I have heard through the grapevine the dates for the races Marty puts
on. We had several club members go to these races last year and they
all seemed to have a good time. The website isn't actually updated
yet, but these dates should be correct.

Ultimate Sports Association
PRESENTS
2005 Ultimate Race Dates
Ultimate Tri State Adventure Race - UAR Series #1 May 28-29th
Ultimate Adirondack Adventure Race - UAR Series #2 June 25-26th
Ultimate White Mountain Race - UAR Series #3 July 30-31st
Ultimate 36 hour Adventure Race - August 19-21
Ultimate Green Mountain Adventure Race - UAR Series #4 Sept 3-4
Ultimate "Hammer" 50 Mile Bike Race - Sept 11th

Here is an email from the Quest for a Cure race organizers. This
race is the cheapest 48 hour race I know of with a full medical
staff, insurance, etc.. In addition, this is a race where most of
the entry fee is a donation to a cancer center.


Full details can be found at www.questforacure.ca

--------------------------------------------------------------
Att:     Quest for a Cure  2004 Participants
Re:      Quest for a Cure  2005

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all  our past
participants for your ongoing support.  We have incorporated several
of your  suggestions into this year's event planning.  As a result,
you will notice several  changes for our 2005 calendar.

Course  Design

·  We will  return to our first year format, with shorter stages and
frequent  transitions.

·  This  year's event will be held in the Madawaska Highlands/Ottawa
Valley and as a  result the road and communication infrastructure
will be much better than our  past locations.

Racer Information  Flow

·  Courses will be divided into "control zones". 

·  Zone  coordinators will have ready access to teams and the race
operations centre,  allowing for quick reaction to changing
conditions/situations on  course.

·  Maps and race instructions will be issued earlier than in past
years  (2pm).  This will allow teams a greater  opportunity to plan
their race and seek clarifications before the official start  at 6pm.

Team  Structure

·  Teams may  compete in either of our June events in one of four
classifications:

·  4 person  mixed
·  2 person  mixed
·  2  female
·  2  male

Course  Choice

We will be offering both our 48hr Long Course and  a New 24hr Short
Course event this  year.

New for  2005

March 12 The Trailhead Show  presents the Cognos Quest for a Cure
Urban Challenge.

It is our goal to broaden our competitor base in  order to raise
more funds for the Cancer Centre.

Cost

·  We have  held our registration fees and minimum donation amounts
to the same low level  for a third consecutive year.

·  This  year, the race wrap-up dinner is included with your paid
entry.

·  All  racers of record from Quest for a Cure 2004, qualify for a
30% discount on  registration in any event on our 2005 calendar.

We look forward to having the opportunity to once  again be your
hosts for Quest for a Cure 2005.

Sincerely

Jim  Andrews
Race Director
(613) 290-9481
jim@...
www.questforacure.ca
 
 

 2005 Event  Calendar

___________________________________________________________

Saturday March  12

Ottawa/Gatineau

 


Challenge Course   9amto 3pm

Family Course          12noon to 3 pm

June 24 to 26

Madawaska  Highlands

Long Course            Friday June 24 (6pm) to Sunday June 26 (6pm)

Short Course            Saturday June 25 (6pm) to Sunday June 26
(6pm)

Hi all,

I'd like to offer an opportunity to anyone who would like to join my
sister and I in a cool pentathlon race at Tuckerman's Ravine.  Its
listed on the GMARA website and here's the link to go directly
there.  http://www.friendsoftuckerman.org/inferno/competitions.php

We're looking for teammates; particularly someone for the ski
portion.  Is anyone an especially great hiker and skier/boarder?  We
can do any of the other four disciplines, so we'll play with other
people's requests for legs.


Please respond to me at dvogl@... if you're interested
ASAP so we can try to get one of the very few slots.

Thanks!  Happy trails…

- Deb

There is a very intersting race coming up in April over at Tuckerman's
Ravine in NH. Evidently it consists of running, biking, kayaking,
hiking, and skiing, and can be done solo or as a relay. I thought some
of you might be interested.

http://www.friendsoftuckerman.org/inferno/

-Chris

We'll be getting together to watch the Primal Quest this weekend. Hope
to see you there!


Details:
The Subaru Primal Quest will air next Sunday, the 23rd,
on CBS from 4:00-6:00 p.m. If you are not familiar with
this race, you can check out some of the details at
http://www.subaruprimalquest.com/

One of our club members, John Davison, has offered up
his house and TV for a group watching of the race.

If you're coming, plan on showing up around 3:30-4:00.
We'll have drinks and munchies there. As a result, we
need to know how many folks are coming.

Email me directly at chris@... to RSVP.
Directions and maps are at the yahoo group site.

Cheers!
Chris

With less than 6 weeks before the start of the 5th annual Coast to
Coast Challenge the excitement is starting to build. At the moment we
have a small field of 8 local teams and 2 international teams so
there is plenty of room left for any team that would be interested in
escaping the winter for a 5 day expedition race in tropical Costa
Rica.  More info on the race can be found at the following link:
http://adventureracingcostarica.com/ctoc_race_page.html
The route design team has completed the route and is excited to see
how racers will fare.  They have done an amazing job in keeping the
route top secret.  To help teams prepare for the race they have come
up with the following info:
-       The route is approximately 400 km in length
-       Teams can expect an  incredible variety of terrain and
temperatures (high 100F / low 40F)
-       Teams will travel through tropical rainforest, cloud forest,
farmland, and typical Costa Rican communities. The highest altitude
along the route will be over 10,000 feet.
-       The time breakdown on the disciplines are as follows: Approx.
35% MTB, 25% paddling, 35% trekking and 5% ropes and other
disciplines.
-       There is a dark zone for the whitewater section but teams
will have an option of an alternative route – this should keep the
race moving.
-       The top team should be able to finish the route in about 3 ½
days while a less experienced team will take the full 5 days. The
final cut off is at 6am on the 6th of  March (6 hrs more than the
full 5 days)
-       Basic navigation skills will be essential – nothing
complicated but never ending.  Sloppy navigation will really slow
teams down.  Expect a variety of different types of maps and ways for
the organization to present the route. 1:50,000 topo maps will be the
most common.
-       For the most part teams can expect the stages to be long and
sometimes in very remote areas - especially during the trekking.  The
mountain biking will be less remote
-       The route is definitely challenging but at the same time
accessible for less experienced teams
The official race info will be sent out to registered teams at the
end of the month.
There are several Costa Rican racers that are looking for team mates
so if you don't have a team but would like to race let us know.
Remember a 10 day Race Package is $2,500 but if time is tight, Race
Only Price is $1,800.
One last thing – no international team has ever won the race so the
local teams think they are pretty hot stuff – they need some
competition.
Pablo Brenes D.
Events Coordinator - Coast to Coast Adventures
www.adventureracingcostarica.com
Tel.(506)280-8054 Fax (506)225-6055
P.O. Box 2135-1002 San José, Costa Rica

Ok, so the directions are posted in the files section of the Yahoo
group, since I couldn't attach it to the previous message. Or you can
just call me at 865-9895 and get them that way.

-Chris

The Subaru Primal Quest will air next Sunday, the 23rd,
on CBS from 4:00-6:00 p.m. If you are not familiar with
this race, you can check out some of the details at
http://www.subaruprimalquest.com/

One of our club members, John Davison, has offered up
his house and TV for a group watching of the race.

If you're coming, plan on showing up around 3:30-4:00.
We'll have drinks and munchies there. As a result, we
need to know how many folks are coming.

Email me directly at chris@... to RSVP.
Directions and maps are attached.

Cheers!
Chris

Congratulations to the following GMARA members
for winning free entries to the Jay Challenge:

Paddle: Karen Stokley
Run: Greg VanBuren
Mountain Bike: Steve Meunier

Full race details can be found at http://www.JayChallenge.com

I'll send you three a separate email with some
additional details. Thanks to Daniel DesRosiers and
the Jay Challenge for offering these entries!

Regards,
Chris

The lift ticket was grabbed by Deb Vogl - congrats!  Look for possible
GMARA events with the ALA in the future.  (And check out their Ski and
Ride discount card at http://www.lungusa2.org/vermont/ski04.html -
discounts at lots of local mountains, and all in support of a good cause.)

-Tim
GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...


>
>
> All -
>
> I received a free lift ticket to ski with Olympian Doug Lewis next
> Friday the 21st at Sugarbush from the Vermont American Lung
> Association.  I can't use it, and have permission to offer it to a club
> member.  You will be provided with a full-day lift ticket to Sugarbush
> for the day, and will receive a FREE 2 hour-clinic with Doug Lewis from
> 10-12pm.
>
> First person to write and say they want the prize gets it!  The catch:
> I need an answer TODAY, so write back ASAP!!!
>
> Hope everyone's new year is off to a good start,
> -Tim
> GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...
>
>

All -

I received a free lift ticket to ski with Olympian Doug Lewis next
Friday the 21st at Sugarbush from the Vermont American Lung
Association.  I can't use it, and have permission to offer it to a club
member.  You will be provided with a full-day lift ticket to Sugarbush
for the day, and will receive a FREE 2 hour-clinic with Doug Lewis from
10-12pm.

First person to write and say they want the prize gets it!  The catch:
I need an answer TODAY, so write back ASAP!!!

Hope everyone's new year is off to a good start,
-Tim
GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

Adventure Racing Unleashed has announced their 2005 race season. There
will be two twelve hour races: one on June 18th, the other on
September 17th.

Full details at http://www.AdventureRacingUnleashed.com

GMARA members receive ten dollars off the per-person entry fee.

Hi Teams,

My name is Pablo and I am the events coordinator here at Coast to
Coast Adventures in Costa Rica. I am writing this email to let you
and your adventure racing club members know about a 5 day expedition
race that we are putting on this Feb 28th .  This is the 5th year
that we are organizing the race.  We have put together a 10 day race
package for international teams.  The cost of the package is $2500
per/team.  Race info for the CtoC Race and other races for the 2005
season here in Costa Rica can be found on our website.

http://www.adventureracingcostarica.com/ctoc_race_page.html

The 5th edition of the CtoC Race will begin at exactly midnight on
February the 28th / March 1st 2005. The start location of the race
will be announced as all teams load buses in San Jose for the journey
to the start line on the coast.   Here teams will have the afternoon
on the beach to prepare for their expedition across Costa Rica.

This year's race route is 420+ km long.  Racers will hike, bike and
paddle through some of Costa Rica's most varied and interesting
terrain as they cross the country from coast to coast.  Teams can
expect parts of the route to be in very remote areas while other
section may travel through typical Costa Rican villages where asking
direction will be essential.

GMARA members,

There's lots going on even though its almost December!

First of all, we will have a end-of-the year membership meeting at Petra
Cliffs next Friday, December 10th. Our official reservation time is 6:30,
although you can certainly show up before or after that. Your climbing pass
and harness rental for this event are FREE; the only cost to you will be if
you decide to rent shoes or a chalk bag. I'm sure some of us will head out
to grab some food afterwards, so you can plan on that as well if you'd
like. If you are planning on attending, email chris@... so we have an
idea of how big a group we'll have.

If you have never filled out a waiver there before, you can print one ahead
of time here: http://www.petracliffs.com/indoor/memberships/index.html
Directions and contact info can be found here:
http://www.petracliffs.com/indoor/facilities/location.html


Secondly, the Jay Challenge has given us a FREE entry to each day of the
competition. The Jay Challenge consists of three separate races:
        July 29th: 25 Mile paddle on Lake Memphremagog
        July 30th: 28 Mile off road mountain marathon
        July 31st: 64 Mile mt bike race; over 10000' of climbing

This is a super tough set of races put on here in our backyard. You can get
the full details on the race website:  http://www.jaychallenge.com/

If you would like to be considered for a free entry, just email
events@... and let us know which races you would like to be
considered for. We will be holding a raffle for these entries, although
sending Chris a yummy dessert may improve your chances of winning.


Thirdly. thanks for a great first year! We hope a lot of you can make the
climbing event, even if it is just to chat for a bit and grab some food.


GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

I'd love to hear what racers thought of the different races they
attended or volunteered at this year. So if you don't mind, take a
moment and fill in the group.

Not only at the battle stories interesting, it will help people decide
what to think about doing next summer.







Note: Any member can post to the gmara list by sending email to gmara@yahoogroups.com or replying to any gmara group email.  See links below to unsubscribe.

Hi all,
I wanted to give my say on the one race I participated in this past
year.  I was on a team for the Quest For A Cure 48hr Adventure Race
in Ottawa Canada.  Great times were had by all.  The race is run very
well, although this year we ran into some rather large snags that
ended up not allowing for a complete race to be had.  Not under the
organizers' control though; just a series of unfortunate events.
I would highly recommend this race to any seasoned racer who wants a
longer race that will really test your physical and mental
capabilities.  There is a little of everything offered in this race.
Just make sure to allow for a great majority of your spare time to be
consumed training and planning for this length of race.
Unfotunately, my entire year is filled with other sports, so I am
unable to commit to many other adventure races.  I would love to
still participate in the outings, clinics, and races when possible
though, so keep me in mind!
Good luck to everyone interested in racing...its a very unique and
challenging sport that you can take much pride in participating in!
- Deb

In response to Chris' request;

I ran two this past season, the Ultimate White Mountain and the
Ultimate Green Mountain.  Both were phenominal races and I plan on
running the series this coming year (the one I missed last was the
Ultimate Adirondack).  Website is at http://www.ultimate-race.com/
Let me list some pro/cons about this series
Pros
     1.  Marty (the Race Director) really caters the races to the
'racers.'  He has two catagories; Championship (4 member coed which
covers about 65 miles) and then standard all male, all femail, &
mixed, consisting of three members, covering roughly 40 miles.  If
you're up to it and have a three member team you can run the
championship.  The difference in lengths are for teams that aren't up
to the longer race.  This gives newer racers the opportunity to run
along seasoned teams.
      2.  Great race courses.  Marty and his crew really put a lot of
effor into creating a challenging course and you'd be hard pressed to
find anyone that has run one of his courses tell you that it was easy.
      3.  Support:  Some teams have a difficult time finding support
crew, so for an additional $50 smackers, Marty takes care of this for
you.  He rents a large budget truck and totes the gear around for you
in two large containers that your team supplies.  The teams I raced w/
used this 'unsupported' option at both races and it worked really
well.
      4.  Navigation:  If you're new to the race scene, again, Marty
caters to the racers.  He can provide a plotted map and additional
help w/ it if you request, or you can plot your own during the
pre-race step off.
      5.  The challenge:  It's not neccessarily a race to see who can
get to the finish the fastest, but to see who can just make it to the
finish!  His courses are really challenging and test your mentally and
physically in the short time frame of 12-14 hours.
    I could go on, but you really need to run a race to get the true
experience.  If you want further info just email me.

Cons.    Honestly, there really weren't any.  There were a few check
points that people griped about, but that happens in a lot of other
races as well.  I can' really say that I found anything negative about
the races.

Again, if you have questions, let me know.  Otherwise, hope to see you
all at the upcoming climbing day/night @ Petra.  Lets get out and have
some fun.

Greg.


--- In gmara@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Yager" <yagercs1@y...> wrote:
>
> I'd love to hear what racers thought of the different races they
> attended or volunteered at this year. So if you don't mind, take a
> moment and fill in the group.
>
> Not only at the battle stories interesting, it will help people
decide
> what to think about doing next summer.

I'd love to hear what racers thought of the different races they
attended or volunteered at this year. So if you don't mind, take a
moment and fill in the group.

Not only at the battle stories interesting, it will help people decide
what to think about doing next summer.

Here is the schedule for this year's Genesis races. They're probably
too far to be of interest for most folks, but I have heard good
things about their longer races.

http://www.genesisadventures.com/

2005 Events
Winter Adventure Races
Feb. 6th Fahnestock, NY
Mar. 6th Northfield, MA

Triathlon
May 21st Harriman, NY

Churn & Burn Mountain Bike Relays
Jun. 11th Wawayanda, NJ (12-hr)
Jul. 23rd Stewart Field, NY (12-hr)
Sep. 10-11 Ashford, CT (24-hr)

Westchester Marathon & ½ Marathon
Oct. 9th Westchester, NY

Sprint Adventure Racing Series
May 7th Harriman, NY
Jun. 4th Hartford, CT
Jun. 25th Wawayanda, NJ
Jul. 16th Northfield, MA
Aug. 6th Allamuchy, NJ
Aug. 27th Pachaug, CT
Sep. 17th Douglas, MA
Oct. 22nd Ringwood, NJ

12-Hour Adventure Racing Series (now with 2 and 3 person team
options)
May 14th Ringwood, NJ
Jul. 9th Hartford, CT
Oct. 1st Harriman, NY

Adventure Racing Camps
Apr. 23 Redding, CT
Apr. 24 Redding, CT
May 6th Harriman, NY
Jun. 3rd Hartford, CT
Jun. 24th Wawayanda, NJ
Jul. 15th Northfield, MA
Aug. 5th Allamuchy, NJ
Aug. 26th Pachaug, CT
Sep. 16th Douglas, MA
Oct. 21st Ringwood, NJ

(apologies if you got this twice)

Just a reminder that Warren Miller tickets are being sold even as we
speak, so if you think you'd like to go, let me know soon before we
can't get good seats!

*** I need to know if you want tickets before the morning of the 10th
so I can get the tickets and make reservations. ***

Saturday the 20th, 9pm, dinner downtown beforehand if you'd like to
join us.

Normal price is $19.75 for a great movie, two lift tickets, and a $25
gift certificate - hard to go wrong.  We're at 5 definites and a maybe
now - if we can get that to 8, ticket price drops to $18.75.


Chris, Dani, Greg, Kay and anyone else who wants to come, let me know
how many tickets and any food requests if you'll come to dinner
beforehand.  Friends, spouses, significant others are welcome - this
isn't GMARA members only, its just a group purchase!

-Tim

GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

GMARA folks -

This year's Warren Miller movie, "Impact" is showing at the Flynn with
four times: Sat November 20th at 6:00 & 9:00 pm, and Sunday November
21st at 5:00 & 8:00 pm.

I'd like to go on the 20th at 9.  If you'd like to go, let me know and
I'll buy tickets in a block.  Groups of 8 or more get a $1 discount per
ticket, and we could all grab dinner downtown beforehand.

With a ticket to the movie you also get a free lift ticket to
Killington, a free lift ticket to Mt Snow, and $25 off a purchase at
the Alpine Shop.  (See
http://www.warrenmiller.com/wmiller/schedule/offers/vt_bur.html for
details on the free stuff.)

In case you still have doubts, check out the trailer here:
http://progressive.stream.aol.com/time/gl/wmiller/videos/2005/
impactsmall_dl.mov


-Tim
GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

Hello all GMARA folks!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we're relocating our member
forum to a Yahoo group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gmara

This will give us the ability to post pictures, keep up a calendar, and
much more easily communicate with everyone.

To post to the group, send email to gmara@yahoogroups.com

Check it out, add us to your yahoo groups list, and keep an eye out for
upcoming events.  Plans include climbing at Petra Cliffs, night
camping/bonfire, dinner and the Warren Miller movie, snowshoeing, cross
country skiing...  and any ideas you'd like to contribute.

Get out and enjoy the fall!
-Tim

GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

This Thursday, 5:30 at Mud Pond - sunset's at 6:30, but we'll have time
to at least do the fun loop a few times before it gets too dark.  (Plus
plenty of time to get home and catch Survivor and/or the debate.)
Bring light just in case, and figure on it being a little cool.

http://www.fotwheel.org/mudPondLoop.shtml for directions and
description.

(By the way - Fellowship of the Wheel linked above is a great local
organization and has done an excellent job creating and maintaining the
trails we've often used on our rides.  Membership dues of $25 or
helping out with trails are a good way to give back.  Think about
making the donation!)

-Tim
GMARA.org: Bringing adventure to the great outdoors!      tim@...

All -

the wine and cheese hike up Snake Mt was a great time - perfect
weather, beautiful views of the Adirondaks, and some good food and
wine too!  Definitely a recommended hike, although not a difficult
one at all.  (We talked about it being a good trail to run,
actually - muddy in spots, but not a huge amount of elevation gain.)

Pictures will be in the photo area soon.

Enjoy the weekend!

-Tim

We've decided to move to this forum instead of using the one on our
site, for ease-of-use and security reasons. Using this forum you can
choose to receive daily emails of the postings. Just click 'Edit My
Membership' in the upper right hand corner.