The WINTER CHALLENGE XVI - a little over a month to go
The 16th running of the greatest race in the South is right around the corner and your brohams are getting good and fired up. To maximize the racing bliss (ours included), we need a headcount sooner rather than later, so if you aren't yet on the books, then by all means head this way to remedy the matter right away.
And if you want to join us for some bonus camping bliss, we think that'd be pretty awesome too. Hell, show up early on Friday and help us clean up on Sunday if you please. Plus, Nature Adventures Outfitters is now fully stocked with camping gear and stands ready to support your good time, whether you just need a kayak or plan to spend the weekend. Details over here.
And if you want to join us for some bonus camping bliss, we think that'd be pretty awesome too. Hell, show up early on Friday and help us clean up on Sunday if you please. Plus, Nature Adventures Outfitters is now fully stocked with camping gear and stands ready to support your good time, whether you just need a kayak or plan to spend the weekend. Details over here.
About the race
In its 16th year, the Winter Challenge features a 23-mile off-road triathlon as the main event, including a 7-mile trail run, 6-mile kayak, and a 10-mile mountain bike. We offer 2 or 3 person relay options for the tri, as well as a duathlon for those who don't love the idea of getting in a boat in mid-February.
The whole event takes place on our family's private farm in rural Springfield, South Carolina, built on a beautiful and rugged wilderness setting including two-hundred year old trails, a 75-acre pond, blackwater swamp, and at its heart, the South Edisto River. The Winter Challenge has served to bring our family and community closer, concentrating our collective attention on a patch of land we hold dear. By extension, we’re fortunate to have developed strong friendships and lasting bonds with some of toughest, most active athletes and voices from the Southeast and beyond.
Participants include diehard cyclists, runners, kayakers, mountain bikers, triathletes, coaches, race directors, you name it… the types who train year round and use the WC as a mid-winter objective to keep them stoked through the colder off-season months.
To maintain the positive vibe of a small, tight-knit-community-oriented race, we keep it pretty small (sold out three weeks early last year at 175!). As a result, we’ve built an extremely loyal and committed following, and are pleased to see many of the same faces year after year. There may be bigger, higher visibility events, but I don’t think you’ll find one with as solid and dedicated a group as shows up on Dome Farms year after year.
In a nutshell, it's 23-miles of pure racing bliss.
The whole event takes place on our family's private farm in rural Springfield, South Carolina, built on a beautiful and rugged wilderness setting including two-hundred year old trails, a 75-acre pond, blackwater swamp, and at its heart, the South Edisto River. The Winter Challenge has served to bring our family and community closer, concentrating our collective attention on a patch of land we hold dear. By extension, we’re fortunate to have developed strong friendships and lasting bonds with some of toughest, most active athletes and voices from the Southeast and beyond.
Participants include diehard cyclists, runners, kayakers, mountain bikers, triathletes, coaches, race directors, you name it… the types who train year round and use the WC as a mid-winter objective to keep them stoked through the colder off-season months.
To maintain the positive vibe of a small, tight-knit-community-oriented race, we keep it pretty small (sold out three weeks early last year at 175!). As a result, we’ve built an extremely loyal and committed following, and are pleased to see many of the same faces year after year. There may be bigger, higher visibility events, but I don’t think you’ll find one with as solid and dedicated a group as shows up on Dome Farms year after year.
In a nutshell, it's 23-miles of pure racing bliss.
The WINTER CHALLENGE BLISS REPORT - Edition XV
On February 17, 2018, in a remote part of rural South Carolina, something went down in a serious way. Yes, there were those who won (Chuck and Katie) and those who did not (everyone else). But really, how much could that really matter when there was so much Winter Challenge Racing Bliss to be had in that mild February air, courtesy of all those on the production staff, and of course all of you. You made it complete.
Winter Challenge XV. The race start was around 10:30 (Williams-time), at a start temperature of approx. 71.6F (according to Weather Underground) and approximately 173 dauntless participants.
The weeks leading up to the race had been promising. Pat Williams, our indefatigable patriarch, had carved and finely tuned several miles of brand new trails in an effort to eliminate doubling back, while opening up heretofore unseen parts of the farm… new terrain (terra incognita as he calls it). Of particular note, a key part of the run was reconfigured so that what was formerly a double slog through a muddy bog was now a single sprint through the same, with firm footing (terra firma, if you will) and a manageable hurdle over a pair of small creeks on the return trip.
The bike course was expanded to include a new single track with some challenging grunt hills followed by a fine dip into a sloppy creek bed, one which grew sloppier, and therefore even more bliss-filled as race day progressed.
In the leadup, the Old Man, Pete Chaplin, Lisa, Leslie, and I chainsawed, lopped, mowed and blew trails, with it Winter Challenge Weekend coming into plain sight, in all its glory. Group rides over the bike course served to help pack the trail down a bit, and the feedback from the cyclists was encouraging.
In this Winter Challenger’s opinion, the course changes were the pièce de résistance of this year’s production, though I’m pretty certain the rest of you enjoyed them just as much. Hat’s off to Patrick J. Williams for his ceaseless determination to keep the WC exciting and fresh!
Winter Challenge XV. The race start was around 10:30 (Williams-time), at a start temperature of approx. 71.6F (according to Weather Underground) and approximately 173 dauntless participants.
The weeks leading up to the race had been promising. Pat Williams, our indefatigable patriarch, had carved and finely tuned several miles of brand new trails in an effort to eliminate doubling back, while opening up heretofore unseen parts of the farm… new terrain (terra incognita as he calls it). Of particular note, a key part of the run was reconfigured so that what was formerly a double slog through a muddy bog was now a single sprint through the same, with firm footing (terra firma, if you will) and a manageable hurdle over a pair of small creeks on the return trip.
The bike course was expanded to include a new single track with some challenging grunt hills followed by a fine dip into a sloppy creek bed, one which grew sloppier, and therefore even more bliss-filled as race day progressed.
In the leadup, the Old Man, Pete Chaplin, Lisa, Leslie, and I chainsawed, lopped, mowed and blew trails, with it Winter Challenge Weekend coming into plain sight, in all its glory. Group rides over the bike course served to help pack the trail down a bit, and the feedback from the cyclists was encouraging.
In this Winter Challenger’s opinion, the course changes were the pièce de résistance of this year’s production, though I’m pretty certain the rest of you enjoyed them just as much. Hat’s off to Patrick J. Williams for his ceaseless determination to keep the WC exciting and fresh!
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So, who won the Winter Challenge, you ask?
Well, to the surprise of no one, Chuck Hiers and Katie Malone took home the Brass Belt Buckles once again, their names now taking up even more space on the Winter Challenge Cup. In a time of 2:35, Chuck led the field. Katie followed suit for the ladies, crossing the finish line in 2:58.
Well, to the surprise of no one, Chuck Hiers and Katie Malone took home the Brass Belt Buckles once again, their names now taking up even more space on the Winter Challenge Cup. In a time of 2:35, Chuck led the field. Katie followed suit for the ladies, crossing the finish line in 2:58.
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Triathlon - Individual Hombres
1st Place - Chuck Hiers 2:35 2nd Place - Andy Davis 2:36 Masters 50+ Rich Jordan 3:00:04 Relay - Hombres or Mixed 1st Place Team- The Leftovers- Braxton Carter, David Lyle, Duathlon 1st Place Male - Scott Murr 1:43 Triathlon Splits Run - Andy Davis 51:30 Kayak - Bruce Poacher 49:23 Bike - Billy Mac 45:02 Relay Splits Run- Team Pacman Kayak- Thunderstruck Bike- The Leftovers Complete Results found right over here. |
Triathlon - Individual Ladies
1st Place - Katie Malone 2:58 2nd Place - Steph Hoke 3:19 Masters 50+ Kim McPoyle 3:35:57 Relay - Ladies 1st Place - Fox Force 3 - Bekah Hollingsworth, Leslie Chaplin, Lisa Williams Duathlon 1st Place Female - Katherine Blackwood Triathlon Splits Run - Katie Malone 1:01:41 Kayak - Katie Malone 1:01:39 Bike - Female- Katie Malone 53:55 Complete Results found right over here. |
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So much love and support for this fine race
Stacked high and wide, the Awards Table gaveth until nearly everyone walked away with something excellent, ranging from Astral PFD’s, a pair of handcrafted leather work aprons from Calavera Tool Works, Gear Bags from Diamondback Toolbelts, a huge pile of gear from Park Tool, loads of Official Pint Glasses from Outspokin, gift certificates from Epic Kayaks, and so much more on top of all of that. As most of you surely realize, we do this for love of the community that has built up around the race, and surely not because it makes us wealthy. The Winter Challenge is a labor of love and simply would not happen were it not for the incredible generosity of all our sponsors, large and small. All that said, we want to offer sincere thanks to Brian from Outspokin’ Bicycles, Sean from Under Armour, Michael and Connor from Calavera and Diamondback, Chris Williams of ERA Wilder Realty, Katie Malone! from Malone Coaching, Lone Star Barbecue for the good eats, the fine people at Astral, the generous folks from Hammer Nutrition, Tom from Terra Nova, Fred from The Ulmer Agency, Chris Roland of Palmetto Engineering, Eric at Park Tool, Dennis and Brian from Printing Partners, Waylon and his whole crew from Epic Kayaks, Pete Chaplin of Pete’s Pests, the Hollingsworths of Hutto’s Transmissions, Matthew from brand-new sponsor Misfit Mountain, and notably, Gary Geiger from Country Clear Water who hooked up all that Winter Challenge Branded water! And not least among sponsors, we'd like to thank REI for helping us take camping to a whole other level of cool. Thank You’s also to those individuals who devoted time and energy necessary to make it possible: Pat Williams, Lisa Williams, Marie Williams, Pete and Leslie Chaplin, Lee and Bekah Hollingsworth, Dan and Luke Clossman, Greg Williams, Ron Prott, Barnwell Sherriff’s Department, Zach Keister, the whole team at Nature Adventures, Calvin Garner, and last but not least, Michaels’ Hat (with a personality all its own)! |
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Ready for more? Get in the books for 2019 right now
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On top of a crazy-eddie-early-reg price, you've got that discount code from your race packet, right? Plus, the first Ten Registrations will receive a chic Winter Challenge Ballcap (like those you’ve seen the cool people wear)! So don’t dilly-dally! Get Registered today, because it’s never too early or too late to be cool!
Thanks for being part of the adventure! And never forget… Life Isn’t Always Easy! |
Stay TunedGive us a follow on the Instapage or the Facesite to get the latest updates, including the aforementioned photos, and race recaps.
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