fire. We would all doze off here and there for about 20 minutes only to awaken with the fire dieing down. People would inch closer to the fire, then start looking at each other and wonder, “Who is going to get up and go find more wood this time?” Finally, someone would wonder out into the cold night and return with an armful of wood and we would be set for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then the vicious cycle would repeat itself.

Dawn finally broke and it was time clean up camp, put the fire out, and paddle back to the road that leads to the bridge that was under water. I think we were all quite relieved when we approach the road and had visual on our ride back to Story, IN. I don’t recall exactly how many people were in our group, but I want to put the number at around 13. Regardless, we all packed into the back of a van smelling of campfire, sweat and 24 hours of B.O. Nevertheless, we were warm!