2009 race recap.

By Fred Barton. Photos Vladimir Bukalo.

Calleva race 2009 was a race to remember. I registered in the expert 3 person coed division but lost a member before race day so actually competed in the 2 person male divison. After registering and recieving our maps, all expert racers were bused to the start location; a dirt road dividing fields of soy. As the race started, we ran to our passports, and began orienteering our way to our first checkpoints. Unfortunatly, my teammate got quite sick during this portion and dropped out, leaving me to complete the race unoffically on my own.

After acquiring the fairly straightforward first checkpoints, I reached a manned checkpoint where I recieved a kayak for the second portion of the race. This was a very easy section for me, and I passed a number of teams during the five mile paddle to Adventure Island. The scenary was beautiful and wildlife was abundant.However, the day of the race also happened to be one of the hottest days of the year and you could really feel it on the water. I found myself wishing for the end so I could get back into the shade. Adventure Island was a highlight of the race for a number of teams as there was a short section where one could rapid swim and a number of cool high elements for time deductions. I chose to do a high climb, a balance beam in a tree, and a tree climb. There was also an option for a giant swing and a helping hands element for those teams consisting of more then one member. Upon completion of these elements, I made my way back to my boat and paddled across the Potomac to Riley's lock. At this point, the true orienteering began.

I deposited my boat and set off into the woods to locate a number of cleverely hidden checkpoints. I witnessed a number of frustrated teams arguing over which direction the checkpoints could be in and I lost twenty minutes on a particularly difficult one myself. It was really during this section that I felt the lack of a team most keenly as an added pair of eyes and someone else to discuss directions with would have been quite welcome. When I did finally complete this section of the race, however, I headed back to Riley's lock to pick up my bike.

My team had agonized over bike selection but my final choice of a high front-travel, hardtail turned out to be a good choice as the begining of the bike section was about ten miles of road riding. This was very straightforward with no checkpoints. I ended at Shaeffer's farms; one of my favorite biking locations. This part was awesome in that you could really fly around the singletrack. There were a number of optional checkpoints hidden on the maps at various intersections throught the park and I crossed paths with a number of other Calleva teams. When I had had my fill of mountain biking, I left Shaeffer's and bike to the next manned checkpoint where I dropped off my bike and began a long trek back to Rileys.

As running is my weakest point, I was forced to skip a few of the checkpoints during the ten mile hike back. Unfortunatly, even omitting some checkpoints I still arrived back to Riley's an hour after the race had officaly ended; utterly exhausted but triumphant. The race was epic. I had a ton of fun, was challenged both mentally and physically, and would recommend next year's race to anyone looking for a fun way to spend a day.

Official race results are here.
Photos: link 1, link 2.
All posts about Calleva Race 2009 are here.
Other reports about Calleva Race 2009 we found on the web are at thoughtiknewthen and bobalog. The last one also has Google maps of the course. If you have one and want us to add the link, send us email, or just leave your comment.