Checkpoint Zero/Inov-8 Team Blog
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Currahee Adventure Duathlon
posted Sunday, November 18, 2007 by Team Checkpoint Zero @ 9:49 PM - 0 comments

After a somewhat disappointing string of luck at the USARA Nationals race, I figured I needed one more race for the year, hopefully to end on a good note. The Currahee Adventure Duathlon was going to be my final attempt for the year.

The event is held at the Frady Branch trail system, in Toccoa GA, under the shadow of Currahee. This mountain was the training place for the original paratrooper divisions in WWII and was made famous most recently by the HBO series Band of Brothers. I'd ridden at Frady Branch several times before, and knew the trails well enough to know that CCW would be the way to go, not only to get to the rappel and ascent first, but the trails flow better that way. Especially the Leatherwood Creek Trail.

The event was a rogain format, with certain areas on the maps marked as foot travel only. There were a total of 18 check points, plus a rappel and ascent. The race started with a short run to get a poker chip, and then back to the start/finish area where the chip was traded in for pre-plotted map of the race. I barely looked at the map as I took off, because I knew I pretty much wanted to get to the ropes first, while I was strongest. Not taking the time to think about it almost got me into trouble.

There was one CP on the trail on the way to the ropes, and there was a second that was a short detour off that main trail. From that quick glance, it was a lot easier to pick off that one point (CP9) on the way out, as opposed to on the way back. As soon as I got to 9, I realized that all the other solo's would probably head to the rappel first, and I'd be stuck in line behind them. I busted my butt to make up some time, and caught 3 guys on the way up to the top. I was very surprised to find out that I was the first solo competitor there. I guess I got lucky there!

The rappel was pretty straight forward, and I had done the same one several years earlier in a different race. I was a little more nervous about the ascent, as I had never climbed up a rope before. I had borrowed the gear, practiced hooking up, but that was it. To my delight, I quickly got the hang of it and the 100 foot climb was over pretty quickly. I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but hey, this wasn't a beauty pageant.

The rest of the race was pretty straight forward for me. I loved getting to ride most of the great single track and fire roads in the area, as they are a lot of fun. Not having any mechanical problems was even better! At the end of the day I finished the course in about four and a half hours, and was the first solo competitor to finish.

If you've ever wanted to get a taste of adventure racing or have done some races but never done one solo, this is a great race to try. I know I'll be back next year.

-Peter

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