Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Adventure Race Report

If you haven't checked out the Hybrid Adventure Games (H.A.G.) video yet, go to my Teaser post and check out my mad skills at minute 1:10-1:19 and check out the rest of the video just for fun! If you wind up with an opportunity to do H.A.G in your area, I say GO FOR IT!

Our H.A.G. team,  Don't Stop Believin', was about 80+ strong!! We raced in honor of Nick Callahan and for The Quinn Driscoll Foundation. Nick passed away in 2009 and our race shirts honored him...

...and we (mostly Antonio)

carried Nick's longboard throughout the entire race.

Race day started a bit brisk at about 53 degrees (and the temps only got lower throughout the morning), but all complaints of shivers stopped as the games began.

2.5 miles up SkiBowl and then 2.5 miles down skibowl. I've never been at such a quiet start to a race. It was all but impossible to run and talk at the same time. It was also very hard to pass people at most points on this trail so there were times where you simply had to walk because the people ahead of you were walking.

Susie and I stuck together and managed to hit the top at a decent pace. Our plan was to wait for all remaining team members to arrive so we could snap some pictures. Here is what it looks like on a clear day...

This is what it looked like on Saturday!

Brrr. The fog was settling on everyone's hair - head hair, facial hair, arm hair and we all simply glistened like Edward the vampire...you know...this guy...
Eventually we headed back down the hill. We had let most everyone pass us at the top but it suddenly became apparent to Susie and I that we might have taken a wrong turn as we could see down to the bottom and there was NO one at all in front of us. We weren't THAT far behind. In the end, we only went about a 1/2 mile out of our way...and only had to go another 1/2 mile to return to the correct course...and only about 4 people followed us (sorry strangers) and so when we finally ran into the photographer...I was one happy girl...

Coming into the obstacle course was the scariest for me. This was my first adventure type race and I had no idea what to expect. As I made my way through the tires I felt like I was doing pretty good...until all of a sudden WHAM!!! ...I'm punched in the right boob. Hard. But by who? By my daughter, that's who! She and Jack had acquired some water balloons and they pelted me all the way through the tires and even while I was hustling (I use that term loosely) under the barbed wire. With Jack yelling at me "Don't slow down, Mama! Don't slow down! and Mai releasing the water filled missiles, I almost poked my eye out. 

Eventually I lost the two little buggers and met up with my girls at the top of the slip 'n slide...

We made our way down...

...and then out into even more unknown of uneven bridges and a killer wall...that I am SO PROUD I made over...but the pride kind of squirted out of me as I fell off the other side into a heap. I don't care, though...I made it up and over on my own. Hoo-rah!

Waiting in line for the tire flip was cold...possibly because of the rain...but more likely because the kids continued to bomb me with water balloons. I flipped that tire like nobodies business. I'm seriously bummed there were no pictures of that event for me, but I felt strong and steady and that memory lives on :-)

All in all...quite a day of adventure. Quite a way to support a great cause. Quite an excuse to get out and act like a kid. Loved it! I'll be back next year...for TIME! Watch out!


21 comments:

Rose @ Eat, Drink, and Be Meiri said...

This is awesome.

When you do this next year (because you will, right??) you need to get your family to follow you to the tire flipping and get some sweet pictures of it.

Stephanie F said...

Sounds like a great time. Also, GREAT use of Edward Cullen. hahaha

Michael said...

Sounds like a super fun race. I mean if you can do a race with a slip n slide and water balloons being thrown at you then it has to be awesome right!!

Nelly said...

That sounds like a great race and a fun time!

ajh said...

This looks incredible.

Julie said...

Woohoo!!!! You did fabulous! Next time have the kids stop throwing balloons and take pics! ;)

I'm as scared about my Rugged Maniac adventure race on the 15th as I was about my 70.3! Hope I can rock it like you...but fear I will be walking around the wall.

Elizabeth said...

looks like so much fun!! i still need to attempt an adventure race! and thanks for the RP pic. a shot of him here and there is always nice :)

Ransick said...

Great job and great pics! Congrats on getting over the wall too. I think some revenge is in order for the water balloons. Revenge is best served cold and even better when it is subtle (in my opinion). Maybe short sheeting the bed, a little piece of tape on the cell phone microphone so her friends can;t hear her, buying 2 different sized socks and mixing them so they don't fit right, etc. Stupid, clean office (childish) humor :-).

Nikki Kendall said...

Looks like fun!

Jo Lynn said...

Looks like a TON of fun and something I would love to do. ;)

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I have done Warrior Dash and Hell Run, these types of races are alot of fun!!

Coy Martinez said...

I completely got lost on a trail race as well!! There were about 12 of us that got lost. It was pretty funny because we were all just standing there with the funniest looks on our faces, then we went around searching the ground for tracks!

Looks like it was a blast though!! Loved the Edward pic!! HAHAHA!

KovasP said...

Love the pic of Nick on the shirts!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Sounds like a blast!

I am terrified that I won't make the wall in the Tough Mudder...not to mention the tubes (don't like confinded spaces) or the electric shock!!

Raina said...

What a crazy kind of competition! Running up and down skibowl sounds like the kind of thing I'd like to do without a race as well..
Love the slip n slide!

Your mom is such a cool cat. Of course she knows how to can!!! :) Did she teach you too?

Jill said...

Maybe Edward will hire your team for his next movie....you'll fit right in! :)

I love how much fun you had in this race. I hope you have many, many more adventures!

Unknown said...

What a fun race! Now you need a chance to throw balloons at them!

Kate Geisen said...

I'm off to watch your video now, but this sounds like soooo much fun...other than the getting lost. :) But that just adds to the story.

That Edward picture just takes away my interest in watching the movie (for now). The Edward in my head is just so much better looking. :)

Amanda@runninghood said...

This looks so fun! You got some great pictures too.

Terzah said...

Looks like FUN! I'd love to do a race like this someday. I did Muddy Buddy with the husband and that was fun, but I want HARDER obstacles!

Jail Break said...

Jeez, love the race venue. That was really great, Congratulations to all the participants for a great job. Looking forward for more races to come in honor of Nick. Go for it !