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2004 SALOMON/MOOSEJAW SUMMER GROOVE
Salomon North America and Moosejaw Mountaineering where proud to sponsor the 2004 Summer Groove Adventure Race that was held Saturday June 19, 2004 near Whitehall, Michigan. We hope that all of you had a great event and are looking forward to your next race. Please feel free to provide feedback on this event by e-mailing us or by posting on our message board in the feedback & comments area.
» Overall Results Spreadsheet
» Coed Results Spreadsheet
» Male Results Spreadsheet
» Female Results Spreadsheet
» Solo Results Spreadsheet
» Three Person Coed Results Spreadsheet
» Overall Results Spreadsheet WITH CP TIMES!!!
» Race Pictures
» Race Pictures from our friends at Sport Raxx
- Be sure to check out there site and possibly drop them a line to say thanks for providing all of theses great pictures free of charge!
Event Recap:
Length: 15 Hour Cutoff
Date: June 19, 2004
Location: Whitehall, MI
Teams: 73 teams (16 Coed, 30 Male/Male, 3 Female/Female, 14 Solos, 10 3-person)
The first ever Summer Groove 15 Hour Adventure Race was a great success and a whole lot of fun for the participants, volunteers, and staff. This was the second race of the 2004 Salomon/Moosejaw Adventure Race Series presented by Infiterra Sports. 73 Teams and 142 competitors in total participated in this medium difficulty unsupported adventure race. Shortly after 8:00pm on Friday evening the race briefing was held at the White River Campground with most teams in attendance to hear the course description. All maps, directions and instructions were distributed and the Infiterra Sports Management discussed the course and answered questions until just past 9:00pm. At that point racers knew what lie ahead and they were ready to begin very early the following morning. Many retreated back to their campsites or hotels to plot their courses and plans of attack. Several teams elected to stay in the pavilion and go right to work, while other teams were still arriving after long travel times and heavy traffic. Putting together the numerous maps and laying out their routes took some teams early into the next morning. This left very little time for sleep, with some teams not getting any at all. Even though the actual race hadn’t started yet, the adventure had already begun.
The race would start with a 13 mile paddle leg down the White River. Around 3:00am Saturday morning teams began arriving at the starting location of Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery. They handed off their bikes and gear bags, which would be transported by race staff, picked out their canoe (or kayaks for solos) and got prepared on the bank of the river. As the 4:00am start time approached, teams began to launch their boats into the river and try to maintain a good position while not floating away down stream. As the clock reached 4:00am, the race was underway and 73 boats took off down the White River, clamoring for position, glow sticks and headlamps lighting up the path of the river with racers trying to stay afloat. It was a spectacular start in the cool dark morning.
It didn’t take long for a few teams to capsize after hitting down tree limbs and stumps hiding just underwater. The river itself was still very high after the enormously wet spring and the current was moving very quickly. In many places the river was so high it seemed to be running through the forest and was difficult to follow the actual river in the dark of night. In under an hour the first teams began hitting CP1 on the north bank of the river. Just before 6:00am, as the sun was rising, the lead teams were on the final stretch of the paddle. Making their way through the upper bayou area of White Lake and into the take out at a small park on the south bank in the town of Whitehall. Once out of the water, teams quickly rummaged through their gear bags for dry biking clothes, unloaded their pfd’s and paddles and scrambled to get on their bikes. However, some teams were a little slower as they tried to warm up in the brisk morning air. For many teams it was a new experience paddling at night. The added challenges of the fast current and not being able to see everything in front of you on the river made for some wet and chilled racers. The morning was surprisingly cool for mid June, but the sun was now rising and blue sky was overhead. A beautiful day and a fun race were in store.
The next leg of the course was largely a flat, fast bike up the Hart-Montague Bike Trail. This is an old rail bed that was converted to a paved bike trail in a “Rails to Trails” effort and worked into the course ideally. CP’s 3 and 4 were placed in the small towns of Rothbury and New Era almost directly on the trail. The trail was a mandatory route up to New Era. After that the route to CP5 was left open and teams quickly realized there was more than just flat pavement to this course. CP5 was located near the top of Saddleback Hill. Even the best mountain bikers couldn’t ride the steep sandy two track that lead up Saddleback and coming down the other side was a very difficult descent. Then it was more route choices to make it to CP6. There were many routes to choose from, with not one being entirely straightforward. Most choices lead teams down two tracks used mainly only by asparagus farmers and a few other locals. In total there was around 25 miles of biking up to CP6, located in the parking lot of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. Here teams again found their gear bags and would transition to the on foot sections of the course.
These on foot sections were the real story of the race. They included a monster 5 plus mile trek through the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and two separate Orienteering (O) courses of at least 2 and 4 miles if optimal routes were executed. CP’s 7-9 were mandatory points in the dunes and CP10 lead the faster more competitive team further South to an optional O-course. This was where teams would find CPs 11-14. These points lie out of the Dunes and in some wooded terrain that actually resembled Michigan again. CP15 took teams back into the heart of the dunes right on the shore of Lake Michigan. Not only was the dune trekking unique, but very difficult as well. Trekking up and down the hills of sand would take its toll on the legs of many racers leaving them to slow prodding along and sore muscles. In addition teams were battling with the sand being blown at them from every direction by the heavy winds of the day. The dune trek seemed to be that one great element to the race that nobody really liked, but everyone loved and it made for great stories after the race as well as some spectacular views and pictures. From CP15 to CP16 teams had a nice straightforward coasteer up the shoreline of beautiful Lake Michigan. After the coaster, teams could finally head out of the dunes back to check in at CP17. From here they would continue on foot for the final O-course. The final O-course, CPs 18-26, was just north and east of the dunes in a wooded, rolling section of Silver Lake State Park. Only two of these 9 CP’s were mandatory for a ranked finish, but with the quick pace of the lead teams, all points would be necessary for teams to be competitive.
After the trekking teams hit their gear bag and the water station one last time and headed back off on their bikes for the finish line at Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery. CP’s 28-30 were once again on the Hart-Montague Bike Trail. An optional CP31 gave teams the chance for some more off road biking and bike orienteering through a series of two tracks, most of which were not on the map. Most teams were able to hit this point with surprising accuracy although it did cause some teams much difficulty as they tried to reach the finish before the cut off. This 2nd bike leg was around 30 miles in distance.
In total 65 of the 73 teams finished the race before the cut off time of 7:00pm with 6 more teams coming in shortly thereafter. Congratulations to all competitors on a great race! The Northern Michigan Endurance Team consisting of Aaron Litzner and Justin Andre won the race with a blistering race time of 9 hours 8 minutes. Team Litespeed-Ultimax closely followed them, just 29 minutes back, for second in both the overall and male division. David Maclean won the solo division with a 10 hour 4 minute finish (3rd overall). The Animals finished 4th overall and 3rd in the male division with their time of 10 hours and 29 minutes. Absolute Endo finished 5th overall and took the 2 person coed title with their 10 hour 31 minute finish. Team Endurance Sports grabbed the 3 person coed victory with a finish time of 12 hours 25 minutes (12th overall). Buff Betty’s were the best female team with their finish of 14 hours and 14 minutes and 8 of the optional 15 control points (51st overall). Complete results with course breakdowns, divisional breakdowns and overall results can be at the top of this page.
A special Thank You goes out to all series sponsors, White River Campground, Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery, Silver Lake State Park, Sport Raxx by Simpson. And last but certainly not least all of our fantastic volunteers!
We hope to see you all agian next year for the Summer Groove!
Race Staff
Infiterra Sports LLC
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