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2006 Michigan Coast to Coast Adventure Race
 Infiterra Sports is excited to hold the second annual Michigan Coast to Coast Adventure Race to take place across Michigan May 29 - June 3, 2006. This will be a true 4 day expedition race encompassing the standard disciplines of adventure racing.
FINAL REGSITRATION DEADLINE - APRIL 21ST
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General Race Information:
Dates: Monday, May 29th - Saturday, June 3, 2006 - All Pre-Race activities on Monday and Tuesday AM with the race running from Tuesday PM through Saturday.
Start Location: Frankfort, Michigan
Length: 4 Days
Disciplines: Orienteering, Trekking & Fixed Ropes, Canoeing, Mountain Biking
Teams: 4 person coed only, Limited to 50 Teams
Event Cost: $1800 per team - The cost includes canoes, a polypropylene performance shirt, post-race banquet and other goodies.
Payment Options: Registration online using a credit card will require complete payment of the $1800 when you register plus a $30.00 fee for credit card processing.
Support Crew: Yes, this is a supported race. You must have a support crew. If you are coming from far off and can't persuade any crew to come with, we encourage to post on our message board that you are looking for a local crew. Infiterra Sports will do everything we can to ensure that the lack of a support crew does not keep your team from racing.
About The Race: Building on the success of last years event, we plan to make the 2006 Coast to Coast even bigger and better. This will be a real expedition race across Michigan. It will be both physically and mentally challenging and it will offer a true sense of accomplishment, reward and fun when completed. We will be making the 2006 longer by adding both more time and more course. Our intent will be to create a course worthy of world class competition, yet still have it be achievable by good racers that take the time to prepare.
We highly recommend that all racers should have some credible AR experience in a 24hr plus event under their belt before attempting this event. This will be a tough event and racers should plan accordingly and take their training and preparation seriously. While a specific prerequisite is not required, Infiterra Sports reserves the right to deny a team entry based on a lack of experience and / or skills. That being said, we do feel that this race will be perfect for those racers looking to take the next step from a 24hr race to an expedition level event.
The landscape of Northern Michigan is superb terrain for adventure racing. Significant hills, beautiful rivers and lakes, lots of two-tracks and trails, anything from open forests to thick bush and swamps. You should expect tough navigation with UTM plotting and many route choices. There will be long stretches (possibly up to 24hrs) between transition areas covered with the standard disciplines of trekking, biking, paddling and fixed ropes. The course is projected to be between 270 and 290 miles in total length. Once it is all done, you will have a great a sense of accomplishment from crossing the entire state in less than four days under your own power!
Location & Directions: See Racer Update #1 for all details.
Travel to the Race: We hope and anticipate to draw teams from all over. So here is some helpful information if you plan to fly in: Cherry Capitol Airport (TVC) in Traverse City is the closest to the starting city of Frankfort. It is only about 35 minutes away and is a very nice airport. You can also opt to fly into Detroit Metro Airport (DTW). The Detroit airport will give you about a 4 hour drive to the race start location in Frankfort, but it will also give you many more flight options.
Post Race Banquet and Awards Ceremony: The post-race banquet will be in very close proximity to the finish and the recommended hotels for the finish. We plan to begin serving food at 3:00pm Saturday. The banquet is free to racers and support crew. However, we do need you to RSVP by April 26th so that we have an accurate head count of how many people we will be feeding. If you know now that you will be in a hurry to leave and not attending the banquet, then please do not RSVP. On the other hand, if you do plan to attend the banquet and do not RSVP, then we will not have enough food. Please RSVP by emailing Luke or include a note with your final payment on March 17th. The awards presentation will immediately follow the banquet, and allow racers that have a long drive ahead of them to get on the road at a decent hour.
Pre-Race Accommodations: We recommend that ALL racers stay at the Harbor Lights Motel right on the shores of Lake Michigan in Frankfort. When you call to reserve your room or rooms, just be sure to tell them you are with the C2C to get special rates. They have all kinds of room options from standard rooms around $70.00 up to multi-room condos for around $180.00 and up. The reservation number is 800-346-9614. All pre-race activates will be very near to or at the Motel.
Post-Race Accommodations: See Racer Update #1 for all post race accomodation details.
Maps: Standard USGS based with the twist of being 1:30,750 scale. You will have to plot the control points using the UTM grid system. Make sure you are familiar with how to create your own corner ruler based on this custom scale. This skill can be found in the UTM Plotting Document - Pay close attention to the part near the end of the document entitled "Making Your Own Grid Tool". This is exactly what you will need to do for this event.
Trekking / Orienteering: Trekking will be a major part of the event. The total trekking will be approximately 55 - 65 miles depending on the selected route. You should expect anything from dense brush to open forest to low wetlands. Trekking will be on roads, trails, and significant sections of off trail bush whacking. Navigation will be key. You should expect a lot of Northern Michigan "two-track" navigation and many routes to choose from. Be prepared for one major trek that will have you away from TA's for a very long time. You can expect at least one segment of more detailed orienteering in which teams will be in search of unmanned orienteering flags with a punch.
Canoe:
Teams will be paddling approximately 80 - 90 miles depending on their route and final course design. ALL CANOES ARE PROVIDED FOR THIS RACE. You CANNOT use a personal canoe. The cost of your canoe is rolled into the race cost. Paddling will be on a combination of moving and flat water. No water certification will be required, but that does not mean the paddle should be taken lightly. You MUST provide your own paddles and PFD. Paddles and PFD are NOT provided for you. There will be some small portages.
Mountain Bike: The total biking will be approximately 135 - 145 miles depending on the selected route. Be prepared for long rides and northern Michigan sand and gravel. You should also have good working bike lights and a good backup headlamp if your bike light batteries should fail. Be prepared with plenty of lighting options and / or batteries for multiple night rides. Biking will be on all road types including some sections of single track riding. You should also be prepared for some sections of hike-a-bike depending on your route choice. Navigation will be key on the bike and will include a bike orienteering section in which teams will be in search of unmanned orienteering flags with a punch.
Fixed Ropes: See Racer Update #1 for all fixed ropes details.
Questions? You might be able to find your answer on the FAQ section of the Message Board or Contact Luke Osborn with questions about the 2006 Michigan Coast to Coast Adventure Race.
Sponsors and Prizing:
Thanks to the following Sponsors, the 2006 C2C will have a minimum $20,000 Total Prize Purse! The prize chart below will continue to get updated as exact prizing is defined and more sponsors come on board. Major prizing will go through the top five teams with very nice prizing also going to the race stage winners just as we did last year.
Be sure to visit and support our sponsors as a way of thanking them for supporting us. Look for more information on prizes, sponsors, and media coverage as the race draws near.
| 1st Place |
$7000.00 Cash |
| Free Entry into 2007 C2C |
| 4 Race Jerseys From Axis Gear |
| 4 Pair Salomon Shoes |
| 4 Pair Smartwool Socks |
| TBD E-Caps / Hammer Gel Product |
| 2nd Place |
$3000.00 Cash |
| 4 Pair Salomon Shoes |
| 4 Salomon Backpacks |
| 4 Pair Smartwool Socks |
| TBD E-Caps / Hammer Gel Product |
| 3rd Place |
$2000.00 Cash |
| 4 Pair Salomon Shoes |
| 4 Pair Smartwool Socks |
| TBD E-Caps / Hammer Gel Product |
| 4th Place |
$500.00 Cash |
| 4 $100 Moosejaw Gift Certificates |
| 4 Pair Salomon Shoes |
| 4 Pair Smartwool Socks |
| TBD E-Caps / Hammer Gel Product |
| 5th Place |
4 $100 Moosejaw Gift Certificates |
| 4 Pair Salomon Shoes |
| 4 Pair Smartwool Socks |
| TBD E-Caps / Hammer Gel Product |
| 1st Stage |
4 Sets of Jet Lites |
| 2nd Stage |
4 Petzl Ascender Sets |
| 3rd Stage |
4 Pair Salomon Shoes & 4 Salomon Packs |
| 4th Stage |
4 Lendal Paddles |
| 5th Stage |
TBD |
| 6th Stage |
TBD |
Feed Back from the 2005 Michigan C2C:
“The Michigan C2C was a huge success from our point of view and we want to thank everyone who made it so. Let us know when we can sign up for next year’s race!”
Erik Hansen
Team Legend
Little Rock, Arkansas
“Everything and we mean everything was spot on. Volunteers were exceptional, logistics pre/post race were incredible and the updates were good. Just an over all great experience.”
Gary Cambridge
Team HUG
London, Ontario
“I cannot thank you enough for putting on such a great event as the C2C. It was about the most physically and mentally challenging / toughest things I have done. And I had about as much fun as I've ever had.”
Bruce Geffen
Team Howzthat
Waterford, Michigan
Just wanted to tell you guys what a great job you did on the race. We all had an amazing time and will definitely recommend your races to other Canadian teams we come across.”
Joe Gabor
Team Dead Reckoning
Oakville, Ontario
“The race was great. You guys ran it flawlessly. Thanks for working so hard to make that such a good race. We all know first hand what a fiasco a poorly-planned race can be.”
Jessica Yaksic
Absolute Endo/NMET
Brighton, Michigan
“Thank you for the great planning for the C2C. Thanks again for a good time; it was inspiring for us to experience the race and it will carry into our training for your coming races.”
Caleb Mitchell
Volunteer
Madison Heights, Michigan
“You guys really exceeded our expectations. As usual, the organization was awesome and hearing the positive "buzz" from all the racers was a reminder to not take you guys for granted. You spoil us with your races and your sensitivity to the racer is second to none.”
Tony, JD, Andrea, Randy, and Michelle
Team AGS
Holland, Michigan
“I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all your work keeping the leaderboard so up to date! I couldn't believe how often I could get on line and there was always new news!!! I can't believe what you guys have done for AR in Michigan and beyond. I can't imagine how much work it takes…you may need to increase event costs so that it can be closer to worth your time!”
Deb Hafke
Adventure Racing Fan
Lansing, Michigan
“I just wanted to thank and congratulate you on a fabulous race. I was so impressed by the course layout, the well organized and well staffed TAs and CPs, the nicely functioning website (my parents were THRILLED with the updates and leader board), the accuracy of the UTM coordinates, the streamlined check-in, the affordable race entry fee...I could go on and on!”
Ivy McIver
Team Perpetro Cursus
Longmont, Colorado
“Thanks for a great race. I was very impressed with how smoothly everything ran. You guys thought of everything which is amazing considering that this was your first year running a big race like this. Congratulations and hats off to you.”
Jennifer Shultis
Team Eastern Mountain Sports
Cambridge, Massachusetts
“The C2C race was the best event ever! I volunteered for most of the race and you all did an excellent job of planning. When the top teams ended up being faster than expected you really shone - one of your true gifts as a group is to be able to make adjustments on the fly during an event and it all went seamlessly.”
Susan Douglas
Volunteer
Chelsea, Michigan
“Thanks you for the opportunity to be able to race such high quality events here in Michigan. Great job with the course you could not have picked a better location. The race went smooth, the course was tough. I have no complaints; I will be back next year.”
Aaron Litzner
Absolute Endo/NMET
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
“Infiterra Sports and River Rats put together something special in this Coast to Coast race. The course was exceptional; never the same - great variety throughout. The course had some great navigational challenges and route options. It also had great remote wilderness sections as it crossed the state.”
Cooper Green
Team Blue Bayou
Novi, Michigan
“The volunteers were amazing; I never had so many people ask if I was hydrating, big thanks to them. Looking forward to the C2C next year and hopefully other Infiterra races, you guys rock!!”
JP Bordaleau
Team Orange Triangle
Bolingbrook, Illinois
“Another fantastic event by Infiterra Sports / River Rats. Since I have volunteered or crewed for all of the Infiterra races (as well as for two other adventure race organizers), I have a lot of experience with races. You guys are tops in treating volunteers and racers equally like royalty. The face to face meetings you must hold just to propose courses (and explain adventure racing!) is mind boggling. And then you continue to get permits, plan routes, guesstimate times, etc, etc... WOW!”
Terri Kaczor
Volunteer
Bowling Green, Ohio
“We had such a good time we wanted to keep going when we finished. We were amazed by how little civilization we saw crossing the entire state. The course was much more remote than expected. I'm hoping you guys bring this race back every year because you will definitely see us back.”
Michael Boks
Team GRAAR.org
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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