Back on MTB: Tri-State 6Hrs Series #1 – Hueston Woods…A rough but fun day!!! Dry like a raisin ...

Let’s say this season has been pretty shitty for MTB. Lot of rain and trails pretty much closed all the time didn’t give us the chance to spend as much time as we would like on MTB. After 2 6Hr Races and a XTerra already cancelled this year, we were finally able to race this last Sunday.

So Hueston woods was the place for the 1^st Race of the Tri-State 6Hrs Series. I’ve been running in this series last year in a relay team with my buddy Hunter and we took 3^rd at the end of the season. This year in parallel of starting to jump more in Triathlon for IM distance, I decided to go solo for this series as Marc had a bad crash on bike and is off for now for this kind of event.

Hueston woods is probably the toughest race of the series, with 90% old school rooty single track path. The racers were set free a 9am sharp.

I placed in a leading group but after the first push on the pedals I could feel that it’s going to be a long day, no motivation for racing, no legs and already tired after 10 min….the heart is high and the speed not that good but I will stick to my strategy. 

Basically, I set up two backpacks with 2 liters of energy drink in each, the second one with caffeine for the end of the race. The plan was to stop at 3hr or 3 laps to quickly change my backpack and spend as little time as possible in the transition area. The strategy went pretty well for the first 3 laps, getting into my pace, passing 2 or 3 6hr solo racers in the second lap to place in the top 5. The course is fun, lot of steep and short climbs with logs to pass and some fast downhills to relax a bit the legs. 

End of third laps, I changed my back pack, checked that the precious liquid is running into the camelback and in less than 1 minute, I was back in the race with no one passing me. At this point I was thinking of putting 6 laps (85k) but my camelback decided another end for this race. After 5 minutes in the 4th Lap, impossible to drink!!! Damn!!! the camel is clogged, I pushed a bit during 30min to take some distance with the guys behind me and stopped at the top of a climb to try to fix the issue….okay the drink is running in the pipe so let’s start again…I lost a bit of time but just one guy passed me. Five minutes later, same issue and I got that I will have to stop at the end of this lap again to transfer the drink into the other bag.

End of lap 4, I’m totally dry, 50 minutes without drink in a hot and humid afternoon; I felt dizzy and took way too much time to change the bag loosing half the drink during the transfer. In order to maintain a good position for this race, I decided to go for a 5^th lap…this one was tough, totally dizzy, a fall in a climb touching a three with my handlebar so I decided to finish easy just enjoying the downhill

Almost 15minutes more to finish this lap than the previous ones. A short rain made the end of the loop pretty slick and slippery. Two riders passed me in this lap and I finished the 5^th laps after 5hr12min, no time and no motivation anyway for one more lap.

I finished 7^th of the male Solo category and 14^th overall finally not too bad after a week continuing the IM training. I can definitely feel the lack of MTB time this year but the race was fun and the day was more than enjoyable. Next one in England Idelwild, let’s hope that the weather will allow it!!

Jeff Wallance at 2015 Grand Teton Half Marathon

After a week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, viewing the mountains, wildlife and geothermal features, I ran in the Inaugural Grand Teton Half Marathon on June 6th, which was organized by Vacation Races, the same group that put on the Smoky Mountain Half Marathon that some of us ran in last year. 
I couldn't have asked for better conditions at start time, as the skies were nice and clear and the temperature was 50 degrees. I lined up with the 1:50 pacer, hoping to improve on my 1:58 time from the Smokies Half. 
The organizers had planned a very flat course, with the only substantial hill being between miles 4 and 5. The first half on the race went very smoothly. However, at mile 8, the 1 mile altitude difference between Cincinnati and Wyoming started to kick in and my pace slowed quite a bit. 
Despite that, I still finished in 2:04, coming in 9th out of 53 in the 45-49 age group. 

It was a beautiful run, with the Teton range in constant view to the west, and another great races organized by Vacation Races.

Back to and a first to Mohican100

This time of the year is back, time to spend a bunch of hours riding a MTB on fabulous trails from Northern Ohio during the Mohican100 NUE Race. A second participation for me and a first for Marc who has less than 1 year practice on MTB. We both signed up for the 100miles route which means 9 to 11hours with the bike and “not only on ” to complete the loop. This year is more organized as more friends decided to spend the weekend in the racing area with us. 

We booked a nice country side house, suitable for 12 guests. We grabbed with us Hunter, a friend and MTB shredder, who signed up for the 100k loop, a first also for him. A late departure from Cincy and a car issue from a friend made us arrived pretty late but Hunter already got our race package.

Once all in the house, we arranged and prepared everything for the next morning as the race starts at 7pm only 3k from the house. A bit of selfish time for the racers who spent the evening having a carbs rich dinner and discussing about the race, the strategy and the mistakes to avoid before an early sleep.

5:30am, time to wake up, to get a breakfast and to grab the bikes direction the starting line in Loudonville. Marc and I rode to Loudonville main street and Hunter got his car which was a nice idea as he pulled us during a short climb…We arrived early and so were able to get good positioning in the crowed.

7pm : the riders are set free and it’s time to get a good position during the first miles of road and gravel path to enter the trail far from the main pack of riders. 

The strategy work for me, I’m in a group of 10 riders with a good pace….wait a bit too good actually!!! My heart rate is a bit too high for this type of race but as I’m in a group I just decided to stick with them….A sharp downhill curve with rocks and a guy in front of me stopping in the middle of the path and it’s a first fall who will be the only one of the day. After a bit of time to be able to get back in the course as lot of riders are passing me in line and I got into my desired pace. Hunter passed me during this time and I passed him again during a climb in which he lost some grip and had to walk.

As expected I passed Aid1 without even looking at it in direction of the end of the first long single track. Marc and Hunter made a stop here as I will learn later Marc was not feeling well and was not able to eat or drink during more than 2hours.

The race is going pretty well but I have stomachache since the beginning of the single track and was thinking of switching for 100k. Arriving at Aid3, I looked at the signs 100k and 100miles and after 2 minutes decided to go on 100miles anyway even if I had to pace myself even more…and miracle, after 70k everything went in green, no more pain.

As last year, I passed a bunch of riders between Aid3 and 4 on the long gravel roads but this year I was not alone. I found Dave, a rider from Toronto, just before this long fast stretch and we rode together drafting to keep a nice pace.

120k - Aid4 stop to refill a last time the camelback and to get some gels to avoid Aid5 and finished the race without stopping. Unfortunately, Marc was still feeling bad at Aid4 and had to give up here…but congrats to him for getting so far feeling bad for so long and not being able to drink or eat…he is already on the list for next year.

I passed Aid5 quickly in direction of the last piece of trails that finished just before the finish line. This trail was a nightmare for me last year and I completed him at a really slow pace. This year fuelling strategy was better and I just swallowed this last single tracks sprinting to the finish……9hr42min on the clock and the famous finisher growler announce the end of this nice and lucky day without rain or bike issue.

A quick meal and short talks with Diego and Jim from Cincy before finding Hunter with a beer enjoying his first finish in a 100k MTB race.

The day ended up in the best way with friends, grilling and drinking the head full of nice pictures from the day.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR MOHICAN100