Just a quick note to let you know that SleepMonsters is hosting the results page for the TrackMe360 Mount Diablo Training Race.  When the course closes, they will also publish team routes for all that “post race analysis” fun.  It’s up now, and you can see the results so far, and what teams are scheduled to go out next.  From the main page, click on “leaderboard” on the left.

http://www.sleepmonsters.us/racereport.php?race_id=6421&story_order=asc

Can you beat Thomas?  To register your own team, go to:

http://www.trackme360.com/shop/catalog/index.php?cPath=26

Have fun!

During the month of May 2008, twenty four bay area adventure racing, rogaine and orienteering teams embarked on the inaugural TrackMe360 Mountain-O Training Race at Mount Diablo.  Some encountered 95+ degree temps, some dense patches of poison oak, and others suffered empty water bladders a little longer than they had hoped, but all walked away with an appreciation for the remote and rugged terrain that can be found so close to home.  Here are some of the comments we received:

“This was  a blast. Looking forward to the next one. Hopefully we can fit it in before PQ. Otherwise well just do Julys.”

“We just wanted to thank you for putting together such a great event. We had a great time and enjoyed all of the varied terrain and route choice options. We chose to do a lot of bushwalking and it was a blast.”

“This was so much fun!  I can’t wait for the next one.”

“We had a great time yesterday, a fantastic course!…We had a blast, and a very full day. Lots of wildlife, plenty of bushwack, good times.”

Long course podium

1. Dirty Avocados (Adam Doti, Donato Polignone, Brian Schmitz) (5:19:14)
2. Aquan/RWG (Thomas Bastis) (5:38:47)
3. Dos Lobos (Phil Lovalenti) (5:50:02)

Short course podium

1. Saturday Warriors (Geoffrey Benton, David Parker, Curtis Pickering, Jared Peterson) (4:08:47)
2. VanderKitten & WanderDog (Chris Bark, Cindi Choi) (5:05:13)
3. Cumbria (Penny DeMoss, Mark Blair) (5:20:08)

Congrats to these teams and everyone else who finished these challenging courses.  Dirty Avocados earns a free race entry at a future training race.

GPS Tracks are online now!

All teams’ GPS tracks are now viewable at SleepMonsters at:

http://www.sleepmonsters.us/racereport.php?page_action=gps&race_id=6421

See how your route choice and route execution differed from those fast teams.  Dirty Avocados took a chance and grabbed CP4 before 5 and hoped they could find a way through the brush at the bottom of the spur – it paid off.

…and the winner is…

I consulted my 8-year old daughter Emma to do the official raffle draw, and it was team VanderKitten & WanderDog that walked away with a SPOT satellite messenger.  Congratulations – it will be mailed out shortly.

June race is on – 100 Lakes, near Yuba Gap off Hwy80

A few people have already tackled June’s Mountain-O, and race central will soon be up on SleepMonsters.  Learn more about this training race at:

http://trackme360.com/blog/?p=27

Your virtual race director…Mats

Well, tomorrow officially opens the course, so I thought I’d put out some additional information for those of you who intend to get out there and give it a go.

Navigation Tips

For those of you who are not seasoned navigators, and are taking this on as a navigational exercise, here are some tips and information that will help:

1. If you are accustomed to orienteering maps, this race is a little different in that you will be navigating on a “topo” map in scale 1:25,000.  At this scale, as a rule of thumb, one finger width is about a 1/4 mile, and so 4 finger widths = 1 mile.
2. Altitude plays a role in this race, and I would consider an altimeter “mandatory gear”.  There will be checkpoints placed where one of the clues is the elevation.  Remember to check/calibrate any barometer-based altimeters often, when you pass known altitudes.
3. You will be asked to plot the Start, finish and checkpoints, based on UTM coordinates.  It is not difficult, but you might want to read up on it beforehand – it is basically like plotting x and y coordinates.  If you don’t have plotting tools, I can highly recommend the plotting tools from ARNavSupplies.  Here is a list of their navigation supplies.  Look for the one that has scale 1:25,000.
4. I also highly recommend participating in this navigation clinic that Racing With Giants are putting on, with the help of Mark from ARNavSupplies.

 Mandatory and Recommended Gear

The following is a list of mandatory and recommended gear.  There will be no gear check of course, but the release waiver will ask you if you understand what gear is mandatory, and if you are bringing it.

Mandatory Gear

1. Map and clue sheet as provided by TrackMe360
2. Compass
3. Altimeter
4. GPS recording device as provided by TrackMe360, water-proofed
5. SPOT (provided by TrackMe360 or your own)
6. Suitable first aid kit
7. Water container

Recommended Gear

1. Gaiters
2. Gloves
3. Protective eyewear/sunglasses
4. Electrolyte tablets
5. Long pants
6. Sunglasses
7. Sun block / lip balm
8. Water treatment system.  Recommend Klear Water.

A few words about Water

At the end of April, I ran into several creeks with clear, running water, which if treated would be fine to drink.  Some of these may dry up though as summer arrives.  However, there are several water taps/fountains available.  The map identifies where drinkable water comes out of a tap or drinking fountain, with the letter “W”.  There is water at the start and finish.  Your race strategy may very well incorporate strategic stops at the letter “W”, in order to go light and fast.  Take the temperature forecast into account.  Much of the course has direct sun exposure, and it is only going to get hotter.  Start early in the day if you can.

Hazards on the course

You should be well aware of the standard things to consider when going out in California, but if you haven’t spent much time in areas like Mount Diablo, here some things to at least be aware of:

1. Rattlesnakes (I didn’t see a single snake there yet, but they are about)
2. Steep terrain (there are brief sections of the course where using your hands will be useful, hence gloves are recommended).
3. Beware of rock fall below you when you travel up the canyon as a team.
4. Poison Oak (PO) - PO is present on sections of the course, but you can avoid it if you pay attention.  I have tried to steer clear of PO to any extent possible.

Once you register, you’ll get some additional information.  That’s it for now.

Mats J. (mats@trackme360.com)

Registration is open! To register your team, click here.

Event Sponsors:  SPOT, Inc. and SleepMonsters

April 22, 2008 – Folsom, California. TrackMe360 today announced the first in what we hope will be a series of Northern California training races, offered to adventure racing, rogaine and orienteering enthusiasts in the area.  Based on the principles of “Low Impact Racing”, these races are unlike any other. 

Consider it an opportunity for a fun and challenging work-out in an amazingly scenic place – a place where you’d normally never get a permit approved for a race.  The course will bring out the best this area has to offer.  It’s a race, but not in the traditional sense.  The main difference is teams don’t race simultaneously, and that’s what allows us to race without permits, but a nice side benefit is that people can decide when they want to race (within the race month), to fit their busy schedules.  CP markers will be minimal, just a small piece of flagging.  No pre-race meeting, no finish banner – just you and the mountain.  Could it be any more authentic?

How it works

• -Register for the “race” online at TrackMe360.com
• -Receive the map and a GPS recording device before your chosen “race day”.  For safety and redundancy in CP marking, you also get a SPOT satellite tracker.
• -Receive CP coordinates at 9 PM evening before “race day” via e-mail – plot your map.
• -On race day, go race, and the GPS device records your route.
• -Next day, mail back the GPS device and SPOT to TrackMe360.com
• -As soon as the GPS device is received, your results will be posted on the TrackMe360 leader board, “ladder style”, meaning as other people race, the leader board will reflect the order from fastest to slowest teams.
• -After the last day the race is “active”, the winning team is crowned, and all teams’ routes will be posted online on a map, for “post race analysis”.
• -This is all done under the “honor system”, and is considered a training race “with benefits”.

Race #1: Mount Diablo Mountain-O

Our first TrackMe360 Training Race takes place in the vast East Bay park area of Mount Diablo.  A moderately challenging course has been designed to showcase the best the area has to offer, with some fairly significant vertical gain, and opportunity for route choice.  The views are incredible throughout, and both courses include a non-technical canyoneering section.

-General Location: Mount Diablo near Danville, CA
-Race is active: Month of May, 2008
-Disciplines: Foot only.  Some trail, some cross country, non-technical canyoneering
-Topo navigation on brand new “Mount Diablo and Los Vaqueros”  map – 1:25,000 – over 500 miles of trail has been mapped – very accurate
-Approximate distance: 13 mi. (short course) and 18 mi. (long course)
-Approximate duration: 3.5-6.0 hrs (short course) and 5.0-9.0 hrs (long course)
-Approximate vertical gain: 3,900 ft. (short course) and 5,500 ft. (long course)
-Course designed and pre-run by: Mats Jansson (Aquan/RWG)
-Divisions: Mixed open (any combination of gender and age), team size 1-4
-Registration: $49/team ($39/team if you have your own SPOT), and includes a $5 donation to the “Save Mount Diablo” foundation.
-Prize: Post race raffle among all “finishers”: SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger (a $150 value)

To register your team, click here.  If you have any questions, please e-mail mats@trackme360.com