Salomon Adventure Challenge
Marmora, Ontario
April 25, 2004
Kicking Off The Season!
 When we say Adventure – we mean ADVENTURE! The
first race of the season proved to be a true challenge for our
Salomon AC competitors, and saw many teams conquering the course and
the elements.
A competitive field of 43 teams started
the race and began their 6 km trek through a marshy bush section.
With the first ten teams coming into CP 1 within minutes of each
other, team Canadian Hardcorps
set a blistering pace, taking only 16 minutes to reach CP1.
Muskoka Outfitters were hot
on their tail only one minute behind. By CP 2,
Canadian Hardcorps had
extended their lead with Hyper
Global Mega Net/ Salomon in second place, 7 minutes behind. This
first leg proved to be challenging for some of our newer Salomon AC
teams, with three teams taking over 2 hours to locate CP 1. The
opening leg was designed to give teams an opportunity to test their
route finding skills and just a few degrees off bearing would see
teams wandering through waist deep swamp lands.
 The second leg of the course sent teams out for a
12 km bike ride. This section had something for everyone: fast
sections in single-track, backroads, rail trails, and paved road,
technical sections down ATV tracks, and some tricky sections through
the mud and swamps. Despite the varied terrain and conditions, most
teams completed this section quickly and helped warm up their
chills. Teams Beowulf,
Canadian Hardcorps,
Hunger,
Hyper Global Mega Net/ Salomon,
and Jagermeister all managed
the first leg of the bike in under 30 minutes.
The third leg of the race started at TA2 (CP5),
and Canadian Hardcorps
continued to set an amazing pace. FAR staff noted their transition
time to be less than 2 minutes! Also,
Max Payne was noted for
having the heaviest TA bag ever lifted into transition - which we
hope
didn’t contain a spare teammate! Team
ESAR.CA was found to have
the lightest combined weight of their bikes - with the most number
of snacks and candy attached to the handle bars!
 The second trek began here, and teams that
arrived before 1:30 PM were given the option for the advanced
section. Many early teams took this opportunity, as they would
automatically rank higher than any teams that did not complete the
advanced se ction. This section proved to be more challenging than
expected, due to an error in the placement of CP6. While the
location did not affect the teams on the regular course, it did
cause problems for the advanced teams.
North of
Nowhere was the first team to trek into the CP 7/TA 3. This was
to be the final leg – a 10km paddle along the shore of Crowe Lake.
With the weather becoming worse, three teams headed off for the
finish line. North of Nowhere
was on route to completing the regular course,
Canadian Hardcorps was still
holding the race lead after completing the advanced course, with
Hyper Global Mega Net/ Salomon
right on their tail. The weather conditions continued to
deteriorate, with white-caps emerging on the lake, and forced race
organizers to close down the paddling section. Thanks to the help of
local hero Anne Philpot, teams would instead paddle to her beautiful
waterfront property, nicknamed CP7½, then trek to the finish line.
Anne’s gazebo became a makeshift medical centre, where many teams
sought refuge from the weather. Our medical crew kept them warm and
helped many teams to keep on moving.
On the water,
Hyper Global Mega Net/ Salomon was the only team to complete the
paddle, with Canadian Hardcorps
opting for a safer (but slower) portage along the shoreline. The
tables had finally turned for
Canadian Hardcorps. With a decision based on safety, the team
that lead the entire race would finish second in the season’s first
Salomon Adventure Challenge.
Congratulations to all the teams that competed
and completed one of the toughest Salomon Adventure Challenges to
date. Your efforts are to be applauded with the harsh weather
conditions and the course changes. Hey – this might even inspire you
to try a Raid the North – it couldn’t be tougher than April 25th in
Marmora – right?
You can find the full results and stats
[HERE].
PRIZES: Thanks again to our fantastic sponsors
for their continued support:
-
SuperWool socks –
worn and loved by Adventure Racers, including our own Lawrence
Foster!
-
Fugawi –
Fugawi is the official map software of Salomon Adventure Challenge,
and we use its topographic maps and navigation systems extensively.
-
Pristine –
Since most bogs and marshes are not too clean, use Pristine and keep those evil bugs out of your
system! Water treatment that tastes good!
-
Princeton Tec Headlamps – to light your way during
all of your late-night training sessions.
-
Fast Fuel: Natural fuel for your racing needs.
-
Seal Skinz –
keep your hands and feet nice and dry while you race.
-
Backroad Mapbooks – The best way to find those hidden
trails and access roads in remote areas.
Also, look for
Adventure Sports Magazine
at the registration area.
Simon River Sports is also back with
their amazing paddle rental program.
We gave away great prizes for future Salomon
Adventure Challenge races:
-
The winning teams in each category (male, female,
co-ed) also win FREE ENTRY to the SALOMON AC CHAMPIONSHIP!
-
All teams are eligible for a random draw:
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