Re: RC: National Championship Final Summation

[hikryrdg <hikryrdg@evansville.net>]

   An added note regarding Randys comments.  The event was a hoot! Excellent
vet team, an awesome trail, lots of good folks and the water from the 8,000
gallon tank wasn't bad to the taste at all.  As a matter of fact I know one
heavyweight that would have given his kingdom for some of that water at about
half way down Mitten-Bar!  All of the surrounding events like the cave trip,
and the reception at the Museum of the Horse were added bonuses to the event.
It was a hard race.  It was not dangerous.  Many, many folks worked very hard
to make this a great Championship event.  And it was.  Thank you Randy and
Crew
for giving us a great race and memories we will hold for a lifetime.  Jerry


>Genie Stewart Spears will have an article in a subsequent issue of
>Endurance News describing the event in detail, so I will limit this to
>some statistics and explanations.  We had 93 total starters in both
>distances and one of the truly amazing and satisfying results of this
>event is the
>fact only one horse required minor metabolic treatment (in the 50 - "tied
>up" at the 12 mile Vet Check).  This fact is a tribute to the calibre of
>horse and rider teams and the experience level of our Vet Team -  Drs.
>Barney Fleming,  Jamie Kerr, Susan McCartney, Gail Conway, Sid Zarges,
>and volunteer Jim Baldwin.  This may have been the best team of ride vets
>ever gathered in one place at one time.  I can speak for the riders and
>all others associated with this event when I say it was a pleasure to
>have this group of vets on Our Team. 
>
>The 2000 Championships were extremely competitive in every division and
>both distances.  Winning Times were faster than I estimated, evidenced in
>the winning times of 5:50 (50) and 14:03 (100).  As is the case in all
>high profile rides, there has been some controversy over the difficulty
>of parts of the trail.  In this case it is over the Capitan Mountain
>Loop.  This was a Championship Ride with a greater degree
>of challenge than the usual endurance ride and let there be no doubt the
>trails were steep, rocky, tough and challenging.   The complaints about
>this segment of the trail came from 4 or 5 of the 50 mile riders while
>the majority of the 50 milers appreciated the challenge...Joe Schoech
>probability summed it up best when he wrote, "....from this SE rider's
>standpoint, I would do it again, in a heartbeat".   Interestingly,  the
>100 milers have not voiced a complaint even though they rode nearly twice
>the distance over this tough loop (20.5 miles VCR 12.5 miles) with a
>longer and harder downhill. 
>
>In trying to analyze this fact -  in my opinion with no aspersion cast
>toward 50 milers - I think the 100 mile riders are used to winning by
>pace and strategy with speed playing a lesser role while many 50 milers
>place less emphasis on pace and strategy and greater importance on speed.
>
>The winners in both events used the Capitan Mountain Loop as part of
>their strategy to pull away as was evident from our Padilla Summit Radio
>Crew reports.   Padilla Summit is located about 6 3/4 miles from the Vet
>Check at nearly 9700 feet elevation - close to a 2700+ foot climb.  In
>both
>events we saw 20 and 30 minute leads out of the Vet Check reversed to 15
>to 45 minute deficits in that 6 3/4 mile stretch.  Those horse/rider
>teams in the best physical shape worked in partnership to make good time
>on this tough rocky loop.  Many ran beside their horses on the uphill and
>downhill switchbacks, using the Summit Road to ride fast.  This strategy
>paid off.  
>
>In final judgment of the AERC Championship these facts stand out for both
>distances: 93 starters with only one minor metabolic treatment at 12
>miles in the 50, no injury requiring veterinary care, no rider injuries
>requiring medical treatment, the ride times were fast - well within
>normal ride
>times, and the completion percentages were better than usual for a very
>tough Championship high profile event - 60% in the 100 and 72% in the 50.
> I don't know of any high profile Championship Endurance Event with such
>glowing statistics.   
>
>AERC and every participant in the NHSF EXPLORER/BIOLAN AERC CHAMPIONSHIPS
>should stand proud of their accomplishments and CHALLENGE THE REST OF THE
>ENDURANCE WORLD TO EMULATE THIS SUCCESS - you AERC riders did it right!
>
>
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