Team Ragged Glory – Adventure Racing, Multi Sport, Friends

Our timing has changed a little. TRG will be leaving from my house on the south side at around 5am, dropping cars at Yellowwood, then heading to Morgan Monroe. That should put the start around 7am. Call 317.502.7622 if you’re interested in hiking with us. We look forward to seeing you.
Doug

This year’s night hike (which will be mostly in the day) will start at 5am on Saturday, February 23 at the Morgan Monroe State Forest Office. We will once again hike the Tecumseh Trail to Yellowwood State Forest, roughly 26 miles. The route will be slightly different this year; we will skip the first leg that goes by Rock Shelter and instead head directly toward Bear Lake to shorten the hike a little. If you’re interested, write me (Doug Theis) at dtheis@msn.com or call me at 317.502.7622. We’d love have you along. Don’t forget, we’ll need to drop some vehicles at Yellowwood so we can get back to our vehicles at Morgan Monroe.

TRG is proud to announce that it will participate yet again in the Planet Adventure 24 Hour Challenge. TRG is one of only two teams that has raced in every Planet Adventure since the inaugural 2001 event. The racers this year will be Doug Theis, Steve Kincade, Nancy Gawrys, and Julie (Nor) Shimer, with Bob Mueller reprising his role as the crew. We’re all excited about what 2008 will bring. See you on the trail!

2007 was the first year the IAR was held at Horizon Camp. The Fall Creek paddle was awesome, and the false controls on the o-course pond was a great idea.

I enjoyed the o-section at Ransburg. Steve did a great job navigating.

Nancy was strong. As always.

The 2007 Indy AR gave racers a top-notch course with fun new venues:

Horizon Christian Fellowship Campus
Fall Creek
Camp Belzer
Skiles Test Park
Fort Harrison’s Lawrence Creek Trail

TRG started slow and tapered off to finish in 8 hours and 10 minutes. I’ll post a race report this weekend.

Thanks Michael, Debbie, Indy Rootstock and all volunteers for another episode of a favorite race series.

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.

TRG has changed plans for this year’s night hike. The hike is being shortened to a 10 mile trek on the Low Gap Trail at Morgan Monroe State Forest. We’ll meet at the MMSF office at 8pm to begin. Call me at 502.7622 or dtheis@msn.com if you have any questions – Doug

Team Ragged Glory is hosting its fifth annual Night Hike on Friday, March 16, 2007 beginning at 10pm. The hike will once again be on the Tecumseh Trail. It will start at Morgan Monroe State Forest Office and end at Yellowwood Lake. If you’re interested in going, give me (Doug Theis) a call at 502.7622 or e-mail me at dtheis@msn.com. We’ll need to coordinate leaving cars at Yellowwood and ferrying people back to Morgan Monroe. www.teamraggedglory.com.

OVERVIEW

Another beautiful weather day graced the 2006 Indianapolis Adventure Race, held on September 9. The race is one of TRG’s favorites. Over the years it has evolved to a mid-distance single-course sprint race that is both urban and in the woods.

Thanks to Michael Sapper and Indy Rootstock, who again hosted this race, now in the 7th or 8th year, depending on whom you ask. Greg Arnold originated the race back in 1999.
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