How awesome would it be to compete in the ski-to-sea race as an individual?
Event 1: Cross Country Skiing
Event 2: Downhill Skiing
Event 3: Running
Event 4: Bicycling
Event 5: Whitewater Canoe
Event 6: Mountain Biking
Event 7: Sea Kayak.
The winning teams do it in around 5 1/2 hours, so figure about equivalent to Ironman endurance as an individual. Add to that the beauty of the pacific northwest, what more do you need?
Anyone know of any equivalently awesome races?
Only problem is they won’t let anyone compete as an individual; it must be done as a team. It started out as an individual effort back in the day (about 100 years ago), and after a couple of deaths they came up with a relay idea, which has stuck. I don’t doubt some of the people up there could do all seven legs, but it would take forever. A former co-worker has done five of the seven legs over the years, which impressed the hell out of me.
It can get warm, even at the top of the mountain, so the two ski legs can be slushy. The run is all downhill, which pounds the crap out of your quads; runners often sit in the frigid drainage ditch near the run-to-back exchange at the DOT shelter. And the sea kayak is invariably straight into the wind and waves. Also, the canoeing isn’t really whitewater. It’s a flat section of the Nooksack River, but if there has been a lot of snow on Mount Baker, that river moves damned fast; they called off the canoe leg last year because the river was so high and fast, and thus not safe. Instead, they started all the mountain cyclists time-trial style in the order in which their road cyclists came into the bike-canoe exchange.
The event is a blast, though. I competed on my company’s team the two years I was there, and the town really goes all out for it. Each finishing team gets to ring a bell, and the iconic photo in the newspaper every year is a well-muscled man dragging a kayak across the finish line and pulling on the rope to ring the bell.
http://www.ski2sea.ca/RaceInfo/Overview/tabid/61/Default.aspx
From the slopes of Big White to the shores of City Park in Kelowna, teams of up to seven people and soloists race others and the stopwatch over six legs that span 95 kilometers. The legs, in order of completion, are: alpine skiing, nordic skiing, mountain biking, road cycling, running, and canoeing/kayaking.
The solo men’s and women’s winners this year have a very familiar last name (Merckx).
How awesome would it be to compete in the ski-to-sea race as an individual?
How about the Bellingham Traverse?
http://www.bellinghamtraverse.com/
Run, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, paddle, run. You can register as chinook (solo), coho (pairs) or chum (team). I participated last year and it was a blast. Not as big a deal as Ski to Sea, but just as fun. They end at a brewery and do the awards in the beer garden.
Tuckerman Inferno
I****nferno Pentathlon
Race consists of 5 legs; 8.3 mile Run, 6 mile Kayak, 18 mile Bike, 3 mile Hike, 1 mile Ski. AND they let individuals race
http://www.friendsoftuckerman.org/2010-Inferno-Handbook.pdf
And the ski, well google tuckerman’s, and you’ll get an idea of what the hard event in the race is.
2010 results
http://www.friendsoftuckerman.org/Results-sheet-inferno-2010.pdf
How awesome would it be to compete in the ski-to-sea race as an individual?
How about the Bellingham Traverse?
http://www.bellinghamtraverse.com/
Run, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, paddle, run. You can register as chinook (solo), coho (pairs) or chum (team). I participated last year and it was a blast. Not as big a deal as Ski to Sea, but just as fun. They end at a brewery and do the awards in the beer garden.I competed too! Was kicking ass in the road run until I sprained my ankle running up one of the hills near Padden. Really fun event.
Pole Pedal Paddle, the Original, in Bend, OR. But you are like 2 weeks too late. And you better be prepared to race against Olympic quality, former US Team, and even a Oly Gold medalist in XC over there. They take this shit seriously in Bend. We half jokingly called it the world series of Bend.
Do it as an individual and be humbled by true athletes.
How about the Bellingham Traverse?
http://www.bellinghamtraverse.com/
Run, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, paddle, run. You can register as chinook (solo), coho (pairs) or chum (team). I participated last year and it was a blast. Not as big a deal as Ski to Sea, but just as fun. They end at a brewery and do the awards in the beer garden.
Bellingham worships the Salmon. My kid is in kindergarten in Bellingham, and the indoctrination has already begun.
I really like triathlon and all but i’ve been thinking lately that this sport just doesn’t cost enough money. I need to get into something that requires at LEAST twice the equipment budget.
I really like triathlon and all but i’ve been thinking lately that this sport just doesn’t cost enough money. I need to get into something that requires at LEAST twice the equipment budget.
Haha,
Thinking, how would I convince the wife I need the equipment and training time - cool stuff!
http://www.greenwaychallenge.org/ in mass
7 legs point to point running, paddling, mtb and road . haven’t done it but it looks like fun. thats pretty weak they won’t let individuals race the washington one, it also looks sweet.
Not really much elsewhere to post this, but I do love Bellingham so much, and miss it. Best city.