Tamarack Team No Train Matt Carroll, Ryan Garber, Thaona Sinclair and Heather Thiry still excited in participating in The Raid. We do not have a clue what we are getting into.
Section A: 10K Paddle. The morning started early 6:00 am paddle across Payette Lake. Team No Trail faired well 21st place in 1:25 minutes only 12 minutes behind the leaders.
Section B: 20 K Rollerblading (who does this anymore) . We learned the importance of using a team that section. We came in 29th at 1 hour 20 minutes but have fond memories of the bumpy trek.
Section C: 42K Mountain Bike ride up and around Bear Basin and Brundage Mountain. We learned how important it is to read the map and not follow everyone else. I dont think any of us knew there were so many ridable trails at Brundage. We finished the section in 3 hours 14 minutes and enough time to spare to section D.
Section D: 16 K Trail Run with a change in elevation of 2580 Meters . It started as a trail run but early June not all trails are composed of dirt, The white stuff was a lot more prevalent than the brown. This was one of my most trying sections for me but also one of my favorite sections. The blisters were forming and the uphill run became more of an up hill walk.
The boys were patient and we summited. When we reahced the summit it was all down hill. We ran/skiied to our repell section where we replled down Slick Rock.
After the repel we walked this log followed by a mile run to the finish. We crosed the line after 4 hours and 29 minutes of travel. This is where I collapsed in relief that we had chosen to skip the next section 22 K run. This was probably one of the smartest decisions we made. However I would still like to do that section.
Section F: The 64K night ride. This 64 K ride began at ___pm and the team rode this section took 4:05 finishing the ride at ___ in the am. It was a beautiful night with the backdrop of the full moon. I made sure camp was set up for their arrival. Dinner was made and we got as much sleep as we could, for another day of competition called.
Section G: 6:00 am a short 14 K mountain bike time trial. This was an intense 28 minute ride. We came finished in the top 20 (19th place). It was a beautiful way to start the morning.
Section H: The most intense paddle down the Cabarton at the highest flows of the seasaon. We had a blast. I called out commands from the front since it was easier to read the river from there. Trestle Rapid taught us we could keep the boat in line. Fransois's hole and lateral wave send us for a refreshing swim. We nailed Howards Plunge even after the event organizers were encouraging us to walk the rapid. The Cabarton was ours in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Section I: The 36 K Mountian Bike up to Hell. This section definitely took a lot out of our energy levels but allowed Team No Train to prove to them selves no Mountain is too big to ride. The raide gaind 1153 meters in elevation. This ride took us 4 hours and 36 minutes. Enough time for all of us to second guess our capabilities to participate in a race of this caliber.
Section J: We ended up missing this section it was a 13K run. It looked like a blast a downhill run from the top of Snowbank down to Lake Cascade for the final section of the competition. Missing the section was a bummer but it allowed our team to regroup and make the decision to finish the final section of the race. Canoe clear across Lake Cascade. After a drive to the valley Floor we decided to do it. We were pushed beyond our limits but we couldn't finish with out really finishing.
Section K: The paddle. We raced to French Creek to make the cut off to begin this section. We made it to the put in, pumped up the boats put on life jackets, and wetsuits in 10 minutes and were headed on a 17 K paddle. I was in the back with the only goal to keep us headed in a straight line...sounds easy but it really is not. It didn't take long to get down the essentials and we made up quite a bit of time on this section. WE finished the section in 3 hours and 9 minutes. I lost a SI card so we did get penalized an extra 15 minutes.
We finished the race in 25th place in 35 hours 19 minutes and 30 seconds. Not bad for covering 268 meters, gaining 4909 meters in elevation while loosing 4659 meters.
We did a race none of us had dreamed of doing. Our team came together fantastically pulling members in the night before the race. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thanks team I will never forget it. I must thank the great crew we had to help along the way Colin Gamble and Rich Garber. Thanks for all of your support it was needed the entire race. Thanks all of those who believed in Team No Train.
