Ken and I got the pleasure of racing together in the third annual, two person AR sprint at Sand Springs Resort on the Niangua River just outside of Lebanon, MO.
The morning was cold. It was not cool, or brisk, it was cold. We were prepared with plenty of clothing for the pre-race preparations. Ken was even prepared for a total eclipse of the sun as he still wore his headlamp in broad daylight (he had just forgotten to take it off). We pulled in and began to sing “Stayin Alive” by the Bee Gees. We had discussed the lyrics earlier in the week and both admitted that we could not understand the lyrics but we liked the title so it has stuck temporarily as our theme song. This was especially true on this day as Ken had heard this song on the radio earlier in the morning. Come to think of it, what kind of radio station still plays that song Ken?
We traveled by bus to the beginning run (sprint) of 2.2 miles. We ran the first mile in 6:34 and the second mile in 7:04 and was very glad to see the run ending and the canoe starting. We neither one could have kept up that pace much longer. I took the front and Ken took the back of the canoe and off we went.
Further down the river I bailed out and headed to land to do the mystery event. It consisted of a zip line across the Niangua River. It was a blast! Thanks for letting me do that Ken. The next one is yours. When I got done zipping, the instructions were not very clear on what was next as far as me getting back into the boat. I asked the volunteer if I just needed to jump in or what. She said yes and so I did. Ken was right there with the canoe and I dove into the canoe and we were off………………..that was short lived. The officials then decided to inform us that I had to get out of the boat, back into the river, and run a few feet past a fallen log before I could get back into the boat. Soooo, out of the boat I went, down the bank and then back into the boat. Now we were legal and off again.
A little further down the river we beached the canoe and were off for a two mile technical run. By the way, did I mention that it was technical? Up the hills was a hike. Down the hills it was sometimes a free fall. We slid down parts of it. It was some amazing scenery overlooking the river. You really did need all of your concentration on parts as a fall from the heights was definitely possible. The highlight of this run for me was when we missed part of the trail and it took us a bit to relocate it. Once we did, we had surrendered a couple of spots to other teams. We got in a traffic jam because of this. We began a downhill run and the teams in front of us were very cautious about the downhill. I was thinking of our need to get past them and about that time I heard a voice behind me say, “Gotta go.” Next thing that I see is Ken bounding down the hill, passing the teams effortlessly, and making his own trail. I knew that was my cue to get on it also so down the hill I went making my own trail down the other side of the pack. That move alone made up major ground for us.
It was then back to the canoes for a short trip back to the transition area (TA). We were out of the river and off to our bikes. At this point I got to see Pam and the kids and my mom for a brief moment. It is always so good to see your family at these events and having them cheer you on.
The bike portion was seven miles. It was very technical and rocky and lots of major hills. We passed one or two teams on the bike. We then stashed our bikes and ran across the finish line together. The family was there and Dad had since joined them. I was so excited to see him there.
We had a blast. We finished 2nd in the men’s division and 6th overall out of about 40 teams.
The race was, once again, very well organized. Thanks to the volunteers and the Glendenning family for all of their hard work to put on this race.
Thanks for the pictures Pam, Dad, and Jenny.
Race summary by Marc
