Did I enjoy it?
I enjoyed the camaraderie at hanging out at the bottom of the hill ... watching some pretty exceptional athletes prepare and execute some pretty trick moves to be fast.
In order to be fast in a sprint race like this ... there are a few requirements. While fast twitch mussels are required to win, you also need to have practised lighting fast transitions, and have pretty sleek fast racing boots and skii's.
I suffered in all departments!
Sunday was the main event ... where we lined up and skiied to the top of the mountain ... then boot packed a bit higher. I kept one of the fast girls in sight to nearly the top ... until my ski fell off a 3rd time ... when I dropped farther behind. The wind was howling, snow was blowing ... and it felt pretty extreme!
The descent down was pretty awesome ... however instead of going to the extreme bottom of the run, I turned left and got of course. I missed the climb to the top of Huckleberry Chair then Haig Ridge. I was disappointed to have missed a good portion of the course ... and was therefore disqualified.
What did I Learn ... Does this matter?
Well, I received a message from one of our best Canadian Female Athletes on Monday ... asking me if I wished to order a Skin Suit. I said Yes.
I really enjoy these sorts of endurance events ... sufferfests. I think it is the "awe" of the event. For the most part, I am just a regular guy who likes to drink beer on the couch ... but somehow ... if I'm lined up with a bunch of people ... and someone yells "Go" ... I love to just try to follow as long as I can! I see some pretty neat things ... and experience a whack of emotions in a short period of time. I Love it!
Should I invest in better, faster gear ... and then practice fast transitioning just to have a chance at being competitive?
I'm struggling with this. The sport is 'fringe'. On Saturday I finished about 10th overall ... which doesn't sound too bad. However, that was DEAD LAST! There are not a great deal of participants.
On Sunday there were about 30 people ... perhaps only 15 or so doing the longer 'competitive' course.
I enjoy the longer course ... and on this course I'm racing with North America's fastest. With lighter gear ... instead of finishing 1 hour and 20 minutes behind ... I finish 1 hour behind.
However, I think I would like to get lighter gear ... I guess the only reason I don't ... is I'm quite frugal.
Life is short.
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| Canada's First Sprint Skimo Race, Jan 9, 2015. Jason & Mark Toth beat me easily in this heat. (Pic credit to Mark Gallup.) |
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