Discussion: Yayy

Congrats Glen on a really awesome performance! Loved seeing your smiling face out there :)

We had a fantastic time - loved the whole thing!

For all those who are interested, this recap is finally finished.

Great report glewis! Fun to hear your story and where we managed to trip you up ;)

Yes, great report. So vivid, I felt like I was there!

No sweat on the last nav error. I've gotten us lost for hours before! We were impressed and thankful for your map skills.

Kateness - I really did love the course. You both did a tremendous job with it!

MHtrailvet - Glad I could transport you to the race. And I'll try my best to stop beating myself up over it.

Great report - love to hear how racers experience the course, as it gives me fresh perspective on sections I've thought about for months and traversed every which way for days upon days.
Some of my thoughts reading your report:
1) The nav on the big bike leg was anything but straightforward. You did a great job through that section to give yourselves a nice buffer for the rest of the race!
2) The paddle leg turned into a rather strategic part of the race, which I didn't expect. But I was pleased with the result, as it compressed the field and gave a lot of teams a good perspective for where they were relative to the rest of the teams.
3) Still laughing over your choice of frozen microwaved burgers in Bon Apetit's 2018 Foodie Town of the Year. I don't think Three D's made their list of recommended restaurants.
4) We were sorry Craig couldn't make it too! He has to send us his schedule for next summer so we can pick a weekend that works for him :)
5) The trail you ended up on in the Blackstrap Preserve by the summit/hilltop is brand new, and I don't think we plotted it on our maps. Sorry about that!
6) The ticks were heinous this year. Definitely going to use Shelley's permethrin suggestion for the rest of the summer.
7) In the Lowell Preserve, that powerline/gas line cut you looked for no longer exists on the ground. However, we didn't know how to get rid of it on the USGS map...sorry it confused you!
8) Love that you went back for seconds in the Knight's Pond Preserve.
9) So fun to see the combined powers of the Trail Vets and GOALS going to work on the course. Please consider coming up for the Wildlands Challenge in October! You won't be disappointed. And you may in fact see Mason smile, as we have calibrated our bugs: temperature ratio to match the weekend that perfectly hits his sweet spot.

0) You guys are the best for so many reasons, but one of them is that you care so much about the races that you put on.
1) This section seemed like it would be tough for less experienced navigators. I really enjoyed the journey - it felt very purposeful.
2) It's always tough to have a crux so early, but I'm really happy with our decision and it played out well in the race. We were hoping that Rootstock would have to work (too) hard and get flubbed trying to catch up. In the end, I was the sleepy one!
3) I loved that picture you sent me. A great place for all your tobacco and caffeine needs!
4) I will get him on it - we'll be up in Portland next week.
5) In retrospect, this wasn't a real great trail; probably just tall grass that was walked through. And it's our own fault, as we intentionally left the yellow trail to save a few meters of travel.
6) I have learned my tick lesson.
7) I figured that it was gone - don't sweat it. I'd love to see how this "stream" looks in the daytime. Rootstock spiked the CP, so it must have been easier than we made it out to be.
8) I had my tail between my legs on that whole section...
9) It was wonderful racing with them! I haven't ruled out the WAC (I'll call it the MFAR in my mind). I'll see if it can be swung.