Gold Rush Mother Lode 2013

The Day Before - Wednesday, September 18: The Racers Arrive

The day before the race, 15 3-4 person coed teams gathered at the Long Barn Lodge in Long Barn CA. That afternoon all racers were required to do an equipment check, rope climb and swim challenge to make sure that everyone had the basics. That evening we all congregated for a hearty meal and warm welcome and introduction by Adrian Crane, Gold Rush founder. After dinner was the moment everyone was waiting for – the reveal of the maps and race directions by Mark Richardson, course director.

Racers spent hours looking over the maps and charting the check points from the masters to their copies, making sure each one was correctly placed. Then it was off to bed to try to get some sleep. Not so easy for everyone as the excitement was building!

Race Day – Thursday, September 19

At 6:00 am all the buses were loaded and ready to take the racers to the starting line on Lake New Melones. Once we were all gathered, the clock started ticking at 8:00 am marking the start of the race. It began with a three-mile run, followed by a 30-mile kayak, interspersed with a 15-mile fast trek. Skies were clear and the temperature rose close to 90 degrees by noon. Not really a problem but a bit challenging to those not used to the heat. At the end of the first leg teams tied their kayaks to a buoy in the middle of the river, swam to shore and trekked up a steep bank for three miles to the first TA (transition area).

TA1 – Kayak to Bike

Teams started arriving at TA1 in the early evening and on throughout the night. Here teams rested a bit (or not!), resupplied with food, built their bikes and started a 60-mile mountain bike out of the canyon. There was a tremendous amount of very steep climbing involved. Teams rode all night, up and up and up. Some stopped for a quick cat nap and to fix any mechanical issues due to all of the fine dust on the climbs.

TA2 – Bike to Trek (Sponsored by FRS)

By now in the teams started to be spread out. This is typical when you have world-class athletes competing with weekend warriors and every combination in between. At TA2 racers took apart their bikes and repacked them into their bike boxes. Once again they rested if needed, resupplied and planned their next assault – a monster trek!

This trek, which was the crux of the race, started with a 45-mile trek to the climbing site, a HUGE ropes course. Each person had to carry their climbing gear to the site.

The ropes course was epic with a 300-foot free hang ascent, then a low angle repel to a 300-foot zip line and finish with a 300-foot rappel. They then scrambled back to the CP (checkpoint) to get some water and drop off their gear. The accent was daunting and not for the faint of heart. A number of people were unable to complete the ascent as it was technically and physically very challenging, especially after such a long trek and so little sleep.

The trek continued after the ropes course for another 30+ miles and climbed to over 8700 feet.

No one can predict all the variables that will be encountered in an adventure race, especially when it comes to Mother Nature. This year was no let down as far as surprises go! Up to this point the weather had been excellent…

But then it turned ugly with an unexpected winter storm rolling in. Slower teams that got caught before doing the climb and ones that were well on their way past the climb fared better. It was the ones inbetween that got hit the hardest with a 30 degree drop in temperature, drenching rain that turned to sideways sleet and finally snow.

It’s always a hard decision on whether to accept outside support since this will take teams out of the running according to race bylaws. But given enough lack of sleep, fatigue, cold and lack of supplies, it can be the only choice. This is a hard decision for an adventure racier, but sometimes any other decision could be disastrous.

TA3 –Trek to Bike to FINISH LINE

As the storm raged on many teams accept outside transportation and were dropped off at TA3 were they got something to eat, rested and most importantly, warmed up.

Then it was off again for the final leg of the race, a 60 mile bike ride that was, thankfully, mostly downhill! By the time most teams did the bike ride the storm had blown through and the skies were sunny and clear. Hard to believe that just 18 hours before there was a howling storm with sleet and snow whirling in sideways.

All together the teams had traversed hundreds of miles using just a map and compass to find as many CPs as possible. In all there were 30 CPs with the podium teams getting them all. Quite an accomplishment!

And a big congratulations to everyone for their valiant effort1

Award Ceremony and After Party

After everyone made the 4:00 pm cutoff and crossed the finish line, it was time for the awards ceremony and after party. Given the state of the racers, the after party was short and sweet!

Final Team Placement:

1st place: Team Bones – USA; won free entry to the ARWS world championship in Costa Rica

2nd place: Team Yoga Slackers Gear Junkies – USA; won entry to the world championships

3rd place: Adventure. Dk – Denmark; won the respect of all

Thanks to the Entire Gold Rush Support Team

Without all of our dedicated volunteers none of this would be possible. A race of this nature requires lots of hands on deck that are flexible and willing to sacrifice sleep, food and comfort all to make sure that the race goes on and everyone is safely accounted for. On behalf of the Gold Rush organization, YOU ROCKED IT!

UC Video Crew

A huge thank you to the University of Cincinnati’ students and their fearless leader Brian Leitten for their tenacity and willingness to take on this event as a golden learning opportunity. We look forward to seeing more of their good work from Gold Rush 2013 – job well done!

Big Thank You to All of Our 2013 Sponsors

Surviving an epic 4 day adventure race takes great teamwork, tenacity, the right equipment, and plenty of preparation. From the athletes and volunteers to our organization committee, everyone is committed to doing what it takes to make this race a success. Between countless hours, sleepless nights and all kinds of personal sacrifices, everyone has the same goal – making it to the finish line. We include all of our sponsors as a vital part of this race. Thank you for contributing to its success!

Total Race Outreach

Our best race yet as far as outreach through Facebook and other social media.

Gold Rush Adventure Races

New Likes Talking About This Weekly Total Reach

1,079

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+1,365.6%

25,017

+1,752.2%

Until Next Year….

Good bye and happy trails from the Gold Rush Committee!