Pre-Race
There was a lot of anticipation building up to this year's Summer Groove. Not only was it going to be Heather's longest race to date, but it was going to start at 3am! We were also excited to be racing along side our friends from Team Maximus (Dom and Missy) and Team Unknown (Mary and Liz). After scrambling through check-in and grabbing a bite to eat, we eagerly awaited the pre-race meeting. At the meeting we received our course maps and instructions and within seconds we noticed the race would begin with a SWIM! This was absolutely Heather's worst fear seeing as her Ranauld's could act up and render her hands useless for a while after. The meeting went by quick and we were soon back at the hotel plotting UTMS and laying out the course. We decided we would try to stick with Team Maximum since we were friends and would likely be pacing the same. After a couple hours of plotting and packing, lights were out for our 2 hour sleep before having to leave for the start.
Start - Swim
It must have been quite a sight for locals who happened to pop their heads of their windows at 2:30am as 150 adventure racers congregated downtown with nothing on but our underwear, PFDs, and glow sticks! We would have a short run to the marina where we would begin the 300 meter swim across Pentwater Lake. In spite of all our fear, we didn't hesitate to jump in only to find the water to feel quite nice. Within a few minutes we were in the middle of the lake sweating our butts off trying to get to the other side. 15 Minutes later we were there.
Once to the shore, we had to locate our packs that race staff had transported for us (thankfully). We had spent so much time and worry strategizing about what we would need to put on after the swim since we figured we would be freezing, but we ended up being so hot, we barely put anything back on. After a few minutes in TA we were off on foot for a couple miles to pick up our bikes
Single Track
After a brief hiccup trying to figure out where we were on the way to the bikes we arrived in good spirits and looked forward to getting rolling. It turned out we would be riding some nice sandy single track. This was my first run in with NIGHT single track, and it was as exciting as it was scary. Just as we were wrapping up the section, Dom's chain busted at the top of a sandy climb. Dom fought with the bike for what seemed like forever before we discovered his chain tool was the problem all along. I handed him mine and we were soon finishing the sandy death!
Bike to Orienteering Section
We now had a road (if you want to call it that) ride to an orienteering section with a couple checkpoints to grab along the way. We weren't 1 minute into the ride and Dom's chain broke AGAIN! At least this time we knew to use my tool and we were only down for about 5 minutes this time. The first part of the ride was a total nightmare! We would be riding at a nice pace and suddenly hit a patch of deep sand and we'd have to get off the bikes and walk. I had figured we had about a mile ride to our turnoff, but a mile came and went and there was no road to be found. We rode back and forth for a good 15-20 minutes before figuring we would just have to keep going. Heather and I decided to try to crank it out for a little while and see how fast we could move, so we said good luck to Dom and Missy and we off.
We soon came to our turn and rode in as far as we could before ditching the bikes and running in due to the deep sand. We struggled for a few minutes with this CP too and were getting very discouraged. Dom and Missy caught up with us again just as we found it and were heading back out. We rode to our pre-determined attack point for the next CP and dropped the bikes for the trek. We got in a few feet before both of us were bleeding from the thick thorns and brush. Dom and Missy caught up again and decided to give it a shot even though we decided to try an attack point from the other side.
As we headed off on the bikes, I started to feel nauseas and light headed. I knew I was starting to bonk, and by the time we got near our alternate attack point, I was bonking full force. I couldn't make sense of the map, I couldn't ride, I couldn't think. Heather ended up making the decision to skip the CP since it was optional anyway as I sat on the side of the road with my head between my legs. I downed a Red Bull, Gel, Ensure, and some fluid and we started riding slowly to the next CP. We arrived as Dom and Missy were leaving, and they had hooked up with Mary and Liz as well. We grabbed the CP and took off on the bikes as fast as we could so we could catch them. A little while later we pulled into the TA right behind the rest of the crew and began getting ready for the Orienteering section.
Orienteering
The 6 of us decided to tackle the orienteering section together which proved to be an excellent decision since we ended up nailing the entire section. The course took us through forested flats, hills, and sand dunes. We had some fantastic views of Lake Michigan and felt like we were in another world. About a half hour into the section, my bonk subsided and I was able to stomach some solid food again. After a couple hours we were done without making any terrible mistakes and we began our transition back to the bikes. Dom was kind enough to take one of our paddles which had been dropped here and would have to be carried for the duration of the bike leg. I taped the other one to my bike and we were off.
Bike Leg
This section of road biking went by rather fast as we lined up in a 6 person pace line and cranked! The only checkpoint along this leg that gave us any trouble was one located near a dam on the map. We arrived to the area and found a dozen bikes scattered on the ground including those of a top ranked team that told us they had been there for over 2 hours looking for it! Since this was an optional point, we decided we would give ourselves an hour to find it before skipping it. After nearly an hour of think painful bushwacking, we were about to give up when we took another quick stab in an area adjacent to where we were looking. Next thing I knew Liz had found it and we were sneaking our way out so as not to give it away to other teams. We were soon back on our bikes and heading off to collect the rest of the points before the paddle.
On the way to the next checkpoint, Heather realized that she had run out of water and was beginning to feel dehydrated. We arrived at the checkpoint and Missy had some extra water for her, so she filled up and fueled up and we were off. A mile or two down the road, for some reason I thought to ask Heather if she had punched in at the last CP... she hadn't! We were so focussed on getting Heather fueled back up that we forgot to punch! Luckily we were only a short distance away and our AWESOME friends waited for us as we went back and punched. Shortly after we got the remaining bike CPs and were at the paddle put in.
Paddle
We had 5 hours to get the 6 or so paddle checkpoints and figured NO PROBLEM! Right!!?? The first CP was up river a bit from where we were, so we went for that one first. The river paddle was great except for the fact that the water was 2 inches deep and we seemed to spend as much time out of the canoe pulling it as we did in! Once we got to the first CP we beached the boats and headed out on foot to grab the few trekking points that were part of this section. We were all obviously tired at this point because our decision making went down the toilet! Just as we were about to attack the next CP, we saw a team we knew heading back to the canoes because they forgot their passport. When we saw them running back, we decided to follow them since we assumed they were heading back to the CP they had just left. Of course they were running and we couldn't (and didn't want to) keep up, but we skipped the CP we were looking for and adapted a new plan.
We met up with another team on the way and soon learned that a large number of teams were getting these CPs while still on their bikes! This was pretty upsetting because it was a huge advantage for them, however, wasn't in the spirit (or within the what we thought were the rules) of the race. Regardless, we pushed on and got the next CP with ease. I suggested we went for CP30 as well since it was only a short distance on foot and was trail/road most of the way. On the way, we passed a gas station and Liz and Dom ran in and got the best tasting fountain Coke EVER!!! We continued on and were soon skirting a marsh in search of the checkpoint. I was hiking up the bank a bit in search of an easier route when suddenly I heard Missy SCREAMING! BEES BEES!! She was frantically flailing her arms and running towards Dom. As Missy was hiking along the marsh, she stepped on a log that was apparently home to a LOT of bees. As she stepped on the log, the bees swarmed her and got in her clothes, hair, even under her watch. All said and done, she had endured 17 stings, Dom, Mary, and Liz all got some, but luckily Heather and I escaped unstung. Luckily we had some Benedryll and were able to treat the stings immediately. We would later find out that another team disturbed the exact same hive and ended up with 10 stings.
After our nightmare bee encounter, we decided to skip that CP and head back to the canoes. After a short (and failed) attempt to locate our first skipped CP from this trekking section, we got back in the canoes and continued to paddle upriver to the next CP. After 15 minutes or so, we arrived the checkpoint and could finally turn around and head DOWN river! Our plans to grab a CP that appeared to be along the shore of the river as it dumped into the lake was quickly scratched as the area was full on cattails and marsh, so we were heading back. We finally hit open water and the wind was blowing right in our faces... not to mention the length of the lake. The water was extremely choppy making for a difficult but extremely fun paddle to the takeout.
Finish
After finishing our paddle back to the marina, we were on foot for a mile or so to the finish. Minutes later we arrived to the applause of the staff and other teams that had finished. I have to say this was probably one of the most fun races I've done in a very long time. It was well put on, it was just unfortunate that some teams strayed from the spirit of the sport. All said and done, we tied for 2nd with Dom and Missy (2-person coed) and Mary and Liz took 1st for 2-person female. Heather was totally shocked when they announced our 2nd place finish seeing as how she insisted we were in last place the whole time.
Thanks to Endurance Sports and all their sponsors for making the race a memorable experience. Kudos on the 3am swim start, that was definitely a first! Thanks to Dom, Missy, Mary, and Liz for adding a whole new dimension to the experience and we look forward to racing with you guys again!
