The inaugural race of 2007 will have the elements of UTM navigation on bike and on foot in the Albuquerque Foothills Trails. This will be the first adventure race in the foothills trails and will be an exciting venue. Teams of two may be male, female or coed. However, solo racers may compete and if you do not have a teammate you will likely be able to pair up with another racer on race day. The registration deadline is noon on Saturday, April 21st and you may register online. Pre-race check-in will be at 7:30 a.m. with the race starting at 8:00 a.m. Check-in and race start will be at the Elena Gallegos picnic area Double Shelter.
You can preview a map of the trails at this link.
Directions to Elena Gallegos: Tramway Blvd. to Simms Park Road (about 0.5 miles north of the intersection of Academy and Tramway). Take Simms Park Road and tell the attendant at the guard station you are participating in the race which allows you to avoid having to pay for access. Follow the park loop road around to the Double Shelter. There will be a volunteer at the guard station to direct you. For those who want some practice here are the UTM coordinates: grid 13 S 366022, 3892073. For a UTM tutorial go to: http://www.maptools.com/UsingUTM/
Sprint Race #1 was a huge success! There were a record number of racers participating, the weather was awesome, the course was challenging and no one got lost or injured. The race started as scheduled and the clock began with the plotting of UTM coordinates. The run was first and was 5.75 miles with seven checkpoints (CPs). CP 1 and 2 were in the Elena Gallegos nature trail area and then the racers proceeded to the Sandia Wilderness Domingo Baca and Pino Trails for the most challenging run CPs. The first teams to return to the staging area were Team Garafalo and Team Red or Green. However, the bike portion saw their leads evaporate to 4 Corners AR and Team X Cross. The bike was 9 miles in the foothills trails with each CP along a water flowing arroyo. Water was the theme of the bike which was given as a clue for all the racers. 4 Corners Ar won with a time of 2 hours 44 minutes and no time penalties. All of the teams, especially the first time racers, should be proud of their performance. 4 Corners AR is a team from Durango, CO and they race in the pro division in most of their races so comparing your times to theirs should give you a boost of confidence.
A special thanks to all of our sponsors: Sportz Outdoor, The New Mexico Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Dharma Maps, Sandia Peak and Golden Pride on Juan Tabo.
Also, thanks to the USDA Forest Service Sandia Ranger Cid Morgan and Susan Johnson, Special Use Permits Official and City of Albuquerque Open Space officials Jodi Hedderig and Eileen Armijo.
Thanks to the volunteers:
Shiran Granot: photography
Sagi Granot: logistics
Dominic Purpura: co-director
Stephanie Nicholson: race day check-in/registration
Todd Pilger: course sweeper
Thanks to all for making this a great start to the 2007 NMARC Sprint Race Series! See you at Sprint Race #2 on June 3rd!!
Thanks,
-David Nicholson
