Mike Garrison

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Always striving to push my limits and see how good my best is.

Mike Garrison

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Things I learned at the 2009 PA Challenge

Now that I've had a few weeks to process everything:

1) It's borderline disturbing what you can get an adventure racer to do with no questions from them. It's tempting to test this behavior and is certainly something that has crossed my mind.

2) If you're going to work a single checkpoint for 20+ hours do it with Monty Wilson and my wife Cristal. Hot dogs, chicken, wine, beer, S'mores, you name it. I had to warn them early that they'd be in big trouble if any teams dropped the race in favor of the creature comforts they filled their CP's with!

3) Time math is hard. Time math after being up for 36 hours is beyond hard. Discussing time math after being up for 36 hours with someone else who has been up for 36 hours is nothing short of completely absurd.

4) Witnessing the discussion outlined in item three is wildly entertaining.

5) It never gets old watching people push their limits and enjoy something that most people would classify as "crazy", "nuts", or just plain "weird".

6) Farmers seem to give free Cokes to weird people. Not sure if this is out of fear or a belief that adventure racer money is akin to Monopoly money and can't be used in the real world, or if farmers are just nice people.

7) Ticks suck. (no pun intended)

8) Poison ivy sucks. (no pun possible)

9) Poison ivy with ticks is still better than 35 degrees with rain, snow, sleet and flooding. (And from what I've heard since the race I'm apparently not the only one that feels this way.)

10) There appears to be an as of yet unnamed emotion that is some combination of relief, gratification, accomplishment, delerium and whatever it is you feel right after something that hurts real bad stops hurting. This emotion is easily readable in peoples faces immediately following a race like this years PA!

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posted by Garrison at 10:40 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Preliminary standings for 2009 PA Challenge

If any of you are like me, you like to dissect all the splits from a race that you can.  Unfotunately we don't quite have those done yet.  However, we can at least provide the preliminary standings as well as the time that each team finished.  As was mentioned post race (at least I think I mentioned it...) we attempted to score based on how early a team deviated from the whole course.  So, even if a team got more points on the second O section than another team, if they had less on the first, they will be ranked lower.  I know it's not ideal, and one could spend DAYS debating how to most fairly score a race, but we feel it's the best solution.

And for the record, despite how trite and overused "you're all winners" might sound, it definitely applies to this course.  We've never designed a course this long and the Old School course was really brutal, even more brutal than anticipated in a couple spots.  In case all you 24 hour course racers hadn't already figured it out, your course was a bit longer than normal (around 110 miles without the "bonus" mileage you may have added yourself!) thanks to it being designed concurrently with the Old School course.  Despite this we had a great finishing percentage!

Please don't hesitate to send any and all feedback our way wither positive or critical.  We tried a number of new things and would like to know what you all think.

Here are the rankings, we'll do our best to get all the splits and O course details up by the weekend!

Old School
1) Wedali - full course - 10:32 AM
2) Alpine Shop - shortened course - 9:18 AM
3) Team Bushwhacker - shortened course - 11:08 AM 
4) Enviro - shortened course - 7:21 AM
5) FreeSpeed - unofficial - 11:03 AM
6) MAAR - unofficial - 12:08 PM
7) Indy Rootstock - DNF
8) BAM - DNF

I'd like to note that both Freespeed and MAAR chose to underake the Old School course with unofficial teams from the very beginning.  Four person coed was required but BOTH of these teams opted for the challenge of the longer course over a chance at prizes!  That is awesome guys!

24 Hour Challenge (with the small field there are no divisions)
1) DINO - 9:08 AM
2) Planetadventurerace.com - 12:10 PM
3) Silverbacks - 12:20 PM
4) Dark Side - 8:24 AM
5) JAMBS - 10:14 AM
6) Crossfit - 12:10 AM
7) No Sleep Till Brooklyn - 12:48 PM
8) Plotigy - 10:38 AM
9) Rest and Relaxation (DNF)
10) Team Ragged Glory (DNF)

For the 24 hour race it's worth pointing out that our top three teams all coed (in the traditional nature of coed AR teams) AND our second place team was 1 male and 3 females!!  Way to go everyone!

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posted by Garrison at 5:33 PM 1 Comments

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dazed...

I anticipate writing up some kind of summary or report about the PA race this past weekend, but my brain at this point is way too dazed to do it effectively.  All in all though, things went fantastic.  The field of teams, although small, was one of the best groups of teams I've been around.  Everyone was attentive to the rules (and followed instructions!!), great to the volunteers, and really got into the spirit of AR.  Both courses were VERY tough and even the teams that were unable to complete their entire course enjoyed their experience and appreciated the adventure.

The volunteers for this race were unbelievable!  With the added length and the two courses, having a crew of experienced dedicated and level headed volunteers ended up being a must.  Thank God we had them!

Time to go find some more coffee...


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posted by Garrison at 8:35 AM 0 Comments

Friday, June 5, 2009

Course setting complete...

A dozen ticks, two bashed shins and a cold dip in the water later and the course is set for 2009's Planet Adventure Challenge!!
 
I hope the teams are ready for both an adventure AND a challenge...

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posted by Garrison at 7:52 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Eductional info that might be pertinent for teams racing the PA Old School course

It's been brought to my attention that some of my updates about the race course for the OS teams are bringing all kinds of happy thoughts to our racers.  In attempt to maintain that trend I've found a few points of information related to sleep deprivation that you all might be intrigued by.

Sleep Deprivation (per wikipedia...)

First we should cover some basics...

Generally, lack of sleep may result in:
  • aching muscles (presumably above and beyond what you'll already be feeling)
  • hallucinations (my favorite)
  • hand tremors
  • irritability (this explains some of the grumpiness from my teammates)
  • memory lapses or loss
  • severe yawning
  • temper tantrums in children (no comment)
  • symptoms similar to psychosis

Some other select items from the wikipedia entry for Sleep Deprivation:

"Sleep deprivation can adversely affect brain function"

"People who drove after being awake for 17–19 hours performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent"

"Sleep deprivation can be used as a means of torture"  (Remember, you all signed up for this.  See the next point...)

"Sleep deprivation has sometimes been self-imposed to achieve personal notoriety in the context of record-breaking stunts."

Rest up, and we'll see you all on Friday!!

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posted by Garrison at 10:34 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

More PA Challenge info

I'll try to keep these updates to a minimum so as to not be identified as a "spammer" but I thought you all might find this tidbit from race manager Jerry Lyons to be useful.

While hanging some controls this past weekend Jerry discovered that the stinging nettle is out.  And it's apparently pissed at us.  We'd suggest long pants (kevlar would be optimal, but synthetic trekkng pants will still be helpful).  In my time racing through nettle I've found that long pants, quick movement and a full arsenal of colorful language are the best tools when dealing with the stuff.  Those of you that are especially sensitive to plants and such might want to bring a couple extra antihistamine pilss, although usually this stuff fades after an hour or two.

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posted by Garrison at 9:23 AM 0 Comments

The "Old School" course is long...

For some that won't come as a surprise.  Actually, I hope it won't be much of a surprise for anyone but while reviewing the course timeline last night with course designer John McInnes we took a step back and said "wow, that's long".  (Those of you that know John will be unsurprised to hear that he let a little of his maniacal baritone giggle slip at this point.)  

Without getting too much detail out there too soon, we don't expect to see the winners in much earlier than 30 hours after the start.  So, those of you that were maybe thinking about knocking this one out and getting a full night's sleep before driving home on Sunday might want to make a slight mental adjustment and prepare for one heck of a race!!!

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posted by Garrison at 8:16 AM 0 Comments

Monday, June 1, 2009

2009 PA 24/OS Update

Greetings all!

The 2009 Planet Adventure Challenge is just around the corner, hopefully your training has gone well and you are ready for one of the most challenging 24+ hour races you've ever done!

First we'd like to stress a few points that are especially important

1) Ascending for the Old School teams.  As has been mentioned before you will be expected to be proficient at ascending and will be required to demonstrate your ability during check-in.  BE PREPARED!  It's not too late to practice.  If you are not able to demonstrate your ability to ascend proficiently and safely, it will affect your race.

2) Gear checks.  There will be no pre race gear checks (other than climbing gear for Old School teams).  However there will be on course gear checks and a lack of mandatory gear will result in penalties.  Please take the gear list seriously and ask any questions ahead of time.  Do NOT make assumptions about what will or will not meet the requirements!

3) Camping - there have been a lot of questions about camping, see below for all the details.

4) OLD SCHOOL TEAMS - Be prepared to start your race as early as MIDNIGHT FRIDAY.  That's right, midnight.  (24 hour teams, you can start to feel bad for the OS teams right around then.)  Exact start time will not be disclosed until the prerace meeting but you NEED to be ready to race at midnight, so plan accordingly...

Below is a lot of additional information about the race next weekend.  Although a lot of it is the same information available on the website, we suggest you read it through carefully!!

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SCHEDULE
(All scheduled events will be at the Elk Ridge Ranch)

June 5, 2009
12:00 to 6:00 p.m Check-in and skills tests. PA Old School
5:00 to 7:30p.m. Check-in PA 24
8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Pre-race Social
9:00 p.m. Pre-Race meeting

June 6, 2009
Before 7:00 a.m PA Old School
7:00 a.m Race Start PA 24

June 7, 2009
1:00 p.m. Course Close
1:00 p.m. Post race Party starts
2:00 p.m. Awards

Camping and Lodging and Elk Ridge Ranch.

All teams will be required to camp in the tent village on Friday night.  (Both 24 hour teams and OS teams.) Crews are welcome to camp with their teams. Also available for crews are the camper/trailer spots, two with water and electricity ($50/weekend) and one with just electricity ($25/weekend). The Lil Cabin on the Hill will also be available for $250/weekend. These will be on a first come first serve basis. PLEASE CONTACT Jerry Lyons at 317 590-0762 or email jerry@planetadventurerace.com if you are interested in these other accommodations.

There will be showers available for those camping. We will also have a buffet meal (pasta, sandwiches and salad) available Friday for $5 per person. The nearest restaurants are 8 to 10 miles away.


Ropes

There will be ropes. As we have stated there will be multiple rope sections. At a bare minimum you will need an approved climbing harness, two locking carabineers, and two runners (2' or 4'). 

Old School teams WILL need to know how to ascend up to 50 feet without your pack. You WILL be required to demonstrate basic ascending skill at check in. Failure to do so may jeopardize your ability to attempt these sections of the OS course!

We are providing ascenders for your use during the race.  However, I strongly recommend that you bring your own ascending setup (i.e., foot loops etc.)  You will be much faster if you bring your own setup that you can simply attach to the provided ascenders.  We will have Petzel Ascension ascenders (or the equivalent) available for your use.  Although we will also have various foot loops and runners that a clever climber could use to fashion a serviceable ascending rig, it will be to your benefit to have your own ascending rig that you are used to and is sized accordingly. 

You will have the option to use your own APPROVED ascension and rappel gear and it may save time at the ropes sections but remember, you will be required to carry it the entire length of the race.

Advanced Loop Rules

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.

  • 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.
Water Travel 
(note - only OS teams will go 1.5 miles, although 24 teams will swim, the distance will be much shorter.)

There will be non-boat water travel! Yes, swimming, kick boarding, doggy paddling what ever you want to call it. You will have several opportunities to get in the water. The race is during the summer in Indiana so getting wet may be a plus. There will be one section where you will travel about 1.5 miles in the water. Those of you that are wise will develop the best method and technique for this mode of travel. We will have trash bins after this section to dump any items you can part with. Anything else you should plan on carrying the whole race. We do not expect any team to spend more than an hour and a half or so in the water during this section. Plan accordingly!! Remember you will always have your PFD on when you are in water over waist deep.


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posted by Garrison at 3:55 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

PA24 (non-Old School) neither neglected nor boring!!

It's been brought to my attention that we have spent a lot of time discussing some of the nuances and features of this years "Old School" course, which is essentially a challenging 30-36 hour expedition style course, and have all but neglected the good old stand-by that is PA24.  I just wanted to put everyone's mind at ease who has already signed up for the standard 24 hour course (or intends to) that you are not going to be second class citizens!!  

The standard course is extremely comparable to courses of years past with a good spread of disciplines, challenging terrain and plenty of opportunities for navigational challenge.  You'll also be getting a taste of some of the old school elements like ropes.  However, you do have the luxury of a crew (if you so choose) or at the very least a remote gear drop or two.  The standard course is no walk in the park and all of you that have completed one in the past know what to expect.

If you've got any questions about either course or the race in general, don't hesitate to contact us.  I know you've all heard this a hundred times or more, but I really think this race is one that you're not going to want to miss!

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posted by Garrison at 2:10 PM 0 Comments

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
  • 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

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posted by Garrison at 11:36 AM 2 Comments

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

More course notes for PA 2009...

Following are some scouting notes from course designer John McInnes...

May 3, 2009 Old School Scouting Report

I hope this message finds you doing well. It was a very fun and wet weekend scouting the Old School Course. I was thinking that with about 90% of the course in the books, this weekend’s work would be primarily for tying up loose ends and just making sure everything fit together the way we wanted it to. Well, I was wrong about that. It seems that every time I pre-run another section of the course I find 2 or 3 cool things that I want to include. So now we are faced with the task of cutting out really cool parts of the course so that I can include some even cooler stuff. Maybe we should just make this a 3 day race….that work for everyone? Just kidding.

I hope that everyone is honing their navigation skills. The course is shaping up with some fantastic trekking with great route choices and opportunities for decision making. The trekking sections are very rugged and I must admit that I succumbed to a nearly tragic ankle torqueing episode. The navigation does not end with the trekking. Expect navigational challenges both on the bike and in the boat.

Old school teams – make sure that you are working on your ascending skills. You will need them

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posted by Garrison at 11:50 AM 0 Comments

Sunday, April 12, 2009

PA Scouting

Spent all day yesterday scouting for the race coming up in June.  Getting pretty excited.  Without giving too much away, the area I was in yesterday was beautiful and should meet our needs pretty much perfectly.  Any concerns about whether or not ropes will be included in this race should be answered by the pics!

John's had some really good ideas to add some challenge to this race that I think the racers are really going to dig.  At least they will when it's all over and they look back on what they have accomplished!

If anyone is on the fence about this race I think they should pull the trigger and sign up.  Whether it's the standard "24" course or the jumbo sized "Old School" course, this is going to be a race that people don't want to miss!

On a possibly unrelated note, I really like climbing.  I'm not talking about rock climbing, (although I do really enjoy that as well, it's just not the topic of my current train of thought), but rather any situation where you propel yourself "up".  Could be on a bike or on foot.  There's just something about it that I really dig...

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posted by Garrison at 1:23 PM 1 Comments