Spring Bloom 2026

Bushwhacking and Tush Smacking

 

               I’ve had the pleasure of racing in four of Broad Run’s races over the past few years. I don’t know if there is another regularly occurring race that I’ve enjoyed more. Every time I plan to do one I go into it thinking it’s such a fun, beginner friendly race that I won’t have to really think all too hard, only to have my arrogance humbled. And I think it’s that mixture of approachability and ego-deflation that keeps me coming back for more. After coming off a podium finish (divisional, not overall) from the Fall Foliage race, Chris and I decided to sign up for the Spring Bloom with the goal to have a similar finish. While I still think that accolade was a fluke, I loved the idea of keeping up the standard.

We made the trip down to Fredericksburg into a combo adult getaway and we reserved a AirBNB for the entire weekend. Friday afternoon we faced the customary traffic sludge around Washington and eventually pulled into Motts Run Reservoir to grab our maps, packets, and swag. I had really hoped we would run into at least a few familiar faces and have a chance to chat while we were there, but everyone seemed to be down to business and we were in and out in less than 10 minutes. After a quick trip into Wal-mart, and grabbing some take out for dinner, we headed to our little home away from home to pour over our precious maps and fill our bellies.

While indulging in cuisine that WE actually chose, rather than dictated by our brood of kiddos, we read over race rules, clues, and talked strategy. Chris said he was willing to try to clear the course until we couldn’t, and I heartily agreed. Two years ago, at the Fall Foliage, we dropped a dumb number of points way too early in the race and regretted it by the time we started the next leg. I didn’t want a redo of that feeling. So, once we cleared away the left-over blooming onion and salads, I set to work planning our routes and attack points.

Chris was puttering around filling packs and sorting bags while I squinted and stared at 5 maps. I made a comment about wanting to be able to “zoom in” on one area of the maps that was riddled with small overlapping trails. Chris got a twinkle in his eye and said he was going to the car to grab something. He came back and handed me something that simultaneously made me cringe and eagerly reach for. My late father’s reading glasses. It was like Rafiki was leaning over my shoulder whispering “It is time.” I dawned the gawdy dollar store spectacles and gazed upon a whole new map. I could see defined details that were squiggly blobs just moments before. Well dang. I’m not ready to buy a pair of my own, but I can tell you that I know where those glasses are now…. Just in case I may need them for similar minute details. Not every day reading, yet…

After an hour or so of plotting, scheming, and marking, I was satisfied with our plan. Chris said he trusted whatever I was strategizing and didn’t feel the need to look over much. With packs packed, clothes laid out, and coffee set, we got showers and headed to bed at a relatively decent hour. Pre-race sleep is never perfect, but it was sufficient.

Saturday morning we got up, dressed, caffeinated, and were out the door by 6am. When we pulled into the bike drop we were so surprised and elated to be recognized by some really lovely volunteers. While I don’t think they knew our actual names, they knew we were team “Bushwhacking and Tush Smacking!” I love that our team name is memorable enough to make people giggle.

After attaching bike boards, pumping tires, and positioning bikes, we were back on the road and pulling into Motts Run again by 6:30. We were guided to park directly next to our friends and fellow teammates from Delmarva Adventure Sports! Kristin and her youngest two kiddos were taking on the 4 hour course while the Stevensons and Dennis and his son Dawson were going to be competing in the 15 hour. We hopped out and chatted with everyone for a few minutes before ambling down to the check in to grab our e-punch and tracker. Climbing back up the hill to the car I felt stupid winded and wondered if I had even trained for this race over the past few weeks. Trust me, I had.

We ran into a few more familiar faces while we were waiting for the buses to arrive and stood around chatting while slathering on sunblock and bug spray. Eventually, it was time to climb onto the bus and claim our seats. Our chatting caused us to miss the first bus, but we slipped onto the second bus and were on the road to the start by 7:30am. After a relatively short ride, and a front row seat to a very recent car accident on a narrow bridge, we arrived to a dirt road. Everyone unloaded off the bus, grabbed their packs and paddle bags, and began a quarter mile walk down to the official race start.

There were at least 2 or 3 more bus loads of racers that had to arrive to the start before the race briefing could begin, so naturally, I had to chat it up with some new faces. We met two other 2-person co-ed teams standing to either side of us and enjoyed about a half hour of fun, AR centered conversation. One couple (Overly Lost, I think) was from North Carolina and recognized our team name from a race we entered last year, but we had had to defer because of a knee issue I had had. I really enjoyed their laid-back, but engaging personalities and wish they weren’t moving to the west coast this summer. I would have loved the chance to run into them again! The other couple (I didn’t catch their team name, but I remember him saying his name was Monopoly) was from closer by and were also fun and enthusiastic. I love competition, but I really love meeting new friends!

Eventually, Allen made an announcement that the final bus was unloading at the top of the hill, and all the racers would be arriving shortly. We moved closer to the megaphone so we could hear all the details well. As racers trickled in from the dirt road, Allen discussed details about the course, the water levels, and the weather forecast. Everything seemed in line and set. The prologue was still a secret at this point, and all he hinted at was that no one was going to be able to run straight out and start the course. He is so well known for his inventive and memorable schemes at spreading out the field. He did not disappoint for this one!

Prologue (Leg 1) Hunting Run Conservancy 3/4 points

Once the countdown was complete, there was a mad dash for two bins of plastic baggies. Every team needed to grab one bag and begin the challenge. I ran up and grabbed ours and sprinted back to Chris. It was a full-size puzzle! Granted, the pieces were blessedly large, but we had to assemble the puzzle to see the map for the prologue! Four points were dispersed around the area, with their exact positioning only marked on the puzzle map. Now, trying to run through the woods, while keeping a puzzle together is not only challenging, but we discovered it was impossible. Chris astutely thought to transpose the CPs onto our map that began the next leg. Once we did that, we were off! We got CPs 2, 3, and 4 without a hitch. While we were hightailing it back to CP 1, we saw a few boats heading in the direction we thought the final CP was. I’m not sure if we imagined it, but we assumed it was legal to hop in the boats, and paddle upstream to that last CP. So, we claimed a boat, threw all our gear into it, and headed to the boat launch. Once we were finally settled into the canoe, we aimed upstream and began paddling against the current. The kind volunteers pointed out that we were going in the wrong direction. When we told them we were paddling upstream to grab CP 1 they broke the news that that was not legal! In hindsight, I know it wasn’t. Once you start a new leg of a race, CPs from the previous leg are no longer available to you. But since we knew there were so many embedded trek sections along this upcoming paddle, we assumed it was cool for this point. Alas, we assumed wrong. I told Chris we could park the boat and run and grab the point, but he said it would be a waste of time at that point. It hurt, but we had to let that one go.

Leg 2 FXBG by Paddle: The Rapidan, Rappahannock + Lake Mooney 21/23 points

The Rappahannock river is apparently THE river to canoe in the area. When water levels are average, the river boasts multiple class 1 and class 2 rapids. Water levels were not average on April 25, 2026. In fact, Allen had told everyone that the water levels were actually at a record low for this date of the year. He also gave us the *rough* estimate that we would be able to paddle 90% and have to hike a raft 10% of the paddle. I think he is quite the optimist. While we were definitely able to paddle a majority of the trip, there were far more grumbles and choice words coming from my dear husband, and truth be told, even me, than normal for a paddle leg. What really saved the leg were the multitude of mini trek sections along the way. Every time I felt like Chris, or I, was getting enough of the hauling, scooting, and rock slamming, it was time to hop out and grab a few points in the woods.

Our first departure from the canoe bought us to an easy CP at a reentrant on the north side of the river. Directly after that we parked our boat among a smattering of other vessels, tied up to a hanging tree, and scaled a small, steep embankment. A DNREC officer was perched on a 4-wheeler appearing bored beyond belief and wanting to be anywhere but parked at this spot watching fools clamor up from the river. Chris and I found our CP and then our trailhead and began down a path to the following 2 CPs in this small trek section. Many teams were in various forms of jogging, running and shuffling along the trail. Chris and I usually don't run, unless I get just too antsy and he doesn't feel like arguing. We found the stream I was looking for, followed it to CP 8, then turned around and backtracked back across the trail to CP 9 and punched it. Rather than retrace our steps again, we chose to bushwhack southwest back to the trail. It worked perfectly and saved us just a few short minutes.

Back at the boat, we hopped in and shoved off from shore after ping ponging through rocks, teams, and a few small rapids. As hard as we were trying to keep dry-ish feet, all was lost at this point. We both had to jump out of the canoe and haul it through multiple sections of ankle-deep water. Eventually the river deepened and we could paddle for a section without bracing for impact repeatedly. There were only 2 CPs along the river over the next few miles, so we settled into a steady paddle pace and enjoyed conversations with other teams cruising along at our speed. 

Soon enough we came to a section of river where I had to start really paying attention to find my intended landing spot. We passed a few more elite level teams who had docked further upstream than I had planned and I began to second guess my approach. Chris encouraged me to stick with my plan and we held steady until I saw the shoreline features I was searching for. We hopped out, tied up, and scaled another embankment directly onto the trail I was hoping to find. The map was mapping perfectly, and we found CP 18 up a steep reentrant without a problem. We returned to the trail and headed southeast snacking on m&ms and eyeing the terrain. I realized around this time I had been foolishly juggling too many things in my hands and had lost my compass. Actually, it was Chris's compass. I had lost my compass back at home while we were packing. As per his norm in being vigilant in all the ways I am not, Chris had a back-up-back-up compass he handed over with a slightly knowing smile. We were looking for a bend in the trail before we would pop into the woods for CP 19. I jumped the gun as soon as I saw the trail veer to the left and hauled Chris into the woods with me too early. After about 5 minutes I realized the error of my ways, and we returned to the trail. After closer inspection I saw my goof and we found the CP easy peasy. We returned to the trail that led us back to our canoe and headed directly across the river to the next trek section that held a smattering of points. 

We found CPs 11, 14, and 13 going in a counterclockwise route. Many familiar faces were passing us in the opposite direction, and I figured they all knew something I didn't, because it looked far more difficult to find the points coming from their direction. Either way, we were committed to this route. I blundered a little on choosing where to dive into the woods to find CP 12, but Chris thought through my plan with me and we agreed. When we finally headed in for the reentrant, we found the CP relatively easily. We slid down the reentrant further and located a decent trail that wasn't on the map which serendipitously brought us right back to our canoe. 

Less than 3 minutes down the river and we were back out to grab 2 more points. We passed a few teenagers who looked like they were so confused as to why their hidden hangout point along the river was inundated with crazy adults all scurrying this way and that. Chris and I trudged through some ankle deep sludge to climb the first reentrant with CP 15. After punching that one, we scaled the steep hillside and found ourselves on my intended trail. We did a quick out and back along this trail and ran into the Monopoly team. Together we punched CP 17 and then headed back to our canoes. As we were converging with another trail, we saw our friends the Stevensons coming up from a totally different direction. They had remained on land to grab these additional CPs rather than float downstream. I love how so many different plans can all have such a relatively similar result. 

We got back to the canoe, paddled less than a minute and hopped out yet again for another CP that was housed pretty close to the mouth of a small stream. While we were crawling back into our boat that was docked ever so precariously, the Monopoly team arrived to hit CP 16 just after us. The poor guy was crossing his fingers that he could just hop out and land in relatively shallow water. Alas, when he scooted off the side of their canoe, he found himself in water over his head! After some gasping and sputtering, he came out of the muddy depths just fine, albeit a little chillier and humbled. 

CPs 21 and 20 were obtained without incident on the opposite shoreline just a few minutes downriver. I discovered my love for moon pies on this little hike. I think my standard oatmeal cream pies have been usurped. We realized where we were on the river around this time and that Motts Run Reservoir was just on the far side of the land to our right. We still had a good chunk of the race to conquer before we would be back there later that night. 

We docked under a zip line that crossed the river in an attempt to located CP 22. I'm ever so thankful the director gave us a heads up about that feature, because if we would have used my approach of following a small stream just around the river bend, I don't know if we would have been able to locate the "Northmost civil war canon pit." But find it we did! This was the first CP of the race where I chose to shoot a bearing, and as it always does, I feel like I'm working some sort of sorcery when the CP appears right in front of us. Endorphins are an addicting thing.

We returned to our canoe and proceeded to paddle a few really fun little rapids without a hitch. Flowing water makes such a difference. Around this time, I began to feel like we were falling behind in our time estimates and we needed to reevaluate the plan to clear the course. Chris agreed we should probably drop at least one of these upcoming mini treks in favor of getting to the bikes before dark. Looking at the maps, CPs 23 and 24 looked to have a painful amount of elevation in comparison to CPs 25 and 26.  We decided to drop the first two and grab the easier couplet. We docked by some large boulders and punched 26 which was right on the shoreline. We then found our needed trail and followed it to a sharp turn and then began rock scrambling up a decent sized stream toward CP 25. We crossed paths with the Overly duo and exchanged cheers of excitement and laments of distress over the course so far. When Kelli asked where Chris was, I looked back and realized he was not directly behind me. I told her he was coming up somewhere close by, I hadn't lost him yet! Chris is not as loving of rock hopping as I am, and he was picking and choosing his footing far more cautiously than me. I found the CP nestled to the right of a quaint waterfall and headed back toward my Christopher. We made it back to the canoe as the rains began. We had lucked out so far and remained relatively dry throughout the day. That was all coming to a rapid end.  

It was in this section of the river where I nearly lost my joy of the paddle. While we were choosing great lines and making good time, the presence of EMTs and uniformed patrolmen made me slightly nervous about the upcoming rapids. We were paddling along with 2 or 3 other teams and all choosing different routes through the large rocks and pillars of the route 95 bridges. Just a short section after we passed the bridge our luck ran out. We came to a small section of swift moving water and were not aimed nose first. The left side of our canoe struck a submerged rock and threw off our balance. We both over compensated and leaned too far to the side, allowing the brisk waters of the Rappahannock River to invade our vessel. Without a chance of righting ourselves, we both tumbled overboard along with all our gear. I saw my map case floating away and scrambled to grab it. In that effort I somehow decided to let go of my paddle and once I had my maps I had to lunge over to grab my paddle before it wondered off. Chris was all the while scoping out a place to get ourselves together. He pulled our canoe over to a cluster of larger rocks and together we wrung out our waterlogged gear bags, lifted the canoe and emptied out the tanker of water that had turned us and our gear into the soggy mess we had become. I was overly impressed with how even keeled and calm Chris was through the whole ordeal. Its like minor annoyances get to him but major catastrophes are totally manageable.  

Downriver a group of emergency personal watched. I wouldn't have wanted them to scramble up to help us, because I would have been too embarrassed to accept any assistance, but I had to laugh at their total lack of concern at our situation. Once we were reorganized and floating again, we proceeded to pinball our way down the river to CP 27 and the takeout. We emerged from the river cold and wet, but eager to continue on. Chris single handedly hauled the canoe up the steep stairs while I pointlessly tried to assist him. Man strength is real. We were encouraged by the kind volunteer and set off down a short riverside trail to our waiting bikes and chance for dry clothes. 

Leg 3 Fredericksburg Single-Track 6/12

Once we were changed into dry clothes, water bottles were filled, and the paddle bag was repacked, we were on our bikes and cruising off into the fading light. The rain had turned to a light mist, but I had decided to layer up with 2 shirts and my raincoat, just to stay warm. After a quick haul down a flat riverside trail, we turned onto a gravel road with a blood-pumping uphill climb. I was sufficiently warmed up by the time we got to the gate at the top. We found ourselves at some ball fields and easily found the trailhead we needed to dive into the first smattering of bike trails we would be scurrying along. Our first point looked to be a quick and easy punch. Kinda helps if you look at the correct clue when you're wondering along in the woods at night. I had thought the clue was "between two earth mounds" so when the CP was encased in a "chimney? well? sneakily large steel pipe" you have a little bit of a hard time locating it. After a few back and forths, some questioning how I can call myself a navigator, and shamelessly following a smattering of other teams, we found CP 28. 

I confirmed, for sure this time, what the next clue was and where we were on the map and we headed off for CP 29. Well before where I thought I would need to start looking for the CP, we came upon a whole cackle of racers scaling a small stream to the left of the trail. After having come off a fuddled search for the previous CP, I assumed I was totally off again, and that this herd of racers knew something I didn't. I get why I didn't follow my gut, but we wasted probably 15 minutes in the herd mentality. Once we separated from the pack, and I was able to reorient myself, I found the actual trail intersection I had been looking for and proceeded to confirm map features with the real world until I caught the reflection of a beloved CP flag *almost* precisely where I thought it would be. Another team came upon us as I was scurrying out of the woods and were happy to be clued into their whereabouts on the map. We hopped back on our bikes and followed a super fun single-track trail down to a large gravel road that led us under RT 95 and onto the "float challenge."

Coming up to a small parking lot, we were greeted by dang near one of the friendliest and excited volunteers I've ever had the pleasure of making contact with. He enthusiastically explained the challenge to us. I am no paddle-board aficionado, but I certainly enjoy it more than Chris does. For that reason, I dropped my pack, grabbed a paddle board, life vest, and a paddle, and proceeded to scurry out and back across the Fredericksburg Quarry to punch CP 30. I caught sight of the familiar Delmarva Adventure Sports jersey and gave Justin a jovial "hello" as we crossed water-paths out on the water.

I returned to the shoreline still dry and well, and Chris and I were off again. We had our sights set on CP 32, choosing to leave CP 31 out. We started up a trail labeled as a black diamond. While we were doing totally fine, I started to have the feeling we were making poor choices and would not have enough time for anything on the final leg if we committed to taking this trail. I stopped to talk our options through with Chris, and together we decided to return to the flat riverside trail that would lead us all the way back to Motts Run far quicker than this undulating and technical route. We returned to the base of the trail and headed west. The trail was perfect for getting our speed up and enjoying some flowy dips and turns. Twice along this route I stopped to consider popping up the hillside to grab a point, but each time Chris (and I) were discouraged by the time and effort it would take to grab said points. We hauled on and eventually made it to the edge of Motts Run Reservoir. This meant we had blown past CP 35. We dropped the bikes and hiked back a short little section until we spotted the flag hanging in some ruins. 

When we got back to the bikes, we had a major decision to make. We could go on to the left and complete the bike section, grabbing 3 more points, all appearing to be easy enough to find. OR, we could go to the right, head back to the TA, and head out on the final leg which would include more paddling and trekking. I had fallen behind in my nutrition and had been struggling up a few of the hills along the final portion of that riverside trail. My mind was ready for a break from navigating, and I was open to whatever Chris was thinking he preferred. He said given the option; he wouldn't mind not having to get back in a canoe for the rest of his life. So, without further consideration or common sense, we headed off to the left. 

The maps for this race were all 1:11000. Map scales still confuse me, but I knew that each block on this map was only 1km. Eyeballing the distance and not allotting for the tightly woven trail that encircled the reservoir, I figured I would take us less than an hour to make it around and back to the TA. I was also at the point in the race where my precise navigating takes a backseat and I make dumb broad assumptions on what I'm seeing on the map. I did not pay attention. Like, to anything. When we thought we had arrived to where CP 36 would be, we were really an entire peninsula too early. Another racer blew past us giving us a look of pity in our obviously oblivious state. We actually thought we had blown past the CP, decided to cut our losses and head on for CP 37 with the clue "under a bridge." There was no way we would miss that one. We kept cruising along, convincing ourselves we were so much further along the map than we actually were every time we came to a feature. A trail intersection, a tight bend in the trail, a river crossing. Eventually, this began to fail. Nothing was making sense. The terrain became this Naria-like forest (minus the snow), fireworks were going off in the distance, and I was painfully and inexcusable lost. 

I honestly started to believe we had entered a wormhole and were in some sort of time vortex. The trail kept going and going, I had almost completely given up trying to figure out where we were. All I was relying on was the fact that EVENTUALLY we would have to come to the road that leads to the TA and we would just head in for the final leg. Time was racing past us, and I started to feel those disgusting and corrosive thoughts of failure and renunciation. I apologized to Chris for failing him as a navigator, and he soothed my damaged ego as best he could. We resolved ourselves to the fact that we were stuck on this trail until the end and decided to enjoy it for what it was, because it was actually a really fun and punchy single track! Almost as soon as I switched my mentality to just enjoying the ride, I caught a glimpse of a reflective strip underneath a bridge. Seriously?!? We were only at CP 37?!? How in the world did I get THAT misplaced on the map?

I can laugh at our situation now, but we were honestly thinking we had somehow left the entire park, ridden for miles on some obscure and unmapped trail, and returned to the park without knowing it. Foolishness. I had just gotten lazy and inattentive. Lesson learned. Don't get lazy and assumptive. Now that we finally knew where we were, time became an even bigger issue. We had to haul it back to the TA just to be able to grab a single point on the final leg so that we could remain official finishers. So, haul it we did. It honestly still seems like we made it from CP 37 to the TA in way less time than it took us to do the initial portion of the that bike trail. 

We came flying into a nearly empty TA. We may not have been the very last team to show up, but we were certainly one of the stragglers. Jeremy from Broad Run very politely asked if we were still planning to paddle any. We both laughed and said absolutely not. All we figured we had time for was to grab one solitary point on the last leg and lick our egotistical wounds. He agreed. We found CP 39, the final CP on leg 2, after passing it twice in a confused stupor. 

Leg 4 Mott/s Run Reservoir Paddle/Trek 1/12 points

The final leg could have been what saved us. We could have made that right turn instead of the left turn of doom and spent the 2 + hours grabbing point after point along the banks of Motts Run Reservoir. Alas. All we had time for was one piddly mercy point that had been placed along the Silo Hiking Trail. We punch CP 52 and turned directly back toward the finish line. It was 11:50. I told Chris we had to at shuffle a little faster just to make it back in time and he reminded me that we had a 15-minute grace period from the late start that morning. He also quickly pointed out he had no desire to go hail-Mary-ing off to grab "just one more point." I agreed. Our race was sealed.  We walked hand in hand along the trail back to the main road and crossed over to the finish.

We handed over our E-punch and tracker to Mark and he congratulated us. After the obligatory finish line photo, we grabbed some coveted Panera sandwiches and Dominos pizza and found a little spot to rest our beaten bodies. We cheered as friends and strangers crossed the finish line in the final minutes of the race. Looking around at the rest of the field of racers I could tell that some had had a near perfect race, some had had their butts handed to them, and some had had an experience similar to ours, but everyone looked satisfied and wonderfully exhausted.

Allen grabbed everyone's attention and the divisional winners were announced. Our buddies the Stevensons nabbed third in our division, and our new friends the Overly's had won our division! So awesome!! We cheered for them all, as well as the rest of the podium winners. We ended up 4th in our division and 30/67 overall. I'll take it after our total debacle on the bike leg! 

After awards Allen made the thrilling announcement that Broad Run Off Road would be hosting the 2027 National Championships in Virginia! So exciting! After a solid congratulatory applause, he made a few more announcements about upcoming races and thanks to everyone for coming out. 

As racers were making their way back to their cars, Chris and I took the opportunity to chat a little longer with a few friends, volunteers, and Allen. I really love the AR community so much. I have no idea what most of these people are like in their "real" lives, but I adore the connections we all make in our "AR" lives. I am already looking forward to my next fix of endorphins, energy depletion, and ego deflation! 

Two Rivers 2025

    My very first Adventure Race ever was a Two Rivers put on by the renowned Rootstock Racing. It's kinda the race to which I'll forever compare other races. This year's edition was also unparalleled. It still had the standard challenging and deliberate navigation, along with a sweet sense of true community, but it had something altogether aberrant. It had a metropolis. Not just any urban spread, but an American classic of a true city. It had Philly. I can honestly say I was more nervous about the sights and scenarios that could play out on this race than I have been since my first Two Rivers four years ago. I’m so glad I can say I came out alive, well, and with squashed fears surrounding the City of Brotherly Love. It was still totally wild, but a different kind of wild.

    Being held just over two hours from home, the trip to Philly became a teeny tiny get-a-way, and Chris and I got a hotel room for the night before the race. With a race check in time of FOUR AM there was no way we could make the drive from home that morning. Our hotel of (economical) choice was nice and kitschy with all the tacky flavor one can expect for less than $200/night. Still, it was clean, semi-quiet, and warmer than camping out in a tent.

    On Friday evening we grabbed some dinner from an unsuspectingly nice ramen restaurant just down the street from our hotel, and headed toward the Discovery Center for check in. After some sobering traffic and rerouting, we arrived and parked right next to my good friend Becky. The more I immerse myself into this community of AR, the more I love every chance I get to see my fellow racers. In the short time we were there dropping off our bikes and grabbing our course manual, I enjoyed multiple conversations with our competition. This was going to be a great race, if for no other reason than the opportunities to rub shoulders with some of my favorite athletes out on the course.

Our night was short and restless, and before we knew it our alarms were clanging us awake at three AM. We heated up some Starbucks we had bought the night before, dressed and were out the door by 3:40. The front desk attendant was kicked back and snoring as we passed by, but called out a “Have a great day!” as we passed through the door. Who said Philadelphians weren’t pleasant?

Arriving back to the Discovery Center we set to work dropping off our paddle bag and gear bin and grabbed our precious maps. I, like the rest of the race field, had suspicions about where Brent and Abby would send us over the next 26 hours. No part of me had considered being sent over state lines to New Jersey. Arm Pit state or no, the course looked fantastic. They announced we would get two additional maps out on the course, but from the maps I was excitedly marking up, it already looked like a heck of a feat to conquer. With 166 checkpoints for the taking, Chris and I quickly decided to tailor down our plan. We strategized getting all the mandatory and roughly half the optional CPs on each leg. With 11 teams in our division, we didn’t see the possibility of a podium finish, so we looked more toward the fun of the experience and enjoying the ride.

At just before 5:00, two classic school buses came cruising up to the parking lot. We all filed on and claimed seats. I had planned out our routes and goals so all I had left to do on the bus was organize the maps into my case. Folding, shuffling, and aligning nine maps in a seat designed for school children with my husband and our two heavily laden packs was no easy feat. And yet, by the time we arrived to Cooper River Park, I was as organized as I would be for the remainer of the day. Our driver was apparently less familiar with New Jersey than she was with Philadelphia, because after about 10 additional minutes of lefts, rights, hard braking, and curb jumping, we arrived at the start.

Climbing off the nice and warm bus and into the cool, brisk, dark morning sent my body into immediate shivers. It was probably a mixture of adrenaline as well as the 35-degree air, but I was totally questioning my choice of clothing. 4 hours out on the water, in an inflatable pack raft, with temps in the 30’s wasn’t sounding very enticing. I had one of those moments where you can’t help but think “why didn’t I get into pickleball instead of this craziness?!” I knew a few minutes of paddling would warm me up, and by the time the sun made its appearance, I would probably regret the multiple layers I was already wrapped in.

Brent and Abby made a few quick announcements, answered a few questions, and began the count down. Chris and I clicked on our watches and started our race. Well, we strolled over to our paddle bag as we watched the majority of the field sprint around. I’ve learned from the many races I’ve done with Chris, there is minimal running in his racing, and none to be had at the start, unless it’s a prologue. We easily found our paddle bag and set to work like a well-oiled machine. Wordlessly, we fell into our jobs; him inflating the raft and me organizing the dry bag, assembling the paddles, attaching the glow stick, and repacking the paddle bag. I don’t think we had discussed our jobs for this, but I love that we were able to get the tasks done efficiently and quickly. Maybe racing does showcase just how well you can work with someone. Especially your spouse.

Stage A: Cooper River, 4/4 mandatory ½ optional

I wish I knew our exact timing, but all I can say is that we were on the water toward the front of the pack. We pushed off from the dock with Chris in the front and me at the helm. While this arrangement works flawlessly for us in a canoe, it didn’t seem to work well in a packraft. With a majority of the weight toward the front of the raft, there was an ominous crease in the center of the vessel. Not enough to take on water, but it made me nervous looking around at all the other rafts and seeing smooth sides. Still, we made it work and paddled well to the first CP. As I was crawling out of the back of the pack and over a small revetment, I heard Chris mumble something under his breath. I looked down and noticed I was standing directly on his hand as I was scrambling up the wall. Oops. I called out a quick apology as I ran toward the memorial to punch our very first CP. Instinctively, I searched for an orange and white flag and quickly remembered that not a single one of the 166 checkpoints would be flagged with a traditional control. Instead, we were searching for the tiny 1in x 3in punch that normally hangs below the bright flags. Being within reach and view of the public made our CPs prime targets for kleptomaniacs, so Brent opted to be a slight bit forgiving with the placement of CPs, but still with the intent to not be obvious. I got to the punch just as Dennis, a fellow Delmarva Adventure Sports teammate, was punching his passport. We did our standard heckling and continued on our ways. I returned to the boat as Chris was finishing up topping our inflation off with the automatic air pump.

            We scooted along the Cooper River nearly neck and neck with Becky and her teammate Dan for the next 5 miles or so, grabbing CPs hidden on small islands and in mud entrenched ruins. After one of the small portages, we decided to swap to a more traditional seating arrangement with Chris in the back.  Eventually, the smallish Cooper River opened up into the larger Delaware river. We passed a handful of teams in this open area and dug in to the never-ending headwinds and tidal flow. We passed under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, skirted the riverwalk and Adventure Aquarium before docking in the Wiggins Marina. Climbing out of the pack raft was a welcome relief. I really enjoy a good paddle, but I’m usually exceedingly thankful for it to be over.

            We transitioned well and were dressed and heading to the secret mini-stage within minutes. Just beyond the Marina a huge battleship was looming at the end of a dock. We were given a small map with a handful of checkpoints hidden in the nooks and crannies of the USS New Jersey battleship. With the explicit rules to WALK, we scurried to and fro on the deck and compartments of the warship and cleared the stage in less than 15 minutes. It was actually a really fun, and giddy experience! Chris mentioned he wished we would have had a chance to really look at the ship, but I’m not as much of a history/military buff as him, so the quick escapade was just perfect in my opinion.

Stage B: Downtown Philadelphia, 2/2 Mandatory, 3/6 Optional

            We returned to the TA, handed over our mini passport and headed out on our bikes to the awaiting chaos of the city. After a few moments to truly orient myself to the map, we crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge we had glided under roughly an hour before. Over the next hour or so we scuttled through the streets of Philly from Franklin Park to Franklin Fountain and from Chestnut Street to Jim’s Steaks. We glided past the stadiums that held all the city’s beloved sports teams and ended up at the FDR park where we were greeted by bubbly volunteers and some coveted Wawa pretzels.

Stage C: FDR Park, 14/14 Mandatory, 3/6 Optional

 This O-course held 14 mandatory points and 6 optionals. We stuck to our plan of getting all the mandatory and half the optionals well. While we found ourselves on the wrong side of a fence for about a mile, a quick fence jump and thick bushwhack landed us only slightly off course. We had to try for one of the points twice and were sorely befuddled by a multi-gated tennis court, but overall made out well on the course. Returning to the TA, we were instructed on an unplanned alteration to the course around CP 23. It seemed simple enough.

Stage D (Bike): The Long Ride, 19/19 Mandatory, 11/21 Optional

The next few miles of biking took us through a new area of Philadelphia. The maps were clearly marked with routes that were more bike friendly than other options, but none of them seemed to be efficient to get us to the trailhead of the Schuylkill River Trail. Instead, we opted for a route that took us along a makeshift road that traversed underneath an elevated set of train tracks. While I was positive we were on a direct route, it was obvious it wasn’t the most bike friendly of areas. Blind intersections, moody drivers, and a neighborhood that was reminiscent of “The Fast and the Furious” made us feel as though a slightly less direct route may have been a better choice. While people hidden behind their windshields weren’t fans of our presence on the bikes, everyone we passed that I was able to make eye contact with and smile to quickly returned a smile or some sort of sign of pleasant acknowledgment. It was both surprising and relieving. In my mind, a prerequisite for living in a city was to be hardened and cold to everyone you come in contact with. Philly proved me wrong.

We accessed the SRT and scooted along the forgiving paved path for the next few miles until we came to the detour that had been perfectly explained to us at the previous TA. Perfectly explained, and then perfectly forgotten. We managed to figure out a route after a few wrong turns and dead ends, but we lost a few more precious minutes in our adventuring. We eventually made it to the Lemon Hill bike trails and finally across the West Girard Avenue Bridge.

Stage D (Trek): Philadelphia Safari, 0/0 Mandatory, 0/16 Optional

            As we cruised into the Philadelphia Zoo entrance we were greeted by my friend Dave, who was volunteering for the race. We knew we only had until 4pm to grab as many points as we could within the walls of the Zoo, so we quickly made it through security and scurried as fast as we could to the gated off area where we would drop our bikes and check in. As we passed through the gates, we crossed paths with Becky and Dan who said the stage was super fun and quick. I was so excited to blast through (but again, at a walking pace) the paths of the zoo and lay eyes on all the awesome exhibits that we had time for. Alas, Brent came to us with some tragic news. Although we had made it to the Zoo before closing time, we hadn’t made the cutoff imposed by Zoo staff that all racers had to have started the o-course by 3:30 to be allowed entry. It was 3:38. For the love. As soon as he said those words my mind flashed to the many instances where we had lost a minute here, or five minutes there making silly little mistakes over the previous few hours. It’s such a truth that even the smallest things in AR can make or break your race. I confirmed that there were no mandatory points within the zoo, and was able to swallow the painful pill that although we lost the chance for 16 easy points, we hadn’t lost the opportunity to be official finishers.

            We took the chance to eat a good chunk of calories, chug down a refreshing amount of water, and catch our breath for a few minutes. Dennis waddled over with a big smile on his face saying that he and Wilo were having a great race. They had cleared the Zoo o-course and really done well on all of the previous stages. I knew we had accomplished everything we had set out to do up until this set back, so we also were having our own great race. But man, it really sucked missing such a fun stage in the race.

Stage D (Bike): *Still* The Long Ride 

    We dawned our lighting systems, adjusted our packs, and headed back out into the streets of Philadelphia. We grabbed a handful of points tucked between museums, water fountains, and signposts. Eventually, we found ourselves back in the woodlands of Philly as the sun gave off its last remnants of illumination. Some CPs nearly jumped out at us, others put up a persnickety fight, but we grabbed everything we went for. After clipping CP 39 that was housed at the top of a rather slippery-slidey waterfall, we were faced with a navigational crossroad. The next CP was along the same river we were facing, but the concept of crossing the river, then recrossing it back, never honestly occurred to me. Rather, I eyed up a route that would take us through a bit more urban sprawl and then we would hop on a lovely "bike friendly" path that would drop us directly onto the Cynwyd Heritage Trail. 

    We kept on the route I had planned, committed wholly, even to the point of bombing down a long descending road that no one would want to have to climb back up. We had to climb back up. The "bike friendly" route, come to find out, went through a cemetery that was closed for the night. We weren't alone in our miscalculation and were able to put our heads together with another 2-person team, and in allegiance, we devised a plan to correct for our locked-out lane. After grabbing up CP 40, we crossed the beautifully lite and clean Manayunk Bridge. It was wild how quickly we went from a pristine, bike-friendly overpass, to the shady, old-mattress lined, gravel paths that dropped us onto Umbria Road. Looking back, there was a trail that paralleled the river for a while longer that we must have missed, so our sketchy route was our own doing. We found our way to CP 41, though not nearly as directly as possible, and eventually descended into the Wissahicken bike trails of doom.

Stage E (Bike): Wissahicken Pairs, 7/7 Mandatory, 1 Bonus Pair Point

 Over the next nearly 4 hours we trudged up and down, back and forth, over and under the trails of this surprisingly remote feeling park in the outskirts of Philly. We rode what we could, prayed down some trails we certainly should have walked but opted to try our luck on, and hike-a-biked up more rock-laden paths than I care to remember. We crossed the Wissahicken Creek at least 3 or 4 times, traversed trails with names like "Forbidden Drive" and "Death Drop" and eventually made our way to the much-anticipated TA 4. 

    Transitioning in a beautiful residential area, in the middle of the night, with dozens of other delirious racers is a strange event. Once we checked in and were handed the next map that held our upcoming overnight trek-quest, I had only one thing on my mind. I couldn't get to my coveted cup-o-noodles fast enough! I had been dreaming of that salty, ultra processed, life-giving gunk for hours! While we were flitting about trying to be as efficient as possible in our current states of near exhaustion, Brent came to check in on us. I can't sing the man's praises enough. Even with a field of over 40 teams, he still finds the time to pour into all his little racers. He assured us that we had plenty of options since we had checked off the required 7 points on our previous ride. He also stressed that we shouldn't go into the upcoming trek with thoughts of speed and nimbleness. Many of the trails and routes out on the overnight trek would be slow going, some even treacherous. He is a man of his word. 

Stage F (Trek): The Wiss, 17/17 Mandatory, 0/17 Optional

  With bellies full of warm sustenance, Chris and I headed off into the surprisingly not too cold night. This trek section boasted two different "stream challenges"; one mandatory, the other optional. We went straight for the mandatory to check that one off the list. It proved to be one of the most fun sections of the race for me. I love to hop, skip, balance, and scale around like a kid. Whenever I try to explain adventure racing to someone, I always have to say, "it's the only time you can play around in the woods as an adult and it's not too weird." Although I had countless near misses, and I ended up with a tear in the butt of my leggings so big I had to wrap my long sleeve shirt around my waist for modesty's sake, it was an absolute hoot! Chris eventually had enough of the slipping, sliding, and scaling, so he traversed the high route and kept an eagle's eye out for any CPs that might reflect his light from the higher vantage point. 

   Once I punched all 8 CPs on Creisheim Creek, we set off in search of the remaining mandatory points. I tested the waters once or twice, throwing out the idea of grabbing one or two optional points, but Chris was at the point of just wanting to complete the race. It didn't hurt my feelings. Multiple times we came to a CP at the exact same time as other teams, but from different directions. I always think that is so cool. Multiple lines of attack that all work. We helped other teams find a few points, and others helped us. We fell in line with a few teams and enjoyed listening to their stories and tales. After we punched the final CP of the stage, we headed back to the TA, ready for a moment of rest. 

Stage.... something: Another chance to grab more points 0/whatever we left out on Stage D

   Arriving back to the TA, things were quieter and less busy. Those who were there sat in quiet groups or snoozing around the ever so tempting fire. We checked in and then out within a few minutes. The only thing left in the race was to make it to the finish line alive. The intended route was probably through more single track and picking up a few more low hanging fruits, but Chris and I opted to take solid roadways instead. We overheard another team talking about this same plan and conferred. 

   Chris and I set out just as the first slivers of morning light were dancing on the horizon. As we cruised down side streets and then crossed over larger ones, we stopped to check our maps again. Just then, the other team with the same thought process glided up beside us. Together we wondered the streets of Philly for a silly amount of time until we finally found the familiar Schuylkill River Trail. Once we were on an assured route to the finish, Chris and I thanked the RAC team and headed off to our finish. We passed over streets we had driven down the day before when life seemed totally normal and routine. And while I hadn't really changed physically, aside from an uncanny amount of sodium and lactic acid in my body, I knew I had changed, yet again. Because every race has a way of rewiring my brain. It can be increased resilience, or patience, or humility, or even humor, but without a doubt, every race changes me. 

   We stormed into the finish to cow bells and cheers. Familiar faces smiled and cheered for us as we came to a stop under the Rootstock arch. We paused for our picture to be snapped and headed straight to Mary and Abby to trade in our passport and tracker for our finisher medals and t-shirts. Over the next hour and half, we saw friends cross the finish line with everything from smiles to grimaces to tears. We told stories of our escapades and laughed with friends over theirs. The race was over, but reliving the race through stories was almost as much fun. The morning came to an end with the awards ceremony and within minutes we were packed up in the car, nuzzled down in our heated seats away from the blowing winds that stormed into the city. 

   Philadelphia will never be the same in my mind. Hardened city dwellers have been replaced by smiling faces. Mazes of trash lined streets have been replaced by Oregon Avenue and Belmont Avenue. Video clips of Kensington have been replaced with FDR park, Wissahicken, and Lemon Hill. I don't think we'll be selling our little plot of land on Little Hill for any real estate within 50 miles of Philadelphia, but my memories of our race will give me the warm fuzzies when I think of the City of Brotherly Love.  

    

       

           

Fall Foliage 2025

 Its always the absolute best when everything comes together. The location, the teammate, the weather, the vacation, the race, the results; it all came together perfectly in this year's Fall Foliage put on by Broad Run Off Road. Having been my 3rd round taking on Allen's renowned autumn adventure, I knew it would be a good time, no matter the details, but nearly every detail was flawless. 

First and foremost, the location of the race was one I have dreamt of since I started playing around with this thing called Adventure Racing. My family has vacationed in the area of Harper's Ferry for the past 30 plus years. I have so many core memories of the stunning fall leaves, swift Shenandoah waters, historic towns, challenging mountains, and just overall outdoor joy in the areas surrounding that tri-state point. The trails and waterways have nearly screamed out for an adventure race director to take on the challenge of organizing an event. While it sounds like it wasn't an easy task, I'm so thankful to Allen and Jeremy for the efforts they put into the course. It was everything I had dreamed of. We have moved our basecamp of vacation adventures downriver to the Brunswick Family Campground over the years. The clincher to the awesomeness of this year's race was that our base camp was one of the main transition areas and gear drop off point for the event. 

Next up was the teammate. I've always said I love racing with my husband, and it's so true. Every race just adds to his arsenal of abilities, and he's been accruing some stellar improvements over the past few years. Not to mention his fancy-shmancy new bike he bought recently. That sucker was enviable. We worked together comfortably, compatibly, and consistently throughout the 13 hours on the course, and the time surrounding the race.  His realism combines with my irrational optimism and keeps our goals obtainable and realistic. My optimism keeps him moving forward, just occasionally with a few choice words of grumbling. 

The weather was indisputably ideal. Honestly, I've lucked out the past few races I've entered and have been spoiled with meteorologic racing perfection. Following a slight sprinkling of rain early in the morning, the skies were clear, the sun was bright, the temps were fall-level perfection, and the breeze was nearly always at our backs. The few times I started to feel overheated we were either on a refreshing river that could dish up some cooling waters, or we were at the top of a mountain with life-giving gusts of wind that were so welcomed. 

The vacation can't be overlooked. Planning out a few days before and after a race for family fun makes these Adventure Racing trips a highlight for the whole family. With the race being on Saturday, we opted to arrive in the area on Thursday and set up our commune of tents and trailers along with my 73 year old mother, who would hold down the fort with the kids while we were out racing. Our good friends the Offen family and the Huber family also booked sites in the park. While we had really wanted to have our sites together, so many other racers and fall enthusiasts also had the forethought to stay at the campground, so sites were limited. Thankfully, the Dolder clan was able to get the sites we always love to call home.  

Now, onto the race. 

As I mentioned earlier, our beloved Brunswick Campground was the gear drop off site for the night before the race. How easy was it to pause in dinner prep and walk our bikes and gear over to the pavilion and check in for the race. In a welcomed surprise, we were also given our maps the night before the race. I've only ever been spoiled with such an advantage by Rev3 races, so this was a coveted treat! Being able to delay an alarm on race morning will always make me happy. While our beef stew simmered in the Dutch oven over an open fire, Chris and I chose our routes and plans of attack. I don't think the smile ever fell off my face that whole evening. I went to bed in our tent that night bubbling with excitement for the adventures of the next day.

Chris and I were the first to leave the campground on race morning, other than race staff that were also calling the campground home. We arrived to Harpers Ferry National Park as the sun was just beginning to peak out from the eastern horizon. Racers were twittering here and there, race staff was hanging twinkling lights, and there was the standard electric energy that surrounds a race start. We walked over to the tent for Adventure Enablers and claimed our e-punch and tracker. With a comfortable time cushion before race start, we headed back to the warm van to do some last minute coffee sipping and pack adjusting. Eventually, we spotted a few familiar faces and we emerged from our cozy car into the brisk morning air. Allen and Jeremy made a few updates and reiterated key points for the course. We were treated to a crash course in rafting safety and tips by a true river rat of a rafting guide. Finally, we were corralled over to two waiting buses that were going to transport the teams in waves over to Boliver Heights, just across route 340, where the race would begin. 

We were able to make the second wave of buses and climbed to the back of the bus where our buddies Jonathan, Andrea, and their oldest son, Jonny, who were representing the Delmarva Adventure Sports team, joined us. After a less than 5 minute ride, we emerged into the brisk morning breeze whipping across the open fields of Boliver Heights. Racers gathered in clumps discussing what Allen may have in store for us with his inventive prologues. A few racers paced around getting a lay of the land in preparation for the race start. It all looked just as the map laid it out to be, I love it when it works out like that. There have been races that I still hadn't found myself in the map when the gun went off. 

The prologue ended up being pretty straight forward with a lock for each team whose code could be found by reading clues off the plethora of historic info boards along the open foot path in front of us. Once everyone had their locks in hand and understood the assignment, it was unanimously decided to begin the race just a hair early at 8:55am. The mass of racers shot out across the open noll and claimed their copies of the clue sheets and then dispersed among the 8 info boards. The prologue did its job of spreading the field out, and by the time Chris and I were heading toward CP 1,  the pack had thinned out and we all had room to breathe. 

Leg 1- Trek 7/7 CPs

The first trek covered approximately 6 miles of open battle fields and winding punchy forest trails. We ping ponged with a few teams and punched all 7 CPs hidden among cannons, an abandoned lodge housing a 8 foot yogi bear inflatable and a bowl of candy, along with a few CPs hidden off trail. It was a great warm up, and Chris was even willing to jog a few of the miles. We caught up with a team of familiar faces I had seen at countless other races. I knew the team to have a combined experience level beyond nearly all the other teams out on the course, and I felt like just being along side them gave me some sort of osmotic AR knowledge. After cruising along for some distance together, the woman, Diana, on their 3 person team suggested our teams link up for the upcoming whitewater section where we would need to form "super teams" of anywhere from 4-6 people for the rafts. I eagerly accepted her suggestion, knowing they were sure to be a great team to navigate with along the low waters of the Potomac.  This serendipitous alliance proved to be clutch in our paddle performance.

Leg 2- Paddle 7/7 CPs

As we were trotting to the TA where rafts, paddles, and PFDs waited for us, I heard an unmistakable "KoooWee" coming from the river. The entirety of other Delmarva Adventure Sports teammates had linked up together on the paddle and were calling out a greeting to us! Jonathan, Andrea, and Jonny had timed their arrival perfectly with Dennis and his son Dawson to the TA and were a good 15 minutes ahead of us. I knew they would clear any trek section faster than us, but I didn't think they had gained that much of a lead on us. It didn't phase me all too much with the knowledge that we are strong paddlers, and while they had youth and vigor on their side, we had paddle experience. While our co-paddlers had chosen the team name "Old and in the Way" they proved the point that AR is more about experience and grit than brute force. (Though they had that too!) Within less than 2 miles of river we had passed our Delmarva teammates and sailed off with Jeff calling out perfectly orchestrated instructions to the rest of us in the raft. We didn't miss every rock and hang up on the Potomac, but we maintained a hearty lead on our friends, and passed no less than 7 other boats along the 9 mile route. I loved chatting with them and taking in their tales of AR legend. 

As we neared the take out and second TA of the race, I started singing out the family call to alert Mom and the kids that we were arriving to the campground. Owen, Arthur, and Christopher waved to us from the shoreline and further in the distance the  remaining entirety of the Offen/Dolder kid clan enthusiastically Koowee'd out greetings to us. We hauled up our raft to the top of the boat ramp as Mom came skidding up on her bike, phone in hand to snap pictures of us in our hasty transitioning. I know I was all smiles to tell her we were currently ahead of the rest of the Delmarva pack. Chris and I thanked our new friends Diana, Jeff and Eric for such a wonderful and adventitious paddle and we headed over to grab our bikes and sped over to our campsite where we had our own transition area set up. As we rode down the gravel road to C5, I caught sight of Andrea and Jonathan pulling their raft up to the top of the ramp. I knew our lead was coming to an end as quickly as it had began. But man! It was fun while it lasted! Chris and I dried off, changed, and refilled as quickly as we could and headed over to the bathhouse to pee before storming out onto the first bike leg. While I was waiting for Chris to finish up, the Offen crew came running out of the bathrooms and careened off from the TA ahead of us. We were all smiles and enjoying the fun competition!

Leg 3- Bike 8/10 CPs

Leaving the campground, we headed left, choosing to drop our first point of the race. Although it would have been an easy grab, just a mile or so down the flat and fast tow path, we figured it would take more time than it was worth to get it. I would say about half the field chose to drop the point. In hindsight, I kinda wish we would have grabbed it, but honestly, our race turned out so well, I think we made a good decision. 

Having vacationed in the town of Brunswick for years, I didn't need to follow the map to get to the first point on the leg. We caught up with the Offens and a pretty large group of other racers at the newly groomed trail of Brunswick City Park. I chose a less direct route to CP 16 and by the time Chris and I popped back on the roads, we could see other racers hauling up to the top a STEEEEP hill ahead of us. Through a few alternative route choices, we all arrived to the trailhead of River's Edge MTB trail system nearly simultaneously. After punching the initial CP at the trailhead, we swooped, skidded, and shredded our way through CPs 18, 19, and 21. Chris and I opted to drop 20, which was located in a known fun section of the system, but didn't seem time-cost-effective to us at the time. We had actually considered dropping CP21, and had decided to eye a possible bushwhack to the point from a trail intersection. My plan worked perfectly and we punched the CP faster than we would have if we had gone over the trail we had initially thought about using. When we emerged from the park I felt hot, flushed, and shaky. I knew I needed to prioritize nutrition more than I had so far, so we paused under a tree, swapped out my maps, and downed nearly an entire bottle of tailwind. 

We hauled it back to the Tow Path, thankfully missing any interference of trains as we crossed the tracks at the Brunswick Train Station. Knowledge of the tow path worked to our advantage on our ride back to Harpers Ferry. While I didn't immediately know where all the CPs were along the way, I was able to think clearly on where to keep my eyes open for small side trails that lead to the points. Like I said earlier, Chris had bought a new bike, and so, I inherited his Trek Xcaliber, a serious upgrade from the Cannondale Trail I have been riding for a few years. Between his Superior XF, and my new-to-me Xcaliber, we were able to maintain a pretty clippy pace for the 7 mile ride back to the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah. I had a mild snafu at CP 25 due to my inattentiveness and forgetting the flag was a mini-itty-bitty version of the normal flags, but with the clue "lock tunnel" it was indisputably where I thought it had to be. And it was. 

Leg 4- Trek 7/9 CPs

After battling though the dangerously oblivious crowds, we made it to TA 3 and dropped our bikes. Leg 4 boasted a major elevation factor. Like more elevation in that one section than the entire Spring Bloom event, and it came through with that promise. We've climbed the Maryland Heights trail for years and years, many times with one or more children strapped to us, so we were no strangers to the trail. I had suggested a short cut from the tow path up to CP 26 by following a reentrant. Once we arrived to said reentrant, Chris shot that idea down hard. While it would have saved us like half the distance, the boulders, fallen trees, and rapid elevation gain at the bottom of the reentrant was not a welcoming sight. We chose to follow the well maintained trail and hop into the reentrant further up. The plan worked out well. Even though I over shot the CP and came dangerously close to crossing into private property, a moment of reorienting myself and taking in all the geographical clues led me back to the CP we had trouped directly past on our way up.  We reconnected with the main trail and picked off CP 27 without a hitch. We maintained the counterclockwise route for this leg and braved the crowds at the lookout point for CP 28. As we slogged back up the steep ascent we had just descended for that CP I voiced out loud how we probably should have dropped that point. I think it took us at least 30 minutes to grab it. Chris very honestly answered "There is no way you would have left a CP at point lookout." And he was right. Not that I am a deep deep traditionalist, but it would almost be sacrilege to not go out there while being on that mountain for any reason. I am thankful we did it, even with the quads and hamstring misery. 

We went on, further up the mountain to CP 29 where I shot a bearing from the closest trail intersection. I kept the heading well, but when I reached the cliffy- bouldery site where I assumed the CP would be, it was not. I looked around in desperation knowing I had veered off pretty far from the trail when ta-da! There was that cute little orange and white flag dangling from a rock about 30 meters west of where I was standing. It made me realize I was fighting with a faulty declination setting, yet again. If I would just take the time to REALLY understand it, it would pay off in leaps and bounds. As soon as I punched the CP, I called out a KooWee to find Chris and was surprised to hear a definitively feminine Koo-wee returned. It was Andrea! They were attacking the same CP but from a clockwise route! I love crossing paths with other racers on different route choices. 

I reconnected with Chris and continued on the trail to the CPs at the 100 pound battery and Old Stone Fort. We opted to drop the CP that was located about 100 feet down on a questionably recognizable old logging road. If time weren’t an issue, and I had more navigational confidence, I would have loved the challenge of shooting for that CP, as well as the two point CP to the far west of the trail. But time was, indeed, an issue. As we were traversing the western portion of the old stone fort trail, I was hit with some deep hard belly pains. I can say now that it was the gummy fruit strips I was shoving into my face, three at a time that caused my woes, but I was starting to think it was a dreaded GI bug. My discomfort was enough that I was totally cool dropping even the next CP that while not on trail, didn’t look all too far off. As we walked along I kept thumbing the map, keeping a rough idea of how far along the trail we were traveling. At one point, and I’m still not sure what hinted me to it, I decided to veer off the trail and start edging over toward the obvious drop off in elevation. I think I was assuming that by walking the edge of that ridge I would be able to spot the CP more easily. I could still see Chris on the trail, so I knew I hadn’t gone too far off when suddenly I had the distinct instinct to start heading further into the woods. As I came toward a cluster of rocks I saw another racer pop out from behind them and knew some sense had lead me in the right direction at the right time. I’m still not sure whether I would have really succeeded in that find if we hadn’t arrived just as another racer was leaving the CP. However it happened, it gave us another point. 

Leg 5- Trek/Bike 10/11 CPs

We followed the trail back down to the main trail and headed back toward the TA. As we came upon the distinct bend in the trail where we had veered off for CP 26 I couldn’t keep from speculating a clutch move. The race director had given us all the green light to grab a cluster of 3 “bike points” while we were out on the trek section. With that permission, all we had to do was hop the reentrant in front of us and maintain a heading directly toward CP 37. While we were standing there, another 2 person team ambled up near us, obviously contemplating the same thoughts. I looked over at them and we both kinda winked at each other and set off on a bushwhack that would serve us so well. Not only did that little move save us at least a mile of travel and no less than 200 feet of elevation, but somehow we literally dropped right on top of the CP. I wish I could say I totally knew it was going to work out that way, but again, it was a slight surprise to see the CP hanging from the branch of a tree along a wisp of a trail I barely even noticed. We went on to grab the two other points on this little tract, albeit not nearly as directly as we grabbed the first. 

Prior to the race start, we were told there was a time cut off for returning to TA 3 to start the last bike leg. The purpose of this cut off was to ensure everyone was off of Maryland Heights Trails by 7pm, since there was a sort of curfew in place by the national park system. We figured it wasn't a problem if we strolled in a little late since the sun was going down while we were searching for the three "bike/trek" points located off of Maryland Heights Mountain. Juuuuuust to be safe though, we jogged back to the TA down the road and scooted in by 7:10, without any comment from the race staff. We eagerly filled (and chugged and then filled again) a few water bottles and headed over to our bikes. My maps were nearly shredded by this point. I hadn't perfectly sealed the map case while we were splish-splashing along the Potomac River, and the constant changing from map case to map board was beginning to puree our plans.

 I pieced together map 3 and 4 and we took in our options. The road that lead to the next cluster of points looked dauntingly steep when Chris eyed it from the base of the TA. He didn't flat out refuse to head toward that section, but he certainly wasn't eager. I knew we still had a good cluster of points to get on the final trek leg at Murphy Farms at the very end of the race, but we still had almost 3 hours left on the clock. I saw a single bike point blessedly located on the flat tow path just to the west of the TA and suggested we go get that point and then just take a gander at the faint "older or abandoned" trail that could lead us up to Fort Duncan and Huckleberry Hill.

We easily cruised down the tow path and painlessly punched CP 43 housed in a old stone ruin. We rode on the tiniest bit further to a lock that appeared to be at the base of the aforementioned "trail." We parked our bikes along with a smattering of other teams and surveyed the dark hillside. There was absolutely nothing that could even be remotely defined as a trail. But. But, but, but, CP 42 looked to be right at the top of a small-ish incline. I convinced Chris it wouldn't be too hard to leave the bikes here at the base, do a short scramble up the hillside and grab just one more point on this section. He acquiesced, and we started our scramble. It wasn't clear, it wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't fun, but we dropped right on top of CP 42. As we caught our breath from the endeavor, Chris said "there is NO way I'm going back down what you just drug me up." And with that I formulated a plan to grab nearly the entire cluster of points on Huckleberry Hill. We followed a super faint trail, passed our paddle pals Old and In the Way, as well as the Offen crew and made our way to CP 41 that was housed in an abandoned and dilapidated building literally in the middle of the woods which were reclaiming the structure. We went on to grab CP 40 on the edge of an open field and finally CP 38 located on a pond edge. As we neared the CP an unusually brave deer stood motionless within reach of the path I was fording to the point. I almost wondered if it was debating about charging at me and throwing me into the muck pond just for giggles. Thankfully, it merely observed my antics with a calm, slightly bored gaze. 

We chose to drop CP 39, but later heard it was a pretty easy find. From CP 38 I made the decision to follow the stream which flowed off the pond all the way back down to the tow path and then we would jog back to our waiting bikes at the lock. It worked. It worked out so well I have to thank Chris for his refusal to take the road I had initially planned on using. Seeing everyone up on Huckleberry Hill pushing their bikes through those less than clear trails looked miserable. But we were able to pick our way through all those fallen trees and high vegetation with relative ease. Good call, my love!

When we returned to our bikes, we saw that many other racers had taken the same approach and bikes were scattered all along the lock clearing. We hopped back on the bikes and hauled off into the dark heading towards Harpers Ferry. We passed a few other teams while keeping a brisk pace. By the time we got to the foot bridge, I felt like we were pushing our pace a little too aggressively. We cruised through the sleepy streets of downtown Harpers Ferry and easily nabbed CP 44 which I had assumed would literally be "cliffside" but was elated to see it wafting in the late evening breeze at the foot of the cliff. We completed the final bike by bopping CP 45 and serendipitously scaling a small dirt path that lead directly to the back of the final TA before our last trek leg.

Leg 6- Trek 4/6 CPs

We dropped our bikes in the make-shift corral and immediately headed back out into the night. It took me a few seconds to clear the cobwebs out of my head and return to navigation mode. Seeing the finish line and all the yummy food and relaxing tables set up for race end was hard to walk away from with creaking muscles and tired eyes. But on we marched to both CP 46 and 47. Once we emerged from the woods and out into the open fields of Murphy Farms we met with Becky, a dear AR friend who is always a welcomed sight. We commiserated for only a few moments before Chris and I headed out for a few final points.

 I had originally thought all the CPs in this leg looked navigationally challenging, none appearing on trails or with obvious geographical clues. However, at some point during the race I found out the 5 hour racers were also using this section as their trekking leg, so I had to assume the points would not be quite as difficult as I had assumed. We decided to grab 3 out of the 4 points, leaving the one that looked to be a good haul out into the distance. We had less than an hour left on the clock and refused to fight for a point we might lose because of poor time management. As we were walking down a trail that wasn't making sense, we met up with Dennis and his son Dawson for the first time in hours. They asked how we were making out and I told them "we're doing well enough." Can't give away our exact CP count at that point! Especially with them heading to the finish.

We eventually realized we were on a gravel road that paralleled our intended trail, but it would work out better for us than our original plan. We grabbed CP 51 across an open field by shooting a bearing from a trail intersection and headed on to 49. I was nearly dragging myself to go forward at this point. Between another bout of stabbing belly pain and just pure exhaustion, I was hurting. We dove into the woods at the end of the trail we were on in hopes of stumbling upon CP 49. Alas, I ended up converging with a nearly vertical foot path, so steep it was lined with a fire hose to help hikers ascend and descend the less than ideal trail. For the first time in the race, I checked my altimeter and saw that I was roughly 45 feet shy of what I thought was the plotted elevation of the CP. Probably shouldn't have relied on my uncalibrated watch for such info. I descended further and further down the fire hose trail until I was nearly on top of the train tracks located at the base of the cliff. Weeeeellll dang. I finally goofed. Like goofed so bad I was ready to give up. But I still had to turn around and now pull myself up, hand over fist back to the top of this ding dang vertical trail of doom. With no other option, I started back up. By the time I could see the top of the trail I was so spent I could have sat down and waited for daylight. I called out to Chris "I give up. Lets call it and head back." As I glanced to my right my headlamp caught the slightest reflection. Are you serious?! There, less than 50 yards from the ding dang trail of doom I had just pointlessly subjected myself to, was the final CP I was going to punch for the race. I giggled as I beeped the e-punch and slowly finished the climb to the main trail. I reached out for Chris to pull me up the last bit of incline. He was kind enough to guide me and together we walked hand in hand back along the Gravel road that traversed the farm. We left 2 CPs out on that leg, and no part of me regrets it. I was almost totally spent. We returned to the final TA up the same steep sandy trail we had ascended with our bikes and saw a table full of our friends chowing down on pizza and sandwiches. I weakly and pitifully called out our greeting "Kooooooweeeee" and they all turned to see Chris and I shuffle to the finish. We crossed the line with only minutes to spare. I gave Allen a high five and told him it was an absolute blast of a race and I enjoyed every minute of it. Of course I could say that! It was over and we had done our best out there.

We trudged over to the Adventure Enablers tent, downloaded our e-punch, handed in our tracker and stood back to see where we were lining up divisionally. I couldn't believe it. We were currently in 1st with only minutes to spare! We had gotten 44 out of 52 points! There was a team ahead of us with 48 points, but they were apparently disqualified for bending some rules a little too aggressively. Over the next few minutes our ranking dropped to 3rd, but it was still worthy of elation on our part. In the end, after close inspection by race staff, we were given the final results of 2nd out of 12 teams in our division and 26th out of 88 teams overall. I. Am. STOKED!! While I've been on teams with higher overall standings in the past, I think this is the highest ranking Chris and I have had as a team to date! Our buddies on Delmarva Adventure Sports also got 2nd in their division but 21st overall! 

We filled our plates with pizza and Panera sandwiches and headed over to the table with all our friends. After hearing a few stories from their races I realized Chris and I had done comparatively well out there! Jonathan and Dennis both have a few more years of navigational experience on me, so I naturally compare myself to their abilities in these races. To know I had come within 2 points of the Offens was awesome! I know I have plenty of room for improvement, but I'm exceedingly happy with how we did out there. Chris and I enthusiastically accepted our ever so fashionable Fall Foliage baseball caps as prizes for our podiuming and congratulated the others. Our paddle pals also podiumed in their division so I gave Diana a big hug and thanked them yet again for our clutch alliance on the river. 

We slowly gathered up our belongings and headed to the van. As we were packing up the bikes on the rack, I struck up a conversation with a young girl parked just to our left. She was a highschooler who had taken on the race with a few of her classmates. I asked her all about their AR club, which is the only one in the country, and was in awe of her enthusiasm and excitement for the sport. While we all share a love for one of the coolest sports, it isn't exactly mainstream. Her excitement, along with her classmates and the entire next generation of the Delmarva crew, are ensuring this AR thing will continue on. I can't wait to see where we all go next.