Whiskeytown, CA

Here are the results, posted live from the event as teams cross the finish line at the 2011 NORCAL AR Whiskeytown Sprint Adventure Race. Ranking is based on overall points and finish time.

1. Edwards
2. Team Rookie
3. AR&LP
4. Stahl
5. Gear Energy
6. 2 Humbabas
7. BearSurvival.com
8. Bush Ninjas
9. Crazy Milk
10. No Babies (tie)
10. Outdoor Addict (tie)
12. Moderation
13. Losonczi
14. Shut Up and Paddle

Click here for Full Results with racer names, scores, times and points towards the 2011 NORCAL AR Sprint Series.

Whiskeytown, CA

It’s Sunday, October 9th and here are the results from the gruelling Whiskeytown Extreme 24+ hour adventure race. The results are based on the overall points and final finish time. 

1. Dirty Avocados (tie)
1. Big Sky (tie)
3. Aquan
4. Violett
5. DART-nuun
6. Racing w/ Giants
7. Calico Afsheen
8. And Loving It!
9. EPIC AR
10. SOAR Mad Monkeys
11. Szucsko
12. Ryan
13. Grant-Cavender
14. Cygolite/SOAR
15. Dr. Feel-Good

Click here for the Full Results page which will be posted after the event. Full Results will contain a link with the names of racers, points, finish time, and points earned towards the NORCAL AR Sprint Series.

Start/Finish Location
Brandy Creek Marina (not Brandy Creek Beach or Campground).  Also, $5 parking pass is required and is available at the Marina. This is where you will be staging your gear – this is the primary transition area for the race.
> Extreme Race (24hr): Oct. 8 Check-in at 7am, Race Start at 9am
> Sprint Race (4-6hr): Oct. 8 Check-in at 11am, Race Start at 1pm
…..As always, our award-winning post-race food-fest will be available when you cross the finish line!

Boat Renters
If you ordered and rented a boat via our website, Aquan Sports will be on hand to issue you your boat as you are renting from them. For each rental, Aquan will also be bringing the paddle(s) and PFD(s).

Plants & Animals
Unfortunately, poison oak is fairly prevalent in lower elevations in the park, especially in riparian areas–please take precautions if you are susceptible. Bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes are also residents. Not usually a problem, but check for ticks. Bring some spray if you’re annoyed by gnats.

Recommended Items
In addition to the mandatory gear listed on the website for each event, gaiters are highly recommended for both events. For the longer course, trekking poles may also be very helpful. Check the mandatory gear lists on the website www.norcal-ar.com for your respective race. All items are clearly listed.

Course Hints
Long course: Starts on bike with trek sections interspersed – you will need to have your bike lights with you from the beginning as you may not return to the staging TA until dark. Expect 10 hours plus for fastest teams before returning to staging TA with your gear — therefore, bring enough food from the beginning. You should obtain water from creeks along the course, bring purification method as we will not have water for you on-course. You need to be able to carry enough water for 6 to 8 hours of strenuous trekking. At least some of the kayaking will be at night — bring some warm clothes. Some of the downhill trekking sections are dusty, covered with pine needles (i.e. very slippery), and lots of sharp branches if you fall — highly, highly recommend trekking poles. Lots of off-trail (and overgrown trail) travel and route choices.

Short course: Starts with a kayak leg.  Fastest team should finish the entire course in around four hours.

Weather Forecast
Weather looks great with highs around 80 and lows in mid 50′s. Though, it can feel even colder at higher elevations and if you are paddling on the water with wind.

We look forward to some great weather and a fantastic finish to the 2011 NORCAL AR Series.

See you this weekend!

We’re in the process of updating the overall standings for the NORCAL AR Sprint Championship.

The duo of Aaron and Clinessa Burch (Team Burch) narrowly edges out the 2011 NORCAL AR Series point leaders of Team Soggy Bread (Jacquelin Wollman and Ryan Madison) and the all-female duo sensation Team DART-nuun (Jen VanGorder and Mari Chandler). Just 2 minutes separated the top 3 duo-teams. Team Tap that Hutto (Sara and Barrett Hutto) were a close 4th.

Kent Ryhorchuk (solo, Team Kent) took top honors overall finishing the entire course in an official time of 3hrs and 41 minutes. Kent’s adjusted time includes a 50 minute time bonus for reaching an optional CP. Melissa Griffiths (Team Flying Solo) was the top female solo racer, finishing the course in an adjusted time of 4hrs and 42 minutes.

In all, nearly 50% of all teams attempted the Bonus CP and the average finish time for the course was approximately 5hrs and 20 minutes. Congratulations to all the participants and 1st time adventure racers!

Take a look at the full race results and points earned towards the 2011 NORCAL AR Sprint Championship.

To learn more about the race and register today, visit the Mystery Event page for complete details.

Want to race in one of our Sprint events that includes kayaking… but don’t own a kayak? Perhaps you drive a SMART car and it just won’t fit on the roof rack. Don’t worry, there’s a solution.

We’ve partnered with Aquan Sports to offer you and your teammate a Tandem sit-on-top kayak for just $30. That’s right, for $30 you get the kayak, PFDs, and paddles delivered to the event and waiting for you. Most weekend rentals will cost you $100 and up, so this is a great deal. It couldn’t be easier, you just reserve/order it online and it will be waiting for you at the event.

Register & Reserve

Just click on the REGISTER button for any of our events. You will be re-directed to our registration system hosted by imATHLETE. If the event includes kayaking, you’ll be given the option to order the kayak. We’ll then provide the information to Aquan and your kayak, paddles, and PFDs will be waiting for you at the event. 100% hassle-free.

It’s that easy!

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Check out the Standings Page for a breakdown of all the categories and a complete listing of overall standings.

This year’s edition of NORCAL AR’s Pacheco Pass event will be the hottest it’s ever been – temperature is forecasted to be 95º on Saturday. Due to the forecasted heat, we have designed a course which is shorter than previous years. However, the course is challenging and should keep everyone very busy for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 6 hours (cut-off).

There are 3 elements to this email. Read below for “Very Important Stuff”, Course Design Notes, and info on the Point-Based Scoring System.

VERY IMPORTANT STUFF

Start Area – Transition Area

All participants should check-in between 7:30am – 8am at the boat put-in parking lot. Here you will receive your jerseys, race info and can then stage your bikes and kayaks. Briefing will be at 8:30 and the race will start promptly at 9am.

Extreme Heat

Expect an extremely hot day with temperatures soaring to almost 100º under the sun. Managing the heat, staying cool and well hydrated will be essential to complete the full course.

NO POTABLE WATER ON SITE !!!!

Bring a minimum of ONE GALLON of water per person and salt tablets (or Nuun or similar). You will be able to refill water at the TA twice – after the initial kayak, then after the first trek section.

Gaiters

You will be trekking off-trail through fields full of grass stickers and thistles. Though not required, we highly recommend that you wear gaiters covering your ankles on the trek but also on the bike.

Poison Oak – Almost None!

The is almost no poison oak on the course along the intended route. The few PO bushes can easily be spotted and avoided.

Pens

Some of the optional check points will be number yellow tags and you will need to write down the number on your passport. Bring a thin sharpie pen.

COURSE DESIGN

You will need to collect check points (CPs) in order. There will be optional CPs to collect along the way. The optional CPs are more challenging physically or technically (navigation). Each will have a stated point-value that is less than any mandatory CPs.

The event will start with kayaking. You will get into your boats at 8:50 and put-in. Start will be promptly at 9am. Kayak course is estimated to be 4.3 miles. You will need to get out of your boat to reach the kayaking CPs as they will be on land. After the kayak, you will return to the start/transition area where you will have access to your gear (and more water). From there you will begin a trekking leg.

For the trek, you will go on a relatively short (4 to 4.5 miles) loop which is largely off-trail. You are likely to see a lot of wildlife. After the trek, you will again return to the start/transition area. From there you will begin the biking leg and then do a navigational challenge section. You will not see the transition area again, so bring enough food water for the remainder of the race.

The bike loop is 8 to 10 miles depending on which optional CPs you want to get. Some sections are steep. The steep/rough sections are generally part of the optional CP route. After biking you will have an on-foot navigational challenge section. These CPs are all optional, but worth good points for teams going for the win.

The navigational challenge section is optional but should add about 3 miles to the course via mostly off-trail trekking.

The official Finish Area will be at the top parking lot. We will write your finish time on your passport and you will just have to let yourself glide down the road to the starting area / transition area to enjoy refreshments and cool down in the lake.

Navigation Challenge

This is a new feature for NORCAL. The navigation challenge is an introduction to wilderness navigation, a very useful skill to have to expend your adventures. For this Nav Challenge you will just have to use your compass in order to follow a bearing leading to the next CP. At the next CP you will find a sign telling you were to go next. There will be about 5 CPs to find. Refresh your compass skills in advance and know how to take a bearing. If you need a tutorial on how to do this, email me and I will send you one.

POINT SYSTEM

The winning team is the team who collects the most points in the least amount of time. You will have 6 hours to complete the course. Every minute over 6 hours will make you loose points. You will loose all your points if you are 30 minutes late or more.

Example: a team who collects 125 points and finishes in 5:54 wins over a team who collects 110 points and finishes in 5:10.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!