Day 2 Biking into the Atlas Mountains

After a good nights sleep we were ready to begin the second day of adventure racing. Day 2 found us starting on our bikes with a 27 km bike on old dirt roads. The race start found us in the race pack battling the rolling hills that would lead to a long climb into the Atlas Mountains. After the first 15km the terrain took a sudden change that found us on the long hill climb into the mountains. This climb provided stunning views of the Atlas mountains and at the top we were rewarded with gogeous views of the canyon below. The road continued to parrallel the canyon until we hit the TA for the climb section.

Unlike many adventure races in the US the time stopped once you got to the climbing section. You were able to relax for a moment and enjoy the scenery that surrounded you before making your way down into the gorge and up the opposite side to complete a magnificent tyrolean traverse across the canyon which had created a stunning view throughout the entire climb on the bike. Pleased with our positioning through the bike leg we savoured the view of the magnificent land around us and enjoyed the ropes section across the canyon.

After completeing the ropes we were back on our bikes for another 24 miles of mountain riding through the Atlas Mountains. During this section of riding the temperature increased and the heat became a bit of an issue for the first time in the race. With about 6 km to go on the 24km second ride we were pleased to see that the rode got better making for easier and faster riding. After completing this second ride and increasing our position we got to the TA for another orienteering course. This course would prove to be longer with a max time of 1hour and 45 minutes and the same rules as the first days O course.

We began the course smoothly with a higher quality map which made the navigation a bit easier. We cleared a first point and then began a long hike up a mountain to a second point. After making the hump to the top and grabbing the second point we traversed the ridgeline to a third point which butted out on a pencil thin scree ridge. Grabbing the third point and feeling good about our navigation we felt we could get to more points prior to returning to the TA which would end the day of racing. Navigating our way down to point three the clue sheet said that the point was at the intersection of the trail and a creek. The placement on the map however seemed more on a finger above the creek. We navigated are way over th finger but did not see the point, so assumed it would be in the creek. However, when we got to the creek there was no bag. After wasting some time looking for the bag we decided that it was best to move on to the finish. The last point we were going to go for was worth only 15minutes and decided it was better to save our legs and gain the 15 minutes by finishing the course a bit early. We finished the day strong gaining 17 minutes by coming in early but a bit of frustration was still felt by the fact that we missed the last point we attempted.

That evening we were put up at the local school house provided another delicious meal and once again had an opportunity to learn about the local Moroccan culture as live traditional music was played in the camp. Talking with Team Breathe Canada we learned that the point we were looking for was actually located inside a hut that we distinctly remeber passing along the finger. Talking with the course designer over dinner he explained that the clue sheet that was translated for us was actually an older version and the clue was incorrect. He apologize for the mistake but we could not stay upset still pleased with our days performance and enjoying what the race had to offer through the first two days.

Race Days 1: Adventure Racing from the desert into the Mountains

Day 1

The first short leg of the course went by inconsequently as we made our way out of town, first by foot and then by ride and tie. This first leg was actually simply a prologue to the long day of racing ahead. Upon reaching the first TA teams split. We and another 19 teams headed out on a foot orienteering section, while the rest of the field started with a paddling orienteering section on a lake. We recieved that map at the TA and upon receiving the map the clock started. It was simple an hour and 15 minutes to grab as many points as possible 5 minute penalty for each minute late after 1hr 15min. Point value varied from 15 minutes to 40 minutes. There was for us however one catch. The map had no visible topographic lines. It did have shaded areas to assist with elevation change but these were an inferior tool to the contour lines that we can expect on all maps when racing in the States. I later came to find out that the land had very limited mapping and the maps we used were old Moroccan military maps.

Throwing us for a curve we spent about a half hour stumbling around before we began to figure out the maps and grabbed our first bag. Unfortunately the map, continued to add aditional challenges for us as we ended up only grabbing 2 more bags before we had to head back to try and beat the1 hr 15 minute cut off. We came in about a minute late and Julia and I both shared a bit of dissappointment with our performance on the foot o section.

Instead of getting down we took out our frustration out on the paddle. The map for the paddle was actually a satellite map from Google earth. The race organization told us that the rise in lake levels over the past few years had left other maps for paddling the lake useless. The satellite map was adequate for us as we we steam rolled the paddling portion completing the entire course and returning to the TA with ten minutes to spare.

Regaining some confidence from the paddle we headed out on the 38 km bike through the desert double track. The navigation on this portion was challenging but we performed well as teams flipped flopped positions throughout the entire ride. The riding was primarily double track trails which reminded me of some Utah riding. The scenery was primarily barren desert with a few rolling plateaus along the way. Toward the end we had a long climb up to an old historic ruin where we began another short memory based (picture orienteering section through the ruins).

This was one of many of the examples of how the race organization intertwined Morrocan culture into the race. Dodging normal tourist and gaining assistance from local people we made fairly short work of this section while still taking time to take in the historic sites.

A short 10 km bike section was all that lay between us and the end of day one. This last 10 km ride left some good route choices and are decision to navigate through some areas of flood plain and agriculture fields seemed to assist in allowing us to move in front of a couple teams.

The most frustrating part of the day came at the last point prior to the end of day 1. Located about 10 minutes from the camp we searched the bridge for the point that was located there. After looking high and low along the bridge we did not find the bridge. Assuming it had been stolen and watching teams continue on we decided to move on to the finish. At the finish we found out that the point was actually spray painted on the bridge and not knowing this we were not given credit for the point. The 30 minute penalty we recieved was a frustrating way to end the day. It was lost in translation during briefing that if no bag was seen at the point you were to look for the symbol in spray paint.

Day 1 was now behind us and we set camp and enjoyed the comradere of the race as we ate dinner under a traditional Moroccan dining tent and rested up and prepared for the second day of racing.

Day 3 Race Check in and Divulging Day 1

Day 3 began with the process typical of any adventure race, check in. Preparing our gear the morning of check in seemed unexpectedly easy compared to many of my past racing experiences. I hoped that the painless preparation process in preparing for check in would transfer to an easy check in as well.

I was very pleased when we stepped outside the hotel to see the check in and gear check process was very streamlined. The initial process included medical check where many participants presented physical forms and provided health insurance information to the race organization. Lost in translation was the fact that each participant was suppose to provide a medical sign off of good health during registration; we were pleased to see that this was not a big issue as the medical staff quickly took our heart rates and breathing rates and signed us of to begin the gear check of the check in process.

After having our climbing gear, bikes, and mandatory gear checked we were done registering and ready to see what we would be facing on Day 1 of the Transmarocaine Adventure Race

That evening all the racers gathered together for the race brief for Day 1. During this time we saw that day one would begin with a short run to one bike where teams would begin a short ride and tie section feeding into a split in the race. Following the ride and tie the adventure race would split teams into two courses. Half the teams would do an 1 hour 15 minute orienteering course and the other half would do a 1hour 5 minute orienteering paddle. After completing the first discipline teams would swap and complete the other discipline of the race. This would be followed by a long bike ride through the desert, and a short urban style orienteering section in historical ruins. The day would finish with a bike ride to the finish. The only catch to this race brief was we were provided a passport, which we were pleased to see the race management had translated to English, but we would not receive maps until we hit each particular portion of the course. This would be standard throughout the race and make the question of the map quality and route difficulty for day 1 a question to think about throughout the night.

After the race brief we had an opportunity to go as an entire race to a dinner hosted by the mayor of the town in their grand palace. We were welcomed with traditional moroccon music and we were provided with a grand feast. This would be the first indication that the Moroccon people truly invited us to visit their country and the race management had done their best to ensure that they intertwined us with much of the country's culture into the race as possible. After eating, singing and dancing teams slowly began to leave and head back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep before the racing began.

Over the Atlas Mountains to race check in at Ouarzazate

Day 2-3 Bus Ride from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate, Race Check in

Day2 found us loading our bike into trucks in the early morning to prepare for the travel to the race start at Ouarzazate. While loading ouyr bikes we saw the exceptional focus on small details which the race management team would show throughout the race. Racemanagement provided cardboard to protect the bikes derailleurs and brakes from damage during the travel. I was very impressed but this small amount of forethought as even in my many years of racing in the US I have never seen this much attention to such small detail.

Another thing that really excited us about this adventure race was the lack of logistical demand placed on the individual racers. Within the entry fee the race staff provide hotels, transportation, and meals. Although we had to travel all the way to Morocco Julia and I both agreed that the logistics for the race up to this point had been easier than some of the races we have done as close as West Virginia.

After loading up our bikes we loaded our remaining gear and got on a bus that would take the racers over the Atlas Mountains to t6he edge of the Sahara at Ouarzazate and the official race starting point.

The bus ride over the Atlas Mountains was premonition of waht we would face during the race 8,000 ft mountains covered in wet snow and mud with steep dirt roads that ascended along the sides of the canyons. After making our way over the mountains the environment changed to flatter desert surrounded with small plateaus. Within this trip to the race start we found out quite a bit about the environments we would travel through over the next 5 days.

The town of Ouarzazate is famous for its film production as major studio lays there and desert scenes for many various Hollywood productions have been filmed in the town. The race team did not disappoint by putting the race start here this town had all the amentities one could wish for when preparing for a race and the hotel we stayed at agin was top notch. After arriving at the hotel and unloading from the buses all teams were accounted for and the initial welcome by race management was made that evening. Sunday would be the day for gear check and provide us with the opportunity to see what Day 1 of the race course would have in store for us.

Arriving In Morocco

Unfortuately there was little to no internet access during our trip so I will begin a summary of our trip and experience at the Transmarocaine adventure race today. I willl continue to update each day of the race every day or two for the next week or so.

Day 1 Arrival in Morocco

After a long overnight flight through Brussels we finally arrived in Morocco on March 6th. We were gtlad to see that all our luggage including our bikes arrived in Marrekesh with us. After making our way through customs we were greated by race management who helped us load our gear onto a bus and provided us with transportation to ourselves. Along with us were teams from Belgium and France. The race managemnet was able to keep us updated on the lay out of the next day or so of the race and spoke English well enough that we did not feel completely lost. Upon arriving at our hotel we were pleased to see that it had all the emenities you would expect of a US hotel. After getting to the hotel we began the process of putting together our bikes and race equipment for the days of racing to come. The hotel had a basement which provided ample room for all teams to assemble their bikes and store the bike boxes for the duration of the race.

After finishing putting our bikes together we took them for a test ride and were pleased to see that they made the trip in good working order. During our bike ride we had the opportunity to begin to see the Morocain culture that would be so tied together with the race itself. Camels could be seen in the outskirts of town and in the further distance were the high mountains we would be traveling throught during days 2,3,4, and 5 of the race. The town of Marrakesh was adorned with a great deal of Arabic architecture and palaces. It did not take us long to realize that this would be a unique experience unlike anything we have had in the past.

We finishedthe day with a dinner of pizza and burgers trying not to be to adventurous in what foods we orders as we knew we had 5 long days of adventure racing ahead of us. We ended the day early feeling the effects of our travel and getting a good nights sleep in preparations for the days of adventure racing to come. Teams would continue to arrive throughout the night arriving as late as 2 am.

Morroco, French, and Adventure racing with Breathe Mag

It happened quickly , in fact the phone call came only 2 1/2 weeks ago. I received a phone call from Breathe Magazine (www.breathemag.ca/), the premier adventure racing and multisport magazine in North America, myself and Pura Vida Adventures co-owner Julia Pollock were selected to represent Breathe Magazine USA at the TransMarocaine Adventure Race in Morroco http://www.transmarocaine.org/ . Not normally willing to pass up an adventure, especially one that is to be partially financially supported the two of us did not need to do much deliberating before we had signed on the dotted lines and were on our way.

Well we actually committed to the trip prior to finding out too many details about the race itself and the country of Morroco. The past two weeks have been spent gaining this additional information that we needed to get prepared for this international racing opportunity.

The first thing we did is find out what we signed up for in terms of racing and have been excited about what we found. The adventure race will be stage style and include foot travel, ride and tie, mountain biking, ropes, and orienteering. We were pleased to see that horseback riding and rollerblading were not included in the list of disciplines. Julia was greatly disappointed that camel riding was excluded from the race. Oh, one other minor detail about the race it seems that the language is French. This has added some additional challenges to the preparation process, however with the help of a bilingual race administrator, internet translation sites, 5 years of high school French, and the Breathe Magazine Canada team, who also does not speak French, we feel we have gotten most of the information we need at this time.

After getting our hands wrapped around the race itself we moved on to find out more about the country of Morroco. Prior to my research, my knowledge of Morroco was limited to watching Eco Challenge Morroco, but since then I have found out the following:

The official language of business is French, but the spoken language is Berber Arabic. In 2002 a mandate was made that English be taught in schools after the fourth year.

It is third Largest Arabic country and is just larger than California with a population of 34 million.

The Atlas mountains rise as high 15,000 ft. This mountain divides the north higher populated areas with the low populated desert area of the south.

We hope to continue to provide information about our trip and this international race throughout our travels so stay tuned and visit http://www.transmarocaine.org/ for further race details.

We also want to thank Breathe Magazine http://www.breathemag.ca/ for this great opportunity in addition to Pura Vida Adventures http://www.pvadventures.com/ for supply support and Looking Glass Outfitters http://www.lookingglassoutfitters.com/ for providing gear support.

I am sure this trip and race willl provide additional stories and learning experiences to share with all of our 2009 Adventure Racing Camp Participants http://www.pvadventures.com/news/index.html .