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ARC Overnight Adventure Race - Muskoka- September 13-14, 2003

Post Race Review

 

 The Start
The ARC Overnight Adventure Race in Muskoka began on September 13, 2003, at 7am, when 25 co-ed and open teams pedalled their bikes down the road from the main lodge at Camp Pinestone in Muskoka, Ontario.

The first leg of the race was a quick 90 minute to 2 hour ride along the 'Old Gravenhurst Road', through part of the Torrance Barrens and into the first Transition Area at Southwood.

At the TA, teams quickly removed their bike gear and started out on a three and a half to eight hour trek, across a myriad of little lakes, streams, bogs and bush, on their way to the next transition area at Severn Park.

Click here for more ARC Overnight - Muskoka Race Photos

 The Trek to Bike
Teams took a variety of routes to get through the initial trek section of the race, which took them through the Severn River Provincial Conservation Reserve.

Most teams took a fairly direct route toward Severn Park, and after the race, many teams commented that they loved the challenge of such a long trek, and the reward of 'trusting their navigation' and arriving exactly where they had been aiming.

Some teams were somewhat off the mark on their navigation, but were able to use the Severn River to the south and train tracks to the west to finally find what they were looking for.

From the finish of this first trek, teams headed out on their bikes for a 70 km ride on snowmobile trails and gravel roads that took them south and then looped them back up Big Chute (Note: Big Chute is the home of the only working marine railway lock)

 Biking
Some teams passed through the biking checkpoint at Big Chute during the daylight, but many did not make it there until after dark.

From Big Chute, the teams continued north through a maze of snowmobile trails in the Gibson River Provincial Park Nature Reserve, until they reach the third Transition Area at the Gibson Lake baseball park.

At this point in the race, teams were able to meet up with their support crews again to get some fresh clothes, food and water, before they began the canoe section of the race that would take them up to eight hours to complete.

 Paddling
On a warm, and slightly cloudy evening, teams who reached CP14/TA3 at the Gibson Lake Ball Park, picked up their canoes, carried them to the water and paddled off toward a familiar checkpoint location back at Big Chute Marina.

But for some teams, who had injured team-mates, broken equipment or were just too tired to continue, this transition area marked the end of the race. For these teams, the ARC Overnight Race had been an experience to remember, and an inspiration to return next time to finish the challenge of a 24 hour adventure race.

 The Tyrolean Traverse
At the end of the paddle, the top few teams were required to complete a short, tough trek section before they met their support crew again at TA4.

But for most teams, the end of the paddle meant a jog or walk up Georgian Bay Rd. early on Sunday morning September 14, to dump their paddling gear and pick-up their bikes and climbing gear.

Teams then made their way to McCrae Lake where they did a spectacular Tyrolean Traverse, with their bikes, across a 300 gorge. And for many of the participants, this was one of the highlights of the race!

 The Finish
The first teams to finish were greeted by friends, family and ARC staff, and were able to grab a few hours sleep before they joined the all the other teams for a fantastic post race brunch, and the awards ceremony at Camp Pinecrest.

The top Coed team was White Squall (and they were the only co-ed team to complete the whole course). They were followed by Team Ra Motion and Team Xplore.

The top Open Male team (and fastest team to complete the course) was Team Diabetes who finished in a time of 23 hrs 32 mins, followed by Thule and Boohai.

Congratulations and thank you to all the Teams and Volunteers that participated in the first ever ARC Overnight Adventure Race in Muskoka, and we hope to see you back next year.

A special thank you to all the sponsors and supporters of the race, including:

Camp Pinecrest, Soles Custom Footbeds, Superstands, Wet Ones, Rub A535 and Ford of Canada.

For complete ARC Overnight Adventure Race Results

 

Race Descriptions | Race Divisions | Entry Fees
Rules & Regulations | Series Championship Info | Volunteers

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