August 26-27, 2022
Red Top Mountain State Park, GA
As soon as I saw this race I signed up. I don't know why. I had never done a solo adventure race and I'd only done one 24 hour AR at that point and it was awful (I was able to do one more, Deviant Wolfe, before the race actually took place, luckily). But I do like a challenge...
The race was new in concept. I don't believe anyone had ever put on a solo-only adventure race as the sport is traditionally a team sport- especially at any championship level race. That made it even more alluring.
They kept everything very secretive. Up until a few days before we really knew nothing about the course and in the days leading up they leaked only that we would start on foot and that bike and paddle gear needed to be dropped off before the start at Allatoona Creek Park (but even then you don't know if they'll get tricky and move them!).
I had planned to meet up with my dad and camp and Red Top for a couple nights before the race. Most the adventure racing I've done has been with my dad. He's the one that taught me a love of the outdoors so I was super excited he decided to come camp with me and hang out while I was racing. We got there Wednesday evening, got to swim and do a final bike check on Thursday (thankfully- discovered the disc brake rubbing and had time to tinker with it and get it aligned), and finally Friday was race day.
I slept in as late as I could Friday but camping isn't really conducive to day sleeping so by 8AM I was wide awake. Made some breakfast then checked, packed, double-checked, and re-packed all my gear. The only apparent issue was my headlamp which, despite being fully charged when I left home, was totally dead. Weird. Plugged it in to the portable charger to get it charged back up. I brought a spare just in case and now I'll definitely pack it. All too quickly it was time to go drop gear and check in. After dropping off my bike, helmet, and paddle bag at Allatoona, and grabbing a smoothie, we headed to check in back at Red Top. At check in we got a small bag that had the rules of travel, race bib, and GPS tracker but still no maps. The one time I got there super early... At that point it was only 3:30 and the busses didn't load until 5:30, so we opted to drive back over to the camp site only a few minutes away and chill a bit. Dad suggested I try to nap. I did lay down but my adrenaline was pumping and there was no way I was going to sleep. So I read through the rules of travel over and over until I had it about memorized.
At 5PM we headed back over to the check-in area. We got there about 5:05PM and then realized the pre-race meeting was at 5PM. Oops. About the time I walked up the RD said "and that's about it, any questions?" LOL. So we went and loaded the busses. The guy behind me looked friendly, I asked him what I missed. Nothing too critical but it got a few others chatting and the chit-chat was helping all of our nerves. We chatted all the way there about what we thought was going to happen but none of us really had any clue.
The bus took us back to Allatoona. As we got off they had us shut our phones off then sealed them to ensure no one could access them (unless they had an emergency). After that everyone seemed... busy. I turned to the guy nearest me and said "I feel like I should be doing something but I'm not sure what it is." He replied "Shall we twiddle?" And began twiddling his thumbs. I joined him. After a few minutes the RD instructed us all to line up across a fence line. He said after he yelled go we needed to run across the field, around the AR Georgia flag, and back to the fence where there would be envelopes with our race numbers on them. In the envelope we would find one of two different trek maps. Got it? OK go! And so we went.
When I got back to the envelope I had trek map #1. It took me a second to orient the map (why didn't I look at my compass and orient myself before the start? I knew I should have been doing something). Somehow people were just taking off after only a glance. I knew 24 hours was a long time and the smart move was to make sure I knew where I was going before I took off. But there was a camera watching me. It's a Championship, and there's a camera, and everyone is already running, and I can't figure out where North is. OK, stop, breathe, you know how to do this. OK, North, got it, road, see it, CP1, that way, go...
Trek 1, Part 1- 6PM Friday
CP1 was easy enough to find as there were probably 15 of us all headed that way. Half of the 40 person field got the Trek 1 map first, and while we were technically allowed to get the CPs in any order, CP1 was close and navigationally simple so it was a good quick win to settle the nerves and get things rolling. And of course CP1 was in a swamp. We would have been wet at least up to the waist from that point forward except I tripped and went all the way in, of course. But after that I settled in, stopped worrying about what anyone else was doing and took off on my own race. Throughout the course of clearing that first map it would become apparent that there was a lot to this area that was not on the map, making navigating a good deal more challenging, but despite one or two wrong turns I cleared that map with relative ease. I made my way back to transition and was met with more cameras. I was handed the second trek map and had a camera over my shoulder as I studied it. Something about the cameras make my brain stop working. Why can't I find North!! The camera guy watched and laughed as I struggled to find the trailhead and remarked I was lost already.
Trek 1, Part 2- 8 PM
There's one point on the map that's way out of the way, but very simple to navigate. I decide to go there first while my energy is still high. I got turned around towards the end on Trek 1 and could use a quick win to boost my confidence back up. I get that CP1 then continue on knocking them out quickly as the sun sets- hitting all the nav pretty spot on. At some point I end up in step with one of my bus buddies. It's a solo race and we aren't supposed to help one another, but a little chit chat is nice when you're running around the woods in the dark. We approach a checkpoint that's set across the water on an island that we'll have to swim to. It's only about 100 yards across, and I'm a strong swimmer, but it's pitch dark and the water is black. It's just a tad unnerving and I'm suddenly thankful to not take this one on alone. We swim across, get the punch and swim back. Just around the bend there's a similar CP across the water. This one is further away, and technically possible to access via land, but seems quicker by swimming. So once again we jump in and swim across. As we get to the opposite bank my new friend realizes that when he dropped his pack to swim across he also left his CP beeper dongle, so he has to go back. So long new friend, it was fun while it lasted... I got the CP, swam back across, and right away found a new friend: a small snake curled up right next to my pack... Hey there little guy, you just stay cuddled up there and I'll just pull this awaayyy slooowwwllyyy... byyyeee!!! I continued through the Trek 2 and cleared it without any major issues. Oh yea except the headlamp I had recharged died, again, in less than two hours. So glad I brought a spare. Back to transition and the cameras again...
Bike 1- 11 PM
Back at transition I'm handed the Bike Maps 1 and 2 and there's a clever surprise. The CPs are not marked. We're told only which single track trails they're on, forcing us to ride the entire trail and just watch for the CP markers along the way. Seems easy enough. The trails are color coded by difficulty. I don't have any feel for how technical they will be so I decide to start with the easier ones then decide later if I have the time and energy to get the black diamond CPs. I've never ridden single track in the dark before. It's fun! Made one wrong turn where a fork in the trail didn't exist on the map and I chose wrong, sending me in a circle back to where I started. Otherwise I rode through the greens and the blues and collected all the CPs easy enough. On the last blue I approached the turn that would take me to the blacks. Just as I approached someone was finishing the loop. I said "tell me the truth how bad is it?" He said "Honestly, it's pretty tough". I was torn for a moment, it's free CPs as far as navigation is concerned, but costly in energy on tough technical single track. I didn't expect to clear the course and made my mind up I'd skip these and save my legs. I don't have enough single track experience and even the blues were wearing me out. I can make it up on the later treks, I'm a runner. Back to transition.
Paddle 1- 2 AM Saturday
Back at transition we're given three maps for the first paddle. We have a short trek to get to the put-in. When I arrived and got my first glance at the boats I realized I should have tried a lot harder to find/rent/steal a nice boat from someone. There's one line of long sleek beautiful race boats that people have brought from themselves, then across from them a line of 10 ft plastic recreational kayaks you'd get if you went for a family paddle at a tourist spot. Crap on a cracker, this paddle is going to take forever. Glad I skipped those bike CPs. I start paddling and despite the fact that I'm not moving very fast my shoulders and energy are feeling good. At first. I get to the first CP, overshoot it a bit as the map and reality once again are a bit different, and get back to paddling. Headlamp dead again. What the heck is wrong with these things! Last spare battery, lord help me. After the first CP it's a long way to the next. The lake is perfectly flat and calm. I haven't paddled much at night and early on I realized the way my headlamp reflected off my carbon paddle was blinding me every single paddle stroke. I turned off the headlamp and discovered I could navigate even better with it off, now able to see the nuances of the shoreline and the horizon against the sky even better with my eyes fully adjusted. It's dark, and quiet and peaceful. And now I'm suddenly getting sleepy. It's just too late and too dark and too peaceful. Oh man, I just want to pull up on shore and nap. I'm moving slow now as the energy and the will to compete are slipping away. I decide to pull up on shore, stretch and move a bit to get some blood flowing, have a quick snack and a caffeine pill, and try again to get going. That helped a little. I skip one CP that's out of the way and head for another that lends itself to a portage opportunity. As I get there another one of my bus buddies is there and also planning to portage. We chat as we carry/drag the boats across the peninsula and the effort and conversation wake me back up. We drop the boats back in the water and off I go again with renewed energy. At this point the sun is starting to rise and I'm close to the campsite. I wave my paddle in case Dad is awake and watching for me, but it's only 6AM so he's probably snoozing like all sane people should be. Couple more CPs then I finally hit the next transition.
Trek 2- 7:45 AM
Ahhhh it feels good to be back on my feet. At this transition we get one map with seven CPs. There seem to be two logical routes to collect them, I choose to head North first. Hit the first CP quickly and easily and head to the second. Rather than following the switchbacky trail I decide to cut straight up the elevation and count trail crossings as I go. Unfortunately I soon find out that, once again, there are trails in reality that aren't on the map. I get to what I think is the right trail and head north only to find it descending when it should be ascending. I quickly figure out what's happened and continue climbing and find the right trail and the CP. On to the next one, a lookout on top of a mountain. I don't initially see the CP marker but it doesn't seem important as I approach the lookout. What a view! I decide to give myself 10 seconds to enjoy it. OK now find the marker. Got it. On the the next. Missed the trail I wanted and ended up on one slightly longer. No biggie. All the way down down down off the mountain to a stream and up the stream to the CP. Got it. Not I follow the stream South just under a mile to the next CP. But the vegetation gets thick. Really thick. And prickly. This is less fun. But I must be close. The clue is a reentrant. Looks like one ahead. This must be it. Where's the CP? Huh. Up and down the reentrant I go. Weird, maybe this isn't the right one, guess I'll keep going. Oh ok, here's another one. Where's the CP? Up and down, up and down. No CP. What the heck, it must have been the first one. Nope, it's not there. Crap. I'm wasting a lot of time. What do I do? This is the first one I've really struggled with. I need Jerome. I need his brain. He'd see something I'm missing. He'd ask a question that would help me see something differently on the map. Crap. OK well there's supposed to be a powerline just south of here. I'll go see if it's there. Maybe I haven't gone as far as I think. Yep, there's the powerline. So that had to be the reentrant. Just open your eyes! Jerome has better eyesight. He'd have seen it no problem. Back to the reentrant. No CP. It has to be here. But it's not. I can't spend any more time here... damn damn damn. Now I'm frustrated and demoralized. I thought I'd find that one easily and continue to bushwhack South along the stream to the trail. But now my mind is twisted up and I'm feeling under pressure for time. The powerline is not ideal trekking- it's going straight across super steep hills and there's no flat walking surface or cleared trail, but it's easy nav and now I'm suddenly doubting myself. I decide to take the powerline. I'm so defeated by my missed CP I go right by another CP just off the powerline and don't even attempt it. No time, I tell myself, you wasted too much. I follow the powerline, up and down, up and down, until it intersects the trail, then take the trail back to the road. There's one last CP just off the road I grab on my way back to transition. The trek was supposed to be where I made up all those skipped CPs. So much for that... Oh well.
Paddle 2- 11 AM
When I got the map for the second and final paddle there were a lot of options. If you just paddled straight to the next TA, back at Red Top, it's only maybe a little over two miles. There are six CPs available and all of them will add to that distance, some more than others. It's time to be smart about strategy. We have to be back to the main TA/finish area before 2PM and we know there will be a trek and bike section there at Red Top and we have to finish by 6PM. My guess is those CPs will be fairly dense, so I'm thinking I should get there early and try to clear those sections. I haven't biked much yet, and my running legs still feel surprisingly good. And this boat sucks. I pick out two CPs that are close enough to my route to not add much time, and knock them both out quickly on the way to the TA.
Trek 3- 12:40 PM
I arrive at the main TA almost an hour and a half early, my goal was before 1PM so I feel good about my chances of clearing these last two sections. Turns out the trek is first. I don't know how I'm excited to run again at this point, but I am. The first CP is out on a point down a trail. Easy peasy. The next is on the next point over. I'm hot, I like to swim, I decide on a short cut. I swim across the cove and grab the next CP. Saturday afternoon boaters think I'm loco. They aren't wrong. After a glance at the map the next trail I need to pick up runs out along the next point. Back in the water I go for another short cut. I'm not at all sure I'm saving any time but this is making it fun and the water is helping to cool me off. I pick up the trail and run up to the next CP, no problem. Now a long run and a short bushwhack to the next CP. Another reentrant. Oh lawd... and again I'm struggling to find it. Not again... I did manage to find this one, deeper in the reentrant than I read on the map, but I'm beginning to develop a hatred of these things. The next CP is another swim to an island. I'm glad I'm a triathlete and a strong swimmer. This one is the longest yet- probably 200 yards. I do a full strip down to just socks, tights and sports bra (and my CP beeper dongle) and do a full on competitive paced freestyle swim across and back. As I get back to shore and get my gear back on I realize the other guy that had arrived ahead of me hasn't even made it to the island yet. Tri training for the win. A nice little paved road run back toward TA, one last CP (and another short swim) on the way, and now just one last section to go.... And Dad is here cheering- Hey Dad!
Bike 2- 3:20 PM
I have over 2.5 hours and just the bike section left. The roads are off limits, we have to stay on the single track. There's a trail section to get to a designated road crossing, then a network of singletrack trails on the other side of the road with six CPs available. I'm sure I have time to grab them all. Wait, I haven't even gotten to the road crossing yet and already confused. The trails and the map definitely don't match. This might be harder than I thought. I find the crossing and head to the first CP. First one is easy, navigationally, but a tough trail and the legs are definitely starting to feel the 22 hours of racing. Somehow on the way to the second I get totally turned around. I realize the lack of sleep is starting to cloud my brain a bit and making nav so much harder than it should be. I eventually find it, after several wrong turns. Luckily the third one looks easy. I need an easy one to get back on track and make up time. Just follow the road until it ends, then continue on the trail to the end of the point. Easy. I'm flying down the dirt road, past the Y, yep everything looks right, right on track. All the way to the end. There should be a trail. Yep there's the trail. Go out to the end of the point. Where's the CP? Huh. Something doesn't look quite right. I should be pointed North, but I'm looking off the point and it definitely seems to be facing southwest. How can the be? Crap did I take the completely wrong road?? I rode a long way. I don't have time for this. How foggy is my brain right now? Why is this so hard to figure out? Wait there was a trail map not far back! I go find it and sure enough it confirms this is the road I wanted. OK I'm in the right place, just open your eyes, it was probably right in front of you. Back out to the point. No CP. Still doesn't feel right. I don't know what to do. My brain hurts. My legs are tired. It's almost 4:30. There are so many windy trails to navigate between me and the finish and I got lost so many times on the way here, what if I get lost going back and miss the cutoff?? Why is this single track so hard to navigate? C'mon brain I need you. Maybe I should just go back. I can't miss the cutoff. I start peddling back up the road and take one more look at the map. There's one more CP that looks easy. It's off a trail on the other end of this road. I decide to go for it and find it easily. Well that only took a few minutes... maybe I should go look harder for that last one. No, forget it, I can't risk getting lost and missing cutoff. My brain is in a fog and my confidence is low after not being able to find that last one. I head back toward the finish and, almost disappointingly, ride straight there with no problems or wrong turns and cross the line at 5:24 with 36 minutes to spare. Probably had enough time to get another CP or two... oh well.
The Results
All tallied up, I ended up 2nd overall female. Considered this was my first time navigating alone, my first time riding single track in the dark, and my first time navigating on the water in the dark, I'm pretty happy with what I did. My pace and energy stayed strong the whole way and besides a couple tough CPs my nav was pretty accurate. I ended up covering roughly 25 miles on foot, 17 miles of single track biking, and about 18 miles of paddling and had a blast doing it.
Would you do a solo AR?
0%Sure, sounds fun!
0%No way, you’re crazy!
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