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The HVORT—along with the HVAC—was a late addition to the Grass Roots Racing schedule. This, combined with the wet and stormy weather of this 2008 June, resulted in a very small field for this “first ever”. But there is no way that any of this would affect the GRR staff and stop them from designing a first rate race course. With the huge success of the Hidden Valley Adventure Challenge stoking their fire the staff designed and marked a race course that was easy to follow, challenging to complete, and rewarding to finish. Total distances were: 800 meters swimming—20 kilometers biking and—5.25 miles running.

The race started at 8:00am with a two lap swim in the pristine Lake George. This lake sits at the bottom of the Hidden Valley ski slopes which provided a beautiful backdrop for both T/A and the swim. Racers completed one 400 meter “lap”, exited the water, ran 50 meters along the grassy bank, and re-entered the water for the second 400 meter lap. Chris Campbell dominated the swim and gained a sizable lead over the next male—Ed Zabela. In the female division it was Melissa McNett leading Joy Meyer out of the water.

Next on the list was the 20K bike. This ride would require racers to climb up and out of Hidden Valley and up to the Forbes State Forest. There they would ride on miles of single track, pipeline, and service road. While much of the technical riding was in the first loop on single track and on ridge, there was much gain and loss of elevation on the less technical second loop. This resulted in a dual race in that the serious mountain bikers gained advantage on the technical terrain, while the fitness junkies gained back their advantage on the open trails. In the end of the ride it was still Chris Campbell with the lead—despite breaking a chain while riding the mud of the single track section. In the meantime it was Wayne Thorniley that secured the fastest bike split. Clearly not a swimmer, Wayne was giving it his all passing Ed during the second loop and moving in to second place. The question now was would he have enough leg left to continue piling on the pressure during the run?

In the female category it was Melissa McNett that was dominating. She had a great swim and completed the technical loop of the mountain bike in third place overall—a mere two minutes behind Chris Campbell. Newcomer and Hidden Valley resident Joy Meyer sat in ninth overall—seven minutes behind the male leader. Melissa Morris and Ira Yavorska rounded out the field. By the end of the second loop Melissa McNett slipped from third to fifth place—falling prey to a couple non-swimming male cyclists—but was still only four minutes behind the leader Chris Campbell.

After a wicked single track descent back down into the valley it was time to transition to the final leg of the race—a 5.25 mile trail run. Could Chris Campbell continue to fend of Ed Zabela—despite the added pressure of recovering from a broken chain? Could Wayne Thorniley’s legs hold out long enough to continue making up for a mediocre swim? Would Melissa’s McNett’s running abilities move her up in the overall category?

After climbing back up out of the valley and running three miles on very technical and muddy single track it was Chris Campbell who hit the “two to go” mark first. He was looking strong and comfortable but his lap pace was almost a minute slower than Ed Zabela—who was now within thirty seconds of Chris. As they stormed down the pipeline it was clear that Ed was gaining ever-so-slightly and was proving himself the stronger runner. Next out of the woods was Wade Smith, having clearly overtaken the faltering Wayne Thorniley—who appeared nearly three minutes later. Having clearly spent himself on the bike, Wayne dropped an empty bottle of Gatorade AND an empty HEED cup taken from the aid station and said, “Please Sir, may I have another!” Sorry Wayne—but there will be lots to drink when you get to the finish! One minute later, Melissa McNett stomped out of the woods looking like she wanted another ten miles of running so she could catch the rest of the field! A few moments later it was Keith Hilliard that emerged, showing signs of putting on a valiant fight against the cramp monsters.

Not far behind these men was a battle waging among the rest of the women. Forty-one year old Joy Meyer was clearly the swimmer and cyclist and held a strong lead as she came out of the woods with “two to go”. But Melissa Morris showed great running form and strength as she emerged ten minutes later. Nipping at her heels was the tenacious twenty year old Ira Yavorska—all dressed in pink and smiling as if she were in the first mile of a local 5k road run. Both Melissa and Ira had been battling it out among themselves all day and were now chipping away at Joy’s lead.

At the finish it was—in fact—Ed Zabela that pulled off the win with a 28 second lead over Chris Campbell. Seven minutes later Wade Smith crossed the line for third. And Wayne Thorniley and Jon Williams rounded out the top five with very respectable times.

In the women’s field it was Melissa McNett with 1st among the women and 5th overall. Joy Meyer took the second spot, while Melissa Morris and Ira Yavorska chipped four minutes off of her lead and finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

This was a truly challenging course and it was so inspirational to see everyone rise up and perform so admirably. We are already looking forward to next year where we expect to see more racers but can only hope to see as much spirit.

Be sure to join us for the Moraine Adventure Dash on July 19th at Moraine State Park. See you then!!