It was billed as a mountain bike race. It was actually a shrewd bit of marketing. Officially, Saturday’s 6 BC was billed as the second in a series of four, 6-hour endurance mountain bike races sponsored by the Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. And while there was indeed a race (these results prove it), it was also a cleverly crafted sales pitch by the venue host: C’mon out and race — and…
Here’s a numerical look at yesterday’s 6 BC endurance mountain bike race sponsored by the Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. First, the basics: 6 — Course length, in miles. 6:00:00 — Number of hours to complete as many laps as possible 73 — Number of racers. 8 — Age of the youngest rider, Cedric Clyburn. 5 / 5:09:46 — Number of laps and the elapsed time for Cedric, who was riding a…
One of the many things I like about taking a long ride, run or hike is that it purges my mind of life’s daily distractions — bills, deadlines, squirrels. The resulting void clears vital space for creative thinking, for random thoughts, ideas and whatnot to bubble up from the subconscious and get some air time. Usually, this is good thing. Sometimes it is not. During my hour-long trail run at…
Early on during a backpacking trip a couple weeks ago I felt a cold coming on. Pulling my clogged-up and sniffling self out of the tent the second morning into a mid-30 degree chill, I thought I was going to have to pull the plug on my adventure. “If I can just make it to Hot Springs,” I told myself, “I can make it back to the car.” But a…
Of the many cool things in “Race Across the Sky,” a documentary about this summer’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race won by Lance Armstrong, one thing in particular sticks out. As Armstrong and the other elite riders in this endurance race reach the turnaround, a dirt cul de sac atop a barren dome, a 12,750-foot summit reached after 7 miles and 3,000 vertical feet of climbing, they must pass…
“I’m nervous,” I said to Marcy as I stood at the starting line for yesterday’s Monster Dash 5K in Raleigh. It was worth noting since I don’t get nervous before races, at least not before the mountain bike races I’ve been doing the last few years. I couldn’t remember being nervous before a race since … well, since the last time I ran a foot race — in 1985. Why…
There’s a curious story on page 1 of today’s News & Observer about long-time marathoners who aren’t happy with the growing number of slower runners in their events. Some of these newbies, say the vets, even have the audacity to walk the 26.2-mile course. The story is curious for a number of reasons, not the least of which is why the piece, which originally appeared in The New York Times…
Are goals essential for a successful workout program? To justify the hard work of training do you need something to work toward? I thought that was an obvious “yes” until Thursday evening’s Fit-tastic training session. (Quick background: I joined Fit-tastic, a 12-week training program for runners that you can read more about here, in September to help me prepare for the Monster Dash 5k on Oct. 25. An avid runner…
Our award for volunteer of the day at Saturday’s Cry Me A River 6-hour mountain bike race at Little River Regional Park goes to … Andy Etters! And not just because of the little white pills Andy gave me after my debilitating fifth lap. More about those pills in a moment. Volunteers are the folks who make our runs and rides happen. From stuffing registration packets to handling check-in to…