Mike Garrison
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Personal Summary
Always striving to push my limits and see how good my best is.
- TRAINING LOG
- Athletic Summary
- Upcoming Events
- Adventure Racing
- October 22-24, USARA Nationals, Pilot Point TX
- 2009 Fall Sprint; Story Indiana
- 2009 Indianapolis Adventure Race, (2nd Overall)
- 2009 Thunder Rolls 24 Hr AR, (2nd Overall)
- 2009 PA Urban Sprint, (1st Overall)
- 2009 Midget AR, (1st division)
- 2009 Mission 18 Hr AR, (1st Overall)
- 2009 Planet Adventure Sprint, (1st Coed, 2nd Overall)
- 2009 LBL Challenge 24Hr, (5th Coed, 5th Overall)
- 2008 PA Sprint Redux
- 2008 Indianapolis Adventure Race, (1st Coed, 4th Overall)
- 2008 PA Urban Sprint (2nd Coed, 2nd Overall)
- 2008 Infiterra Adventure Rage 30 hr (7th)
- 2008 Odyssey Wild, Wonderful 24 hr; New River Gorge, WV (4th overall)
- 2007 PA Urban Sprint; Indianapolis, IN (2nd coed, 2nd overall)
- 2007 Odyssey Wild Wonderful 24 hr; New River Gorge, WV (1st premier)
- 2007 PA 24-Hour Challenge; Tell City, IN (5th co-ed,7th overall)
- 2007 Sunflower 24 hr; Lawrence, KS (13th overall)
- 2006 Adventure Rage 30Hr; Cadillac, MI (8th overall)
- 2006 Odyssey Wild Wonderful 15-Hr; (1st Male, 4th Overall)
- 2006 PA Sprint; Brown County, IN (2nd co-ed, 3rd overall)
- 2006 PA 24-Hour Challenge; Leavenworth, IN (17th overall)
- 2005 Indianapolis Adventure Race (2nd Division, 3rd Overall)
- 2005 PA Sprint; Valley Branch, IN (2nd Division, 5th Overall)
- 2004 Circle City Sprint - Indianapolis (10th division)
- 2004 PA Sprint; Clark State Forest, IN (1st Division, 2nd Overall)
- 2004 PA 24 Hr Challenge; Owen-Outman Counties, IN (15th Overall)
- 2003 Midwest Fury; French Lick, IN (1st overall)
- 2003 Wild Scallion; Chicago (10th Division)
- 2003 Indianapolis Adventure Race; Long Course (10th Overall)
- 2003 Circle City Sprint - Indianapolis
- 2003 Benchmark Appalachian; Portsmouth, OH (2nd Division, 18th Overall)
- Orienteering & Rogaines
- 2009 ICO Orienteering Meet, Story, IN
- 2009 Conquer the Crossroads Rogaine, (1st, 6hr course)
- 2006 ICO 12 Hour Rogaine - Brownstown, IN (4th overall)
- 2005 Conquer the Crossroads 12 hour Rogaine (1st Overall)
- 2004 Conquer the Crossroads 12 hour Rogaine (3rd Division, 7th overall)
- 2004 Indianapolis Metrogaine (3 hour)
- Running
- 2009 TNT 5k; Horizon Camp, 8th
- 2009 Dances with Dirt; Gnawbone, IN
- 2007 Tecumseh Trail Marathon
- 2003 Tecumseh Trail Marathon
- 2003 River to River Stage Run (Illinois)
- 2002 Chicago Marathon
- 1998-2005 Indianapolis mini marathon
- Cycling
- 2009 Three State Three Mountain Century; Chattanooga, TN
- 2009 Brown County State Park Road Race
- Other
- Downhill skiing since 1990
- Climbing and mountaineering since 1992
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A new twist for PA races
While in the early stages of developing this years PA "Old School" course we were discussing how to provide the best possible race experience for all the teams that signed up for the more challenging Old School course. Making the assumption that teams undertake races like this largely for the challenge, we wanted to offer a course that let even the fastest and strongest teams push themselves and grind it out for as much time as possible. However, as is the case with any adventure race, the longer the race, the wider the "spread" between your first and last finishing teams. So the question was how to keep everyone out there as long as possible...
Some race directors go with the spread and just expect to have teams finishing a "24 hour" course in 15-16 hours. Some directors throw in a "rogaine" section or set up the entire race with rogaine scoring and use the overall CP total as the primary deciding factor in placing. This keeps even the fastest teams out there for the majority of the time alotted. I've even done a race where there was a rogaine style orienteering course at the end, but each point was worth a time credit that was deducted from your overall time. (Time math after racing for 18 hours is NOT easy.)
We've decided to try another approach. Course designer John McInnes has done races that have used the "advance loop" concept in the past and thought it worked well, so we decided to add it to this years race. Below is some more info on how the advanced loop(s) will work.
Mike Garrison
Indy Rootstock
Something new in this year’s race is an “advance loop” near the end of the race. In an effort to allow more teams to be official finishers and to increase the challenge for the faster teams there will be one or more advanced loops near the end of the race. There will undoubtedly be many questions about the precise mechanics of the advanced loop(s), so I hope that the following provides a clear explanation of the advanced loop concept. Please feel free to ask questions so that we can refine the rules and make sure that this is clear to everyone.
Advanced Loop Rules
We've decided to try another approach. Course designer John McInnes has done races that have used the "advance loop" concept in the past and thought it worked well, so we decided to add it to this years race. Below is some more info on how the advanced loop(s) will work.
Mike Garrison
Indy Rootstock
Something new in this year’s race is an “advance loop” near the end of the race. In an effort to allow more teams to be official finishers and to increase the challenge for the faster teams there will be one or more advanced loops near the end of the race. There will undoubtedly be many questions about the precise mechanics of the advanced loop(s), so I hope that the following provides a clear explanation of the advanced loop concept. Please feel free to ask questions so that we can refine the rules and make sure that this is clear to everyone.
Advanced Loop Rules
- Teams arriving at the start of the advanced loop prior to a specified cut-off time will have the option to continue on the advanced loop or to take a more direct route to the finish line. Teams arriving at the start of the advanced loop after the specified cut-off time do not have the option to complete the advanced loop.
- Teams are not required to complete an advanced loop to be considered official finishers. Teams that do not complete the advanced loop but reach the finish line before the race cut off time will be referred to as “Standard Course Finishers”.
- Teams that complete the entire advanced loop and reach the finish line prior to the race cut off time will be referred to as “Advanced Loop Finishers”
- Standard Course Finishers will be ranked behind all Advanced Loop Finishers.
- A team that elects to do the Advanced Loop must complete the entire loop to gain any advantage. There is no advantage to completing only a portion of an advanced loop.
- If a team starts the advanced loop and fails to finish before the race cut off, they will be unranked.
- Teams that fail to complete the entire advanced loop, but reach the finish line prior to race cut off will be ranked with the Standard Course Finishers according to the time they reach the finish line.
John McInnes
posted by Garrison at
11:36 AM
2 Comments:
Love the advanced loop concept! Thanks for the explanation. DoubleZero
I can't believe I just subscribed to your blog updates. I am such a dork, but I have to admit I'm fascinated! I love hearing about all of the thought and planning that goes into a race and you guys are really going all out! Can't wait to see how it plays out on race day!
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