2007 Results. Click on link for 2004, 2005, 2006

Results for the 2007 Desert Rage Series.....

Desert Rage Mohave (Finale)

Lake Mohave we're told had received .7 inches of rain in 2007 until Friday.  Since then, that number has more than doubled.  Call if fortuitous, but what is it about Adventure Racers that brings out the best in trying weather!?! ...Forget about the winds forecast to gust past 30 mph on the lake. 

For the Desert Rage Finale, teams were in for a challenge.  To begin, teams had to find 3 checkpoints, one of which was a slot canyon that had a small waterfall streaming in through it as teams stamped their passports over a 2 mile run.  Then, a 22.5 mile bike ride had teams climbing up a gradual 1000 feet and having to navigate on old mining roads before witnessing a sunrise that many described as spectacular when it was visible between storm clouds.

After biking, teams went out for a 6 mile paddle from Telephone Cove to Princess Cove before beginning a 5 mile trek in search of 3 more remote points, one of which was a 600 foot climb to the highest peak in the area. 

Teams Adventure Racing Concepts (Dennis & Tara Paprocki, Jim & Jane Holmes), Kayak Lake Mead (Robert & Druce Finlay, Amy VanVoorst) and Monster Energy (Dave & Windy Marks, Jack London) were trading the lead all day long and after the trek, Monster emerged victorious garnering first for the race and the series. 

We look forward to seeing all of you in February at Saguaro Lake for the start of the 2008 Desert Rage series.  A special thanks to all of our great volunteers in 2007 for making the sport possible, and the racers who've continued to make our sport great.  In 08, you can look forward to new twists and turns as we bring you new races, new formats, new venues, new distances and new challenges.  We at Sierra Adventure Sports would like to thank you for continued patronage and we'll continue to strive for improvement in every event we promote.  Also, in spring 2009, look forward to Arizona's first multi-day expedition race! 

Thanks also to our sponsors: REI, Hammer Nutrition, Road ID, Racelab, Zanfel, BootcampChicks.com, AxisGear.ca, & MtnRacingSports.com.

A special Thanks to Greg & Denise McHale of the Yukon Adventure Challenge for their donation of a free entry to the winning team as well as Cobra Kayaks

Preliminary results. Any questions, please email us.  Pictures

Desert Rage Phoenix at Needle Rock 11-3-07
Team Rising Man in Bootleg Canyon.  Pictures
 

Desert Rage Needle Rock turned out to be one of the most exciting/interesting races yet, as challenging navigation took it’s toll, up and coming teams stepped it up, and a number of soloists shook up the entire race. 

Results below write-up.

Long course teams started in the dark at 6am on their way to three orienteering points.  Two were relatively simple along forest roads, while a third was at the bottom of a wash and walled in by a lot of scrub, cactus and mesquite.  Upon completing these initial three cp’s, long course teams began a bike ride in which another CP was placed in a remarkably challenging spot in a wash.  CP 5 was placed in a wash along an old forest service road that had been decommissioned some time ago.  The road is still there, but what made it most challenging is that the area where the road connected up to the main thoroughfare was not apparent due to road grading and the fact that the entrance was at or near eye level as teams passed it by. 

Nearly every single long course team spent considerable time looking for it, and only after focusing on bike pace and bends in the road were they able to finally find it.  We had reports coming in of teams spending between 15 minutes and 3 hours looking for the roads entrance.  Most long course teams clicked off the remaining two cp’s relatively easily which took them along old forest service and power line roads for 13 miles. 

Coming off the initial Orienteer and bike, soloist Mark Hawthorne was blazing an amazing lead, with team Adventure Racing Concepts first in the ¾ coed division. 

Meanwhile, Recreational Course teams had to visit those same three initial orienteering points, though with a 7am start, they had the benefit of sunlight to help move along faster.  By 9am, they too were all off on the bike section.  Team Gilmore Adventure Race led the way out on the bike. 

A single mystery event had teams building pvc plumbing for about 15 feet and shuttling water back and forth with cups in order to fill a 2 gallon bucket.

The remaining portion of the race was identical for long and rec course teams who followed old roads to the bottom of Bootleg Canyon not far from Bartlett Dam.  With the exception of a few hunters, very few people ever see this gorgeous canyon, and for those teams who didn’t quite make it this far, we highly recommend going out for a hike and checking it out…It’s amazing.  The most distance checkpoint flag was hidden at the bottom of a three sided slot canyon.  By three sided we mean to say that it’s also the bottom of a 30 foot waterfall (see pic above), so water falls in and washes out making it an extraordinary place.  Special thanks to David Erhart of team Rising Man for the pictures of it. 

A special Thanks here to Jared Ihnen and his brother Dan for serving as volunteers and EMT at this CP.  The area between the TA and the bottom of the Bootleg canyon is nearly inaccessible by vehicle and having them their made this course possible. 

From the canyon, teams began a torturous hike a bike in what turned out to be a HOT day in November with temps in the upper 90’s.  A ride west to the final CP and a fast ride downhill in to the TA spelled Victory on the long course for Dennis Paprocki, Jim Holmes, Jane Larkindale, and Jack London of team Adventure Racing Concepts. 

In a surprise burst, soloist Ron Birks came rolling in next, followed by Bad Energy's Tim Stefek, Bill Crowther & Todd Pendleton.  Team Rising Man turned it on like we’ve never witnessed before and showed that they are a force to be reckoned with, while team Freedom pushed hard all day and finished with just 50 seconds left on the clock. 

In the rec course division, Gilmore Adventure Race came screaming in for what looked like another first place finish only to discover they’d skipped by the final CP and were going to have to go back out and get it.  Meanwhile, another soloist, Gary Parkinson of team How’s My Driving swooped in for the overall victory on the rec course, while team Madness came in for second overall, followed by Gilmore having returned from their second journey. 

And it didn't end their.  Remember the song "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider?  It goes "Lunatic Fringe, I know you're out there".  Well sure enough, Chuck and Phil of Lunatic Fringe were in fact 'out there' til dark riding in the last section from the bike drop.  NEVER SURRENDER!  Great job!

There is a story to tell for every team racing on Saturday, and we hope you’ll share it on AARB@YahooGroups.com newsgroup and/or www.Adventure-Race-Reports.com.  We look forward to reading it.  If you have any pictures to share, we’d love to post them on the website, just send em’ in to Info at Sierra Adventure Sports dot com. 

Next race, Desert Rage Finale at Lake Mohave near Laughlin, NV.  It’s a big one, and we’ll have kayaking for sure.  We hope to see you there!! 

Thanks to all of our racers, Kim, Jared, Dan, volunteers, REI, Hammer Nutrition, www.Bootcampchicks.com, AARB@YahooGroups.com, www.AxisGear.ca, & Road ID. 

Want to improve your navigation?  This Sunday at 9am, the Phoenix Orienteering club is hosting their Coon Bluff meet.  You don’t want to miss this!  Tell them you are and adventure racer so they can direct you to the most appropriate course.  It's dirt cheap and lots of fun.

We’ll be hosting a navigation clinic at Dreamy Draw Park on Sunday 11/18 which includes 3-4 hours of instruction on using a compass, setting a bearing, map reading, strategy, pace counting,  etc.  We spend at least 2 of those hours going after pre-set checkpoints and practicing together.  Look for info on our events page.  Class will be limited to 10 people and everyone will receive the Piestewa Peak Navigation and Orienteering practice guide as your text.  Everyone who’s participated in the past has walked away feeling much stronger at navigation. 

Results for 11-2-07 Desert Rage Needle Rock.   Pictures

Desert Rage San Diego at Lake Hodges 10-20-07

Lake Hodges proved to be the perfect venue for a great adventure race this past Saturday.  Sunday wouldn't have worked so well, and had it been two days later, it would have been cancelled.  As of this writing, fires are raging in Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, and are encroaching upon Rancho Santa Fe.  That's a full surround of Lake Hodges.  Our hopes and prayers go out to all of our adventure racers and their families in the surrounding area. 

The race started with teams having to make a choice between paddling to a remote checkpoint or running it.  The run, a bit over 4 miles proved to be much longer time wise than the paddle at under 1.5 miles, with leaders taking a ten minute advantage within the first hour of the race.  That little bit of strategizing played out ever more importantly as those ten minutes were every so valuable to the first five teams that finished, all within 20 minutes of one another. 

The first mystery event involved balancing a foam golf ball atop a tee, and making a lap around a cone just 12 feet away. Sounds easy, but with the adrenaline a pumpin', and arms weary from that initial paddle, some teams took as long as 20 minutes to complete the task.  Next up, biking.  Teams rode fast wide trails all the way into Kit Carson park, stamping 3 different points along the way before heading up Bernardo Mt.  Strategy played another big role here as there were an infinite number of routes to take both to and from the mountain before returning to the TA. 

Mystery event number two had teams creating PVC plumbing in order to move water 12 feet, while having to shuttle it back and forth in 16 ounce cups.  Some teams really made this look easy, while others were engineering every last ounce out of the pipes and taking some time to do it.  Paddling came next with an mile paddle out toward I-15 and then back to the west end of the lake.  Heavy winds kicked up around noon.  For safety and the ability to continue experiencing the remainder of the race, 25% of teams dropped a distant paddle CP. 

Upon completing the paddle, teams were considered official finishers, however, they could improve their placement by going out on foot after 5 orienteering points placed throughout the park. 

Josh and Veronica Williams came in first overall with a time of 5 hours 18 minutes taking first in the two person division.  Team AVIA's Michael Gabor, Tim Derrick, Beth Dressler and Brian McCarthy finished just minutes later at 5:26.  Nice Job everyone!!  And Thanks for coming. 

For those competing for the Desert Rage series, points can be earned at Desert Rage Needle Rock (Phoenix) and at the finale at Lake Mohave.

A HUGE thanks to our volunteers: Catherine, Pete, Landon, Pam, Summer, Betsy, Ray, Larry, and Kim (I hope I didn't forget anyone) for making it possible. 

We also have some pretty awesome sponsors that we hope you patronize: REI, Hammer Nutrition, Zanfel, Bootcampchicks.com, Road ID, Racelab, Axis Gear, SCARABS & AARBS.  And, Thanks to Lake Hodges & Staff along with the San Dieguito River Park.  THANK YOU!  These are the sponsors helping to build AR. 

FYI...Many will tell you that the single greatest way you can improve your ability to adventure race is to improve your navigation.  We highly encourage you to go to a local orienteering meet...and this weekend is a BIG one put on by the Los Angeles Orienteering Club