Race Updates!
Camping!!! Dome Farms is well... massive. As such, there is plenty of room for anyone and everyone to camp! If you aren't able to make it happen in the registration form, not to worry!!! We'll take care of business come race weekend.
For more details on the great outdoors, Winter Challenge style, head this way.
More updates below.
For more details on the great outdoors, Winter Challenge style, head this way.
More updates below.
First, A review of the basics
Triathlon
As always, the main event at the Winter Challenge is an off-road triathlon consisting of a 7-Mile Trail Run, a 6-Mile Kayak, and a 10-Mile Mountain Bike.
Triathlon Relay
For those interested in teaming up, a Relay option will be available, allowing you to compete as a 2 or 3 person team. And if you're having trouble finding a teammate, give us a shout and we'll do our best to pair you up with someone. Even better, give a shout out on our Facebook page, and you're sure to find some takers.
Duathlon
The Winter Challenge also features a Duathlon consisting of 7 miles of Trail Running and 10 miles of Mountain Biking. The Duathlon course is broken into three segments -- a 2.25 mile run, followed by an 10-mile bike, and finishing with a 4.75 mile run, all based on the same route as the full triathlon. The duathlon has grown considerably over the years, becoming a veritable all-out sprint from start to finish.
As always, the main event at the Winter Challenge is an off-road triathlon consisting of a 7-Mile Trail Run, a 6-Mile Kayak, and a 10-Mile Mountain Bike.
Triathlon Relay
For those interested in teaming up, a Relay option will be available, allowing you to compete as a 2 or 3 person team. And if you're having trouble finding a teammate, give us a shout and we'll do our best to pair you up with someone. Even better, give a shout out on our Facebook page, and you're sure to find some takers.
Duathlon
The Winter Challenge also features a Duathlon consisting of 7 miles of Trail Running and 10 miles of Mountain Biking. The Duathlon course is broken into three segments -- a 2.25 mile run, followed by an 10-mile bike, and finishing with a 4.75 mile run, all based on the same route as the full triathlon. The duathlon has grown considerably over the years, becoming a veritable all-out sprint from start to finish.
More updates? Sure.
The coolest promo we've ever run - Winter Challenge Bonus Bliss!
For every brand new participant who drops your name (collected during reg process) as the one who roped them in, we're hooking you up with what we're calling Winter Challenge Bonus Bliss. That's means $10 per head that you can use towards official WC gear, camping or even towards next year's Reg!
- $10 Winter Challenge Ducats for each (brand new) participant who drops your name in the online reg form (no exceptions).
- Oh, and every one of those brand new Winter Challengers... they get a free WC Pint Glass as just reward for their inaugural race!
- Spread the word and your bliss may just be on the house next year!
We always need that Sponsor Love
The Winter Challenge is only possible through the generous support of our excellent Sponsors. If you know a local/national business that might enjoy some of what we're cooking, or if you as an individual would like to increase your support of this fine event, then hit us up and let's make it happen. Sponsor packages start at $250. Drop us a note!
T-Shirts
We're about to fire up the order for t-shirts but we can't order your size if you're not on the books. So get there already! Register right now!
Camping
There was a glitch on the website stating that camping was sold out. If you've ever been on the farm, you know better than that already. Plenty of room for all, good folks. If you weren't able to pre-reg for camping, just plan on slipping us some fins on race weekend. Details on camping here.
That's all for now. And remember... a party is best when there is an abundance of cool people. So spread the word!
Be cool, good people. Be cool.
Chris and Michael Williams
Race Management
For every brand new participant who drops your name (collected during reg process) as the one who roped them in, we're hooking you up with what we're calling Winter Challenge Bonus Bliss. That's means $10 per head that you can use towards official WC gear, camping or even towards next year's Reg!
- $10 Winter Challenge Ducats for each (brand new) participant who drops your name in the online reg form (no exceptions).
- Oh, and every one of those brand new Winter Challengers... they get a free WC Pint Glass as just reward for their inaugural race!
- Spread the word and your bliss may just be on the house next year!
We always need that Sponsor Love
The Winter Challenge is only possible through the generous support of our excellent Sponsors. If you know a local/national business that might enjoy some of what we're cooking, or if you as an individual would like to increase your support of this fine event, then hit us up and let's make it happen. Sponsor packages start at $250. Drop us a note!
T-Shirts
We're about to fire up the order for t-shirts but we can't order your size if you're not on the books. So get there already! Register right now!
Camping
There was a glitch on the website stating that camping was sold out. If you've ever been on the farm, you know better than that already. Plenty of room for all, good folks. If you weren't able to pre-reg for camping, just plan on slipping us some fins on race weekend. Details on camping here.
That's all for now. And remember... a party is best when there is an abundance of cool people. So spread the word!
Be cool, good people. Be cool.
Chris and Michael Williams
Race Management
The WINTER CHALLENGE BLISS REPORT - Edition XVI, by John Wellens
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Here are a few photos from Saturday. If you're wondering why there is a cool little dude featured in the last photo and in the video, trust me, he belongs in this group. You'll have to read to find out why.
Upon moving to Chapin, SC in 2006 I was almost immediately referred to some crazy guy named Bill Jordan who does week-long adventure races. Bill connected me to a lot of great stuff with the Harbison trail runners being one of the key ones along with adventure racing, orienteering, paddling, and off road multi-sport. All were of interest to me but my sweet spot was any kind of multi-sport race. Enter the Winter Challenge -- the greatest of them all. |
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The Winter Challenge Triathlon is billed as 23 miles of racing bliss. The key word is "challenge" and their main slogan is "because life isn’t always easy". Held on 2000 acres of private land, this year marked the 16th annual running of the event.
The course:
Beginning with a 7 mile trail run you then paddle 6 miles in a Cypress swamp with moss, vines, woody brush, lily pads and floating logs to slow you down. The 10 mile bike course overlaps some of the run course but veers off across a paved road onto additional private land. Trails consist of some double track but the amount of single track has increased from the early days.
Land owners and race directors:
The "Old Man", Pat Williams, still owns the deed, as he likes to remind us. He always puts a ton of work into the trail system along with ever-present volunteers like Pete Chaplin. The race itself is directed by a couple dudes affectionately dubbed the "Brohams" or lesser known by their Christian names, Chris and Michael. Mostly they're known to us as Broham 1 and 2. A couple of old cabins that serve as the nerve center of the event have seen more family history on this land than anyone can likely remember. It's a special slice of heaven on earth to which many of us make our annual pilgrimage. The hospitality they offer is extended to the entire day on Friday and even through to Sunday if you prefer to make it a full weekend experience. You can choose to camp out and build yourself a private campfire or walk over to the big community bonfire and enjoy some time with a larger crowd. They attract about 100 campers each year and the place begins to look like a mini-Woodstock.
My camping experience:
I camped with my friends Ashley, Zach, Adrian, and Pete & Leslie Chaplin. We hung out by the big bonfire for a bit while REI was giving away a bunch of gear in a raffle. Near the bonfire a few guys had already invested several hours into a slow pig roast. They would trade off shifts throughout the evening to continue to shovel hot coals from the bonfire over to the pig roast area. That pig pickin' was intended for the post-race meal on Saturday. To feed the campers for Friday evening the Brohams offered pasta, venison, and excellent aged cheese.
Random people brought in offerings of fine whiskey or a variety of beer for a community cooler. In fact, for every beer you bring for the community cooler you get a raffle ticket for a Park Tool Bike Stand drawing! How cool is that? Hopefully this begins to paint the picture of just how special this event (not race) is each year. A race is a 5K run where you sign up, you run, you go home. The Winter Challenge has an unspoken aversion to that classification. It's an experience through and through.
With this being my first time camping at Dome Farms I had to remind myself many times that I wasn't just there to drink beer and sleep in the next morning. That was VERY difficult to do especially once Pete and I pulled out the guitars and Ashley graced us with her lovely voice. We even had one of the WC sponsors (Matt Davis from Misfit Mountain) come over and play some Old Crow Medicine Show for us. Pete played a bunch of Beatles tunes defying his manhood by successfully hitting the high notes as he always does. As an aside, legend has it that Sam Elliott himself knows of our own Pete Chaplin, his look-alike from SC. Pete played some great stuff by George Strait, Pink Floyd, Dan Fogelberg and others. Eventually the singing and laughter began to die down somewhere around 11 pm. I didn't want it to end but indeed we were there also to race which is far too easy to forget when you're under the spell of Dome Farms.
The course:
Beginning with a 7 mile trail run you then paddle 6 miles in a Cypress swamp with moss, vines, woody brush, lily pads and floating logs to slow you down. The 10 mile bike course overlaps some of the run course but veers off across a paved road onto additional private land. Trails consist of some double track but the amount of single track has increased from the early days.
Land owners and race directors:
The "Old Man", Pat Williams, still owns the deed, as he likes to remind us. He always puts a ton of work into the trail system along with ever-present volunteers like Pete Chaplin. The race itself is directed by a couple dudes affectionately dubbed the "Brohams" or lesser known by their Christian names, Chris and Michael. Mostly they're known to us as Broham 1 and 2. A couple of old cabins that serve as the nerve center of the event have seen more family history on this land than anyone can likely remember. It's a special slice of heaven on earth to which many of us make our annual pilgrimage. The hospitality they offer is extended to the entire day on Friday and even through to Sunday if you prefer to make it a full weekend experience. You can choose to camp out and build yourself a private campfire or walk over to the big community bonfire and enjoy some time with a larger crowd. They attract about 100 campers each year and the place begins to look like a mini-Woodstock.
My camping experience:
I camped with my friends Ashley, Zach, Adrian, and Pete & Leslie Chaplin. We hung out by the big bonfire for a bit while REI was giving away a bunch of gear in a raffle. Near the bonfire a few guys had already invested several hours into a slow pig roast. They would trade off shifts throughout the evening to continue to shovel hot coals from the bonfire over to the pig roast area. That pig pickin' was intended for the post-race meal on Saturday. To feed the campers for Friday evening the Brohams offered pasta, venison, and excellent aged cheese.
Random people brought in offerings of fine whiskey or a variety of beer for a community cooler. In fact, for every beer you bring for the community cooler you get a raffle ticket for a Park Tool Bike Stand drawing! How cool is that? Hopefully this begins to paint the picture of just how special this event (not race) is each year. A race is a 5K run where you sign up, you run, you go home. The Winter Challenge has an unspoken aversion to that classification. It's an experience through and through.
With this being my first time camping at Dome Farms I had to remind myself many times that I wasn't just there to drink beer and sleep in the next morning. That was VERY difficult to do especially once Pete and I pulled out the guitars and Ashley graced us with her lovely voice. We even had one of the WC sponsors (Matt Davis from Misfit Mountain) come over and play some Old Crow Medicine Show for us. Pete played a bunch of Beatles tunes defying his manhood by successfully hitting the high notes as he always does. As an aside, legend has it that Sam Elliott himself knows of our own Pete Chaplin, his look-alike from SC. Pete played some great stuff by George Strait, Pink Floyd, Dan Fogelberg and others. Eventually the singing and laughter began to die down somewhere around 11 pm. I didn't want it to end but indeed we were there also to race which is far too easy to forget when you're under the spell of Dome Farms.
The rest of the crowd:
After seeing so many familiar faces already from Friday night I didn't realize how many more people would be arriving on race morning who I also have known for many years. There is a whopping 80-85% of attendees who are repeat racers, many of whom I only see once per year and somehow that is enough to establish a special camaraderie to include updates on their families and whatnot. While the hospitality offered by the Williams family extends to a desire to see new people each year they are proud of this family they have created among the faithful who perennially return. As a fellow RD myself I can appreciate how an event can become your baby, so to speak. It's like a present you're offering to the best of your friends. The Brohams raise the bar about 5 notches over what the rest of us are willing to do as RD's.
Competition & keys for success:
I've done the race 10 or more times and only won it once, in 2015. In fact there is a long line of names of people who have only won it once and I believe only Chuck Heirs has been a multi-time winner. On the women's side I believe Katie Malone is threatening to rack up as many wins as Chuck now that she nailed it once again this year. Congratulations to Katie!
1. Skillset -- First and foremost you have to be pretty solid in all 3 legs of the race. If not, you're toast. There are too many people that that have this race written in indelible ink on the calendar. They know they've got game.
2. Fitness -- Beyond a decent skillset for each discipline you need to truly put the time into each one and show up with a decent level of fitness. This, I believe, is the reason that the crown has shifted so many times. As I looked over the trophy with engraved names of past champs I had to shake my head at the sheer level of talent I was viewing. There are truly some freaks on that list like the "Mighty Dog" Chip Whitworth, the Kiwi racer, Paul Humphries, the ultra-endurance freak, Bill Jordan, the ultimate adventurer, Dwight Shuler, the absolute BEAST Chuck Heirs, etc. However, every one of us will admit that we haven't always shown up in top form. For my own situation I've almost always finished in the hunt for a top 5 finish but I've dropped from 1st > 2nd > 5th > 7th since 2015. The decline was due to lack of training. Cardio was down and weight was up. A lethal combination.
3. Gear issues -- Thankfully there isn't a whole lot that can go wrong in the run except for one guy this year whose feet kept on moving as his shoe remained suctioned to muck. He had to backtrack to fish it out with index finger and thumb like a largemouth bass out of water. The bigger issue is potential damage to your boat in the form of broken rudders on logs or mechanical failure on the bike. If you can get through the last two legs unscathed with your gear and #1 and #2 above are in order then you're probably in the hunt. However, after nearly three hours of hard racing it may all still come down to a horse-race where every second counts and it's only decided by who really wants it the most.
2019 race
The national anthem began while everyone on land had removed their hats facing the American flag flapping in a stiff breeze. The only one that wasn't aware of the anthem beginning had been out for a quick paddle warm-up. Upon hearing the music he immediately stopped paddling, turned to the flag, placed his right hand over his heart, and removed his hat as he glided downwind towards shore. That was a really cool sight with sun glistening off the water.
Run -- The gun went off and I quickly spotted multiple cross country looking runners whose speed I chose not to test. I settled into 8th place for at least a mile or so as we all ran in a pack. It's always difficult to determine who is a relay runner and who is doing the full triathlon solo. I normally assume the ones wearing running attire and track shoes are going to be the relay runners, the hired guns, like Larry Jourdain, a sub 3 hour marathoner who could kick the crap out of me any day of the week. I had to remind myself that most of the folks ahead of me were not likely solo but because I didn't know that for sure I was constantly calculating gap splits on the lead runner and the other guys closer to me. The fact that I could still see the lead runner after 5-6 miles into the run course was very good news. Knowing my paddle fitness was in good form I chose not to try to chase them down and stayed just below my lactic threshold pace. I've gone over that intensity almost every year prior and it has always cost me probably 2-3 minutes on the bike split. The gap behind the lead pack was normally at around 30-40 seconds.
Robert Basha, with his swift feet, was able to extend that lead beyond one minute as he hit the transition area but anything within 2 minutes was acceptable to me. The most remarkable part of the run was the fact that some areas that had always been dry in past years were now muck and the stretches that were always difficult in the past were like a portion of the Columbia Mud Run (or parts of the most recent Hairy Bison) where you were using your arms over your head for balance as you trudged through. I suppose you could try to Kung Fu Theater your way over the top but good luck with that. There were no grasshoppers among us no matter how skinny those runners were ahead of me.
Paddle -- Everything went as hoped and expected. I actually used this portion to catch my breath from the run and stayed quite conservative in any areas where I had to ram through logs or vegetation. After a quick transition I began the paddle with only three guys ahead of me and one to my side. I scooted up ahead of two of them within the first 100 meters or so and that left only two paddlers in front of me of which I was sure at least one was a relay member rather than a solo Winter Challenger. It took a while to catch the closer of the two but when I did that shifted me for sure to 1st place overall by about mile 3 of the paddle. I was hoping to catch Lee Hollingsworth as well but he was really having a strong paddle. Knowing that I simply couldn't close the gap on Lee I focused on maintaining balance in the hairy sections to be sure I wouldn't go swimming. As it turns out from past lessons learned you can swim and still win this thing but I do NOT recommend it! As I was finishing up my 3rd lap I saw Mark Smith already shooting off on the last leg with his cyclocross bike. He looked strong and fast.
Bike -- After hopping on my bike I noticed a little tromper of a kid riding his bike in the opposite direction with his elbows in the air as if he was ready for anything that came his way. He was channeling the “Born to be Wild” tune, I reckon. I dropped my hand real low to get it in front of his face as we passed each other and gave him a "spurs up" hand signal. He didn't flinch. Never looked at my hand. He had important business. A puddle awaited that little guy. Prior to the race I had witnessed him in several areas riding his bike right into soft spots until he could not push the pedals any further. Then he'd shake the handlebars around to splash the wheel in the puddle before hopping off to push to dry land. He was equally entertaining on foot as well.
After a few minutes on the bike I began to think this was my race to lose. I was deeply inspired by the boy I just saw. That was me 40+ years ago. He even kind of looked like me at that age. Here I was out front in a race I love and I realized I had never really changed since I was his age. I was simply out having fun.
After the first loop section of about 2 miles I began to catch sight of Mark Smith, a super guy and a great father. He is the only friend I have that can rival the build of the great Lou Ferrigno. Even when wearing a shirt or jacket it's impossible not to see well-defined muscle popping out all over the place. He has in large part turned his passion to cycling in recent years. I noticed last year that I had a difficult time hanging on his wheel in group road rides in Columbia. I really didn't think I'd be able to catch him by mountain bike. I doubt he really thought that was possible either. His relay dream team was the one that landed Larry Jourdain, Lee Hollingsworth, and the Mr. Olympia himself, Mark Smith. How can you compete with that kind of talent? The good news is I was able to save my legs from a run leg where I stayed within myself for once.
Following the first section of single track is always the moment of truth to determine whether you have your legs under you or if they have been spent earlier in the day. When you hit that first double track section you can really open things up. When I began to tap into the power reserves I was pleasantly surprised. The legs were ready to party. I was feeling so good that I started to bunny hop over stuff even when it wasn’t warranted. My upper body was spared during the paddle and my legs were raring to go. I continued to bunny hop over logs that in past years I would have been too fatigued to handle. I began to play Green Day's time of your life song (goes by a different title) in my head and the emotion was already starting to settle in. At the end of a certain long straightaway at about mile 4 I used to always look back to see who may be chasing me, but for the first time this year I didn't bother. I didn't think I was likely to see anyone and I wanted to instead imagine that there was someone close enough to threaten my lead.
Mark had sensed me coming from behind and without entirely turning back to see my face he asked if I was Giles Branch, who represented relay competition for him. That was a great guess because Giles is blistering fast. He and I used to duke it out for the top overall spot at Santee. I told Mark no, I wasn't Giles. I thought he'd recognize my voice but his follow up question was "are you in the relay?" I said "no, Mark it's me". When he saw who I was I couldn't help to enjoy the incredulous expression on his face as he said, "Oh, you are a BAD man!" As if the other inspirations up to this point (the little dude stomping in puddles, the Green Day song, and leading the freaking Winter Challenge overall) weren't enough for me, now the Incredible Hulk is telling me that I am a bad man. Me. Average bloke, John Wellens. I'm certain the implied level of magnitude there has to be akin to a warrior reaching Valhalla.
From the beginning of the bike I had been cramping rather intensely in my calves. That was followed by my quads and groin area. Even my hands began to cramp. I loosened my death drip on the handlebars which helped for the hands, I massaged my calves while riding, and chugged down a little HEED at the last aid station. The cramping really didn't end up affecting my speed. The power I wanted remained there.
I would be remiss not to mention the fact that Paul Harrell from Harrell's bikes set me up with two new tires and two new tubes when I learned a few hours before my Friday departure to Dome Farms that I had a thorn in each of my tires that I apparently picked up from the course preview the prior week. If he didn't take the time to fit me in I would quite likely have been screwed.
Anyway, the last couple miles went extremely well and when I hit the hard packed dirt stretch of a driveway about 1K or so in length the emotion was really sinking in. The driveway this year had drainage areas where soil was mounded up. That made it difficult for cars to navigate but on a bike... well, those were excellent jumps to make for an even more enjoyable finish. I hit those at high speed and lifted the bike into the air just for fun. Then again about 30 meters before the finish there was a smaller bump where I did one last hop. I then rode straight to the swamp and jumped into the icy cold water, shoes and all, and floated on my back in celebration of the victory.
Following the event two people told me that my finish time was close to a course record. I shrugged that off at first. I didn't find that to be likely as I thought the 2'30" barrier was broken in the past. I went 2:31:XX this year. However, the second person to tell me that was Chris Williams who should be a pretty credible source. Now that I looked up past finishes I see that Chuck Heirs hit 2:29:XX one year when I finished 2nd to him at 2:31:XX. The trails this year were the muddiest I have seen them in all the years I have done this event. I had solid run fitness this year and even if I were to have pushed myself harder during the run there is no way I could have hit the same run times that I was able to do in the past. There were too many stretches where you are stopping and then jumping over a creek or trudging through muck and puddles. That kills your average speed. Regardless, every year is different and perhaps that year mentioned above could have had more difficult conditions for the paddle leg which I don't feel were as bad as normal this time. I don’t know; not hardly worth putting the thought into it.
With the top paddle split and top bike split this year I was very pleased to finish strongly.
My satisfaction lies in the win itself. At the ripe age of 46 you have to start to wonder how realistic it will be to regain a spot on the podium. I am reminded of Sir Edmund Hillary. His quote after summitting Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay in 1953, was "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off."
Edmund later was embarrassed when he heard that his mother learned of his language in this quote. She felt this was improper for a gentleman. Therefore, to take a lesson from a Knight, I won’t go there. I instead have a different message to you all, and to my Mother, Kathy Wellens.
Life is Good.
After seeing so many familiar faces already from Friday night I didn't realize how many more people would be arriving on race morning who I also have known for many years. There is a whopping 80-85% of attendees who are repeat racers, many of whom I only see once per year and somehow that is enough to establish a special camaraderie to include updates on their families and whatnot. While the hospitality offered by the Williams family extends to a desire to see new people each year they are proud of this family they have created among the faithful who perennially return. As a fellow RD myself I can appreciate how an event can become your baby, so to speak. It's like a present you're offering to the best of your friends. The Brohams raise the bar about 5 notches over what the rest of us are willing to do as RD's.
Competition & keys for success:
I've done the race 10 or more times and only won it once, in 2015. In fact there is a long line of names of people who have only won it once and I believe only Chuck Heirs has been a multi-time winner. On the women's side I believe Katie Malone is threatening to rack up as many wins as Chuck now that she nailed it once again this year. Congratulations to Katie!
1. Skillset -- First and foremost you have to be pretty solid in all 3 legs of the race. If not, you're toast. There are too many people that that have this race written in indelible ink on the calendar. They know they've got game.
2. Fitness -- Beyond a decent skillset for each discipline you need to truly put the time into each one and show up with a decent level of fitness. This, I believe, is the reason that the crown has shifted so many times. As I looked over the trophy with engraved names of past champs I had to shake my head at the sheer level of talent I was viewing. There are truly some freaks on that list like the "Mighty Dog" Chip Whitworth, the Kiwi racer, Paul Humphries, the ultra-endurance freak, Bill Jordan, the ultimate adventurer, Dwight Shuler, the absolute BEAST Chuck Heirs, etc. However, every one of us will admit that we haven't always shown up in top form. For my own situation I've almost always finished in the hunt for a top 5 finish but I've dropped from 1st > 2nd > 5th > 7th since 2015. The decline was due to lack of training. Cardio was down and weight was up. A lethal combination.
3. Gear issues -- Thankfully there isn't a whole lot that can go wrong in the run except for one guy this year whose feet kept on moving as his shoe remained suctioned to muck. He had to backtrack to fish it out with index finger and thumb like a largemouth bass out of water. The bigger issue is potential damage to your boat in the form of broken rudders on logs or mechanical failure on the bike. If you can get through the last two legs unscathed with your gear and #1 and #2 above are in order then you're probably in the hunt. However, after nearly three hours of hard racing it may all still come down to a horse-race where every second counts and it's only decided by who really wants it the most.
2019 race
The national anthem began while everyone on land had removed their hats facing the American flag flapping in a stiff breeze. The only one that wasn't aware of the anthem beginning had been out for a quick paddle warm-up. Upon hearing the music he immediately stopped paddling, turned to the flag, placed his right hand over his heart, and removed his hat as he glided downwind towards shore. That was a really cool sight with sun glistening off the water.
Run -- The gun went off and I quickly spotted multiple cross country looking runners whose speed I chose not to test. I settled into 8th place for at least a mile or so as we all ran in a pack. It's always difficult to determine who is a relay runner and who is doing the full triathlon solo. I normally assume the ones wearing running attire and track shoes are going to be the relay runners, the hired guns, like Larry Jourdain, a sub 3 hour marathoner who could kick the crap out of me any day of the week. I had to remind myself that most of the folks ahead of me were not likely solo but because I didn't know that for sure I was constantly calculating gap splits on the lead runner and the other guys closer to me. The fact that I could still see the lead runner after 5-6 miles into the run course was very good news. Knowing my paddle fitness was in good form I chose not to try to chase them down and stayed just below my lactic threshold pace. I've gone over that intensity almost every year prior and it has always cost me probably 2-3 minutes on the bike split. The gap behind the lead pack was normally at around 30-40 seconds.
Robert Basha, with his swift feet, was able to extend that lead beyond one minute as he hit the transition area but anything within 2 minutes was acceptable to me. The most remarkable part of the run was the fact that some areas that had always been dry in past years were now muck and the stretches that were always difficult in the past were like a portion of the Columbia Mud Run (or parts of the most recent Hairy Bison) where you were using your arms over your head for balance as you trudged through. I suppose you could try to Kung Fu Theater your way over the top but good luck with that. There were no grasshoppers among us no matter how skinny those runners were ahead of me.
Paddle -- Everything went as hoped and expected. I actually used this portion to catch my breath from the run and stayed quite conservative in any areas where I had to ram through logs or vegetation. After a quick transition I began the paddle with only three guys ahead of me and one to my side. I scooted up ahead of two of them within the first 100 meters or so and that left only two paddlers in front of me of which I was sure at least one was a relay member rather than a solo Winter Challenger. It took a while to catch the closer of the two but when I did that shifted me for sure to 1st place overall by about mile 3 of the paddle. I was hoping to catch Lee Hollingsworth as well but he was really having a strong paddle. Knowing that I simply couldn't close the gap on Lee I focused on maintaining balance in the hairy sections to be sure I wouldn't go swimming. As it turns out from past lessons learned you can swim and still win this thing but I do NOT recommend it! As I was finishing up my 3rd lap I saw Mark Smith already shooting off on the last leg with his cyclocross bike. He looked strong and fast.
Bike -- After hopping on my bike I noticed a little tromper of a kid riding his bike in the opposite direction with his elbows in the air as if he was ready for anything that came his way. He was channeling the “Born to be Wild” tune, I reckon. I dropped my hand real low to get it in front of his face as we passed each other and gave him a "spurs up" hand signal. He didn't flinch. Never looked at my hand. He had important business. A puddle awaited that little guy. Prior to the race I had witnessed him in several areas riding his bike right into soft spots until he could not push the pedals any further. Then he'd shake the handlebars around to splash the wheel in the puddle before hopping off to push to dry land. He was equally entertaining on foot as well.
After a few minutes on the bike I began to think this was my race to lose. I was deeply inspired by the boy I just saw. That was me 40+ years ago. He even kind of looked like me at that age. Here I was out front in a race I love and I realized I had never really changed since I was his age. I was simply out having fun.
After the first loop section of about 2 miles I began to catch sight of Mark Smith, a super guy and a great father. He is the only friend I have that can rival the build of the great Lou Ferrigno. Even when wearing a shirt or jacket it's impossible not to see well-defined muscle popping out all over the place. He has in large part turned his passion to cycling in recent years. I noticed last year that I had a difficult time hanging on his wheel in group road rides in Columbia. I really didn't think I'd be able to catch him by mountain bike. I doubt he really thought that was possible either. His relay dream team was the one that landed Larry Jourdain, Lee Hollingsworth, and the Mr. Olympia himself, Mark Smith. How can you compete with that kind of talent? The good news is I was able to save my legs from a run leg where I stayed within myself for once.
Following the first section of single track is always the moment of truth to determine whether you have your legs under you or if they have been spent earlier in the day. When you hit that first double track section you can really open things up. When I began to tap into the power reserves I was pleasantly surprised. The legs were ready to party. I was feeling so good that I started to bunny hop over stuff even when it wasn’t warranted. My upper body was spared during the paddle and my legs were raring to go. I continued to bunny hop over logs that in past years I would have been too fatigued to handle. I began to play Green Day's time of your life song (goes by a different title) in my head and the emotion was already starting to settle in. At the end of a certain long straightaway at about mile 4 I used to always look back to see who may be chasing me, but for the first time this year I didn't bother. I didn't think I was likely to see anyone and I wanted to instead imagine that there was someone close enough to threaten my lead.
Mark had sensed me coming from behind and without entirely turning back to see my face he asked if I was Giles Branch, who represented relay competition for him. That was a great guess because Giles is blistering fast. He and I used to duke it out for the top overall spot at Santee. I told Mark no, I wasn't Giles. I thought he'd recognize my voice but his follow up question was "are you in the relay?" I said "no, Mark it's me". When he saw who I was I couldn't help to enjoy the incredulous expression on his face as he said, "Oh, you are a BAD man!" As if the other inspirations up to this point (the little dude stomping in puddles, the Green Day song, and leading the freaking Winter Challenge overall) weren't enough for me, now the Incredible Hulk is telling me that I am a bad man. Me. Average bloke, John Wellens. I'm certain the implied level of magnitude there has to be akin to a warrior reaching Valhalla.
From the beginning of the bike I had been cramping rather intensely in my calves. That was followed by my quads and groin area. Even my hands began to cramp. I loosened my death drip on the handlebars which helped for the hands, I massaged my calves while riding, and chugged down a little HEED at the last aid station. The cramping really didn't end up affecting my speed. The power I wanted remained there.
I would be remiss not to mention the fact that Paul Harrell from Harrell's bikes set me up with two new tires and two new tubes when I learned a few hours before my Friday departure to Dome Farms that I had a thorn in each of my tires that I apparently picked up from the course preview the prior week. If he didn't take the time to fit me in I would quite likely have been screwed.
Anyway, the last couple miles went extremely well and when I hit the hard packed dirt stretch of a driveway about 1K or so in length the emotion was really sinking in. The driveway this year had drainage areas where soil was mounded up. That made it difficult for cars to navigate but on a bike... well, those were excellent jumps to make for an even more enjoyable finish. I hit those at high speed and lifted the bike into the air just for fun. Then again about 30 meters before the finish there was a smaller bump where I did one last hop. I then rode straight to the swamp and jumped into the icy cold water, shoes and all, and floated on my back in celebration of the victory.
Following the event two people told me that my finish time was close to a course record. I shrugged that off at first. I didn't find that to be likely as I thought the 2'30" barrier was broken in the past. I went 2:31:XX this year. However, the second person to tell me that was Chris Williams who should be a pretty credible source. Now that I looked up past finishes I see that Chuck Heirs hit 2:29:XX one year when I finished 2nd to him at 2:31:XX. The trails this year were the muddiest I have seen them in all the years I have done this event. I had solid run fitness this year and even if I were to have pushed myself harder during the run there is no way I could have hit the same run times that I was able to do in the past. There were too many stretches where you are stopping and then jumping over a creek or trudging through muck and puddles. That kills your average speed. Regardless, every year is different and perhaps that year mentioned above could have had more difficult conditions for the paddle leg which I don't feel were as bad as normal this time. I don’t know; not hardly worth putting the thought into it.
With the top paddle split and top bike split this year I was very pleased to finish strongly.
My satisfaction lies in the win itself. At the ripe age of 46 you have to start to wonder how realistic it will be to regain a spot on the podium. I am reminded of Sir Edmund Hillary. His quote after summitting Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay in 1953, was "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off."
Edmund later was embarrassed when he heard that his mother learned of his language in this quote. She felt this was improper for a gentleman. Therefore, to take a lesson from a Knight, I won’t go there. I instead have a different message to you all, and to my Mother, Kathy Wellens.
Life is Good.
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