Winter Challenge Recap from John Wellens, 2014 Champion!
The Mighty Winter Challenge: Race Report
By John Wellens
Leading up to race day I really wasn't entirely sure if I was going to make the trip to Dome Farms. If the roads were still icy I wasn't going to bother. But I was happy to see them fairly dry. The trails had been cleared by a small number of volunteers who did a yeoman's job. I was very grateful for that.
The competition at the Winter Challenge is always so tough that I don't worry about trying to win. I just wanted to run a smarter race this year. My past with the Winter Challenge has consisted of a comedy of errors with pacing or equipment breakdowns.
The two prior year's I had either missed the event entirely due to scheduling conflict or participated as a relay member. And the year before that I was ill but participated anyway because I enjoy the multi-sport format and this specific private land setting so much. Robert Osborn had to secure my gear after that race because I was too weak to do it myself.
By John Wellens
Leading up to race day I really wasn't entirely sure if I was going to make the trip to Dome Farms. If the roads were still icy I wasn't going to bother. But I was happy to see them fairly dry. The trails had been cleared by a small number of volunteers who did a yeoman's job. I was very grateful for that.
The competition at the Winter Challenge is always so tough that I don't worry about trying to win. I just wanted to run a smarter race this year. My past with the Winter Challenge has consisted of a comedy of errors with pacing or equipment breakdowns.
The two prior year's I had either missed the event entirely due to scheduling conflict or participated as a relay member. And the year before that I was ill but participated anyway because I enjoy the multi-sport format and this specific private land setting so much. Robert Osborn had to secure my gear after that race because I was too weak to do it myself.
The Run
Not much to say here. My running fitness is about as good as it's been. For once I didn't go too hard and saved my legs for the bike.
Not much to say here. My running fitness is about as good as it's been. For once I didn't go too hard and saved my legs for the bike.
The Kayak
After a 1 loop course preview on race morning I decided on using my ultra tippy K1 sprint boat. That has 2-3 inches less wetted surface width than just about any surf ski. My V10 remained on the roof of my car in favor of my K1 with a kick-up rudder. With standing ice and snow on the ground I worried about flipping over with the K1 after hitting a cypress knee or broadside waves in the open area starting near the tree with the Osprey nest. Funny enough, neither of those did me in but I still found a way to go swimming.
About midway through my 3rd loop and in first place overall at the time I approached tight around a thick Cypress. I leaned my shoulders away to avoid bouncing off like a pinball. By now I probably let my guard down and thought I could handle the little sprint boat. Lesson learned; don't get cocky in a K1! After falling into the shockingly cold water it took a while to regain any rhythm in my breathing. It was more like hyperventilation at that point.
Fred Williams and two other guys checked on me right away. I told them both to keep moving thinking my day was already over. I was about to start swimming with the boat toward the woods where I could get to shallow water and remount. But Fred wouldn't leave and asked if there was anything he could do. It was then that I started to entertain the idea of remounting in open water. It was too deep to touch even on tippy toes. How the hell can you remount a boat that was not at all designed for that purpose? I took a good look at the tree I had been trying to round and thought maybe I could partially climb that to get back in. I grabbed a hold of some feeble branches which broke immediately along with the light vegetation on the bark. Shit, now what?
Then I decided to hug up along the trunk of the tree and see what kind of slope there was under water. I found that it was gentle enough that I could rise a few inches out of the water. That was a start. Certainly not enough to remount a boat which is tippy enough to flip you after you're in but I was getting vertical enough to take the pressure off my PFD. Then I shimmied myself up the tree a little more while the good Samaritan Fred held on to my paddle. I straddled the boat and grabbed both sides of the cockpit with evenly distributed weight. Then I gave it a leap and dropped my butt inside. Dang, it worked! Then I just slipped my feet back in and took the paddle back from Fred.
Unfortunately, I was perpendicular from the course and I had 3 large logs straight in front of me. Instead of backing up and risking another swim I bulldozed the logs forward until they submerged under my boat. A gentle turn back on course and then I got the engine cranking to start warming up my body. I began shouting my thanks to each of the 3 guys who stopped to help me out. Lisa Williams had instructed all of us to watch out for each other given the conditions of the day. I reckon those guys were just class acts who would have done the same thing on any given day.
That last time rounding the osprey nest and heading over to the finish area in the open water was pretty dicey. The wind had all the cross chop again and I was not wanting to spill another time. Luckily I made it to shore and hopped out of the boat in 2nd place overall. My left leg was entirely numb from knee down so I had no spring whatsoever to get myself to the bike transition area. It was like a lead weight.
After a 1 loop course preview on race morning I decided on using my ultra tippy K1 sprint boat. That has 2-3 inches less wetted surface width than just about any surf ski. My V10 remained on the roof of my car in favor of my K1 with a kick-up rudder. With standing ice and snow on the ground I worried about flipping over with the K1 after hitting a cypress knee or broadside waves in the open area starting near the tree with the Osprey nest. Funny enough, neither of those did me in but I still found a way to go swimming.
About midway through my 3rd loop and in first place overall at the time I approached tight around a thick Cypress. I leaned my shoulders away to avoid bouncing off like a pinball. By now I probably let my guard down and thought I could handle the little sprint boat. Lesson learned; don't get cocky in a K1! After falling into the shockingly cold water it took a while to regain any rhythm in my breathing. It was more like hyperventilation at that point.
Fred Williams and two other guys checked on me right away. I told them both to keep moving thinking my day was already over. I was about to start swimming with the boat toward the woods where I could get to shallow water and remount. But Fred wouldn't leave and asked if there was anything he could do. It was then that I started to entertain the idea of remounting in open water. It was too deep to touch even on tippy toes. How the hell can you remount a boat that was not at all designed for that purpose? I took a good look at the tree I had been trying to round and thought maybe I could partially climb that to get back in. I grabbed a hold of some feeble branches which broke immediately along with the light vegetation on the bark. Shit, now what?
Then I decided to hug up along the trunk of the tree and see what kind of slope there was under water. I found that it was gentle enough that I could rise a few inches out of the water. That was a start. Certainly not enough to remount a boat which is tippy enough to flip you after you're in but I was getting vertical enough to take the pressure off my PFD. Then I shimmied myself up the tree a little more while the good Samaritan Fred held on to my paddle. I straddled the boat and grabbed both sides of the cockpit with evenly distributed weight. Then I gave it a leap and dropped my butt inside. Dang, it worked! Then I just slipped my feet back in and took the paddle back from Fred.
Unfortunately, I was perpendicular from the course and I had 3 large logs straight in front of me. Instead of backing up and risking another swim I bulldozed the logs forward until they submerged under my boat. A gentle turn back on course and then I got the engine cranking to start warming up my body. I began shouting my thanks to each of the 3 guys who stopped to help me out. Lisa Williams had instructed all of us to watch out for each other given the conditions of the day. I reckon those guys were just class acts who would have done the same thing on any given day.
That last time rounding the osprey nest and heading over to the finish area in the open water was pretty dicey. The wind had all the cross chop again and I was not wanting to spill another time. Luckily I made it to shore and hopped out of the boat in 2nd place overall. My left leg was entirely numb from knee down so I had no spring whatsoever to get myself to the bike transition area. It was like a lead weight.
The Bike
I hobbled over to the TA and found that my leg was of better use on the bike. Paul Laymon, a former WC champ, must be 5 minutes ahead by now I figured. He's just too good for me to make mistakes like this. Oh well, a second place finish at the Winter Challenge is plenty good enough in my book. But there was no guarantee that I could do that. I had to really focus just to hang on to 2nd. After a couple minutes into the first little loop of the bike course I came across a biker who I thought must have been in the duathlon.
He asked if I wanted to pass during the single track and I said no. I could wait. Then he asked if anyone was ahead of me. I said yeah, one guy but he's WAY up there by now. Then he said, "really?" and asked if there was anyone ahead of me during the paddle leg. I explained that one guy passed me on the paddle. He said, "John, that was me, Paul."
Holy crap! All of a sudden I realized I was back in the game. First place was right in front of me. OK, now I just have to stay with Paul and keep from screwing, up right?
And how did I handle that excitement? I promptly hit a loose log with my front wheel which turned sideways and I went over the handlebars with my head leading the way and feet high into the air. Now, for the second time of the day, Paul slowed up to be sure I was OK. I said, "yea, just me being an idiot again". Paul showed further mercy and asked if I was sure I was OK. I said "yea, I'm all right" as I stood my bike and began to hop back on. We proceeded neck in neck past the TA area and covered the first big puddle on foot pushing our bikes before we got back to riding. It was then that I started to open a gap.
The rest of the way I pedaled in fear of Paul or anyone else creeping up from behind. I must have looked over my shoulder 100 times. Once I reached the driveway back to Dome Farms there was a tremendous sense of relief that I was finally going to hold a lead to the end. There have been too many times that I've been out front and humbled to the core after some sort of mishap. This time was hardly much different with execution. Strategy was good but execution poor. Still, I finally worked my way up into the top 3 and even won the darn thing. I was ecstatic.
The ceremonial champagne was to be opened soon and some really cool prizes were waiting at the table. I'm very pleased to also get my name on the trophy to join some good company, all of whom I've met over the years.
As a former adventure racer and triathlete I get a little frustrated when people call these sort of events "adventure races". It's not an adventure race; it's a triathlon. However, I will make an exception for the Winter Challenge of 2014.
For hundreds of pics from previous years' Winter Challenges, head over to FB and give us a Like!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
Winter Challenge 2014 - A Recap from Coach Katie Malone!
I will start by saying that the Winter Challenge has always been one of my favorite races. It gives me a reason every winter to get on my mountain bike and go play in the woods instead of sitting on a trainer in the garage. This winter with the brutal cold we had it would have been easy to turn to the garage, but instead I organized a group to train for the WC which led to many “epic” rides in below freezing temperatures.
We had group paddles every weekend starting in January. The only weekend we missed paddling was because the lake was frozen solid. I enjoyed my paddling more than ever and actually pushed myself in training while in years past I was lucky to even get a few paddles in. This year training with the group made it more fun, we all were taken out of our comfort zone at some point, but mainly the accountability of training with a group changed my training and eliminated any excuses.
I really hate excuses, but I continually found myself coming back to the “but I just had a baby” excuse. It was time to let that one go. When we reached race day after all, the baby was five and a half months old and it was time to see where I was fitness wise. Mentally I really had to get a grip because going into a race knowing that physically I was nowhere close to where I normally am made me focus on racing smart.
The Run
The morning of the race I was very excited to see everyone from years past as well as the 10-man Malone Coaching team whom I had convinced to race. We started the run and for at least the first ½ mile I was following Jan Garrett and Laura Haupfear. Since I know very well what they are both capable of running I knew I just needed to let them go and run my own pace.
My goal was to run hard enough to make it hurt but not so hard as to dig myself into a hole. By mile 3 I found myself looking at my Garmin and wondering how I could possibly feel so bad already. After dusting those thoughts out of my mind and turning the Garmin so that I couldn’t even see it, I came back to focusing on things I was in control of at that very moment. I steadied my breathing, I leaned forward, I shortened my stride and then once on the home-stretch dirt road I was actually able to turn over the legs for a strong finish.
The Kayak
I admit I have never been so excited about kayaking as I was this year. That lasted at least 2 minutes! The brutal wind made me thankful for all the extra paddling practice, especially the times when it had been really windy. I was able to focus on my technique and passed Laura at the start of the kayak and Jan a little later into the first lap.
By lap 2 I was very happy to see Lisa Williams pass me. Especially since she was doing a relay! Lisa is a beautiful paddler so I always like to try to stay close to her for a little bit for the draft but also to work on my stroke. After she left me I set my target on my husband who had gained enough on me on the run that I didn’t catch him until the middle of the 3rd lap. We were able to exit the kayak together and despite almost falling down getting out of the kayak I made it to the bike transition with him and we took off on the bike together.
The Bike
Once on the bike I reminded myself that trying to stay with my husband, Brad, on the bike would indeed be fun, but probably would be something I would regret after a few miles. I let him slip away. I was also concerned about Laura giving me a surprise attack on the mountain bike so I needed to put time between us but play it safe at the same time.
The trails on the WC course were a lot easier than most of the ones we had trained on but the sand and the mud made them plenty challenging. Thank goodness for the great trail markings on the course that forced me to pay attention to every turn.
Riding the course and seeing the amount of trees that had to be cleared after the storm just stunned me. Forget about worrying about my mountain bike skills, I just kept thinking about how they pulled this race off! Before that thought could even be completed I found myself back on the main road to the farm finishing yet another WC. The added bonus of being the first woman over the line was great but in reality the best prize is the fact that my fitness is coming back!
Thanks to the Williams family and all the other volunteers who make this race one to come back to year after year!
Katie Malone
Tri-Coach, Multi-Year Champion and All-Around Fantastic Supporter of the Winter Challenge!
We had group paddles every weekend starting in January. The only weekend we missed paddling was because the lake was frozen solid. I enjoyed my paddling more than ever and actually pushed myself in training while in years past I was lucky to even get a few paddles in. This year training with the group made it more fun, we all were taken out of our comfort zone at some point, but mainly the accountability of training with a group changed my training and eliminated any excuses.
I really hate excuses, but I continually found myself coming back to the “but I just had a baby” excuse. It was time to let that one go. When we reached race day after all, the baby was five and a half months old and it was time to see where I was fitness wise. Mentally I really had to get a grip because going into a race knowing that physically I was nowhere close to where I normally am made me focus on racing smart.
The Run
The morning of the race I was very excited to see everyone from years past as well as the 10-man Malone Coaching team whom I had convinced to race. We started the run and for at least the first ½ mile I was following Jan Garrett and Laura Haupfear. Since I know very well what they are both capable of running I knew I just needed to let them go and run my own pace.
My goal was to run hard enough to make it hurt but not so hard as to dig myself into a hole. By mile 3 I found myself looking at my Garmin and wondering how I could possibly feel so bad already. After dusting those thoughts out of my mind and turning the Garmin so that I couldn’t even see it, I came back to focusing on things I was in control of at that very moment. I steadied my breathing, I leaned forward, I shortened my stride and then once on the home-stretch dirt road I was actually able to turn over the legs for a strong finish.
The Kayak
I admit I have never been so excited about kayaking as I was this year. That lasted at least 2 minutes! The brutal wind made me thankful for all the extra paddling practice, especially the times when it had been really windy. I was able to focus on my technique and passed Laura at the start of the kayak and Jan a little later into the first lap.
By lap 2 I was very happy to see Lisa Williams pass me. Especially since she was doing a relay! Lisa is a beautiful paddler so I always like to try to stay close to her for a little bit for the draft but also to work on my stroke. After she left me I set my target on my husband who had gained enough on me on the run that I didn’t catch him until the middle of the 3rd lap. We were able to exit the kayak together and despite almost falling down getting out of the kayak I made it to the bike transition with him and we took off on the bike together.
The Bike
Once on the bike I reminded myself that trying to stay with my husband, Brad, on the bike would indeed be fun, but probably would be something I would regret after a few miles. I let him slip away. I was also concerned about Laura giving me a surprise attack on the mountain bike so I needed to put time between us but play it safe at the same time.
The trails on the WC course were a lot easier than most of the ones we had trained on but the sand and the mud made them plenty challenging. Thank goodness for the great trail markings on the course that forced me to pay attention to every turn.
Riding the course and seeing the amount of trees that had to be cleared after the storm just stunned me. Forget about worrying about my mountain bike skills, I just kept thinking about how they pulled this race off! Before that thought could even be completed I found myself back on the main road to the farm finishing yet another WC. The added bonus of being the first woman over the line was great but in reality the best prize is the fact that my fitness is coming back!
Thanks to the Williams family and all the other volunteers who make this race one to come back to year after year!
Katie Malone
Tri-Coach, Multi-Year Champion and All-Around Fantastic Supporter of the Winter Challenge!
For hundreds of pics from previous years' Winter Challenges, head over to FB and give us a Like!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
Winter Challenge 2014 - A Brief Recap and Many Thanks from Race Mgt!
The Winter Challenge began in earnest, not on the day of the event Feb 15, but on the Tuesday preceding when a major ice storm blasted in, wreaking havoc on the region thru Wednesday evening. Winter Challenge alumnus, and provisional lumberjack Pete Chaplin called us from Dome Farms with some heavy doubts about pulling off the race that Saturday. Not even the widest road leading to the cabins was passable, he explained in his best Sam Elliott impression, "Stuff, Dude… Ya can't even get to the cabins.." (which is not at all an impersonation, but really just the way Pete talks).
We explained that we wanted to take in the situation ourselves before making the call, but agreed, with all the downed timber throughout the region, and no power nor running water, it would be a daunting task to pull it off.
Well, with 4 chainsaws, 7 able-bodied men, and one small but hardworking boy, all with a taste for the Winter Challenge, and all committed to the task at hand, we took on the task of clearing 16+ miles of storm-torn trails in less than 24 hours. A daunting task, to say the least. But as the saying goes... Life isn't always easy.
No power, no running water, no indoor plumbing… no problem. With a groundswell of support from family and friends including the Old Man, brother Joel, Pete, Mr. Charles, my main man Marvin, hard-charging Chase, Robbie King, Ralph Haggard, and Lisa Williams, among others, we pulled off the impossible, and the most epic of Winter Challenges went into the books. The end result, promised and delivered, was that a lot of good friends, both old and new, went home with some big smiles.
Oh, and we’d be remiss not to give at least one more shout out to Jefferson Nicholson and his crew from Adventure Geek Productions, who themselves drove down through the belly of the beast, all the way from Delaware, to be sure the Winter Challenge went down as promised.
I'll finish this brief recap by offering one more big congratulations to John Wellens and Katie Malone, the first in what we expect to be a long line of Winter Challengers to take home the gold… er, Brass Winter Challenge Belt Buckles. For a complete list of winners, including relay and duathlon, as well as a complete list of participant results, head over to www.winterchallenge.net/results.
And for more pictures from this year's Winter Challenge, head over to our Facebook Page and give us a Like!
Thanks again to all!
The Williams Family
The Winter Challenge began in earnest, not on the day of the event Feb 15, but on the Tuesday preceding when a major ice storm blasted in, wreaking havoc on the region thru Wednesday evening. Winter Challenge alumnus, and provisional lumberjack Pete Chaplin called us from Dome Farms with some heavy doubts about pulling off the race that Saturday. Not even the widest road leading to the cabins was passable, he explained in his best Sam Elliott impression, "Stuff, Dude… Ya can't even get to the cabins.." (which is not at all an impersonation, but really just the way Pete talks).
We explained that we wanted to take in the situation ourselves before making the call, but agreed, with all the downed timber throughout the region, and no power nor running water, it would be a daunting task to pull it off.
Well, with 4 chainsaws, 7 able-bodied men, and one small but hardworking boy, all with a taste for the Winter Challenge, and all committed to the task at hand, we took on the task of clearing 16+ miles of storm-torn trails in less than 24 hours. A daunting task, to say the least. But as the saying goes... Life isn't always easy.
No power, no running water, no indoor plumbing… no problem. With a groundswell of support from family and friends including the Old Man, brother Joel, Pete, Mr. Charles, my main man Marvin, hard-charging Chase, Robbie King, Ralph Haggard, and Lisa Williams, among others, we pulled off the impossible, and the most epic of Winter Challenges went into the books. The end result, promised and delivered, was that a lot of good friends, both old and new, went home with some big smiles.
Oh, and we’d be remiss not to give at least one more shout out to Jefferson Nicholson and his crew from Adventure Geek Productions, who themselves drove down through the belly of the beast, all the way from Delaware, to be sure the Winter Challenge went down as promised.
I'll finish this brief recap by offering one more big congratulations to John Wellens and Katie Malone, the first in what we expect to be a long line of Winter Challengers to take home the gold… er, Brass Winter Challenge Belt Buckles. For a complete list of winners, including relay and duathlon, as well as a complete list of participant results, head over to www.winterchallenge.net/results.
And for more pictures from this year's Winter Challenge, head over to our Facebook Page and give us a Like!
Thanks again to all!
The Williams Family
For hundreds of pics from previous years' Winter Challenges, head over to FB and give us a Like!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
We'll also be using the FB page for race updates, so stay tuned!
