Team SOLE

January 2006

Well we began our trip with a plan for adventure and after our Brazillian teammate cancelled just one month before the race due to an injury, we virtually assured ourselves plenty of adventure meeting our newest teammate, Carlos Curipan, when we arrived in Chile. A local Argentinian we had hopes that his local knowledge would help us to compete with the many other local teams. More on that later.

We arrived in Santiago, Chile and hooked up with the first half of our support team (perhaps the biggest ever assembled!). We traveled with Lindsay Stevens from Boulder City, NV. Her first trip overseas. She was super excited and maybe a little nervous not knowing quite what to expect. Travis Macy, Team SOLE's secret weapon, flew in from Boulder, Colorado. We also met our partners from Baja Travesia, coming from Rosarito, Mexico to join the crew, Dalia and James Murrietta. As our group and collection of gear got bigger and bigger we became quite a spectacle. After arriving in Valdivia, Chile the race headquarters we met up with the rest of our team: Carlos Curipan (our newest teammate), Vera and Mario our support crew from the previous year and Pablo (the Magic Man), and Dario our bike mechanic and coach of the Argentine National Mountain bike team. Oh and Lisa Saven, our friend who is travelling the world and happened to be in Bariloche and came to join us for the race. Together, all twelve of us (yes 12) loaded our gear and ourselves into two big vans, towed our two kayaks and ready for the big time.

Pre-race we had some time to get organized. We had a nice little cabana (two story house) in the suburban part of Valdivia on Isla Teja (a little island off the main part of town). Here we set up base camp, 10 minutes and we had our kayaks in the water and our crew at the market to buy food for cooking at home.

Pablo quickly strung us a rope off the nearby telephone/electric poles so we could set up and test our ascending gear. Pretty sure the neighbors thought we were a little crazy. Family style we lived in the little cabana with one bathroom getting organized and getting to know each other (quickly). Off to registration and gear check which we breezed through partly because the organizers knew us already and partly because we were ready to go.

And finally the pre-race meeting, official information about the course (time to find out which of the rumors were really true). At this time they gave us only the first section of the course - start with a long paddle, off the boats on onto the bikes (a 100 k fairly flat road ride) and then we'd arrive at the first of three mandatory 5 hour stops.

So, not much to organize - get all the gear ready for the first paddle, brief the crew about the two transitions, prepare the bikes and get some sleep. If it weren't for the Australlian Open finals being on at midnight we would have been in bed early, but we managed plenty of sleep, woke up to our crew preparing our last indoor breakfast and loading the last of the gear. Off to the meeting point where all the teams would park in line in the middle of town for a parade through the town and then a 30 minute drive to the west coast of Chile and the START LINE.

The START line was crazy... teams and boats and people running everywhere. We were calm, our boats on the beach, ready to go, paddles in hand, a final meeting of the teams and waiting for the countdown to the start. Some small waves broke on the shore, but as long as you timed it right they wouldn't be a problem. We wanted to get our quick, but we couldn't let that drive lead us into the breaking waves with bad timing. 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 GO! Wait wait wait, okay okay it looks good, let's go and quickly we pushed our boats into the surf, I hopped in with both feet, looked back to see Paul doing the same and then we paddled without looking back and without saying a word. We were the first boat in the water paddling, now we just waited for some sign that Travis and Curi were right behind. Not wanting to interrupt the cadence of our paddling I was afraid to look back and instead I yelled to Paul, Are they with us? Don't worry, they'll be there, keep paddling. And so they caught us and we shared the lead with another team who took a little different angle heading around the point. We settled into a rhythm of paddling, one that we could sustain for another 6 or 7 hours. We felt the pressure of teams behind us and kept our eye on the team ahead, working hard to maintain our spot. At the first checkpoint there was one team in front and three teams close on our wash. We pushed hard to keep the first team in sight and drop the others so they couldn't draft. A few hours later there was just one team behind us. We let them pull ahead so we could draft. Together the four of us caught the team ahead and all three teams paddled upstream to the final kayak checkpoint. Team SOLE was the first out of the water and with a quick transition the first team to leave on the mountain bike section.

On the 50,000 scale maps we were anticipating a 100 k fairly flat road ride. We weren't sure if it was dirt or asphalt. It turned out to be mostly dirt, loose and rocky, the kind of dirt that makes it hard to keep your momentum going, the kind of dirt that keeps you on your toes 100% of the time because you aren't quite sure what your front wheel is going to do. We pedaled and pedaled and pedaled into the darkness on the never ending bike leg. Flat? hmmm... the 50,000 scale maps don't show anything...plenty of hills, mostly up. The bike leg took it's toll on everyone. Team Antiboles passed us just flying and we couldn't respond. Then came the Spaniards - we hung with them for quite some time. The boys pushed and pulled me till they were exhausted. Together we rolled into the transition in 3rd place. Now off for another paddle and a little excitement. We swooped a couple of teams by having our handy portage wheels for the kayaks. So as the first two teams were lugging their boats for 1 K from the transition to the water, we just wheeled ours down road with ease.

In the darkness we headed off in the kayaks for the final leg of the first section. We planned a big paddle and then a quick portage with our wheels, hoping to gain some additional time. As we got in the water and balanced in the kayaks we quickly learned that there were some big swells in this huge, dark lake. We paddled into the darknesss, following only our compass and trying to anticipate the huge swells hitting the side of the kayak. Travis and Curi struggled to stay close (a rare low moment for Travis). We paddled toward a fire we saw on the shore thinking it was the checkpoint, but as we approached we realized it was just some campers. We collected ourselves and continued onto the checkpoint a little ways ahead. At the checkpoint we learned that the portage we had planned was now off limits which meant a long paddle around the entire peninsula instead of a 2 k hike across the middle. Rats! So we head out into the ever increasing swells trying hard to staff together for safety in the darkness. Another hour passes and we see some small lights bobbing in the darkness. We quickly realize that the Spanish team ahead of us has flipped both of their boats and all four teammates are floating in the water. They are calling to us and they are quite happy to see us. In the huge swells each of us goes to one of the boats and tries to offer some stability so they can get back in their boats. The problem is that the boats are already full of water making them quite unstable and without skirts it's hopeless to pump the water out any faster than it's pouring in. We get the two boats together and try to assess the situation. We don't want to put eight people in the water instead of four but the waves make it difficult to maneuver the boats and the winds keep blowing all of us into the rocky cliffside. We give it a go and then have to back off and paddle away to get some stability and avoid being turned into the water ourselves. It's dark and windy and communication is difficult. Paul gets the team to hold on to the back of our boat and we paddle forward trying to get everyone away from the rocks. Meanwhile Curi and Travis search for a safe beach to land the boats. After several attempts all four teammates are in the boats and we tow them toward the sandy beach that Travis and Curi have found. We make sure they are all okay and that they are confident they can get their boats a short ways to the shore. They thank us for our help and assure us they are fine. Okay...back into the race, around the peninsula and to the end of the paddle. As we round the corner of the peninsula the water is glass and we paddle quietly to the transition finding it hard to believe the conditions just 20 minutes back. We arrive at the shore to find our crew excited and waiting with a nice warm fire.

This transition is a mandatory 5 hour stop and while it sounds like a nice luxurious stop, it's NOT. In these five hours we are to get maps for the next section of the course, prepare the maps, prepare the gear, eat and catch a nap. Five hours goes by in a flash.

The next section sends us back out on the bikes for another long section, then transition to a trekking section that is estimated to take 24 hours before we come to the next mandatory stop. This bike section starts out a bit tricky, but Paul gets us to the correct cow trail where we hop on and off our bikes no less than 10 million times, but once we're up at the top there's some fun and technical single track to ride. We move along pretty quickly stopping every now in disbelief as the one farmer in the one house we pass runs outside to greet and cheer for Curi. It seems he has a fan club stationed throughout the course. We ride some big climbs and some cool singletrack, then to the tyrolean traverse with the bikes. We put on our harnesses and attach ourselves and our bikes to the ropes strung across the canyon high above a raging waterfall. Its not easy pulling yourself and bike across the rope. We use a quick break to enjoy the incredible scenery and check out the waterfall below.

Across the river and back on the trail, Paul discovers some bad news. We have two more checkpoints to reach before the end of the bike, but unfortunately we don't have the proper maps with us. We've left one behind so we are missing one of the two points. Travis pulls out the directions that offer a little bit of help in terms of direction and we start looking for the tracks of the one team ahead of us. It's a bit stressful knowing that we are so close but don't know the way. We all try to rack our brains for a memory of the checkpoint location. We bike until we don't see the tracks anymore. Try that trail...nope nothing. Turn around.. ugh... okay don't get frustrated, stay calm, we can figure this out. We are looking for a footbridge, looking for tracks, looking for the checkpoint markers. We chat wtih a passing car and decided to turn back to a point we stopped earlier. They think there is a bridge there. Ten more minutes back, a quick left and YES! there's the point and the bridge. Okay we're almost back on the map. Paul keeps his head and gets us back on the map and to the end of the bike. Too close, a big mistake leaving the map behind. We've got to be more careful. We head to the transition trying to put the mistake out of our heads and continue on, planning for a quick change to trekking. It's going to be the biggest section of the race and every minute of daylight we can gain will help us later.

The crew has everything set and we make the change quick. Shortly into the trek I ask the guys to help me a bit with carrying my gear, it feels quite heavy and I know we need to move quickly, run whenever we can. I start pulling stuff out of my pack to see what's so heavy. Paul takes my small bag of mandatory gear but my pack is still heavy. I start checking the pockets and realize our crew has packed me enough food for the whole team! No wonder this pack is so heavy. I divy up the food to Travis and Curi and we head on our way laughing about the picnic in my pack.

And so we begin to climb...and climb and climb and climb...watching the meters move slowly on the altimeter looking for the top as the trail and the checkpoint. We arrive at the top only to discover we're not quite at the top and we can see the next peak we have to climb. Climb and climb and climb....and some fresh water from the melting glaciers! Awesome...climb and climb and climb finally we're at the checkpoint. We haven't lost or gained time on the team ahead, but we still have a huge trek ahead. From the checkpoint we can see clearly across the huge valley the volcano that we are heading for. It's an awesome sight, the volcano standing naked in the horizon and the sun just beginning to set. We head off in what seems like the opposite direction to follow the trail that will lead us to the top. Jogging as much as we can we descend into the valley, it's incredible. Glacier fed streams lead us down to the valley floor where we encounter some tourists camping at the "hotsprings" (note to self: a great place to come back to!). We offer a quick hello get some general direction of the trail and continue at a quick pace to make the best use of the daylight. Once darkness comes it is going to be quite difficult to following the tiny trail.

Now we begin the acsent of the volcano. We can see the lights of the team ahead. We stop quickly to put on our lights and another layer of clothes. Behind us we can see the lights of another team and they seem to moving quickly toward us. We keep moving quickly watching the lights ahead and behind and trying to shield our lights from the team behind so they don't feel like they are gaining on us. The volcano is soft and sandy all the way to the top. We take a line that is very steep and we stay close together snaking our way to the top. We can no longer see the team ahead, they have been to the top and are heading down toward the next checkpoing. We look back and can no longer see the team behind either. At midnight we are on the top of the volcano, check-in, check-out and on our way. It's like running down a big sand hill. We make good time to the bottom, trying to keep our lights off and travel by the moonlight. We don't want the team behind to see the direction we head. We look back and can see the team's lights, they have made it to the top, but the wrong peak. They'll have a bit of a trek to get to the checkpoint - for sure we have gained time on them.

In this section it's critical to find the right trail. Without the trail it might be a long night. Finally some tracks in the snow, we tried to follow them, but it was difficult as the snow was patchy. Paul says keep your compass out, we've gotta find this trail and then suddenly a marker telling us we're heading the right way. Yippee. Okay, we start jogging again and get right to the trail. The trail gets more and more overgrown. The only way to find the trail is to feel the clearing with your feet and shine the light through the bush. We're jogging though and just trusting that our feet will find solid ground. We yell out to each other warning of logs and rocks that threaten to toss you in the bush. It's kinda fun, running by Braille and we're moving good. Hours and hours of the same thing and then we hit the bamboo. The bamboo is tricky... it covers the trails and makes travel difficult. We quickly come up with a system to follow the trail. We're working quite good together as a team. The lead person runs the trail till they make a wrong turn and yell out No Trail. Then the others spread out from the last known point and look for the right trail. Whoever finds the trail takes the lead and the team keeps moving. We travel like this for hours, we think we are making good time.

We get to the part of the trail where the directions say it's gonna cross the river seven times. Okay, we watch carefully and try to see where it comes in and out of the river. We've still got the trail and now we start to see some wet footprints as the trail comes out of the water. I yell back to tell the guys we've got wet footprints! It means a team is close. We continue on and there they (the only team ahead of us) searching for trail. They tell us they've been there for 2 hours and can't find the trail. They show us where they've looked and where the trail comes to a dead end. They are tired and frustrated, it's obvious. Paul chats with them and Travis and I hop over some HUGE dead trees that are laying over where it seems the trail should be. We scamper around in the trees and bamboo seeking out the trail. Nothing this way I holler to Travis, but look up there. Travis is climbing over the huge tree and finds the remnance of a trail, but it ends again with more HUGE trees. The rest of our team and the other team is standing at the top of the trail just listening and waiting. We climb up and over and around and through the bamboo and magically the trail is clearly there. We try to get our team down the hill without telling the other team we've found the trail. It's easier than we think - the other team has already searched there for hours without finding the trail. They think we are crazy for even looking. We get Paul and Curi down to the trail and we do a little more hollering just for effect. Then we dim our lights and jog down the trail. Hours and hours and hours...we continue like hound dogs seeking the trail. The downed trees make it difficult, but we figure out a system and keep moving. If we lose the trail we never move forward very far, we know we have to keep on the trail.

Finally we break out of the bamboo, onto some dirt roads, some more trails and head to the lake where there will be another 5 hour stop.

We're now 2 hours ahead, but we've still got a lot of racing to do. Get ready for maps, gear, food and a little nap.

It's the final section, to start with a paddle, transition to bikes, and then a short hike and ropes to the finish. Our 5 hour stop has us starting on the kayaks just before dusk. My shoulder is aching and I'm a little worried about the paddle. We decide to change the configuration a bit. Paul and Curi will paddle in one boat and we'll hook up a tow line to me and Travis. I pop a vicadin just before we leave and my shoulder feels okay. We paddle hard to the first two points, trying to get as much as we can in the daylight. At night the navigation can be tough, the points we are supposed to find are just banners on the side of the lake, no lights and no glow sticks to help you find them. We're paddling pretty good, the tow like helps keep us right in the draft of the Paul and Curi and we can keep the line slack. Paul does a fantastic job of navigating we come to the shoreline each time and within minutes we find the markers.

Out of the boats and onto the bikes. It's going to be a tough bike, lots of climbing.

We make a quick transition and head out. Still no sign of the team behind. It's a little tricky with the navigation as there are no roads or trails on the map but there are plenty on the land. We get to a big climb, we think it's the right way and start the slow ascent looking for signs along the way that we're on the right path. Climb, climb, climb.... Curi isn't feeling so good and moving a bit slowly. Travis is towing. Paul and I trade off carrying his pack. His pack is heavy and uncomfortable and it's hard to carry. It finally takes its toll on me and I am struggling to keep moving. My back is killing me from the pack and my shoulder is screaming. I take a vicadin to relieve the pain. Then from behind we hear the other team. It's Fran (their super human guy) towing their girl, Nadia, up this incredibly steep road, absolutely amazing. He takes her to the top and comes back for another guy. Fortunately for us the top is quite near and we've got a big downhill ahead. The team passes us and I struggle to see through the vicadin fog and gather my balance for the steep, fast downhill. Paul rides behind me and coaches me along. Downed trees stop the team ahead and we all catch up. Then we continue this 2 hour downhill, stoping for the occasional downed tree, riding through tall grass where you can't see the ground or the ditches ahead. Curi take a big fall. He's a bit worried about his neck, but fortunately he crashes in front of the medical team. He picks himself up and gets back on his trusty steed. We all meet at the bottom of the big hill for another bit of climbing.

Our team is a bit worked and we move slowly, the Antiboles team pulls away and we have nothing to respond. We push on. Curi is struggling, breathing hard, bleeding in his nose and throwing up ocassionally. Paul is also feeling bad. We are all out of water. We limp along until we finally hit the river where we can refill water and refuel our bodies. Now we just have some gravelly, dirt roads to the end of the bike - cross the border leaving Chile, cross the border entering Argentina and we're there.

We come to the end of the bikes where we know we won't have support, we were supposed to have carried everything we need for the final hike with us on the bike. We are happy to see the smiling faces of our crew, though they can't offer anything more than words of encouragement and a hug. We learn that this spot is now a 3 hour mandatory stop. We wanted to keep moving, but it will be good to refuel and get ourselves back on track for the final hike and ropes to the finish. There's a restaurant nearby and we eat pizza and fresh trout, then try to catch a quick nap before the three hours is over.

Here we go - the last leg of the race. Our packs are a bit heavy with climbing gear, but somehow it's easier just knowing the race is almost over. We start a quick shuffle down the road, but we look back and Curi is walking. We talk to him and try to encourage him along. He's pretty spent. I take some stuff out of his pack and it helps a little. We divide up the gear and try to get him to hurry along. We spend the next several hours running behind Curi, pushing him along and trying to encourage him. Travis tries to tow him, but he refuses. We do our best to keep him moving and not get frustrated. The trail feels long and winding, up and down the hill side along the lake or maybe its a river. It's slow going and we know it.

We've received some specific technical directions for this section. James read them to us in the transition area but it was alot of information and we didn't pay too much attention - now we wish we had. Curi understands the directions, but he can't explain them to us in English. We keep trying to understand what the directions say and where they start, but it's difficult. We keep trekking - we know we are supposed to get in the water at some point and walk along the coast, but we aren't sure where. The directions are confusing. We're following trail markers but there are many - some blue ones, some striped ones - we climb for hours till we reach the top of this huge hill. There we stop for a moment to try one more time to understand the directions. It's here that we realize we should never have done this climb. We are all frustrated and tired - and we turn around and walk straight back down the way we just climbed up. Hours lost... we hope another team hasn't caught and passed us while we were on the detour.

We move along on the trail again and it's leads us to the coast, okay now we're on track but we've still got a lot of climbing to go. We stop for a quick bite on the shoreline, we're all running low on food and pretty sick of the food we have. Okay into the water. They've got some ropes along the rocks to help us along, but the footing is difficult and soon we are 100% wet. We scurry around the rocks, bouldering above the water, trying to stay dry. The air is chilly but it's not too bad. Okay back to the directions what are we supposed to do from here.. how long do we continue coasteering. Travis is leading the way then suddenly a little wooden cross with some green plastic tied on it, right in front of me. Paul I say, isn't there something in the directions about a cross. Yes, stop at the cross and follow the trail up. Here's the cross. We look up and there is a trail heading straight up the hillside - STEEP, but there are ribbons! Okay here we go....we scurry up the hillside, holding onto roots and small branches and taking care not to let loose rocks fall as we pass. Another couple of hours following the ribbons, there is no trail except for the organizers and one team ahead of us. We search constantly for the ribbons then finally we make it to the ropes.

They give us some more strange directions at the ropes --- after the ropes follow the ribbons till they end. When the ribbons end head down to the water and look for a boat to pick you up. Sounds easy when you are standing there, but then it just doesn't seem right. We follow the ropes course around the side of the mountain. Jumar up, rappel down, fixed line across, all the while following the ribbons - always searching for the next rope. Hours of ropes, up and down, though stickery bushes, back up the hill, down again... It seemed like it would never end. Then finally the ropes ended and we were just following the ribbons, ribbons and ribbons and ribbons. Where's the next one, anyone see a ribbon? Where's the last one you saw? Oh there it is, go right then over the rock and down under the bushes. Poor Curi, he wore shorts and his legs were getting torn to shreds. And then, the END of the ribbons....

Okay remember the directions - at the end of the ribbons just head down to the water - okay sounds easy, but the hillside is practically a cliff. Are you sure? We'll definitely get cliffed out here if we head down. It's super steep. But that's what they said, head down to the water. Okay it's the fastest way. And Travis takes off down the hillside, the three of us follow. The hillside is so steep, my shoulders can touch the side while I am standing. We scurry through the bushes, rappelling off of grass and vines and grabbing whatever we can. I see Travis dive headfirst to get through a big bush. We can see the water getting closer and so far no impassable cliff. Then the last part... peeking through the bushes we can see the water, but it's a big drop. Travis is on the shore. How the heck did he get down there? I rapel down hanging in the air by a vine. Paul follows and I just hear him land hard on the rocks. He yells out about his ankle. We all look back to see if he's alright..... He picks himself up and limps along.

Now we're unsure again...find a boat? Doesn't seem like there is anyone around and it's a big swim to the next shore. Travis starts climbing in the rocks and water. I start to follow and end up swimming. Curi sees a boat and whistles to them. His friends! And actually its the organization's boat that's supposed to pick us up and take us to the shore where we'll have a 100 m run to the finish line. The boat comes to collect each of us as we are spread along the shore. What a relief, we've made it and they tell us we are still the second team!

The boat takes us to the shore where we are greeted by our wonderful support crew and 20 more of Curi's friends. We get off the boat and jog with all of them to the finish. What a feeling, we've made it and we're second place. It feels good to be done, to be able to sit and chat with our crew.



We struggled but we were smart and kept our cool. We worked together as a team to make it happen. And then, as always, a little bit of sadness for being done - realizing that the journey, for now, is complete.