Subject:
Team Aquan/Racing With Giants Edges Team Brunton to Win NORCAL-AR Race #1
Date:
2008-03-18 13:09
*Team Aquan/Racing With Giants Edges Team Brunton to Win NORCAL-AR Race #1*
[March 18, 2008] Hollister, CA - Team Aquan/Racing With Giants' Mats
Jansson, Jackie Wollman, and Tom Bastis scored a narrow, overall victory
over Mark Manning, Mari Chandler, Mike Prindiville, and Andy Tubbs. With a
total score of 97 points. The RWG Down Under duo of Brandon Nugent and Nick
Mills came in a very close third.
The event kicked off this past Saturday, March 15th at 9:05am in Pacheco
State Park, one hour south of San Jose, CA. Racers from as far away as
Australia and Colorado came out for the event which featured running,
trekking, mountain biking, and kayaking... with the added twist of
point-based orienteering for the kayak and mountain biking sections. This
new format enabled all teams to finish around a 6pm cut-off, with a maximum
potential score of 100 points, or risk losing points for each minute they
were late.
The teams started on foot and needed to reach 6 mandatory checkpoints before
reaching the boat transition area. Clocking in at just over 2hrs. 40 minutes
were a pack of 4 teams (Aquan/RWG, RWG Down Under, True Grit, and Brunton by
ARNavSupplies) and solo racer, Rick Baraff. A speedy run-to-paddle
transition enabled Team Aquan/RWG to be the first on the water.
On the water, teams needed to reach a minimum of one checkpoint, or lose
points from their final score. As the conditions on the water fluctuated --
from high winds to rain to sun to hail -- teams had the option to go for one
CP (worth 25 points) or two (with a total value of 49 points). All lead
teams opted to gather both CPs. Strategy was important for everyone,
especially those teams that arrived later to the paddle TA, as they needed
to decide if they could gather more points on the water (going for both CPs)
or bypassing a water CP and trying to gather as many possible points during
the final MTB orienteering leg. Teams baarb, Dirty Avocados, SLO &
Dysfunctional, NutraMendz/SOAR, and Wildfire all finished in the Top 10
overall by opting to go for both paddle CPs.
With less than 4 hours to the finish, and at the start of the MTB leg, Team
Aquan/RWG, RWG Down Under, Brunton, and True Grit were all tightly packed
together. With 11 bike CP's worth various points spread throughout the park,
teams were allowed to reach these CPs in any order. Nearly every team in the
race took a different route as many of the bike CPs were well off-trail and
required pinpoint navigation and optimal route selection.
The first lead team to cross the finish line at 5:31pm was Team Brunton. By
collecting 42 of the possible 51 MTB points, they posted an overall score of
91 and were the current leaders. Other teams crossed the finish line as
minutes ticked by and the 6:00 cutoff approached. At 5:59 pm, only 2 teams
remained on the course, including Team Aquan/RWG. The only way for Team
Aquan/RWG to take first place was if they had somehow reached all the MTB
CP's and could cross the finish line before 6:03pm. Every minute late would
result in a 3 point deduction from their overall score. At 6:01 Team
Aquan/RWG was spotted coming down the road and racing to reach the finish
line. At 6:01 and 46 seconds, they crossed the finish line, having reached
all MTB CP's and all Kayak CP's for the highest overall score of 97 points.
Congratulations to Team Aquan/RWG and all the teams that finished the race.
*Winners by Division:*
- Solo: Rick Baraff
- Duo: RWG Down Under
- 3-Person: Aquan/RWG
- 4-Person: Brunton by ARNavSupplies.com
Full Results: www.norcal-ar.com
The next race in the NORCAL Adventure Racing Series is April 26th in San
Jose, CA.
To learn more about the series and upcoming races, visit: www.norcal-ar.com
