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2006 SALOMON/MOOSEJAW SPRING FURY
Salomon North America and Moosejaw Mountaineering where proud to host the 3rd annual Spring Fury that was held Saturday April 15, 2006 in the Bald Mountain Lake Recreation Area near Lake Orion, Michigan.
» Overall Results Spreadsheet
 » 2 Person Coed Results Spreadsheet
» 2 Person Male Results Spreadsheet
» 2 Person Female Results Spreadsheet
» 4 Person Coed Results Spreadsheet
» Solo Results Spreadsheet
» Race Pictures
Special Thanks to Camp Echo Grove for the use of their facilities and climbing tower. Be sure to check out the camp and support those that support AR!
Please visit our message board to provide us with feedback on the Spring Fury.
Event Recap:
Was this really the “Spring” Fury and the middle of April? Temperatures expected to reach nearly 70°F with mostly sunny skies made this feel more like summer and the middle of June. The predawn check in did remain a little chilly, but by the briefing at 7:30 it was already warming up nicely. The 3rd annual Salomon/Moosejaw Spring Fury was definitely going to be a treat for 225 racers from around the Midwest in terms of more than just weather. The race had sold out two months prior to the event date, so the field was packed and excited. This year’s event was held at Bald Mountain Recreation Area in Lake Orion.
With such a large number of racers, the field was split into two groups for a staggered start. At 8:30 the 2 Person Males and Solos started out, while the remainder of the field, 2 Person Coed, 2 Person Female and 4 Person Coed started at 9:00. Both groups were doing the same exact course, just the start was split.
The race started with a mile run around Trout Lake to where racers had dropped their bikes pre-race. Then it was off on bike to find two checkpoints located in the muddy mountain bike trails of the South Unit at Bald Mountain. Racers were given pretty distinct clues in their instructions and at the briefing about the location of CP2 and CP3, but they were still left with a few choices to make regarding their routes on the trails. After a couple miles in the trails it was out to the rural dirt roads that would lead teams up toward Lakeville Lake.
Racers found CP4 located on the northwest side of Lakeville Lake at the Echo Grove Salvation Army Camp. Racers had a canoe section on Lakeville Lake from this point and they were also given the choice to do the rock climbing wall either before or after the canoeing. This helped alleviate any backup at the ropes, which is almost always a concern at a sold out sprint race. The canoeing had teams chasing down 4 checkpoints strategically placed around the lake. Three of the four points were mandatory leaving racers a little bit of leeway on the paddle. The lake itself was very scenic with crisp clear waster reflecting the sun’s rays like crystals. However, as the day wore on, it also was a little rough out there with a strong wind. A majority of the teams came off the water to be greeted by the Red Bull Beetle and Red Bull Girls passing out a welcomed racer favorite.
It was back into the saddle for another bike leg. Teams had to bike roads to a Rails to Trails ride for CP11 and then more roads south to CP12. Racers had the option of the 3.5 mile Orange loop of single track for CP’s 13-15 or proceeding directly to CP16 for the O-course. At CP16 racers received an additional map with CP’s A-M that made up the O-course. Only two points were mandatory to be a ranked team, but this was really the highlight of the course for many teams. The navigation was challenging and terrain was even more so. Several points were on the edge of swamps, lakes and rivers. Many racers found themselves chest deep in swamp going after numerous CP’s. Thick briers and thorn patches also made the going tough. Time management also played in for a good amount of teams because they still had to make it back to the finish in 8 hours and had to decide when to call it a day on the O-course and get back to their bikes for the final bike back to the finish.
Congrats to all teams. It was a fun yet challenging course, especially for the many teams who were out experiencing their first taste of adventure racing. In all there were 21 optional points on the course. 28 teams were able to obtain all of them and get back to the finish within the 8 hour allotment. 96 teams completed the course as ranked teams with only three teams dropping, mostly due to equipment failure. All in all, the 2006 Spring Fury was another great successfully varied race to accommodate all levels of racer.
Winning the race overall and in the 2 Person Male Division was Ambush Adventure Racing, Steve Kaczor and Jason Schaefer. They used some great navigation skills and racing experience to win by just six minutes over the next team. They bested the course in a time of 5:27. Winning the 2 Person Coed Division in a time of 5:40 was the Frog Stompers comprised of Matt and Bonnie Hartman. In the 2 Person Female Division, team Double-D, Diane DeAngelis and Donna Krol, took the top spot on the podium getting 20 of the optional CP’s and finishing just under the cutoff at 7:53. Team Child’s Voice took top honors in the 4 Person Coed division and if not for a penalty due to the legibility of their passport, they would have been first overall. Still a great performance by the team comprised of Milan Kratka, Larry Davis, Jillian Theobald, and Lara Croft-Battalini. For those going Solo’s, Scott Lund was the top male in a time of 5:33 and Shannon Camp was very impressive fore the females getting all 21 optional CP’s in a time of 7:20.
We had some great volunteers for this race and want to extend a special thanks to them. They were great! Big thanks go out to Bald Mountain Recreation Area, Echo Grove Camp, and Heavner Canoe for their cooperation, support, and use of their facilities. And thanks to all our wonderful sponsors for their terrific support. We know the racers enjoy all of it!
Race Staff
Infiterra Sports LLC
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