Press/Media

NVRacing’s Team Enduring Freedom Wins VentureQuest Adventure Race

Washington, DC (November 1, 2007) – The eighth annual VentureQuest Adventure Race was held September 30th at Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax Station, VA.  This race is considered to be Northern Virginia’s premier Adventure Race hosted by EX2 Adventures. It took place under crystal clear blue skies and perfect temperatures in the mid 70s.  The 220 athletes had to navigate their way along a 30-35 mile course via biking, trekking, and paddling through this demanding 5-9 hour competition.

“We needed to race one more time together as a team before Christine Bone and Scott Olsen were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Spiller, Team Enduring Freedom’s Captain for Primal Quest 2008.  Because the race was divided into two categories, a solo division and three people team division, Team Enduring Freedom divided into two teams for the race.  The male team consisting of Michael Spiller, Patrick Henry, and Rob Richardson won the team division.  The second team consisting of Christine Bone, Scott Olsen, and Daniel Makitka finished third in the co-ed division. 

The race began with a one mile prologue and then teams and solo racers had to pick one of three checkpoints to finish the prologue and start the race.  Each prologue checkpoint had its own challenge.  You could choose to paddle a canoe, paddle around an inner tube, or you could run. After the prologue you move to a 7.5 mile mountain bike course which featured some very challenging hills, lots of roots, and some rocks.   The men’s Enduring Freedom team was the first to exit the mountain biking course and moved to the trekking and orienteering section. They picked the six orienteering checkpoints up in less than an hour and then moved back onto the mountain biking course for a second loop.  After the second bike loop was finished the teams had a short portage to the water for the five mile canoe where they had to pick up another checkpoint along the way.  This was the only mistake made on the course by the Enduring Freedom men’s team.  The check point along the water was down an inlet and the team made a few wrong turns into inlets before finding the correct checkpoint.  After that checkpoint they paddled to the canoe portage and then crossed a final inlet by a water challenge which consisted of three inner tubes and two paddles for the team to cross.  

The first place solo racer was Peter Minar in 4 hours and 30 minutes followed by team Enduring Freedom in second place overall and the first place team in 5 hours and 3 minutes.  The first place co-ed team was team Lilabc in 5 hours and 48 minutes.  Once again EX2Adventures did not disappoint its racers.  The course was challenging.  Jim Harman and his team are constantly creating challenging races for all levels in the Washington DC area.

Team Enduring Freedom is headed to Primal Quest in 2008. Primal Quest is the known as the “World’s Toughest Adventure Race.”  Primal Quest is an environmentally friendly, ecologically aware wilderness Expedition Adventure Race ®.  Between June 21 and July 2, 2008 seventy-five co-ed teams of racers will take part in the World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.  Teams of experienced back country adventure athletes journey across expansive terrain using only a map, a compass and combined skills. Co-ed teams of four are permitted to race. Team members are required to travel together at all times and must finish together in order to be officially ranked. (http://www.ecoprimalquest.com/wp-primal/about/)

For more information about team Enduring Freedom and their road to primal Quest you can visit their web site at www.teamenduring freedom.com or www.NVRacing.org.

 

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