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Team Santa Fe Newsletter
August 2005
Races
Durango Iron Horse
46 mile road race
Durango, CO, May 28, 2005
http://www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com/road.html
Gary Johnson, Master Men 50-54:42/66, 3:08:29
Deb Werenko, Sr Women 40+:16/41, 3:15:46
By Deb Werenko
A spectacular race through the San Juan Mountains where all the vistas
are outstanding. Best of all, you can experience this classic course free
from cars. The course is 47 miles to Silverton, with 5,500 feet of climbing.
This is a no support race on the open highway however the highway is closed
to traffic until 12:00 PM. The race has been known to have extreme weather
conditions but this was not an issue on the course this year. The weather
cooperated beautifully. Team Discovery made an appearance but the rumors
of Lance appearing were just that, rumors. The day went well and as with
the Triple Bypass it was necessary to arrange a ride back. Gary informed
me just before the start that the bus was filled and that we would be riding
back. For some reason this did not sound all that fun and by the second
pass I was sure it wasn't going to be fun and I began asking perfect stranger's
if they had room in their car for an extra passenger and bike. The weather
turned nasty and it turned out to be a good idea to have found a ride back
for both of us and after lunch at a very colorful, local bar and grill we
headed back (in a vehicle).
Again, thank you to our team sponsors for your continued support:
CW-X jerseys, CW-X biking shorts, Litespeed cycles, Terry saddles, Polar
HRM, CamelBak packs, E-Caps endurolytes and hammer gel, Bolle, Gaerne shoes,
SofSole insoles, Golite, Shain helmets, Dermatone sun screen, Hydropel,
TriAll Three Sports, BTI and Thorlo socks. Also thanks to our local bike
shop Bike and Sport for their continued support.
Breckenridge Firecracker 50,
2005
50 mile mountain bike race
Breckenridge, CO, July 4th, 2005
http://www.mavsports.com/2003
Firecracker.htm
Gary Johnson, age 52, 1st/sport men, 50+, 191/~400, 5:19:31
Deb Werenko, age 48, 2nd/sport women 40+, 346/~400, 6:33:36
By Deb Werenko
The best ultra-endurance MTB race in the west! From the race directors:
It's a cool race because we put a lot of thought and hard work into it.
Our credo has always been "We'll worry about EVERYTHING. All you worry about
is riding your bike". Come see what the local mountain goats ride every
day...that plus a few hidden gems twisting through the backcountry of Summit
County. Each 25-mile lap gains 5800 feet in elevation. Fortunately for you,
about half of that is on the opening road/dirt road climb out of Breckenridge.
The race starts the 4th of July parade right down Main Street in Breckenridge.
From there you head to the backcountry. There's one little grunty climb,
one mile long gut buster, a couple three or four ripping descents and miles
of flume trail and single-track for you to step all over your big ring
on.
This was a fun day for having over 11,000 feet of elevation gain
in 50 miles. The race starts with a very festive atmosphere, the race being
the beginning of the July 4th parade. Gary had a good day, with no problem
on the course, barreling through in 5:19 with a second split slightly
slower than the first. I got my first flat on the first major downhill,
broke my pump and as I watched the entire field go by I walked to the nearest
group of folks I could find, got a CO2 cartridge and was on my way only
to get my second flat on the next big downhill, because I didn't have enough
air in my tire after the first flat. I luckily ran into another competitor
just down the hill who had a second spare and a nearly worthless pump, which
served both of us better than my worthless pump. I was able to find a real
pump at the next aide station, but I was so disheartened by that time it
was difficult to go through the transition area and keep going. I chose
to drop out of the race and sat out to watch. In the mean time I ate a bar,
ate another, drank some fluid and by the time the winners finished and
just about everyone had passed through the start, I knew I would never
be able to face Gary or myself with a DNF, so I got on the bike and I did
the second lap without mishap and finished before Gary sent out a search
crew.
Starting the race at 11:00 meant that breakfast was long gone and
this ended up being a factor in terms of hydration and fuel. I don't think
I counted on that fact and eating sooner would have been smart. Also, the
weather was perfect but it could have been wet and cold, something you
would want to be prepared for. There was fantastic support so carrying lots
of food and water was not necessary.
Thank you to our team sponsors for your continued support: CW-X jerseys,
CW-X biking shorts, Litespeed cycles, Terry saddles, Polar HRM, CamelBak
packs, E-Caps endurolytes and hammer gel, Bolle, Gaerne shoes, SofSole insoles,
Golite, Shain helmets, Dermatone sun screen, Hydropel, TriAll Three Sports,
BTI and Thorlo socks. Also thanks to our local bike shop Bike and Sport
for their continued support.
La Luz Trail Run 2005
9 mile trail run
Albuquerque, NM, August 8, 2005
http://www.aroadrun.org/La_Luz/La_Luz.htm
Ries Robinson, age 40, 40-44: 13th/42, overall: 73rd/352, 1:59:13
Deb Werenko, age 48, 45-49: 1st/21, overall: 79th/352, 2:01:03
Jen Robinson, age 40, 40-45: 9th/20, overall: 194/352, 2:24:38
By Deb Werenko
The La Luz Trail Run is a 9 mile trail run that starts near the intersection
of Tramway Road and the road to the Juan Tabo Picnic Grounds in the far
northeast heights of Albuquerque, NM. The race consists of 1.8 miles of
paved road and 7.2 miles of dirt single track trail with a 12% grade. The
race finishes at the Sandia Crest (10,678') near the gift shop located by
the radio and TV towers on the crest. In fall issue of 2001 Trail Runner Magazine,
La Luz was selected as one of the "12 Most Grueling Trail Races in North
America". The morning of the 40th annual La Luz Trail Run dawned beautiful
and slightly overcast. As the racers lined up Ries and I discussed pace
and goals and concurred we were both after a sub 2:00 perfomance. So we casually
planned to pace off one another. Our timing at the stream crossing (roughly
5 miles up) put us on pace for close to a 2:00 hour finish. We stayed together
for about two more miles and which point the trail crosses and re-crosses
a large talus slope. Ries was able to maintain the pace while I lost about
2 minutes, probably due to lack of an energy gel. Luckily I found one on
the trail and used it, which helped with my sagging energy level and the race
was finished uneventfully. Jen who is just 5 months post partum had a wonderful
performance for her first race after the baby, "it was a lot easier than
I thought it was going to be" said Jen. As for the experiment with nursing
and hard physical exertion I'm afraid baby Skyler had something to say about
that, every couple of hours all night long, but even she thought mom did
a fantastic job.
Thank you to our team sponsors for your continued support: CW-X
jerseys, CW-X shorts, Polar HRM, CamelBak packs, E-Caps Endurolytes and
Hammer Gel, Bolle, SofSole insoles, Golite, Dermatone sun screen, Hydropel,
BTI and Thorlo socks.
Leadville Trail 100 Mountain
Bike Race
Leadville, Colorado, August 13, 2005
http://www.leadvilletrail100.com
Ries Robinson 8:52, Gary Johnson 8:58, Jan Bear 9:00, Deb Werenko
9:49, Lisa Broome 11:00, Kim Bear 11:20 and George Broome DNF.
By Kim Bear
This was going to be a fun year at Leadville. Our
annual 100 mountain bike race at over 10,000 feet was scheduled for August
13. The weather had been very rainy and cold so we were all prepared for
the worst. Team Santa Fe members at the start line were Jan and Kim Bear,
Lisa and George Broome, Gary Johnson, Ries Robinson and Deb Werenko. This
would be Jan's 10th race making him eligible for the 1,000 mile buckle.
The weather turned out to be nice. It was in the high 60's. Gary,
Ries and Jan rode together for most of the race jockeying for positions.
It would end up that Ries would come in 64th overall with a time of 8:52:00,
followed by Gary who placed 2nd in his age group with a time of 8:58 and
Jan came in with a time of 9:00:46. The race directors with the help of
an audience vote ended up giving Jan the "big" less than 9 hour belt buckle
because he was so close. All three men ended up with the big buckle, plus
Jan got the 1,000 mile belt buckle personalized with his name. Next crossing
the finishing line was Deb with a phenomenal time of 9:49:50 giving her a
4th age group finish. Lisa crossed in a time of 11:00:13 and Kim came in
20 minutes later. George crossed the finish line for his fourth Leadville
questioning his sanity. Ries' wife, Jen had her annual pizza party to celebrate
our finishes. This was actually an achievement as she now has to take care
of all of us as well as a two year old and 6 month old. Next year, she vows
to be one of the riders!!!!! The awards ceremony was fun with all of us there
to support each other.
Thank you to Litespeed, GoLite, CamelBak, BTI, Bike and Sport, Gaerne,
ThorLo, Shain, Bolle, SofSole, Polar HRM, Dermatonr, Hydropel, E-Caps
and CW-X.
Jupiter Steeplechase
Park City, UT , August 13, 2005
Eric Jacobsen, 3 hours and 10 minutes; 62nd, 22nd place age group
By Eric Jacobsen
As a training run for next weeks 24 orienteering race, I entered
the Park City Jupiter Peak Steeplechase. It is a 3800 foot vertical climb
to the top of Jupiter Peak. 3800 feet straight up with no relief along
the way. Then a 3800 foot drop back to the start. At the starting line,
I knew about 30 of the racers from various adventure race teams including
Team Solomon, Team AR Gear, and others. Also, the US Army iron man team
of about 20 racers was also there. With their shaved heads and military
gear, they looked tough.
No real surprises during the race. The view from the peak was fantastic,
but I didn't spend too much time enjoying it. It took exactly two hours
for me to climb and one hour to descend. The worst part of the race was
the 3/4 of a mile finish which turned back up hill. After going down for
over an hour, my legs were on fire! And I think most competitors (at least
after me) ended up walking it.
Thanks to CW-X and Platypus. The only gear I needed for this race.
New Mexico Orienteering Event
Los Alamos, NM
August 27, 2005
Kim Bear/Jeanette Brasher, 2nd/9 teams/ time 1:35:00
By Kim Bear
This was my first orienteering event to do without the navigators
from Team Santa Fe. I teamed up with Jeanette Brasher and had a good experience.
Jeanette is very disciplined with the compass and plotting out the route,
while I was better at reading the map's features. We worked rather well
together. We decided on the "yellow" course as I had come early with Jan
and vetted the orange course. (This actually helped me a bit as I had
seen some of our controls.) As we found the first couple of controls pretty
quickly, we noticed a young boy hanging with us. There was a troop of
cadets that were doing the courses solo. He followed us from check point
to check point. Jeanette stopped to help and teach him. Our course was
3.4 km with 245 meters of climbing and 12 controls. The terrain was manageable,
as compared to the orange course I had done earlier which left me covered
in vegetation. After a little over an hour, we ran across the finish only
to find out that I had not punched control 9. We had to run about 500
meters back to capture the punch on our card. The cadet ended up coming
in first and we came in second at a time of 1:35:00.
Western Connecticut Orienteering
Club Rogaine
Norfolk, CT
August 20 and 21, 2005
24 hours; 22nd place
Eric Jacobsen/Tom Olsen
By Eric Jacobsen
Team Santa Fe raced in Western Connecticut Orienteering Club's first
ever 24 hour Rogaine. I raced as a two person all male team with Tom
Olsen, my planned teammate for the Wasatch Adventure race next weekend
which, unfortunately, was canceled. But the WCOC Rogaine was plenty!
At race start, there was a slight drizzle of rain. This was good
news and bad news. The good news is that the cloud cover kept the hot sun
away. The bad news is that we spent the next 24 hours alternating between
wet and completely soaked.
We plotted our course to be a figure 8 - calculating the first loop
to last about 12 hours. After about 8 hours, we realized the loop was going
to take significantly longer than we thought. We had to make a decision
whether to cut the loop short and return to the start to get food and change
clothes or figure out a way to stay out all night. We spotted a small
town on the map and made a beeline to the town so we could find something
open. The only thing open when we got there was a bar and a pizza joint.
Even though a beer sounded pretty good after 9 hours of racing, we opted
for pizza. We ate about half the pizza and put the balance in our pack
hoping it was enough food to get us through the night and back to the finish
at noon the next day. We also grabbed some crackers, some cheese, and
anything else the pizza place would let us take. And we set off.
Things went very well until control 67 which was supposed to be in
a saddle on a bearing line off the tip of a lake. It also said it was
behind a pile of rocks. We found the saddle and even found a little carn
marking the saddle, but we couldn't find the control. After looking for
about 30 minutes behind every pile of rocks within a huge radius, we thought
we may have taken a wrong bearing or possibly started from the wrong spot
on the lake. We went back to the lake and verified everything and tried
again. Again, we came to the same spot but no control. We were absolutely
certain we were in the right spot so it was hard to give up on the control.
After wasting about two hours, we finally moved on. A big blow and because
it was the middle of the night, it made it even harder to deal with.
Then, we needed to make another decision. Try to get some close
controls that would be tough to find in the night, or head off on a long
trek to some controls far from the start, but easy to find. We opted for
the latter. Who knows if it was the right decision. The only saving grace
after the long trek was that we stopped about 4 in the morning, pulled
out our pizza which was now totally soaked from all the rain, and had a
great meal. I never thought soggy pizza could possibly taste so good.
We finished the next day about 30 minutes before the cut off. One
interesting lesson is that we left a lot of controls fairly close to the
start. I had planned to get them on our loop in the middle of the night,
but because we only came back once, we missed several of them. In hind
sight, we should have picked off more of the close ones at the beginning
of the race. But all in all, we navigated well; we hit some tough controls
in the middle of the night, and felt pretty good about our performance.
Upon returning to UT, both of us had an outbreak of chiggers which
thrive in warm, wet environments. Boy do they itch!!!
Thanks to CW-X, Platypus, Polar, Leki, and Suunto for providing great
gear which was awesome during the race.
New Mexico Orienteers August
Event
August 27th, 2005
Los Alamos, NM
http://www.nmorienteers.org/20050827.html
Jan Bear, First place Red Course, 1 hour 37 minutes
By Jan Bear
For this event I just couldn't seem to find a partner so I was on
my own. As a member of the NM Orienteering Club I volunteered to vet the
orange course with Kim prior to event start at 10 AM so we arrived in
Los Alamos at 8 AM to do our task. We really enjoyed it and were back
to the start/finish area by 10 AM. We actually found two down controls
and replaced them. After a brief rest I started out on the Red Course.
It was a good course with plenty of up and down with cross country hiking
and on trail. The controls were all right where they should have been. I
finished the course in one hour and thirty-seven for first place. There were
15 checkpoints on the Red Course; the loop was about 6 kilometers with
240 meters of climbing. I had no real problems and was just fast enough
to finish 1st. As usual it was a great event put on by the New Mexico Orienteers.
The meet was well attended.
Team Santa Fe sponsor gear used on this cold wet day: SealSkinz,
Montrail, ThorLo, Lowe Alpine, CW-X, CamelBak, GoLite, Suunto, Bolle,
Outdoor Research, and Schrade
Training Events
Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run
Leadville CO, August 21 2005
David Coblentz, 22:41:16, 17th Place overall, 5th M4
(Pacer Carl Gable)
By Carl Gable
David and I run together at work so it seemed natural to run as his
pacer at Leadville. I drove up to Twin Lakes on Saturday starting my drive
five hours after David started running. Rick Warren paced him over Hope
Pass and four miles from 'Treeline' to Fish Hatchery. I picked up David at
Twin Lakes and ran 36 miles of the course. David had a great run taking nearly
two hours off his 2004 time. He trained well and had a perfect day.
It was great to support him.
click to enlarge
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click to enlarge
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David Coblentz with
the ultra runners Can-O-Spam that has now finished Leadville 100 twice.
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David Coblentz (Racer)
and Carl Gable (Pacer) after the finish of the Leadville 100 Mile Trail Run
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Ben Meyer's Ridge-a-thon
2 day fundraiser ski event
March 18-19, 2005
Taos, NM
Gary Johnson. solo, 1st overall, 46 laps total
Deb Werenko and Bill Carey, 2nd overall, 43 laps total
By Deb Werenko
Over 100 participants raised $26,000 for Holy Cross Hospital's Indigent
Medicine fund. Team Santa Fe raised over $1500, making us one of the top
three fund raisers for the event. The "Ridge-a-thon" is a two day ski event
in which solo athletes and pairs of athletes do multiple laps from a pre-assigned
menu of ski runs. The runs are all off of Taos Ski Valley's famous "Ridge"
and are completed in the order of the athlete's preference. The menu of
12 ski runs (each 1 point) must be completed before you may repeat any of
the runs. There is usually a run of "the Peak" (Kachina Peak) at the end
of the day, which counts as 3 runs, but due to snow conditions this year
there was no peak run. Gary really out skied the rest of the field easily
on alpine gear. I skied on telemark skis again and was joined on the second
day by Bill Carey (friend and fellow telemark skier). We were able to keep
each other's spirits up throughout the day and with all the fresh snow that
fell it was another really great day at Taos. Bill and I used a protein
shakes, energy gels and protein bars and a sandwich or two cut into 1/4's,
all of which seemed to work very well. The sponsors provided energy gels
and an electrolyte drink which were both heartily appreciated.
Again, thank you to our team sponsors for your continued support:
CW-X jerseys, CW-X biking shorts, Litespeed cycles, Terry saddles, Polar
HRM, CamelBak packs, E-Caps endurolytes and hammer gel, Bolle, Gaerne shoes,
SofSole insoles, Golite, Shain helmets, Dermatone sun screen, Hydropel,
TriAll Three Sports, BTI and Thorlo socks. Also thanks to our local bike
shop Bike and Sport for their continued support.
Triple By-Pass
120 mile training event
July 9th, 2005
Evergreen to Avon CO
http://www.teamevergreen.org/Triple_2005
Gary Johnson and Deb Werenko
By Deb Werenko
120 miles from Evergreen to Avon over Squaw (11,140 ft.), Loveland
(11,990 ft.), Swan Mountain and Vail (10,560 ft.) passes, with over 10,000
ft. of lung-busting gain in elevation! After the Firecracker 50, how hard
could a little 120 mile road ride be? We seemed to hold up fairly well
and finished in 7:40, which included one 2-3 minute stop, which Gary had
to be talked into. The weather was beautiful the scenery grand and the
support excellent, with the best post race BBQ to be had. This is a one-way
ride and the tricky part is finding a way back to the start. This is no
problem if you pay for a bus ride back but lots better if you can get a
ride back from friend or family as you don't have to wait for several hours
for the first bus.
Again, thank you to our team sponsors for your continued support:
CW-X jerseys, CW-X biking shorts, Litespeed cycles, Terry saddles, Polar
HRM, CamelBak packs, E-Caps endurolytes and hammer gel, Bolle, Gaerne shoes,
SofSole insoles, Golite, Shain helmets, Dermatone sun screen, Hydropel,
TriAll Three Sports, BTI and Thorlo socks. Also thanks to our local bike
shop Bike and Sport for their continued support.
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