Race Coverage

RACE Coverage
Atacama Crossing Blogs 2022
View All Posts 2022 From : Robert Ripley
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06 June 2022 03:43 pm (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
Team Ripper Rides Again! (Race #6?)
This past weekend Bend hosted the Bend Beer Chase. This quintessential Central Oregon event combines 2 of the area’s most popular sports: running and beer drinking. The Beer Chase is a 55 mile relay race divided into 12 legs that circumnavigates Deschutes County in between Bend and Redmond. Most of the legs start or finish at one of the many local breweries, and all of the transition zones are sponsored by breweries with product tasting available.
Team Ripper, fresh off of its awestriking performance at the Pole Pedal Paddle (barely recovered from injuries sustained at the Post Pole Pedal Paddle Party), was a natural favorite for the Bend Beer Chase (BBC). Unfortunately, our star runner Nigel had injured his achilles on the river trail a week prior and was moving with a pronounced gimp and Lars had decided that the BBC was not a good enough reason to interrupt his training in quest of world masters’ rowing domination, so we were left with a team of 3 uninjured racers (plus Nigel). Which put us at a severe disadvantage given that most of the teams had 6 runners. So we would each have to put out for 3-4 legs of the relay instead of the usual two.
Hans starts us off right!
Hans hands off to Hu!
Nigel shows us how it's done!
Fortunately, Nigel’s tape job held together and he was able to pull his weight and Team Ripper performed admirably, even if I did wind up doing two legs in a row for 13 miles on the uphill, upwind side of the course (let’s just say I didn’t get a PR for the half). We finished in around seven and a half hours (averaging about 8 minute miles), 12th place overall and, as an added insult, we won the grand masters division (because no one else has lived long enough to compete with us!). But, most importantly, we finished while there was still beer left at the finish line!!
Some guy in a red hat runs through the sagebrush.
Hans takes the baton from Hu for his final leg!
Team Ripper at the line. Grand Master champions!
After the 20 or so miles I put in at tempo on Saturday’s BBC, I went out Sunday morning a jogged another easy 20 in the woods.
Nancy and I are getting ready for the RTP Georgia 2022 race. We will be volunteering on the medical team, so won’t be expected to compete in the race, although I am hoping to sneak out and run a few miles on the course.
The logistics for getting a medical team ready for one of these races is almost as daunting as gearing up as a competitor. Fortunately, we don’t have to carry all of our equipment and food for the entire week on our backs, but we do have to be able to schlep it to and from the Jeeps and, be ready to mount a mobile rescue if need be. I have been finding out about the supply chain breakdown first hand as many of my usual sources for supplies and medications are either unavailable or on permanent back order.
Cody and Holly look on with dismay at the pile of stuff getting ready to go to Georgia
One way or another, with or without our stuff, we will be in Tbilisi in 10 days. We are looking forward to seeing all of you (in the Georgia Race) there!
Comments: Total (1) comments
Mary Gadams
Posted On: 08 Jun 2022 05:09 pm