TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

The 2010 Truman Lake Adventure Race Registration is now open...and so is the new web site, www.offroadfixation.com. Check it out!

MAPS AND MORE

I've posted the Castlewood 09 Maps and additional photos online at the following link. PHOTOS AND MAPS

Castlewood AR 09 Pictures

CASTLEWOOD ADVENTURE RACE 09

Team Off Road Fixation was looking to repeat for a win in the 2 person coed division of the Castlewood Adventure Race in Kirkwood, MO near St. Louis this weekend but came up a little short. I think we did better than last year but had a bunch of great competition. We took 5th in our division of 13 2-person coed teams with a time of 6 hours – 6 minutes. 17th overall out of 97 teams. Our coed team beat 55 of the 61 all male teams. The course was fun and fast and Krista flat rocked the single track mountain bike sections.


Jason of Bonk Hard Racing puts on a fantastic first rate event with gobs of prizes and give-aways. I'll post the pictures and maps soon.

Truman Lake Adventure Race Report

Found a long lost adventure race report for last year's Truman Lake Adventure by Team Sweet Lincoln's Mullet. It has to be the funniest I've ever read.

Check it out with this LINK.


...and for the record, we WILL be improving on the check in facilities and pre-race meal this year. Hope you can join us down in Warsaw, MO for this years race April 17th.

Alpine Shop Dusk to Dawn Race Report

Just found a great race report for Bonk Hard Racing's Dusk to Dawn race from Alpine Shop who ended up taking 1st place coed. Check it out here.

NEXT UP CASTLEWOOD

The Castlewood Adventure Race will be rolling around soon. I'm ready to defend our two person coed title. Jason should have registration open soon.

Berryman

Jason put on a fantastic Berryman race again this year as usual. Our two teams were running strong, battling for 3rd or 4th in the 4 person coed and 2 person open divisions as we struggled through some tough nav and terrain in a 27 mile trek and 25 mile paddle. Half way through the second trek section, one of our team mates strained his right calf muscle and we slowed to a crawl. Long story short, we were done for the race. We are licking our wounds and correcting some team issues but we'll be back soon.

NEW STUFF

I've added a couple new sections to our blog here.

The "My Favorites" section will have links to some of my favorite gear, places and people.

The "Events" section is our upcoming races that Off Road Fixation will be promoting in the coming year. We've added a couple more new venues and I'm looking at a couple more. Stay tuned for more details there.

NEXT UP - BERRYMAN

Off Road Fixation is again ready to toe the line at the 36 hour Berryman Challenge. We're bringing two teams this years with John Clausen, Nate Clausen, Johnny Woodward and Krista Patterson filling out our coed team. This will be Nate's first adventure race but he'll do just fine as adventure racing runs in his genes. While John and Johnny are veterans to the Berryman, this will be Krista's first shot at the green monster. Her last race, the LBL Challenge had her crossing the line just under the 30 hour limit. We are hoping not to exceed that time in this running as well. Pray for good weather!

I was planning to run this one as a two person open team with my son Matt but the Berryman curse struck again when he fell during a mountain bike ride at Landahl and hurt his wrist badly. He is just able to ride without pain on pavement now but didn't want to risk taking the team out if he found he wasn't ready for the grueling mountain bike this race always provides. I enlisted Off Road Fixation veteran Ryan Netz to fill in and we are back in business.

See you all in Van Buren!

Dusk 2 Dawn

We had a great time designing the race courses for Bonk Hard Racing's Sunflower State Games and Dusk 2 Dawn Adventure Races. John Clausen and I mapped out a course that had racers circumnavigating Lake Perry and even up into the Delaware River. We went long and hard with this one with a total distance at almost 70 miles. Nav was light at times but there were a few thick spots in the trekking sections that had even some of the best teams scratching their heads.

We had well over 100 racers for each race and I'm pretty sure most were still smiling when they left. Jason really has this race business dialed in and puts all the finishing touches in to insure we all go home happy campers. The breakfast was awesome and those shirts were amazing.

Matt did the race as his first solo and did pretty well at the helm. His bike and canoe times were top notch.

We couldn't have pulled the race off without the volunteers and I'd like to thank the Off Road Fixation Team that was out in force as volunteers. One of my co-workers, Jeremy and Autumn Price pulled the much needed safety boat duties out on Lake Perry. Deron Bennett took one for the team and spent the night out in a bug infested cove with Johnny Woodward. There were a bunch of others as well. Thank you all!

RANKINGS

Off Road Fixation is currently tied for 11th in the USARA National Rankings midway through the racing season. Way to go team!

We'll all be sitting out (volunteering) for the Dusk to Dawn Adventure Race in July but have the Berryman Adventure Race (36 hour) slated for September. We've got two teams for the Berryman. Our Coed (and hopefully national qualifying) team will be Johnny Woodward, John Clausen, Krista Patterson and Michelle Elliot. I'll be partnering with my son Matt for his first long course race in the two man open division. Go ORF!!

Other local teams to make the top twenty include Alpine Shop (4th), Inertia (7th) and Dynamic Earth (14th). Last year's National points leader, Eastern Mountain Sport, is currently sitting in 18th.

There is still a bunch of time left in the season. Look to see a bunch of these teams shaking it up as the season nears it's end.

TRUMAN LAKE OFF ROAD DUATHLON VIDEO

RESULTS? WELL NOT REALLY

We had a small turnout for the first Truman Lake Off Road Duathlon down at the Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park a week ago. I've been very busy with work and kids last week and haven't been able to post any pictures.

I would have liked to post the results but we had a slight (and by that I mean major) snafu that really negated all our results. Mac Vorce of Warsaw Parks and Rec had laid out and marked a sweet run and ride course for the race on Sunday. The field of runners were instructed to duck or go around a section of yellow tape at the end of the run as it was part of the bike course. The runners all finished out without a hitch and transitioned to mountain bikes. About two miles into the bike, one rider thought he remembered being instructed to cross yellow tape on bike as well and busted some, following the yellow trail into a swampy quagmire that he soon realized couldn't be part of the race. He headed back to the turnoff but not before the down tape had collected several other riders.

With the small turnout, I was cleared to compete on a borrowed bike (and pants). Well past my prime, I trundled through the run and transitioned to the bike near the very back of the pack. I figured I'd catch at least a few riders on the bike section. I didn't see a soul. I rode the first two miles hard. Seeing the tape down, I remembered Mac saying we wouldn't be riding the swampy section so I made the correct turn even without tape. I finished out the following 5 miles of bike, seeing only two bike tracks ahead of me. This couldn't be right. I figured at least one of those had to be Mac's when he hung tape. Now I was wondering if I had made the right turn. I continued on, not seeing a single rider and finished to much fan fair....in third place overall. What?

My son Matt took second. He was in first place until about a mile before the finish. The eventual first place finisher just passed the tape before the guy busted it. All the other riders, including Matt's co-worker and friend, Jason, had ended up biking 9-11 miles to our 7.5. They crossed the line smiling even after hearing how they had been thrown off course. We all had a good laugh and we handed out gold medals to everyone, and I do mean everyone. One kid about three was just standing there watching the whole thing and he won gold that day.

Oh, to make matters worse, Matt beat me soundly...riding my single speed. Dang kids these days have no respect for their elders!

The trails were in surprisingly good shape after a week of constant rain (except for the poor souls who ventured into the swamp). There were a couple sections that you could see mother nature was trying to reclaim but Mac and his boyz put in a bunch of work to keep it all clear for us.

I had a great time. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves even though the results really mean nothing. It was a great fund raiser for the Truman Lake Bike Park and Warsaw Parks and Rec. Thanks Mac for having us down.

NEXT UP - TRUMAN LAKE FAT TIRE DUATHLON

Now that a few of you have gotten a taste of the Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park, I'm sure more will be looking for the next event there. Off Road Fixation is more than happy to help you out as we present the Truman Lake Fat Tire Duathlon on Saturday May 17th. A 5K Run and 10K single track mountain bike duathlon set on the Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park Trails near Warsaw, MO. Entry is $15 (plus processing fee) until May 8th and $20 up to May 15. Race day registration is $20 at the bike park. Come on out and get you some fat tire duathlon!

Online registration is open.

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE

PRAISE AND ADULATION

"I had been so busy with my own events, there's been no time to train for long distances. So when a friend asked me to race this 50 miler, of course I said yes. We put together a 1st time team and threw all our new bikes (thanks to the greatest bike store on Earth, Epic Bike Store in Kansas City) on the disco and headed to Missouri. Can I just say although we didn't have the best finish time, I had the best time! The area was gorgeous and mtn bike trails INTENSE. Don't think I would head out for just any race right after a week in Mexico, I knew Kelly's would be great--and was right. Can't wait for next year! Off Road Fixation--you rock!" Team LA (Lake Adventures) - Promoter of the Milford Lake Extreme

"We really enjoyed the race. It was fun to race in an area unfamiliar to us. I'm sure we will be back up to ride the trails sometime. Thanks for all your hard work, we understand what it takes to put on a race, no matter how many teams are involved. We've been telling all our adventure race friends about it and plan to be back next year." Cynthia - Team Kuat

"That’s a nice area for a race, and I’ll be back for sure." - Steve Dietiker - Advengineers

"I wanted to let you know I had SO MUCH fun at the AR this past weekend. You did a wonderful job and I really look forward to doing more races you put on! Thanks for everything and please tell Judith and your girls thank you for volunteering!!" - Amanda Clausen, Team Off Road Fixation (OK this one might be a little biased - nobody said I was fair and balanced)

"Kelly, you are one crazy, sexy, cool guy...and you dance better than anyone on the race course" - Judith Sumner (oops...Judith just walked in and caught me making this one up! She says it's all true...but the dancing part)

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE RESULTS

Results (click above for larger image)

Split Data

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE NEWS

We had unprecedented news coverage during the race with eight hours of live radio feed from 97.1 The Lake's Kenny "Tracer Man" Trecer and a camera crew from www.trumanlakenews.com interviewing teams, spectators and volunteers all around the course. Click on the link below for a news clip.

News Story Video Link

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE VIDEO

MOVIN ON UP....AGAIN

Off Road Fixation took 2nd Place in the coed division of the the Truman Lake Adventure Race last weekend and added 31 more points to our 15 point tally for the season, placing us in the top 10 teams in the US (out of 400 listed). Not bad guys!

MOVIN ON UP

Our recent 9th place finish in the 28 Hour LBL Adventure will earn us 10 points in the USARA National Points Race (and Checkpoint Tracker points as well) which should move us back into the top 20 teams in the nation.

LBL KICKS OUR BUTTS

We had a fun race down in Kentucky last weekend at the inaugeral Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Adventure Race. We ended up taking 9th out of 21 very competitive four person 24 hour teams and 12th out of 34 overall. The area had been hit by a massive ice storm in January but they were still clearing brush in most of the park on race day and will continue for months to come by the looks of the place. We struggled throughout the race, bike whacking and hacking on occasion to make it through all the downed brush. Most trails we hit were open but a road or two had us stopping every 30 yards to climb over or around trees. They extended the length of the race to 28 hours and we took all but 20 minutes to cross the line. We all had a great time down there and we thank Bonk Hard Racing for another epic event.




See results here.

See more pictures here.

LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES NEARS

The entry deadline for the 24 hour Land Between the Lakes Adventure Race is nearing and we will be one of more than 33 teams from over 20 states already signed up for Bonk Hard Racings newest promotion of misery in paradise. The field includes many nationally ranked teams including Wedali and Eastern Mountain Sports. 10 days and counting. Time to pack up the van....gotta go!

LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES

We are in it to win it...OK that may be a little far fetched, but we've got a strong team going down to the LBL in Kentucky early next month. John, Johnny and I will be sharing nav duties while Krista will be hanging on for dear life as she attempts her first 24 hour race. We did team training last weekend and all went well. We did orienteering and biking around Fleming Park for about 4 hours. Krista got a taste of true speed on the bike with a tethered ride on paved roads that reached 40mph at times. Scary stuff for sure. She did an 18 mile run on Saturday before we went out Sunday to Fleming. She's got legs (and nerves) of steel!

TRAIL FUND DONATION

I'd like to announce that we will be donating 15% of all Truman Lake Adventure Race entry fees to the Truman Lake Trail Fund. This is a wonderful organization and they have given us all a fantastic gift in the Truman Lake Bike Park and other urban trails around Warsaw, MO.

LOWER PRICE FOR TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE!

In an attempt to help out with the economic downturn, I'm dropping the entry fee from $95 to $75 per person till April 1st. We will have a late entry fee of $90 per person for April 1st - 11th. Race registration will be closed after April 11th. In an attempt to save some costs, we will not provide race t-shirts or a pre-race meal at check-in.

TRUMAN LAKE ADVENTURE RACE

The Truman Lake Adventure Race is on! I've been hard at work over the last month working up permits for the inaugural race in the newest adventure racing venue in Missouri. I guarantee you will fall in love with this wonderful new race. Check out the race blog. Registration is OPEN!

LUCKY 13

I just noticed that USARA has Off Road Fixation ranked 13th in the nation right now based on the teams finish at Castlewood. I hear that Inertia team, currently in first, is pretty good too...real jerks...but good. :-)

Congrats guys. The years still early. Let's keep this ball rolling. We have to keep fielding teams in the 3 or 4 person coed division and we HAVE to keep kicking tail. Who's in for the LBL in April?

http://www.usara.com/current_rankings.aspx