2010 Infiterra Sports March Madness Sprint
Infiterra Sports was excited to host the March Madness 6hr Sprint Adventure Race that was held Saturday March 6, 2010 at Bald Mountain Rec Area in Lake Orion, Michigan.
Results are Official and Final. If you have questions please email Zac.
» Results - These results are in PDF Form.
» Map #1 - 8.5x11 - 5.1mb
» Map #2 - 8.5x11 - 5.7mb
» Race Instructions - 8.5x11 - 43kb
» Race Pictures
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Event Recap - This was the fourth annual March Madness Adventure Race. You never know what you will get in the March Madness, it could be 20°F or it could be 50°F. This year we got a little of both as a clear frigid night gave way to an unseasonably warm sunny day. As the snow and ice began thawing and melting by midday, conditions actually became more difficult. The 2010 March Madness was one large bike and trek score-O Rogaine with lots of single track trail options and remote check points.
The race started at 10:00am as teams gathered for the send off. Most ran to their bikes and headed off. In the Rogaine style, teams were free to go any way they chose and retrieve the checkpoints in any order. However, they had some encouragement to make their way west first. The race start/finish location was on the east side of M-24 and there was only one crossing at M-24 allowed. This point would close down by 1:00pm, so the checkpoints to the west needed to be obtained first. There was one manned bike drop located in the middle of those points where teams could leave their bikes and head off on foot. Teams were also free to drop their bikes at any chosen location, but that was left to their own strategy. It was especially strategic given that racers were told at the race briefing that race staff did not believe any team would retrieve all the checkpoints within the 6 hour race timeframe.
After spending time retrieving checkpoints on the west side of M-24, most teams made their way to the north unit of Bald Mountain. There was another manned bike drop in the center of this area at the mountain bike trailhead. The checkpoints here were located all around the bike drop. Some chose to leave their bikes at the drop while others chose to ride closer to more strategic unmanned drop locations.
Aside from the checkpoints to the west and north, there were also many checkpoints located in the south unit of Bald Mountain, which was much closer to the start/finish area. Another manned bike drop was located in this section of the course. Again teams had options to try and ride the slushy, snow covered single track trails or drop their bikes and go on foot. This south section proved to have some of the tricky navigation in the race as many teams got turned around on the maze of trails and topography.
In total there were 38 points to the course. But throughout the race, it was really difficult to tell who was in which position. With no points being mandatory and teams being left to their own strategy, it was anyone’s guess as to who was actually leading the race. It wasn’t until the final minutes of the race that the top five finishers were determined.
Just five minutes from the cutoff at 3:55pm, the overall winners, Chuck and Sara chugged into the finish with 28 CPs, the most of the race. Second place finisher, Solo Racer Smartblast #1, made it back to the finish literally only seconds before the cutoff at 4:00pm and he had 27 CPs, just one off the lead. Teams Chrysler/Jeep #1 and #2 got 26 CPs and finished just seconds before Must Be Nuts who also got 26 CPs for 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Nate “the Cougarbear” Vince, 3:31pm, and South of the Border, 3:47pm, both took 25 CPs for 6th and 7th. Stoney Creek Bike, 3:47pm, and Tony Misovski, 3:52pm, both got 24 CPs for 8th and 9th. Lone Penguin, 3:47pm, Rage Against the Cutoff, 3:50pm, and Urine Trouble, 3:50pm, all nabbed 23 CPs to round out the top 12.
Congratulations to all the racers that came out and got to enjoy the beautiful winter/spring day. It was a cold start and a warm finish to a very challenging race. The trail and snow conditions definitely put all teams to an early season fitness test. While the course layout challenged racers’ mental strategies.
A big thank you goes out to all of our Sponsors as many racers walked away with great prizing! We had great representation from REI, Hammer Nutrition and Kahtoola with additional give-aways provided by Motor City Bootcamp and Smartblast. We had a big group of volunteers that braved the cold and helped the race go off as big success. We would also like to thank Bald Mountain Recreation Area for being so cooperative and easy to work with. And thanks to Peppi’s Pizza for supplying the post race pizza.
