Race Report #3: NORBA marathon XC, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Sandpoint, ID, July 17, 2005

Start time was an early 7:30 am, with 50-odd men and women competitors of all ages taking the field. The morning was sunny and warm—surprising after a weekend of cold rain and, at one point on Saturday afternoon, hail. The course was 55 miles—including eight miles of the traditional XC course. With the starting gun, I rode off somewhere in the middle to the back of the pack, and settled in for a comfortable pace as I and my fellow marathoners began the steep 1700 ft climb up to the ridgeline. Traversing the ridge, we passed the chair lift for the downhill events (where the pro qualifiers would begin later that morning) to eventually drop down a screaming fire road descent for 2000 ft or so, navigating some sharp, rocky and gravelly switchback turns.

At mile 16.5 I passed the single feed zone on the course before going out for a long loop incorporating fire road and double track. The course was rolling, and on the double track descent, quite fast, with encroaching trees and bushes just ready to knock you off when you stopped paying attention. After looping back around to pass the feed station for the second and last time, I settled in for the extended climb back up to the saddle in the hot, late morning sun. It was at that point that my right contact, which had been threatening to slide out of my eye for the last half hour, decided to make the jump. (I'm blind without my contacts, so I always carry a spare lens—but being able to carefully and cleanly insert a sliver of plastic into my eye in the middle of a sweaty, dirty mountain bike race is a trick I haven't learned well yet.) Once I was 20/20 again, I mounted up for the long haul up to the top of the saddle. I didn't see any other riders around me, but kept pushing myself along the course, unsure of what place I held.

A couple of steep sections on the final long climb required cursing just for me to pedal up them, but then I realized I was still far from reaching top of the ridge, so I cursed some more. At this point (35-40 miles into the course) even rolling slowing up and over small to midsize rocks partially embedded in the road had the most jarring effect on my body. But just when I was starting to contemplate the value of endurance racing, I crested the saddle, and began speeding down along the open ridgeline. I tried—sometimes unsuccessfully—to find a smooth line for my bike as it thundered over the loose rock and small boulders collected on the trail. Once my tire kicked up a softball-sized rock that nailed me in the foot . . . good thing my whole body had gone numb an hour or so before.

Leaving the ridgeline, a rough, steep descent on double track and short fire road climb on a connector trail dropped me onto the XC course. Some of the former single track from last year had been widened and smoothed out due to logging, so the course was not as technical as in years' past. A few sharp switchback sections were eliminated, but some easier, fun switchbacks lower down sparked my memory. The small rock garden provided a nice if brief terrain change, and delivered playground fun as usual. A few muddle puddles and standing water collected in a lower section of the course, but over all the dirt was nice and tacky. I passed a male racer in this lower section, making me happy to see some sign of life on the course again (sometimes endurance racing can get lonely, when riders spread out during the 3-6 hours race). When I finally broke out of the woods where the course dumps onto the final fire road climb to the finish, I found myself riding up a small incline that for some reason felt tougher that the 1700 ft. climb up onto the top ridgeline. But the finish line waited just a short stretch ahead, and I crossed the line to take 4^th place in the women's open/pro division.

My Voodoo hardtail held up well over the chatter of the rocks and rough terrain on the seemingly never-ending fire road and double track descents, and it ascended skillfully up the course as well. Although I realized during the race that I hadn't positioned my saddle height and angle well, the bike climbed successfully despite my uncomfortable pedal-stroke. Despite this and the mishap with the contact, it was a good race, and I was happy to finish so strongly.

The marathon XC racecourse at Schweitzer Mountain was straightforward and offered no real surprises (as fire road typically doesn't). The best part of the race was the 8-mile XC course section, which was made more challenging by the fact that your arms and legs, tired after 48 miles of riding, don't always respond the way you expect them to. That certainly makes cornering and bombing down rutted-out single track interesting—and occasionally more fun.

Thanks to NORBA and its 2005 sponsors, as well as Schweitzer Mountain Resort, for making possible such a well-organized and fun event. And, of course, thanks to Voodoo for putting together a strong, fast pony for me to race. When I was climbing up that final switchback before reaching the ridgeline, one of three official volunteers standing on the side of the course started yelling: "How do you do that voodoo that you do so well?" I smiled, pleased he was sending me some good mojo. - Angela