Ironman step aside. There’s never been a better time for outdoor enthusiasts to put their physical and mental strength to test while having fun in the mud.
Not only are there more options for races, more people than ever are flocking to these events. From trail running and cross-country biking to obstacle courses and adventure racing, there is no shortage of options for fun in the mud.
Organizers of the Tough Mudder race, a British Special Forces-designed obstacle course, estimate that in 2012 roughly 500,000 people participated in the 35 events they held worldwide. The first Canadian Tough Mudder race was held in Whistler in 2011. Spring 2013, the Mudd, Sweat and Tears obstacle course event started in Kelowna and held four races in different locations around the province hoping to attract athletes looking for a similar fitness challenge.
Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) is one of the longest running of its kind celebrating its 14th year and 35th race this season. This race requires teams to kayak, mountain bike, trail run, orienteer and trek their way over some of the toughest terrain the West Coast can throw at adventure seekers. For the past four years, the race has been voted “Best Adventure Race in Western Canada” by Get Out There magazine. This year the race was held in the Comox Valley, September 21, and many racers reported that the course was “both one of the best and one of the toughest in MOMAR history.”
Two veteran teams of racers travelled from Powell River to join the action. Racing Out of the Riv is the name of Graham Cocksedge, Chris Bratseth, Lucienne Ervington and Erik Hanson’s team. Sally and the Girls was comprised of Sally Watson, Inge Tholen, Wanda Griffioen and Anamieke Tataryn.
Teams from one to four participants had the choice of competing on a 50-kilometre enduro or 30-kilometre sports race.
Over 450 people participated, though only about half were able to complete the whole course. “Many teams didn’t make the cut-off times throughout the course and were forced to skip checkpoints,” said Bryan Tasaka, race director. “I think it was an eye-opener for some teams, but that’s what an adventure race is all about—every adventure is different.”
The Enduro Course started with a 10-kilometre paddle on Comox Lake, followed by an 11-kilometre trek up a mountain then down to downtown Cumberland. From there, teams began a 12-kilometre mountain bike ascent, gaining 500 metres in elevation. Once at the top, racers changed into their running shoes for a trail run, searching for four checkpoints. The final stage was a downhill mountain bike ride to town. The course ended in downtown Cumberland, bringing great energy to the finish line.
Racing Out of the Riv ran the longer course and placed first out of all teams of four and 11th overall. “The course was absolutely epic and it really pushed us to our limit as a team,” said Bratseth. They completed the race in 6:13:13, which is about an hour longer than past races. Two years ago they came in second, and they “have done quite well” over the four or five times they have done it together in years past.
Cocksedge said his team members stay fit throughout the year and treat the race seriously though they participate in it “for the pure enjoyment. It was one of the toughest but probably best courses we’ve covered as a team at MOMAR,” he said. “It creates common bonds and each year they get stronger.”
Teamwork is a big part of the race and Cocksedge said that over the years team members have developed a system where each has a job throughout the race. One example is the orienteering part of the course, “where one person will be on the map and double check with everyone. We just fall into our grooves and some people are stronger at some points than others. We just stick to that every year and it all works out.”
MOMAR teams are required to stay together throughout all parts of the challenge and are docked time if any team member goes out of visual range. Members regularly check in with each other every few minutes along the course, said Cocksedge. He added that part of the reason the team of teachers participates is to live the love of outdoors they teach their students.
The overall winners of the 50-kilometre Enduro Course were a team of two from Nanaimo, with a time of 5:04:00, followed by solitary racers from Revelstoke at 5:05:09 and Courtenay at 5:24:13.
Sally and the Girls, one of only two all-women, four-person teams, completed the Enduro Course in 7:22:35. They lost to the other all-women, four-person team by just over two minutes.
“I love mountain biking and trail running, so it’s the technical challenges of the single-track trails and the beauty which drew me to it initially,” said Griffioen, who has completed the race three times. “It’s really fun to do with a group. You get together and you map it out. You have to work together. It’s not like separate little legs. I find that appealing.”
This year was the second time that Griffioen convinced her daughter Tataryn to race with her.
The number of racers has increased every year because past participants enter again and after talking about how much fun they had, they bring their friends, said Griffioen.
“I’ve done a few triathlons, but I find that this is so much more exciting,” she added. “The whole element of finding your own way and getting to those checkpoints, it’s a little more freestyle.”
Griffioen, who rides with Powell River’s Wild Women cycling club, said she found Cumberland’s more technical downhill trails challenging. “We don’t have those kinds of trails in Powell River.”
In the middle of the race, they were not sure that they would put themselves through the race again next year, she said, but a day later things looked different. They decided that they will go over to Cumberland for more practice to prepare for next year. “It would be really cool to have more teams from Powell River compete,” she added. “It’s fun to come across the finish line and have those guys and people from your home town at the finish line cheering you on.”
Readers can check online for more information about MOMAR, Tough Mudder and Mudd, Sweat and Tears.
