Big Blue – Folsom Granite Bay Sprint Course - Folsom, CA
Team Vanderkitten Racers: Cindi Choi, Gwen Hawk
Result: First Place, Women’s category

My alarm sounded at 5 am–I needed to meet at 6 am in Foster City to meet the other Team Vanderkitten and Racing with Giants teammates: Gwen (my teammate); Gina (who was racing with Austyn); Hani (who was racing with Vince); and Julie & Angel. It was going to be a great day with a nice showing from Team VK and Team RWG.

After a 2.5 hour drive up to Folsom (with a few pit stops along the way), we quickly set up our transition area and were ready to race.

Listening to Todd (the race director for the Big Blue events), we realized the race was going to start with a run to the boat, then a kayak to the run, and then back to the transition with ALL our gear (kayak, paddle, life jacket). Hmm… interesting! Then, it was a bike and back to the finish line.

Gwen and I huddled near the front of the racers and we agreed that I would sprint to make sure we secured a boat (aka rubber ducky). I got to the boats first and started to drag the boat–a few seconds later, Gwen picks up the other end and we’re jogging to the edge of the lake.

Paddling the rubber ducky boats (named for its bright yellow color, but also it’s notoriety in difficulty to paddle/steer) was an experience. It was pretty hard to get comfortable–Gwen kept swapping from knees to bum to knees to bum, while I sat awkwardly–imagine a little kid with all legs in front. And, it was pretty hard to stay straight; we leaned right a lot. As the person in the rear, I sometimes had to just stick my paddle in the water to get us straightened back up.

As we paddled up to the shore, we saw Hani and Vince getting out right in front of us. It’s so fun to see friends in the AR community while racing–it’s a little bit of friendly competition and a bit of comradery. We dropped the kayak and paddles and were told to keep our life jackets on…we found out about 1.5 miles into our run that there was an ‘adventure’ waiting for us–a swim across in all of our gear–sneakers, backpack, lifejacket and all! It felt really nice, but was sort of awkward. Then, we were back on the run–squish, squish, squish. Gwen was smart with her Tevas, but I had my joggers and insoles–which were heavy! And then we had CP1 in sight–the turn-around point on the run, but not before another swim. On our way back, we decided to run around the water and saved some time. Back to our boat, we decided to portage (meaning carry) everything back to the transition–we had the boat on our head and semi-jogged. Probably the funniest moments during the race were the THREE times Gwen and I got our shoes stuck in the mud! That mud was like quicksand!

Back at the transition, we checked in at CP2 (the Clif Bar bus) and then quickly changed to our bike shoes and off on the bike. The mountain bike course at Folsom is fun–FAST, and we were off!! Mostly semi-single track or single track, Gwen and I were flying on the bike, following the blue (and sometimes red) arrows. There was only one turn where there was a viciously steep hill–we both hopped off and trekked up the hill–saving our energy and probably saving time. When we got to the top near the water tower, we saw CP3 hanging off a tree.

Back on the bike, we headed back the other direction…in my hardest gear, we were going fast! Some of the signs were a little tricky to figure out–and we saw one team asking if it was the road on the left or the trail on the right. We all agreed it was the trail on the right. And thank goodness, it was. This side of the mountain was a bit more technical, but still do-able…there were two huge rocks that had a huge penalty for failure–so we tapped these and kept on trucking.

Finally, after the bike section, we headed back to the transition–threw down our bikes and sprinted down on the sand and back up to the finish! We were done in 2:45…and it took a good 30 minutes or more to finally catch our breath… phew!

Awards were announced later and Gwen and I were first place women! Woohoo!!

July 26, 2008
Big Blue – Ocean Blue Long Course - Half Moon Bay, CA
Team Vanderkitten: Cindi Choi, Austyn Fudge, and Kim Roland
Result: 1st place! Woohoo!

The day started early, meeting at Hani’s at 5:15 a.m. to carpool with Cindi, Julie, Hani, and John. As we drove into Half Moon Bay, the sky was clear and there was absolutely no fog, the makings of a great day.

Cindi and I met Austyn in the transition area and began laying out our gear. We brought the kayak down to the water first and made sure we were all set for a good start. Next, we set up our bikes and gear for easy access throughout the race.

Shortly before the race, we were given our maps and began plotting points and solidifying our race strategy. With the rogaine format, we knew time management would be key and we had to hit all of the mandatory check points. If we had extra time, we would go for more.

It was probably 20-25 minutes from the time we received our passport and map to the start, but it felt like 5 minutes. 3-2-1, we were off with about a mile run down the beach and back to the kayak. We started the run slowly to warm up for the rest of the day, got into our kayaks and quickly headed off to the right taking the short cut through the piers. Austyn, our navigator, did an excellent job steering us through the narrow path. We headed toward the portage where we carried the boat across the beach to the ocean. There were a couple of waves, and since I was in front, I got to know the water really well. It was a beautiful day to be out in the ocean - clear, sunny, and not too many waves. We paddled around all of the checkpoints…I might also add that we were only paddling with half a rudder…. thanks again Austyn for maintaining an uncomfortable leg position for most of the kayak!

We pulled the kayak up on the beach and headed to transition through a sea of sprint racers preparing for their race. Lots of teams from the community were shouting words of encouragement. Thanks! After eating, drinking, and loading our bike and run gear, we were off to CP2.

We had a great road ride to CP2 where I learned what it meant to be on tow. I think this is just the best idea ever! We arrived at CP2 and were given a trail map. We plotted the next points – CP3, CP4, and CP5 onto the map. We also realized that we forgot to check in after the kayak…so, we would need to do this on the way to Montera. Cindi took a sneak peak at the team check in sheet; there were only 10 teams ahead of us. Even though we hadn’t seen anyone, we felt pretty good. Off to CP5 first as it was mandatory.

We made it to CP5 and ran quickly back down the hill where we crossed paths with two other teams heading out. At the bike drop, we took the opportunity to eat, drink, and calculate our time remaining. We knew timing was critical from here on out as we had three mandatory CPs still…and two were up Montera.

We road back to the TA staying as close together as possible for the headwind. Cindi and I checked in with Todd for the missing kayak portion and made a couple of jokes while Austyn checked the board for CP7, our final mandatory checkpoint.

We decided to head to CP7 first and then climb Montera, so if we were pressed for time at the end, we could just head straight down HWY 1. CP7 was at the beach near Mavericks…in the beach section where we had portaged the kayak earlier. We got stuck behind the slowest car. There was no traffic ahead of him, so who knows why he chose to go only 10 miles per hour. As soon as I saw a safe opening, we sped past him. When we got to the beach, Cindi volunteered to run down the beach to retrieve the word “mavericks.” Austyn and I used the opportunity to eat and hydrate.

As soon as Cindi came back, we headed to Montera on HWY 1 with wind, lots of wind.

Up, up, up Montera. Team Brunton passed us as we headed up the trail. I am pretty new to this sport, but did take a navigation class from Mark and took it as a good sign when he passed us. ?

Team RWG was headed down the hill as we climbed/walked our bikes to the final checkpoint. Both Austyn and Cindi were ahead of me. Austyn yells, we have it…turn around and go, go, go! Cindi made an excellent decision to go down the steep part of the trail to save some time. As we made it down the trail to HWY 1, we passed a few teams who were still heading up the hill.

Cindi lead the way, Austyn put me on tow and we peddled hard back to the finish. We saw the turn to Capistrano and had less then 5 minutes to make it…in my excitement; I forgot to release the towline…so Austyn and I both slowed down a bit on the turn.

We reached transition and quickly dropped our bikes and held hands as we ran across the finish line at 7:59:00…. we had so much momentum at the end that I nearly knocked over the nice gentleman standing there to record our time and collect our passport. Oops!

Before we relaxed to hear stories from the other teams, we loaded our kayak, bikes, and gear.

At the end, I felt like one of the luckiest girls to be able to race with my fabulous teammates Cindi and Austyn. I would like to extend my thanks to them for making my first long race amazing and unforgettable.

Whether you are doing a sprint or a long race, here are some important things to help your adventure…

• Plastic box – Bring 1 plastic Storage container - similar to this http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd2935118
   Most of your racing stuff should fit inside this box. Keep this box in the transition area.
• Garbage bag – Bring a garbage bag for all your dirty wet stuff after the race is over
  Change of clothing – Bring some clothing to put on after the race. Clean warm clothing is a must for HMB. It gets cold.
• Food – Your body can only absorb about 200 -250 calories an hour when you are racing or training. If you put more than that into your stomach, your body will dump it. Which means that you will have to find a port a potty instead of your checkpoint. Port-a-potty is worth 0 points in a race ?
• Fluids – Your body can only absorb 16-25 of water each hour. 16oz= small water bottle 25 oz = Large bottle. If you exceed this amount, check for closet port-a-potty location
• Race simple – Don’t over plan or over prepare. You will be faced with challenges and the adventure is figuring out the answer together.
• Feet – always keep your feet happy. Remove sand and rocks when possible. Don’t damage your feet.
  Look up - Too many people race with their head down. Look up, look around, and enjoy what you are doing.
• Money – always have $17 with you. There are no rules in AR that say that you can’t go to 7-11 to get a drink or a Moon Pie. Also, you will need the money for the famous HMB clam chowder.
• Be Found - Don’t get lost, always know where you are and where you are going. If you get lost, go back to your last good location.
• Have fun and smile!

Team Vanderkitten (Team VK) was out in Half Moon Bay this weekend training for the upcoming race.  Joined by 4 of our community members, we were in the water at 9:30am.  The surf was much bigger than expected, but we managed to stay dry and have fun doing it.  At 11:30am we rolled into Montera State park for a 2 hour mountain biking clinic and ride.  We learned some climbing and descending techniques that helped everyone go fast and stay in control.  We saved the best for last.  A 2:00pm, we were sitting n HMB harbor eating the famous clam chowder.

 These monthly skill building sessions are hosted by Team VK.  Please contact  Gina@teamvanderkitten.com if you are interested in racing with us and want to see what Team VK has to offer. 

Team Vanderkitten will be racing at Tahoe Big Blue on September 20th this year.

The Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race is a celebration of the natural environment of the North Shore, and the perfect climate of “Indian Summer.” The race will have 8+ miles of kayaking on Lake Tahoe, 24+ miles of mountain biking with 5000′ elevation gain, orienteering, and 5-8 miles of trail running.

More to come after the race…

Team Vanderkitten will be racing at Big Blue’s Folsom Lake Sprint on August 16th this year, located at the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Granite Bay Area.

Team Vanderkitten will be represented by Cindi & Gwen.

More to come after the race…

Team Vanderkitten races next at the Big Blue Adventures Joseph Grant Adventure Race July 12, 2008 at Joseph Grant County Park, San Jose, CA.

A little about the race site:  Joseph D. Grant County Park is a 9,553 acre park with an extensive 40-mile trail system for runners and mountain bikers–and this Saturday, for adventure racers.

  Click here for more details about the race.

Check out comments for the race report!

Team Vanderkitten was featured in the official Big Blue Adventures press release, titled “”More Women are Entering and Excelling in Adventure Racing”.

Team Vanderkitten, comprised of Jeanne and I, raced the Norcal Quicksilver adventure race located at Almaden Quicksilver State Park in San Jose, CA. Basically, to sum up the race–it was HOT, HOT, HOT! The heat combined with the limited water on the course and a lot of hill climbing made for a challenging “sprint” race.

Maps were distributed at the start, and teams went each and every way. There was no requirement for the order of the CPs, so there was quite a bit of strategy involved from the get-go. We started on foot and chose to stay on the footpath instead of bush-whacking–which ended up as a smart decision on our part. CP1 was right off the trail but CP2 was off along a stream–and we wouldn’t have gotten it so quickly if we didn’t stay on trail. We saw other teams missing the CP and had to turn around and back-track. The run ended up a bit over 2.5 hours, and then we were back to the transition area for the mountain bike.

By this time, it was hot–really hot! We had been taking e-caps every hour, but we escalated it to every 30-45 minutes. When we started up the first mountain on the bike, Jeanne cramped–which was a function of the hot day. Nonetheless, we pushed on and forward on the bike–going up and down. For those of you who haven’t ever gone to Quicksilver–it’s never easy and flat. It is either up or down.

Another two plus hours on the bike, and we reached CP10 where the baarbd folks were manning the CP and watching the bikes. It was time to clip out, change to trail shoes and get the next few CPs on foot. By this time, I was completely out of water, so I was really happy that we ran into a fellow AR guy (not racing) who donated a bit of his fluids. Thank you!

We picked up the two CPs and then hopped back on the bike, back toward the finish line. On the way back, we were supposed to get one last CP15–and we, with three other teams, were all looking frantically for it. It wasn’t where it was supposed to be, and we double-checked, triple-checked, quadruple-checked. There wasn’t much to do but hope that it was a misplaced CP…which indeed it was! We crossed the finish line in 6:13, and we were the first all-women 2-person team to cross the line! Despite the heat, lack of water, cramping, and lost CPs, this was a great day–and was all part of the fun and adventure that is AR.

It’s Thursday, April 17th–the day before Sea Otter. Race check-in is tonight, so SIX Vanderkittens are heading down to the Santa Cruz area for the adventure race on Friday morning. Yea, you heard right. there are six of us Kittens! Meow!

Tonight, we’ll have a great pre-race meal, do some last-minute planning/bonding/carb-loading, and hit the sack early. The Sea Otter adventure race is supposed to be individual (which sort of defeats the meaning of AR in our opinion), we are going to race in two teams of three. It should be fun…more to report after the race.