This. was. insane. And awesome!!
25ish miles of intense mountain biking (like mountain biking DOWN A MOUNTAIN), compass and map navigating, hiking, bushwacking, and rafting. The challenge is put on by the Coast Guard and the course changes every year. 8 teams competed this year. You have 4 people on your team competing, and you have a pit crew that meets you at check points to hydrate you, swap your gear for you, pump you full of gu gummies, and give you an encouraging high five when you're truly dying. Nobody on our team has ever competed in this challenge before so we had no idea what to expect. If I'm being completely honest, I was worried that we knew nothing of navigation and that we were going to be lost in the woods forever, never making it to our first check point.
My team was awesome. Their navigation skills were incredible, our teamwork was great, and we were motivated! Within the first few checkpoints we were in the top three teams. After a few more, we took the lead. At one point in the race, we made a huge mistake and missed one of the checkpoints. It ended up getting us disqualified. Our team finished first, but that mistake made it so we couldn't place in the overall finish, which is a huge bummer because first place prizes were airline tickets to anywhere that Alaksa Air flies!
As disappointing as it was to be disqualified, I absolutely loved this race. It took us 10.5 hours to get to the finish line. It had never crossed our minds that we even had a shot to win. I'm really impressed with our team and thankful that I got to spend the day crafting paddles from duct tape, milk jugs, and tree branches, deciphering codes on hidden cones, wading waist deep across rivers, and wrestling our way through towering bushes and grasses while climbing up a mountainside along side each of them. What a great group. I am also really thankful for our support team. They knew exactly how to get us pumped up and ready for the next task. One of my favorite moments (other than the moment when Jim and I were paddling with short stubby tree branches on the side of the raft, Titus was sitting directly on the bow of the raft paddling with this gigantic tree and singing old fisherman songs, and Kyle was hanging off the back of the raft kicking as hard as he could) was when we came to a checkpoint, absolutely exhausted after hiking/running up a mountain, and our support crew hands us bike helmets filled with water, Gatorade, gu, and snacks. I wanted to cry I was so grateful. They were absolutely amazing.
Team Velocirafters is planing a return, Lost World style next year. I can't wait. 
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