 Team Vert has finally broken through and claimed a mixed division USARA National Points Series Regional Championship race. The team won in meticulous fashion surviving an epic overnight trek and was the only team to clear the course at NYARA's The Longest Day.
“We had so much out there,” said Alyssa Godesky from Team Vert. “We knew this would be a course to play to our strengths of being physically demanding on technical terrain, so we were pleased to back that up with a solid day of navigation and route choices.” Teammate Matt Cymanski concurred about the difficult course through the Catskills. “The course was by far the physically hardest trekking we've experienced in an adventure race, compounded by the heat on Saturday, but we loved it,” he said. “There were some interesting route choices, great unpredictable, mandatory bushwhacking with not many rhododendrons, and some opportunities to put the hammer down on roads and trails.” “The course played to some of our strengths, but also it was incredibly well run by Aaron, Austin and the team at NYARA. They worked really hard and pulled off a ton of logistics to make the race happen,” he added. The race was originally scheduled for western Connecticut, but the state wouldn't issue any permits due to logging activities in one section of the course. "I have been adventure race planning non-stop for two months," said Aaron Courain, the main race director. "The course hasn't suffered at all. We were not going to just slap something together. I would want to race this course." NYARA is very familiar with the Catskills, but the course reused a few areas. And they haven't been used since 2009 in this linear, point-to-point race featuring big elevation, class IV scrambling near the summits, and beautiful alpine terrain. “The overnight trek is pretty committing,” said Aaron Courain, NYARA Race Director. “It is 12 miles and 5000 ft of vert. There is no way out other than through ---I was a little worried. The 3 mile bushwhack is very committing.” "It was all of our first time visiting the Catskills, and it was a unique opportunity to race through the wilderness area," said Cymanski. "We will definitely be back in the future." Team Vert has raced strong at the other Regional Championship races including the Shenandoah Epic in April and the Hard Fall last October. “It feels great to finally get the first adventure racing W,” said Cymanski. “We targeted this race with the intent of punching our ticket to Nationals, and it seemed in doubt a few times during the day and night to us, but we were able to manage our mistakes and always keep moving forward. We still have so much to learn but are excited to see where we stack up against the best in the country this fall." Team Vert joins Strong Machine AR, Team Kuat, Rootstock Racing, Dead Reckoning, and Team Toyota Tundra as mixed division Regional Champions who have earned free entry into the USARA National Championship in September.  The Longest Day, the next Regional Championship race in the National Points Series, kicks off with LIVE TRACKING at 9 AM Saturday, May 14 from the Catskills.
Just having racers toe the line for the start is a win for NYARA. The race was originally scheduled for western Connecticut, but the state wouldn't issue any permits due to logging activities in one section of the course. "I have been adventure race planning non-stop for two months," says Aaron Courain, the main race director. "The course hasn't suffered at all. We were not going to just slap something together. I would want to race this course." NYARA is very familiar with the Catskills, but the course is only reusing a few areas. And they haven't been used since 2009. The overall format will be a linear, point-to-point race. "The racers will not see the same spot twice," says Courain. "There is a lot of ground to cover." "We always get some good, fast teams here. Rootstock, Thisability, Strong Machine, Vert-- it will be a very strong premier division." This will also be the first time that a NYARA race has featured packrafting. "We are really excited about that added element. It will open up more options from a race designer point of view in the future." NYARA is looking to design more races in the Catskills as well as the high peaks of the Adirondacks.  The Mission AR is back for its 20th Anniversary year WITH LIVE TRACKING starting Saturday, May 7, at 6 a.m. at the Starve-Hollow State Recreation Area in Vallonia, IN.
Race director Brian Holzhausen has designed "one of the most physically demanding yet.” “People think of Indiana as flat, but this area has shockingly steep terrain,” says Holzhausen. He keeps the course fresh by moving the race to a different host location in Indiana every year and rerouting any previously used locations. The paddle section will be quite unique. “The paddle section has some interesting route choices; depending on water levels it could be a big factor,” he says. “I paddled the canoe section yesterday, and it is truly one of Indiana's most natural rivers. I saw more wildlife species in 3.5 hours than I have seen in a long time.” With rain in the forecast, the river should be running high and the wet conditions will make for some difficulty on the the trails. "The steep, muddy sections will be a real test of strength and spirit," says Hozhausen.  The Blue Ridge Adventure Race, a Regional Championship race in the National Points Series, kicks off at 6 pm Friday night, May 6, in downtown Blue Ridge, GA.
But don't expect to start from there. "The secret is always using the point-to-point design,” says Jeff Leininger. “Busing teams to a different start location each year and having them race back to Blue Ridge." Teams will board buses at 5:30 p.m. and the race will start 30 minutes later. The evening start also makes for a unique experience as darkness will strike early in the race. How quickly the teams adjust to the nighttime navigation early in the race may be the difference maker. He also loves to put single track in his races. Look for the teams to use the Bull Mountain Trail System—an iconic steep and technical trail system in the region.  Team Fragile Flowers at the 2021 USARA National Championship. The team currently leads in the NPS standings. Photo credit: Ann Ilagen The 2021-2022 USARA National Points Series (NPS) is still wide open at the midpoint of the season. With no teams at the five scoring race mark, the next three-four months of racing will solidify the top teams heading into the USARA National Championship Sept. 16-17 in the eastern Sierra mountains.
In the NPS standings for the Female-3/4 division, Fragile Flowers is leading the charge after Olga Huber, Shari Hymes, and Barbara Phipps finished third at the Shenandoah Epic. In the Male-3/4 division, Some Assembly Required with members John Farley, David Farley, and Rick Keilty, is out in front. There is a tie for first in the premier Mixed-3/4 division between Rootstock Racing and Strong Machine after Rootstock's win at the Shenandoah Epic Regional Championship. Rootstock Racing has three scoring races to Strong Machine's four. Look for both of these teams to add to their total. Rib Mountain Racing, VERT, and ARGeorgia round out the top five. “The NPS season brought to you by Toyota Tundra is off to a great start,” says Michael Garrison, USARA Executive Director. “We are really interested to see how the next couple of weeks shakes things up with lots of races on the calendar.” The races to watch on the calendar are the Regional Championships (RCs), including the Blue Ridge AR and the Mission AR---both scheduled for the weekend of May 6-8 in two different parts of the country. The Longest Day follows on May 14-15. In addition to the free entry for the mixed division winner into the National Championship, all division teams receive five NPS bonus points for their participation. Teams earn points based on a sliding scale dependent on the length of the race and their overall finishing position. For example, Strong Machine AR received 105 NPS points for their win at the 2021 Hard Fall 24 Regional Championship—100 points for winning a race between 15-36 hrs., and 5 bonus points for competing in an RC. There are still 525 points available for a team to earn before the National Championship. Of course, they would have to win five of the remaining 24 hour RCs to rack up those points. Another attack point is to race in both RCs AND races in the NPS to maximize points before the National Championship. |
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