Team YogaSlackers finishes 13th in the 2007 USARA National Championships Potosi, MO (Nov 4, 2007)
At 7:00 AM Saturday morning, team members Jason Magness, Mark Lattanzi, and Sara Dallman lined up with 240 (80 teams) of the nation's best adventure athletes. The temps were in the high twenties, and the race began with the teams of three spitting up – two starting with a paddle on a misty lake, while the other team member ran 3 miles to collect the race maps before meeting the paddlers across the lake. Following the paddle was an orienteering section which saw competitors thrashing through the woods collecting checkpoints.
Team YogaSlacker's Mark Lattanzi led the team with expert navigation and they finished this leg in 12th, less than 15 minutes behind the lead team.
During the following mountain bike leg, the team stopped to help two fellow teams by loaning out a pump and a chain tool. Minutes later, Magness hit a sharp rock putting two inch gash into his tire. The subsequent repair of the tire, and several more flats, took 45 minutes to rectify, In the end, Magness's tire was wrapped with several layers of duct tape. The fiasco cost the team 45 minutes, and they dropped to 25th place.
During the next eight hours the trio pressed hard, running the next trekking section and then dragging their canoe through much of the overgrown paddle. As the sun set, the temps dropped quickly, and many teams (wet from the paddle) had problems with hypothermia. Rather than stop to warm up at the fire at the paddle/trek transition area, the YogaSlackers passed through fairly quickly, running the hills to get their body heat up.
Smart navigation choices and strong running and biking saw the team move up in the ranks. On the final bike to the finish, the YogaSlackers was racing neck and neck with Team Bike Iowa II. As they approached the finish line through the YMCA lodge complex, Magness flew over his handlebars while descending a steep stairway, destroying an outdoor light fixture with his head! After a moment to clear his head, the team finished, just seconds behind Bike Iowa II.
Ironically, due to a 5 minute time credit (for stopping to help other
teams) YogaSlackers will rank ahead anyway, and could have avoided the spill.
Team members were happy with their results.
What's Next?
Teammates Sam Salwei and Jason Schaeffer were recently in DC presenting as part of the PowerShift 2007 conference on climate change and environmental sustainability. Teammate Paul Cassedy and team Barely Legal/YogaSlackers will be racing this weekend in the GoldRush 24 hour race in California.
Jason will be teaching acroyoga and slackline workshops in LA this weekend, and racing in El Tour de Tucson (109 mile perimeter ride) on the 17th.
January will see Mark Lattanzi in the UK for two race – the Tough Guy, and the worlds northernmost 24 Mt. bike race. Sam, Jason, Paul and Paige will be at the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco, and the Outdoor Retail winter market.
February will see a flurry of activity, with several teammembers competing in the 135 mile winter ultramarathon – the arrowhead 135. This is arguably the hardest non-stop footrace in the world, and has only ever been completed by 3 people Arrowheadultra. Immediately following the Ultra the 2XtM 08 expedition begins.2XTM
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