With the temperature high up at 93 degrees, the 9th annual Never Summer Race in Eagle, CO was all summer this year.
The 24hr teams in the ARWS category started with a fun singletrack loop, from the Eagle River Center, on bike. It was a mass start that quickly revealed who was out to win.
Teams retrieved 6 checkpoints in order, with CP6 being at the Brush Creek Saloon. Teams had to take a shot of either whisky or ice tea before punching their passport, and the locals enjoyed watching from the surrounding tables. Teams then dropped their bikes and made their way to the paddle start which was where the 6hr teams finished.
Immediately, they encountered the most difficult section of their paddle, Rodeo Rapid, which is a series of 5 man-made class III rapids through the Eagle River park. Everyone with inflatable boats did well and enjoyed the cool down from the splashes. One team, who brought their 2 person, sit-in, hard shell kayak, definitely was not happy with me as they took on water and swam 5 different times during the 20 mile paddle.
Along the way, teams had to pull out of the river for a mandatory 2.5 mile portage on a bike path. This was to avoid the lava flow region in the river that could really hurt some people and boats if not navigated cleanly. Teams put back in at Dotsero Landing, a boat ramp at the confluence of the Colorado and Eagle Rivers.
The remaining paddle was an easy, and flat, section that ended at the start of Glenwood Canyon. Some teams arrived in the late afternoon/evening, while a couple of teams hit the dark hours and had their first night time paddle experience.
After the paddle, teams took off on foot north of I-70 into BLM land for an off trail, and challenging trek. If the wrong route was chosen, teams could be cliffed-out or end up doing much more elevation. This section broke a lot of teams, and instead of the intended 4-6 hr segment, they were out there all night.
Once they finished, the transition area was located back in Dotsero, and teams found their bikes waiting for a long next leg of the race. Leg 4 of the race was a monster bike, totalling 55 miles with 7500' elevation gain. The section south of Gypsum had a lot of road, so teams could cover the distance quickly if they were strong bikers.
Team Teton Ogre, who was in a strong 1st place position, took a chance to cut off some mileage by finding an old forest service trail, however, it was a gruelling hike-a-bike and didn't pay off. Many teams that had a rough night during the trek decided to not do the big bike and opted to ride straight back to the finish along paved bike paths. Three teams, however, did find their way to TA4 up on Hardscrabble Mountain and were greeted with some homemade chicken noodle soup and chocolate chip cookies.
Team Teton Ogre was the only team that was able to retrieve 2 of the 4 trekking points on leg 5 and could have cleared the course, but I imagine at this point they knew they had the win and didn't need to keep pushing.
Congratulation to all the teams that raced, many of them first time adventure racers, and to teams Teton Ogre, who retrieved 26 checkpoints in 21hrs and 52min for the first place overall, and Team No Ragrets, who finished 3rd overall, 1st place 3-4p coed in 23hrs 16min with 21 checkpoints. They have received an entry to the 2024 USARA National Championship race in West Virginia. Good luck to them!
A shout out to Team Wacky Waving Arm-flailing Inflatable Tube-men who called me at 3am to ask, "are there bears out here?" With a giggle, I replied, "yes." It turns out, big, fluffy, white sheep eyes resemble what these guys thought a bear's eyes should look like.
Another honorable mention goes to 24hr team Mustache Directions...I hope you guys come back next year, but you are required to have an inflatable boat!
Last mention to 6hr team Quitcher Bitchen ... remember last year when you requested I have a more "legit" paddle section? I hope your swim down Dead Cow was everything you hoped it would be!
Next year the race is returning to Eagle, Colorado July 12-13, 2025. Mark your calendars and I hope to see you there!
Katie Ferrington - Race Director
