last trek closed/canceled

Apparently no one told HBP at the last bike drop that the last trek was canceled. They could've biked back out to where they just came from (an hour away)to try to get some more CP's, but quickly declined! Great job HBP!!!

HBP finishes!

they just crossed the finish line! I think with 26 CPs.

HBP spotted

just saw HBP on horse trail...looked strong, muddy, and determined!

mudpit

my first checkpoint!

I decided to hunt for a checkpoint while waiting for my next encounter with HBP... checkpoint 17. Teams had to bike thru a horsetrail (aka mudpit) to get here. I trekked.

BTW, HBP had at least 21 CP's when they headed out earlier this morning.

And their off...again!

HBP headed out for more punishment about 25 minutes ago.  Their plan is to get 6 or 7 more CP's before the race cut-off at 1:07pm today.  Their little nap helped with sleepiness, but made them stiffen up.  Dry clothes, socks, and shoes made them feel a lot better as well.  Still smiling, well maybe not so much in the picture below, but trust me, they're having fun!

They're sawing logs here at the TA!

HBP back in TA

HBP is back from TA.  They were falling asleep on the bike in so they took the safe route and decided to walk there bike for a while.  They're gonna sleep here for about an hour before heading back out there at day break.

cold night

just spotted HBP on bikes about 8 miles from the TA. They looked really cold, but still spirited. The O-course gave them a little trouble (nice way of saying they got lost again).

HBP is finished trek!

There off on their bikes now to CP 13. they got a little lost on the trek but perservered. They still haven't missed a CP.

a little nervous

HBP is now one of the last 2 teams on this trekking leg. Hopefully they come in soon!

here's the pic

Stealing Wi-Fi

I know I owe y'all some pictures, but bear with me...

After HBP left the boats, I stuck around to see if teams would miss the 3pm cut-off, and yes they did!  It was hard to watch as the race folks informed them that they would be penalized 1 cp for every minute they were late.  In other words, the teams who more than five minutes late were now back down to 0 checkpoints!  Ouch!  It was hard to watch so I left. 

I got lost on my way to the next bike drop because I lost my map (good thing I'm not racing!).  I stumbled across a team on bikes so I just followed them in to the bike drop.  As I pulled up, there were the pink jerseys (and yes, HBP is the only team here with pink jerseys).  They looked a lot warmer and happier now as you can see in the picture.  They picked up 2 more CP's along the way and are now headed off on a relatively short trek.

Oh yeah, I'm without cell phone recption right now but have managed to find a wi-fi signal  coming from "Big John's House" out here in the middle of nowhere...no sign of any civilization....hmmm?  Thanks Big John, wherever you are!

HBP off the water!

HBP is off the water and had a great paddle. They look like the wind got the best of them, but still smiling. They are in no worse than 24th place. There is still 22 boats on the water.

3pm cutoff!

No sign of HBP at canoe take-out yet. Wind is pretty brutal. A lot of teams skipped paddle CP's just to get off the water. Teams must be off the water by 3pm... gonna be tight!

HBP clears paddle CPs

I just spotted HBP shortly after punching CP4. They're still smiling and have finished all the paddle checkpoints. Now the long paddle back to their bikes. BTW they are ahead of Vignette! Pictures soon to come!

lunch

eating lunch at Betty's Cafe which is completely decorated in Lucille Ball stuff/junk/artwork.

update #4

HBP was the 35th team (out of 67) to take off in the canoe. They looked great... all smiles.

Update #3 - Race start

Sorry for the delay, hectic morning...
Woke up around 4am.  Temps in low 40's and breezy.  Teams received maps and all UTMs at 5am.  They plotted points til about 6:15 am.  They were instructed to bring their bikes to the end of the road so the race could begin with a short sprint to to their bikes.  Last few details were announced just before 7am.  Race actually started 7:07am with a cannon boom (very loud).  Here's a shot just before the start.

HBP's plan was to stay near the back of the pack to avoid the stampede.   They safely mounted their bikes and headed off without incident.  Here's a shot of the galloping headlamps.

A couple of teams weren't so lucky and crashes ensued.  The girl on Team #44 appeared to have the worst crash when another biker clipped her handlebars.  The medics were tending to her a mere half mile from the start.  Here shoulder/arm was obviously in severe pain.

The pack headed off on a 25 mile bike to CP1 and the canoe put-in.

National Championships update #2 - Pre-Race meeting

Pre-race meeting is over.  There was a great vibe in the room...full of energy.  I admit, I really wish I was racing tomorrow.  Lori was pretty excited after the meeting because Robin Benincasa (adventure racing icon) gave her some Starbuck's coffee packets.  Below is a picture of Robin talking to the field. 

Hefner Bunny Pie (referred to as HBP from here on out) is now making some gear adjustments based on some of the info revealed at the meeting along with a final gear check.  They appear to be pretty excited and a touch nervous.  The race directors have been making numerous last minute course changes today because of the 5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.  The weather has passed and the next 2 days should be perfect race weather...well, maybe a little windy.  Here's a shot of tonight's sunset.

Maps and checkpoint coordinates will be handed out at 5am tomorrow (Friday).  Cgeck back then!

National Championships update #1 - Mystery event #1 ????

They're all checked in and ready to race.  The pre-race meeting starts at 7pm.  More later...

Lori wins 2009 Fontainebleau Adventure Duathlon!

This past weekend Lori and I headed to Mandeville to participate in this year's edition of the Fontainbleau Adventure Duathlon.  This race was part of the Greater New Orleans Northshore Adventure Weekend.  There were five different events to choose from on Saturday and Sunday.  We chose to race in the duathlon on Saturday morning.  The course was in perfect condition for an offroad race...wet, muddy, and cold!  Lori tore up the course and won the female division (she also finshed 7th overall...male and female).  Paul finished 6th overall and 3rd in the "guys named Paul" division.  I also had what I consider to be a succesfull race and finished a little more towards the front of the middle of the pack than usual.  Congrats to Lori and Paul!  Here's a post race picture:

After the race, Lori and I stuck around to volunteer for the Kids Adventure Challenge Experience.  We hasd a great time watching the all the kids do events like paddling, scavenger hunts, fun run, trail ride, inflatable obstacle course, mystery events, and a rockwall.  We both highly recommend the KACE...it is a wonderful event for families.