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2005
Results: Click
Here [Photos: Click
Here]
May 21, 2005
The first Annual Quest for
Fire race started with a racer briefing
Friday night by Carrie O’Hara, the
Race Director. If the racers thought they
were going to get all the race tips and
be able to plan their strategies Friday
night before the race, they were disappointed.
Carrie thanked the racers for showing
up and proceeded to tell them about course
safety, and that the race would start
at the Eagle’s Nest Lake boat ramp
at 6:15am Saturday morning. Racers were
told to bring their stuff from the gear
list and show up at 6am for pre-race packets.
In their packets would be maps, checkpoints
and some of the course. They would receive
another map after completing two events.
After the briefing, all racers
were wondering what they had gotten into.
Nobody, knew what was happening and many
felt uncomfortable not knowing what events
they were going to do and in which order.
Such is Adventure Racing, the schedule
and events reveal themselves as the course
progresses. Those that adapt quickly become
leaders.
Saturday morning turned out
to be a perfect day, no clouds, and the
temperature was cool, but not icy. At
6am racers finally received their race
packets and instructions. Each team was
given 3 inner tubes and a pallet to build
a craft capable of crossing the lake on
the North Shore.
Solo teams
must build and paddle the craft.
Two person teams could
build one craft and have one or two paddle.
If only one paddled, then the other teammate
had to run around the lake to meet their
paddling teammate.
Three person teams could
build one craft and have one or two paddle.
One or two ran around the lake.
Four person teams could
build one craft and have one or two paddle.
The rest ran around the lake.
Immediately teams struggled
on how to build the craft, who was in
charge, and how to make it secure. Racers
prevailed and soon crafts started entering
the water looking like large black water
bugs with humans on board. What started
out as chaos ended up like a bunch of
bugs racing across the water. The pre-race
favorite - Team Santa Fe crossed the water
very quickly and soon were changing into
hiking gear. Many racers followed and
the race was on.
In all, there were 8 - four
person teams, 5 - three person teams,
12 - two person teams, and 8 - Solo racers.
After pulling themselves out
of the water Team “Where’s
the Horn?” looked fresh and ready
to compete in the hike. Only problem was
one teammate forgot to bring hiking shoes
and only had rubber booties. Carrie, the
Race Director, didn’t assess them
a time penalty, but did make their whole
team run back around the lake to pick
up their teammate’s shoes.
Racers began the steep 13 mile
hike up baldy navigating as they went.
It soon became apparent a Female Solo
racer from Alma, Colorado, Colleen Ihnken
was making good progress and was challenging
the four person Team Santa Fe for the
lead. At the end of the hike, Colleen
was less than 5 minutes behind Team Santa
Fe as they entered the second water event
– paddling their craft back to where
they started. When the racers arrived
they had to perform a mystery event where
one teammate was blindfolded. That went
by quickly and racers jumped on their
mountain bikes for a 20 mile ride from
the lake to the Angel Fire Resort. On
the slopes of the resort, bikers stopped
to pull themselves and their bikes across
a 75 foot Tyrolean Traverse. They climbed
back on their bikes and completed a very
steep 3 mile ascent before coming down
to the finish line. Colleen was doing
well up to this point. Everyone was cheering
for her as she entered the Angel Fire
Resort. Unfortunately, she got a little
misdirected and another Solo racer was
able to pass her, Team Brown.
The Race finished with Team
Santa Fe winning in the overall best time,
and first place mixed four person team.
At the finish everyone was
treated to music and racers were given
burger coupons and finisher medals. Plaques
were awarded to the top three teams in
each category and lots of prizes were
given out.
Race Sponsors, REI and Sportz
Outdoors of Albuquerque gave lots of gear
away as prizes.
Some of the racer comments:
“liked building the boat….”,
“ tough hike…”, “like
the ropes part….”.
Racers came from as far away
as London, England; Toronto, Ontario;
Chicago, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri,
New Mexico, Colorado.
The race was hosted by the
New Mexico Adventure Racing Club. www.nmarc.org
by
Steve Prickett, June 2005
Sponsored
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