the 2nd edition of the TeamSOG Equinox Traverse attracted racers from 17 states, including some of the top teams in the U.S. like Eastern Mountain Sports, Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic, IMONPoint.org-Odyssey Adventure Racing, and Trakkers.  These four teams are all currently in the top five in the Checkpoint Tracker standings, making this event a showcase of some of the best adventure racing talent in the U.S.  Competition is especially fierce between Eastern Mountain Sports and Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic, who are currently separated by less than 20 points.

"We have been travelling a lot this season to race against the best teams in the U.S.  We lost to EMS at the Endorphin Fix in VA in late March after being in the lead, and so we wanted to avenge a friendly rivalry between the two teams, and have a toughly contested race against their squad, and others from back east.  We raced our four person co-ed squad against their three person, and after a tough battle, pulled away on the last day for the win. We cannot wait to come back next year and defend our title,” says Kyle Peter of winning team Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic. 

 

 

Produced by American Adventure Sports, the TeamSOG Equinox Traverse was a partnership between AAS and Chris Caul, former Primal Quest race director.  Crytzer says that two years ago, AAS was approached by Caul about the idea of creating a 2-day race in Virginia.  “Highly regarded as one of the premiere expedition course designers in the world,” says Crytzer, “it was a no brainer for us to team up.”  

Over two days, racers covered nearly 160 miles and gained more than 20 000 feet of elevation. As if the course wasn’t difficult enough on its own, heat and humidity added additional levels of suffering for racers, who completed over 50 miles of paddling (including a 3 mile mountain portage and a section on the Jackson River in the dark), 65 miles of mountain biking and over 40 miles of trekking and orienteering during the 48-hour rogaine-style event.  

The challenge of the course and the level of competition were, not surprisingly, part of the appeal of the race.  Monika Sattler of team Trakkers explains that “Heat, solid elevation gain, and sleep deprivation make this race very challenging. The most epic aspect of this race involved kayaking down a river in the night, when fog made it impossible to see one meter ahead. It is kind of nerve-racking when you hear the water tumbling but don’t see it until you have to face it. I loved this part...that's what adventure racing is all about!”  

In the elite category, Team Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic continued their “friendly rivalry” with Eastern Mountain Sports, clearing the course in 36 hours and 10 minutes.  Eastern Mountain Sports wasn’t far behind though, also clearing the course and finishing in 38 hours and 25 minutes.  TeamSOG finished in third place in a time of 39 hours and 10 minutes.  Teams IMONPoint.org- Odyssey Adventure Racing and Cumberland Trail Connection rounded out the top five in the elite division.

Team TecnuExtreme /StaphAseptic trekked all the way from California to compete in the event. Charlie Kharsa thinks that it was well worth the trip, explaining that "we went to the Equinox Traverse because expedition races are our teams’ strength.  The longer they go, the better we tend to get.  When people tend to falter, we are just hitting our stride. We knew that Chris Caul would put on a great race, and he did not dissapoint. The varied terrain, white-water paddling at night, the tough rolling hills and heat and humidity was just what we expected and were looking forward to.  Races that truly test the boundaries of human endurance are what we seek, and that's what we got. It was truly an epic race, and we enjoyed the test." 

Kharsa’s teammate Doug Judson added that the rogaine-style course format also played into team Tecnu Extreme/ StaphAseptic’s strengths. “In rogaine style events,” he explains, “there is a lot of planning you are doing as you traverse the various disciplines. It is very much a thinking mans’ race with a lot of thought being put into strategy as you go.  In a rogaine, you truly never know what place you are in till you get finished, and you see if you cleared the course in the fastest time with the most number of points. We like this format of racing, because it adds a different variable to it, and adventure racing is all about trying to control the variables as much as you can.  None of us have raced a perfect race before, but it is this pursuit that keeps us toeing the line on the weekends in search of perfection.” 

When asked about the race highlights, Crytzer says that it was the intense competition between the top three teams.  “For myself and the AAS race production team, the biggest highlight was watching the three front teams leave the water side by side after more than 50 miles of racing. It's exciting to watch that level of competition in a race that last for days,” Crytzer explains.

Since 1998, American Adventure Sports has specialized in producing adventure packages “for all levels of thrill seekers” in the form of both training camps and competitive events, and have been selected to produce the 2010 USARA National Championship this coming October. One of their upcoming events is a five-day adventure racing camp for kids aged 10 to 17 being held July 11th-16th in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this camp, explains Cryzer, is to demonstrate “that racing is a metaphor for life. Nobody has success without help from others and that it is important to take time to make good decisions.” 

The next race on the AAS roster is the Lionheart 24 hour adventure race, taking place on August 7th- 8th in Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania. Later this summer, AAS is offering a unique training opportunity in Adventure Within, a 3-day camp being offered from August 27th-29th  that combines yoga and adventure training.  For more information about Adventure Within or the other events produced by AAS, check out americanadventuresports.com

Current Checkpoint Tracker standings can be viewed here: www.checkpointtracker.com/rankings

Current USARA National Rankings can be viewed here: www.usara.com/current_rankings.aspx

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