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Raid the North: Canadian Championship
Esprit Rafting - Fort Coulonge, QC
September 22 - 25, 2005

For more information, make sure to check out the race reports at Sleepmonsters.ca!

9/25- 13:54 We just finished the awards ceremony and post-race party (although there is still more partying going on, and all teams are off the course.  We will post more details shortly as we verify the CP times, and congratulations to all teams that competed in Raid the North: Canadian Championship!
9/25 - 11:17 We just welcomed team Terranauts at the finish line, with an unofficial time of 58 hours, 29 minutes.  We are expecting teams Outdoor Pursuit, Temiskaming Trekkers, and Urban Voyager in the next hour or so, as they race to beat the 72-hour cutoff at 12:00.
9/25- 09:21 Three more teams just came in to the finish line: Fudugazi, Tree Huggers and Pure!  All 3 teams sprinted through the final bike leg, and they all crossed within 10 minutes of each other.  With all teams off the water and on their bikes, we expect many more teams here very soon.
9/25 - 07:17 Good morning!  All teams pushed on throughout the night and got a good sleep on the beach at CP14.  At 06:45, the dark zone ended and within 5 minutes, all but 2 teams were already in the boats.  With many teams now caught up to each other, it is setting up to a scramble to the finish line.
9/24- 20:26 We are happy to report that team Gearsracing.com has finished Raid the North: Canadian Championship, with an unofficial time of 56 hours, 17 minutes.  They are off to have some well-deserved showers and sleep.

All remaining teams have temporarily stopped due to the dark zone time restrictions.  Once the course reopens at 06:30, any teams at the same checkpoint will be racing side-by-side.  We will continue to report on the race once it reopens.
9/24 - 18:26 We have just finished congratulating Simon River Sports on winning the 2005 Raid the North: Canadian Championship!  The team has just finished with an unofficial time of 53 hours and 46 minutes, and were also the only team to complete the advanced section.  The team is in good spirits and have joined in the Salomon Adventure Challenge: Canadian Championship awards ceremony.
9/24- 09:59 It's been a very busy and exciting morning, as the Salomon Adventure Challenge: Canadian Championship  race started at 04:00, as well as some interesting developments in the Raid the North race.

After Wild Rose withdrew due to injury, it seemed that Gearsracing.com would be the only team that could reach CP9 before the advanced cut-off besides Simon River Sports.  With only 45 minutes to spare, Gearsracing.com had a tricky decision to make: to push on and try to chase down SRS on the advanced course, or continue on the regular course, hoping that SRS would not be able to finish the advanced course in time.  Just before the 06:00 deadline, the team decided to continue on the regular course, which means that as long as Simon River Sports completes the advanced course within regulation time, they will win the race.  Will they be able to get to the finish line in time?
9/24 - 01:29 We have updates at both ends of the race -- Simon River Sports have reached CP9A, pushing hard to reach the advanced CP.  Team Wild Rose, which has been running in second place, has unfortunately withdrawn from the course due to injury.  Everyone is fine on the team but are unable to continue at this point, so there is a nice, warm car on the way to pick them up.  Also, team SOAR is heading back to base camp -- once they arrive, I will be able to get an update on them.
9/23- 22:13 We just got a call from Bob Miller (the Race Course Designer), who has spotted Simon River Sports just before CP9.  It seems that they are checking their navigation before getting to the checkpoint.  Most teams are on the long trekking section, so there are only a handful of CP times updated.  As always, we will put all of our times and information as soon as we get it.

Now that the sun has gone down and the clouds have disappeared, the night should be great for some moonlit navigation.  Unfortunately for some teams it has also dropped the temperature to nearly zero.  Teams that have prepared for a cold, cloudless night will have an advantage.
9/23 - 17:40 We have updated many more CP times on the maps section, including Terranauts' departure from CP6.  What makes their departure special is that they are traveling to CP7 by pack-raft!  Will it be faster than trekking?
9/23- 15:30 The weather has turned beautiful, with sunny clouds and a nice breeze, giving teams a good opportunity to recharge and keep moving.  While the lead teams have reached CP7, the story recently has been that of team SOAR.  They recently reached CP4 in good spirits, and the dedication they demonstrate daily in their jobs seems to be reflected in their racing.  The team is made up of 3 police officers and one fire fighter, and while none have ever participated in a multi-day adventure race, all seem determined to get the most out of it.
9/23 - 10:41 When Simon River Sports traveled through CP6, they mentioned that they loved the course, and that it has been absolutely beautiful.  Also, they were not very fond of the bus ride -- it was about 4 hours long, bumpy, mostly unpaved, and took teams to a very remote location to start the race.
9/23- 10:01 Team Wild Rose has arrived at CP6 at 09:50.  After a quick interview, we have learned that although the race has been on for 22 hours, they have not yet slept.  Also, they found that navigating the many choices for the bike leg at night to be "pretty good".  They seemed in high spirits and will continue the chase.
9/23 - 08:11 Auberge Lac McGillivray (CP 6), a historic logging camp turned cottage getaway, has just received it's first team of the day.  Simon River Sports cruised in to the scenic spot on the lake at 08:08.
9/23- 08:01 Team Pure has just departed CP4 at 07:55.  Members of Pure reported that the remaining four teams in Stage 2 were all following closely behind them.
9/23 - 07:27 Wild Rose is keeping up their chase pace, passing CP5 at 06:53.  Simon River Sports maintains their lead of roughly 80 minutes, with new third place team Zissou three hours behind the leaders.

Jim Doucette's Team Zissou had been registered as a team of three, which leaves them out of contention for official ranking.  Just days before the race, the team 'acquired' Paige Tiberio to join them, making them official.  Given their current performance, the team must have gelled, and is probably very happy to be an official team of four.

Tree Huggers continue to persevere with teammates starting the race with nagging injuries, and are working together with Urban Voyageur going into the trek.  They should be enjoying a stunning sunrise as they rappel the nearly 300 feet down Bald Eagle Cliff overlooking the lower Dumoine River.
9/23- 06:21 As the sun rises, seven teams are now through CP4, and headed out on their long mountain bike.  Team Zissou made great time through the trek and rappel, gaining several positions, passing Fudugazi , gearsracing.ca, and Temiskaming Trekkers.  Simon River Sports continues to set the pace, reaching CP5 in the bike at 05:18, with Wild Rose in chase, leaving CP4 at 02:45.
9/23 - 02:37 Simon River Sports has left CP4, and Wild Rose has arrived at 02:05.  What has been a cold and windy night has started to improve: the cloud cover has finally blown over, replacing the darkness with a remarkably bright moonlit sky.  This should help all teams to navigate more quickly and accurately, and is a welcome change from the cold rain they have been experiencing.
9/23- 00:58 We just received an update from CP4 -- team Simon River Sports arrived at 00:40.  More teams should be hot on their heels, preparing to chase them across a 60+ km bike leg.
9/22 - 23:01 Complete CP2 times have now been posted to the maps section and on the leaderboard.

We just spoke with CP4 staff, and they anticipate the first teams should arrive very soon.  We will let you know when they get there.
9/22 - 22:02 We just heard that all teams have now passed through CP2, and HQ should be providing us with complete CP2 times shortly.  We expect lead teams to reach CP4 within the hour.
9/22 - 19:11 There are more times at the maps section, more times on the leaderboard, and more stories to report on!

Teams coming in to CP2 are soaked but happy, and they have reported seeing a mother black bear and her cub just before arriving -- from a safe distance.
9/22 - 18:00 We just got an update from the field.

The race started right at 12:00 noon, with teams running down towards the canoe put-in.  Team GearsRacing.ca was first to get to the boats, followed by Simon River Sports, Fudugazi, and Wild Rose.

All teams have now passed through CP1, with team SOAR showing up first.  There have not been any teams that have reached CP2/TA1 yet, but we will let you know as soon as they do.

The maps maps section has been updated -- make sure to click on CP1 to see the times.
9/22 - 12:00 We are waiting for official word back from the field, but Raid the North: Canadian Championship has begun!

Make sure to check out the maps section, as our Google Earth map will provide the course map, CP locations, times and more!


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