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2005 SALOMON/MOOSEJAW SUMMER GROOVE
Salomon North America and Moosejaw Mountaineering where proud to host the 2nd annual Summer Groove that was held Saturday July 30, 2005 at the White River Campground near Whitehall, Michigan.
» Overall Results Spreadsheet
» Race Pictures
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Event Recap:
Early, early on a cool summer morning, well before the sun would turn on the heat, nearly 160 racers piled onto 4 school busses at the White River Campground for a half hour ride to the starting line of the Salomon/Moosejaw Summer Groove 15 Hour Adventure Race. This race would start at 4am and cover nearly 70 miles. When all was said and done, racers found the race to be challenging, scenic, adventurous and a lot of fun.
The race began with 73 teams (11 solo, 52 2-person, 6 3-person, 4 4-person) scrambling through the woods to find a canoe. That was the easy part though, because it was then a short distance out to the road and onto a ¾ mile portage down to the White River and CP1. The lead teams made off very quickly covering the portage in barely 10 minutes, while slower teams took nearly a half hour. Then it was almost a 15 mile paddle on the challenging White River. The twisty river gave racers lots of obstacles, from down trees, to low water levels in spots, in addition to darkness and other racers to contend with. These conditions caused many teams to get wet a little prematurely in this race. And the cool night with lows in the lower 50’s left a few teams much cooler than they thought they would be in a race in late July. The river also provided teams with a bit of navigation to make sure they didn’t miss CP2 about halfway down the river in Scisco Bayou. By the time teams were reached CP3 which was the take out at Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery, the sun was up and the day began to heat up. The lead teams off the water were Kyle Peter, GRAAR, Jim Kuch, ½ AGS, and Peckerhead Racing, It was then a short 2 mile run back to the White River Campground for CP4/TA1.
There teams transitioned to their bike equipment for the next stage of the race. The bike leg would throw all surfaces at the racers and give them lots of navigational route choices. CP5 and CP6 were relatively straight forward. Then racers had the option to go after CP7 and 8 or skip them and move directly to CP9. 7 and 8 did prove to be tough CPs, giving racers lots of sandy two tracks and tough navigation as well. There were many more two tracks in existence than were on the maps and the sand was energy zapping in the mid-day heat. More than one team found themselves running short on water in the bike course as it took more exertion and time than they may have planned. CP9 lead teams to the north bank of the South Branch of the White River. They had a short bike-whack and then a refreshing river crossing. CP10 was also at a small creek crossing. From there was more sandy two tracks, portions not on the map, to CP11. At CP12 teams found the entrance to the Blue Loop of the Single Track in the Owasippe Boy Scout Camp. This was nearly 6.5 miles of single track and some fantastic terrain. CPs 13-15 were placed right on the single track , but their locations were not given to racers so they would be forced to ride the entire loop. They found steep ups and downs, riding along ridgelines and on the side of some very steep hills. Racers came off of the single track less than a quarter mile from CP16. The first teams to reach CP16 were Peckerhead Racing, ½ AGS, Northern Michigan Endurance Team (NMET), and Jim Kuch.
CP16 was the bike drop and also served as a second TA. Racers were allowed to have a gear bag transported to this location and water was provided here as well. The ropes for this race were a zip line set up by the boy scouts. It was located just a hundred yards from the bike drop. After leaving this area, teams headed out in pursuit of 11 CPs (at least 2 were mandatory) on the O-course (CP17-27). These points again lead racers around the spectacular land of the Owasippe Boy Scout Camp. Probably the most impressive was CP24 which was placed on semi-solid ground that acted like a giant waterbed that bounced and shook as you walked across it. Or it could have been CP19 located deep in the bottom of a Jurassic Park-like ravine. Or it could have been the cactuses found on the ground as you approached CP25. Whichever it was, it is safe to say that the terrain of the O-course was amazing. After CP27, racers made their way north for mandatory CP28 on a spur that pointed out toward the White River. From there, teams had to make their way to the river and follow along the banks of the river west about 1.5 miles to the boat launch area of the White River Campground. Then it was across the river and a short jaunt through the campground into the finish.
Leading a furious sprint into the finish was Peckerhead Racing, just 2 minutes ahead of ½ AGS for first and second overall and in the 2 person male division. NMET had another strong showing for third overall and in the 2 person male division as well. Ambush Adventure Racing also put together another good race for the 4th overall finish and taking first in the 4 person coed division. Giant Bicycles/Amish Mail Service had a good race to take 2nd in the 4 person coed (10th overall). Kyle Peter squeaked in under the wire on time with all 14 optional CPs to take the Solo Category (5th overall). Paul Pregont and Marc Hill took 2nd and 3rd for the Solos with 6 and 4 CPs (15th and 24th overall) respectively. The only solo female was Sue Douglas who had a fine outing obtaining 3 CPs and 31st place overall. The 2 Person Coed division was lead by Fuster Cluck (6th overall, 13 CPs), Quagmire (16th overall, 6 CPs), and Burnt Toast (19th overall, 5 CPs). The three person coed division was taken by Tachyon (14th overall, 8 CPs), Kobudo (23rd overall 4 CPs) and Ficus (33rd overall, 2 CPs) . The two person female division was lead by Mud Dogs II who had a fine race (11th overall, 10 CPs) and Team Dirt (20th overall, 4 CPs).
Congrats to all who finished and competed. It turned out to be a challenging course, but was also fun and unique. In total, 35 of 73 teams finished the course with 19 more teams finishing, albeit unranked for one reason or another. Five of the finishing teams obtained all 14 optional CPs.
Special Thanks to the White River Campground and Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery. They made huge contributions to the success of the race. As did all of our volunteers who can never get enough credit. And Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors for their terrific support. We were able to give out prizes to 7 different categories plus have a lot left over to give out in drawings. What fabulous support! We know the racers enjoy all of it!
Complete Results can be found at http://www.infiterrasports.com/results/05grooveR.htm and a ton of fantastic pictures, mostly taken by Craig Watters and Al , are also available there.
We hope to see everyone again soon!
Race Staff
Infiterra Sports LLC
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