Posted: May 25, 2005

Adventure Racing: Wild Miles Adventure Relay Finishers Beat The Desert Heat

Pine Valley, Calif. (May 23, 2005): The adage, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity," did not hold much water for the 575 runners who braved sunny sizzling conditions at the 183-mile Wild Miles Adventure Relay held May 21-22, 2005, in the Southern California desert.

Temperatures hovered around 90 degrees at the race start in Borrego Springs, a quaint resort town in the winter but in the late-spring and summer, a virtual ghost town. The heat quickly soared to a record 112 degrees during day one of the relay, unusually blistering weather, even for one of the hottest spots in the country.

The toasty temperatures did not seem to dampen the spirits of the fifty-five 10-person and five 5-person teams that took turns running the event's 30 legs of distances ranging from 3.4 miles to a half marathon. "I heard quite a few comments about the heat from the runners," said Pat Flanagan, race director. "But, strange as it may seem, I also heard just as many comments about how much fun everybody had."

The relay was run primarily on rural roads with the exception of the third leg of the relay, a half marathon through Grapevine Canyon. Undoubtedly the most challenging leg, most runners finished the loose sand-covered segment about an hour slower than their typical half marathon time.

"The Grapevine was brutal," said Tim Schoenmackers, who ran the 13.1-mile leg for the 10-person winning team, Nacl, an acronym for the fictional National Association of Competitive Lunatics and the chemical formula for sodium chloride, common table salt. Team Nacl covered the course in 22 hours and 29 minutes. "Throughout the entire race, you could feel the heat coming up through your shoes."

Five-person team, Core Five, managed to place first in their division (24:00) despite having one of their runners drop out of the race for heat-related problems. "This was harder than an Ironman," said Todd Schoelen, Core Five team captain. "But we'll be back next year."

The winding point-to-point course also trekked through desert towns such as Shelter Valley, In-Ko-Pah and Plaster City, home of a wallboard manufacturing facility. The route also included a stretch through scenic Anza-Borrego State Park. The landscape was spectacular, said Kevin Riley, of Hoover, Alabama, and team The Running Dead. " We were videotaping the mountain backdrops and desert terrain as much as the runners."

Spectators were scarce as the desert was deserted for the winter season. Runners, however, were greeted along the course and at leg checkpoints by caravans of vans full of resting relay runners, volunteers, the seemingly ever-present California Highway Patrol and a handful of Border Patrol officers whose normal workday involves monitoring the area for illegal border crossers. Portions of the course came within a mile of the Mexican-US border. Depending on the time of day or night, runners encountered a menagerie of desert wildlife including coyotes, scorpions, lizards, snakes and jack rabbits during their journey.

Night-time leg runners were required to carry a head light as part of their gear. All of the team vans were equipped with mandatory supplies of water, electrolyte replacement drinks, ice, reflective vests, first aid kits and other supplies. Support from team members on all legs was crucial. Team members soaked towels in ice water and threw them to their runners.

Team spirit was overflowing at the Finish Line Bash in Pine Valley where team members brought their runners home by running the last mile with them to the finish line. Team Nacl and the second place team, Los Angeles Frontrunners, who followed Nacl by just eight minutes, embraced at the finish line. "The camaraderie amongst our team members and other teams was incredible," said Schoenmackers. "We are looking forward to doing the race next year."

The event benefited the Challenged Athlete Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities to pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and competitive athletics.

The next Wild Miles Adventure Relay will be held May 13-14, 2006. Registration will open online by June 1, 2005. Team divisions will include: Corporate, Public Service, Military, Open and Masters. For more information on the Wild Miles Adventure Relay, visit www.wildmiles.com or call In Motion, Inc at (760) 692-2900.

Top Team Finishers:

5-Person Teams
Core Five                                               24:00
Two Fat, Two Slow, Two Ugly                  25:36
The Bakersfield Burros                           29:18
Team CAF                                             29:24
Biffle Dinked                                          30:15

10-Person Teams
Nacl                                                      22:29
Los Angeles Frontrunners                       22:37
MAWTS-1                                             23:34
Team Catch'em & Drop'em                      24:00
Operation Dry Hump                               24:52
Hensel Phelps Freaks                            25:25