Gleneagles Challenge Adventure Race

2011 Version of GEC Announced!

2011-01-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

Click here to go to the 2011 website.

Video from Team Left Brain Right Brain

2010-05-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

Post-Race Notes from the Race Director

2010-04-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Great job to all the racers!!!!! I hope you all had the adventure you were looking for. Thanks to the Bushwhack Crew for allowing
the Gleneagles Challenge to go to the next level. Your races rock, like no others, and I am glad I was able to be a part of it. Special thanks to all our amazing volunteers - Debbie (Medic), Chris (Photographer), Marcey (Coursework), Rob (Utility Man). We also truly appreciate all the racer support in retrieving the Control Points after the event. That type of help really makes the post race tear down much easier.

We would love to see your pics from the race and hear about your adventure through your race reports, particularly your route choices in this rogaine style event. When posted, please send them our way, so we can post a link for all to read.

Gleneagles Challenge Results Are Posted!

2010-04-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the results in a Google Spreadsheet.

Congrats to everyone who came out to race - you are all winners!

There were no "no shows" on race day, and no DNF's.
There were no serious injuries, just a few minor scrapes and scratches.
No team was "lost" past the end of the race. I can't vouch for anything that happened during the race.
We hauled a decent pile of "unique trash" out of the park, as well as a stack of the largest pizza boxes I've ever seen.

The 50/50 prizes for the top team in each division will be processed later this week. You'll get an email with your 50% discount serial number and your 50% entry fee refund will be processed through Google Checkout (or by check if that's how you paid).

Thanks again for racing! Hope to see you at the Falls Lake Challenge!

First Set of Pictures Posted

2010-04-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

http://adventureracing.meetup.com/17/photos/898898/

Success!

2010-04-25T04:25:00.001-07:00

What a great day of racing! The rain held off until the last part of the awards ceremony. No racer got seriously injured (scrapes and scratches notwithstanding). All but one team made it back to the finish by the cutoff time. That one team was only 1 minute late!

Twelve teams cleared the whole course, with Team E2Zissou placing first overall with a time of 4:04! Racers pitched in after the race to help retrieve the control flags and had all but 2 of 27 picked up by 5:45 pm - thanks again to everyone who helped!

Detailed results and pictures will be posted this week. Check back soon for more info!

Don

IMG00119.jpg

2010-04-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

IMG00117.jpg

2010-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

The GEC10 is underway!

2010-04-24T08:10:00.001-07:00

All 49 teams showed up to race this morning! Slighty overcast this morning and in the 60's - perfect!

Team List

2010-04-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Team #	Team Name	Division
107	Beer and Nuts	2 Person Coed
108	Dos Amigos	2 Person Coed
109	Isotopes	2 Person Coed
117	Live Free or Die	2 Person Coed
118	Nacho Cheese	2 Person Coed
120	The Hard Way	2 Person Coed
	.
130	Bringing It	3 Person Coed
139	E2Zissou	3 Person Coed
144	How Now Brown Cow	3 Person Coed
145	Losin' It	3 Person Coed
146	TBD	3 Person Coed
147	Boozin' it	3 Person Coed
148	GoBushwhack.com	3 Person Coed
189	Two pieces of Scheidt	3 Person Coed
	.
149	My people don't run	4 Person Coed
150	VHP (Beta)	4 Person Coed
	.
156	Girls on Singlespeed	2 Person Female
157	Karmageddon	2 Person Female
158	Suckin' Wind	2 Person Female
159	Team Green	2 Person Female
160	The Wonder Twins	2 Person Female
161	Whine and Cheese	2 Person Female
	.
162	All Butter	3 Person Female
163	Learner's Permit	3 Person Female
	.
164	Roundabouts	4 Person Female
	.
165	Buck N Blue	2 Person Male
166	Don't Wait Up	2 Person Male
167	Flash in the Pan	2 Person Male
168	GungHo	2 Person Male
169	Left Brain-Right Brain	2 Person Male
170	LostBoys	2 Person Male
183	M&M	2 Person Male
184	older, slower, no wiser	2 Person Male
185	Palmetto Tarheels	2 Person Male
186	Sham Wow	2 Person Male
187	Sham Wow Too	2 Person Male
188	TeamHalfwayThere.com	2 Person Male
	.
190	Buckin' Elks	3 Person Male
191	Finding 'rPath	3 Person Male
192	OTG	3 Person Male
193	Strange Brews	3 Person Male
194	The Thirsty Turtles	3 Person Male
195	Where's My Sherpa	3 Person Male
	.
196	I'd Rather Be Drunk	4 Person Male
197	Niner Niner	4 Person Male
198	Pathfinders	4 Person Male
199	Pity the Fool	4 Person Male
119	Team CD	4 Person Male
200	Va Mountain Men	4 Person Male

Registration is Closed

2010-04-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

We have 126 adventure racers signed up to race next weekend, representing 47 teams. What a great showing from the AR community for this new event!

If you missed getting registered for this one, there's still time to register for the Falls Lake Challenge, to be held on May 22, 2010.

ISO Teammates?

2010-04-12T19:29:00.001-07:00

Anyone out there still searching for a teammate to race the Gleneagles Challenge with? Post a comment below and let others know you're looking, before it's too late. Registration closes on the 18th!!

View from the course

2010-04-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I had a great time vetting the course. It took us 6:46 to get through it. Before you start panicking, let me say that we did not have the advantage of those 11" x 11" orange and white orienteering flags to look for. We also made a few course corrections where we found the info on the map didn't match the features on the ground. Our goal is to give you a race map that can accurately lead you to where we will put the flags on the ground. Of course, you still have to be able to read the map and then find your way to the flags!

When you see the race map and plot the checkpoints, you will realize there are lots of options for how to go after this course. We brought portage wheels with us, and decided to use them when we portaged our canoe. Portage wheels aren't on the required gear list (they are on the recommended gear list). Having portage wheels just opens up more options for your race strategy. You will have to portage your boats - how much depends on your race strategy. Other options for portaging boats include just grabbing the handles and carrying them by hand, hoisting the boats up on your shoulders, hooking loops of webbing to the handles and slinging the loop over your shoulder like a purse strap, bribing another team to carry them for you, etc. Dragging boats along like a stubborn child is not recommended, and is prohibited if you're using one of the rent-free canoes (you know who you are).

There are quite a few new adventure racers doing this race. I'm not sure what your expectations are concerning how dry you'll stay on the course. I'd recommend that you expect to step in the water at least once, maybe more. You'll waste less of your valuable time if you don't hesitate when it's time to step out of the boat and go. The rest of you will probably be wet from sweat and dirty from playing in the woods, so why would you expect to have clean dry shoes and socks at the end of the race? :)

What are our predictions for top finish times? There are lots of variables involved, but I think several of the strong, experienced teams will probably clean the course in a little over four hours. There has been an explosion of foliage since we vetted the course, and that may slow them down a little. A fit team that can navigate ok should be able to come close to cleaning the course within the 6 hour limit. Time management is the key, making sure you don't waste too much time in the TA and making sure you leave yourself enough time to get back to the Finish by the cutoff time.

No matter how your team does compared to other teams, if you come to the Gleneagles Challenge with the goals of having fun, being safe, and challenging yourselves, then you can succeed! We're setting up a great event for you to come enjoy a day with friends while playing in the great outdoors - you can't beat that!

Racer Update #1

2010-04-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hi adventure racers!

We've got a great course designed and we're looking forward to sharing it with you!

Bushwhack Adventures loves to present teams with plenty of navigation options in a race. The navigation component and route strategy is what sets Adventure Racing apart from other sports. This Gleneagles Challenge course is going to be as close to a pure rogaine format as we've been able to achieve so far. When the start whistle blows, you and your team will be standing there with all your adventure racing "toys": bikes, boats, shoes, compass, race map, etc. It will be up to you to decide how and when to use these "toys" to help you get to as may of the checkpoints as you can over the next six hours. We've pared down the restrictions you have to abide by to a bare minimum. The rest will be dictated by geography.

Some of the checkpoints will be pre-marked on the race map. You will have to plot UTM coordinates for the other checkpoints. If you're not familiar with plotting UTM coordinates, there's a brief tutorial here: http://www.smacworld.com/new/pages/NAVIGATION_FOR_AR/using_plottong_utm_coordinates.pdf We'll try to put together a tutorial document soon for the way we run Bushwhack events, but the basics are the same. Bushwhack will be giving every racer a UTM plotting tool at check-in, in case you don't have one yet.

The rogaine format and location of this event also means that we can operate with a single, central transition area. You will be able to revisit it as often as you like during the event to refill water supplies, snacks, etc. This TA is also where you'll park, so your vehicle can be your TA setup. There is no water supply there, so please bring all the water you think you might need for drinking, washing off, etc.

There will be a good mix of new and experienced teams racing in the Gleneagles Challenge. Some teams will "clean" the course, finding all of the checkpoints with time to spare. Other teams will use all 6 hours and still not find all of the checkpoints. I encourage all teams to come with the goals of having fun, staying safe, and challenging yourselves against the course. You'll have to go out of your way to NOT have a great time!

Thanks for racing!

Don Childrey

--
Bushwhack Adventure Racing
GoBushwhack.com

GU for you!

2010-03-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

GU Energy Labs will be providing packets of portable energy for racers in the Gleneagles Challenge! Be sure to visit their website and check out their line of nutrition products for athletes.

Coursework Done - Bring on the Vet

2010-03-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, the 1st and 2nd runnings of the Gleneagles Challenge did start and finish from my garage in the Gleneagles Subdivision of Cary, NC. Last year I expanded it to a Bond Park pavilion and this year graduated to the big leagues with the Gleneagles Challenge 2010 being a Bushwhack Adventures production and part of the Checkpoint Tracker Series. For locals who have done a GEC in the past, you'll still find some things you've seen in the past (climbing up trees and going into tunnels).

Marcey and I recently completed the initial coursework and Pat and Don will vet the course soon. The course will almost be completely Rogaine allowing many options for fun, fast single track mountain biking, paddling in the clear blue waters of Harris Lake with a Nuclear Plant looking down at you, and trekking through some dense pine groves. The GEC 2010 will be a great race for beginners and will challenge experienced racers to clear the course.

And since copyright laws proclude us from using the old GEC logo, I "borrowed" from the 5-Star Gleneagles Luxury Hotel and Country Club in Scotland, we are introducing the new GEC logo for 2010. Register soon and we will see you at Harris Lake.

Registration for GEC10 Underway!

2010-03-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

At the end of the first 24 hours of open registration, it's obvious that teams were ready and waiting! Twelve teams have paid in full, and one more has contacted me about sending in a check.

We have 8 of the 20 rent-free canoes from Frog Hollow Outdoors spoken for, so there's still a chance to get your team on the list. Don't forget that your Team needs to be paid in full, as well as having your Squad profile in "Complete" status on the Checkpoint Tracker website.

It was interesting to note that the first several teams to be fully registered were Female teams. In fact, the Female teams are almost 100% fully registered, compared to 25% of the Coed teams and less than 20% of the Male teams. I guess we know which Division is better with taking care of the administrative challenges!!

Registration for Gleneagles Challenge opens March 14th!

2010-03-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Register your team now! Bushwhack Adventures and Frog Hollow Outfitters are providing 20 canoes on a first-registered, first-served basis. Once your Squad Profile is complete on Checkpoint Tracker, and your team's registration is fully paid for, you'll get dibs on the 20 rent-free canoes - while they last!

Online registration is being handled through the Checkpoint Tracker website, so get your team signed up there (for free) now!

Race shirt deadline - Team registration must be paid in full by March 24th in order to guarantee race shirts and race pint glasses for team members.

More details can be found on the Registration page.

The Gleneagles Challenge Evolves!

2009-12-27T07:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Gleneagles Challenge website! Those of you local to the Raleigh/Durham chapter of TrailBlazers Adventure Racing Club may be familiar with the Gleneagles name from a few praxis events in the past. In 2010, race director Bob May is teaming up with Bushwhack Adventures to evolve the Gleneagles into a proper sprint adventure race! We'll replace the coziness of starting and finishing in Bob's garage with the great singletrack trails found in Harris Lake County Park. We'll trade the paddleboats on Bond Lake for canoes on Harris Lake.

The 2010 version of the Gleneagles Challenge will be perfect for new adventure racers. The 4 to 6 hour length will be manageable for beginners while still letting them get a good taste of this exciting sport. What could be more fun than riding, paddling, trekking and working together to find your way to the checkpoints with a few friends?

If you haven't already signed up as a Racer on the Checkpoint Tracker website, do it now. Once you and your teammates have completed the free registration, you can create your Team and add the Gleneagles Challenge to your Team Schedule. Registration for this event will be processed through the Checkpoint Tracker website.

Check back soon for more details!!