Race Report

Quest for a Cure 24 hour Course

Saturday June 25th, 6:00pm to Sunday June 26th, 6:00pm

Team: Andre Gaudreau, Cindy Archer

Support Crew: Dennis Gaudreau

Donations for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre received from: Kenogami Lake
Lumber, Kistie's Trucking, Bev's Bucks, Northern Stores, Dave Jeremy & Dave
Haavaldsrud

The summer of 2005 will likely go down as one of the hottest and driest on record and this race weekend was definitely no exception. Driving towards Perth on the day before the race the thermometer readout on the console of my truck was stuck at over +35 and that made no mention of the humidity. It was obvious to a northern boy like me that this was going to be trouble but I had high hopes heading into this race. I was coming off my first adventure race win only three short weeks ago in a sprint race in Barrie. Add to that the fact that I would be racing with Cindy who was coming off a very busy racing spring that had her in the best shape of her racing life and that is saying a lot. I knew that I would have my hands full just to keep up and that we had a good chance at finishing very well if I didn't screw up the navigation too much. And that was a legitimate concern as this was going to be by far the longest race that I had been navigator for.

The team assemble in Perth at the home of my sister Christine. May I take this chance to thank all my family and friends for somehow deciding to move to places that are somehow conveniently located near race start lines and for continuing to allow me to use their homes as a base for my teams! This time the race was to start in the town of Calabogie, On a mere 40 minute drive from my sister's house. This saved the team some major bucks and gave us a comfortable place to prep for the race.

Saturday morning came and we headed for the race in my little truck with the rented canoe humming away on the roof. We arrived at the beach on Calabogie Lake and went through the usual gear check and registration with the one twist of a medical exam to get a baseline on our heart rates and blood pressure. This out of the way we did all we could to stay out of the sun and at least as cool as possible. Reports were coming in steady of teams on the 48hr course having major trouble with hydration and other heat related problems. This certainly did not bode well for me but I hoped that with the late day start and hopefully a quick pace that we would miss the worst of the heat and be off the course before it became a problem.

Soon it was time to receive the maps start plotting our course and prepare for the race briefing. Very quickly after receiving the maps and instructions it became obvious that this was going to be a very different race then we were used to. The instructions were very detailed and included many street names something we had never seen before. The challenges of staging an adventure race through such a populated area meant that this was going to be a very fast course through very little wilderness and in fact would be almost more like an urban race. This did however lead me to make the mistake of taking the navigation too lightly as it seemed so straight forward and obvious, this mistake would cost us time later.

The race started with a short 2 km paddle across Calabogie Lake to the shores of a golf course. From there we were to run about 3 km through the golf course then up a road until we reached a marked trail leading to the rappel. We were a little slow in the water as our paddles were not the best and to make matters worse the one in the back was attached to someone who was having trouble keeping the canoe straight. The canoe was a nice light 17' beauty that unfortunately did not have a keel and that meant the stern paddler needed to possess some skill and we were stuck with me! But once we reached shore we made up for it quickly and ran to the rappel in third spot, first of the co-ed teams. We breezed through the short but scenic descent and quickly ran back to our waiting canoe and headed back out across the lake for a 3 km paddle that led to a 13 km trail run. And for the most part run we did as we aced the navigation and even managed to run past the race photographer as the sun was setting for quite a nice picture if I may say so myself. The only hitch we ran into so far was a little problem when early on in the run I was fiddling with something that was digging into my back from inside my pack. Well that turned out to be the part connecting my hose to my hydration bladder and before I knew it my ass was soaked and I was nearly out of water. The section was relatively short so the lack of water was no big deal as Cindy was able to share her supply but the wet ass would lead to a much bigger problem later.

We arrived at the second T/A and quickly jumped into the canoe to set off on a long paddle down the Madawaska River to Arnprior. A little too quickly it turns out as I soon realized that I had left my compass behind so we went right back to shore and got it before we took off again. The paddle was amazing, a warm night with a big moon on the rise and great company in the canoe who could ask for more. We were cruising along quite well and everything was going as planed as we approached the portage around a big power dam. It was to be a 1 km portage on river right but as we started to get close to the dam all we saw were these warning signs to go no further without risking certain death. The first sign relatively small and then the next one huge! We were hugging the right bank and certain that we had not gone past the portage but starting to get nervous when suddenly just below the large sign of doom there was a humble little portage marker. Safely ashore we headed out quickly and with excellent teamwork made short work of the portage and before we knew it we were back on the river and on our way to Arnprior. This is when the first of our small nav errors would crop up. Our next route marker was a bridge that we would go under not long before we reached the next T/A. Well against my own advice I failed to keep to the left shore and got sucked into a large bay by the sight of cars going by on a road that I thought was the bridge. Once turned around and headed back on course we came across a team of two guys who were without their map for this section so they joined with us for the rest of the paddle and before you knew it we were in Arnprior.

From this T/A we were back on foot heading through the town of Arnprior using a series of roads that led us to a local trail network that headed east to the shores of the Ottawa River. Our new friends caught up to us on our way through town (I think they used a taxi!) and we started working together again through this section. Once through the trails we followed the shores of the Ottawa River until we got on a road that led us to a cabin with a marked trail that would lead us onto another road and then to a cart path leading to a supposedly short river crossing swim. We got into a little trouble through this section as it seemed when the two teams worked together no one really did much navigating, just assumed the other one was! After a couple short miss-directions we reached the swim as day broke and another team of 4 co-ed joined up with us there. The swim was a little longer then advertised and if it was not for my map bag full of air I am not sure that I would have made it across. One of these days I really must work on becoming a better swimmer!

That behind us we proceeded to run and walk down roads leading to the Fitsroy Harbour conservation area and the next T/A and back to paddling a short distance across the Ottawa River down a short portage through a little canal and on to the Tim Hortons’ camp for kids on the Quebec side of the river. Everything was going well as we approached the small dam that signalled where we would have to portage around and into the canal. But once we cleared the dam it was obvious that there was no canal to canoe down and that if we were going to get back to the river we were going to have to do some fancy portaging! So with Cindy carrying the gear I put the canoe over my head and made like a moose bushwhacking it the 200 metres or so back to the Ottawa River and on to Tim Hortons. We arrived at the T/A to discover that of all the four or so teams that we arrived at the dam with we were surprisingly the first out. So it turned out that what we thought was a mistake in navigation was actually a good move and we were re-energized and headed out on the bikes on fire. Speaking of on fire that little problem I mentioned earlier with a wet ass had now become a full-blown case of chaffed nuts and I was not having any fun! This would grow in significance as the race wore on.

The biking was going well as we were using the tow system to perfection and keeping a strong pace. But the combination of a lack of street signs plus the confusion of sleep deprivation was starting to show as I was getting too easily confused through this section. We managed to stay on track but I did have to give up on the tow after a while as I was starting to feel the affects of the ever increasing heat!

We arrived at the next T/A still in good shape and headed out on the long (about 20 km) trek to and through Gatineau Park to the shores of Meech Lake. This is where things started to go wrong, the instructions were simple and clear, follow the road to a marker then follow the trail to the base of the escarpment to find the equestrian trail to the parking lot in Gatineau Park. Well we reached the escarpment to find no sign of the trail (turns out it was straight ahead to the east!) so I quickly and may I add much too quickly looked at the map and determined that we were at the base of a hill just to the south of the trail and that if we simply went up and over the hill we would find the trail. Wrong oh so wrong!! So after going up for a while and then wisely back down (thanks Cindy) we did a bit of unnecessary bushwhacking before we found ourselves back on the correct trail having lost time and it really started to heat me up!

The trail led to a road on which the instructions told of a gas station that we would walk by so I a rare moment of forethought I had put a $20 bill in my pack to buy supplies on the way by. We stopped in and in a Max Payne tradition bought some slushies and a pop and headed out to find the race photographer again and he took the opportunity to take a couple pictures of us with our booty. We headed back out on course and before long we met up with our new friends that we had been working with earlier. We got to talking about where each of us were from and before long I found out we were racing along side the boss of long time Max Payne teammate Keith Pomakis. It really is such a small world!

Before we knew it we were in the park and headed up the infamous fire tower trail. And when I say up I really mean up! Then the unthinkable happened, I started to crack! Or more appropriately melt down. The heat and exertion of climbing the hill was getting to be too much and I was starting to have leg cramps and generally feeling not too good! The one chance to cool down came when we walked beside a water fall but the burning between my legs kept me from soaking myself as much as I should have and I just dunked my head, not enough! Cindy was doing much better though and before long we traded packs to lighten my load. This worked wonders and I started to speed up again a felt better and before too long we reached the next T/A and not a moment too soon. Time was becoming a factor and despite the speed at which we had been racing it was going to be difficult to reach the finish line on time. Just when I thought we still had a chance, things went from bad to worse. The heat had truly gotten to me at this point and before I left the T/A I started to puke! Once that was over I felt a little better and we headed out on bikes hoping that the breeze would help cool me. I should have taken a dunk in Meech Lake as the T/A staff suggested but the chaffed nuts thing made me too reluctant to do so.

At first I thought that biking in the breeze would be enough relief but then the road turned up hill! Damn that part of Quebec has a lot of hills! We started into the trail system at Camp Fortune in Gatineau Park that would lead us down into Hull. The going was slow at first as it was mostly uphill and I was not doing so well. Sure enough before long I was blowing chunks again! Or more accurately just spewing water like a faucet. I knew we were not far from the end so I was determined to go on and I had Cindy there helping me all the way so there was nothing to worry about. Except perhaps a flat tire! Yeah when it is not your day it is just not your day. I suffered a pinch flat on my rear tire and so we had to stop and fix it. This allowed an unranked team of three (lost a teammate to injury) to pass us but before long we were back on our way and we did meet up with them again later.

After a long ride through the park we found ourselves on a street in Hull with no street signs (damn I hate that!) and my delirious and confused state was not helping. Thankfully Cindy stayed calm and found a passer by to confirm that yes we were on the right street and that if we just followed the bike path in front of us we would eventually reach the Alexandria Bridge that we were looking for. So on we went and before long we had reached the final T/A and had just a short 6 km paddle down the Rideau Canal to Dow Lake and the finish line. It appears the sight of me puking at the last T/A had set off some alarms as one of the race medics took a long hard look at me and asked a few questions to determine whether or not I was fit to continue. Somehow I bluffed my way through and we were good to go, now all we had to do is portage our canoe up and over the locks so we could start paddling. Just in front of us were our friends that we had been racing with for most of the last 24 hours and they were fairing no better. They started out on the paddle just ahead of us but about 2/3rd of the way through we saw them pull to the side. Sure enough one of them had to puke as well so I decided to pull in behind them and do the only courteous thing and join him by releasing the contents of my stomach for one last time! We headed back on our way and before long mercifully we had the finish line in sight!

We had made it to the end as the only team of 2 co-ed in the 24 hr race to do so and I think the third team and last to cross the line at all after completing the entire course. Sure we were about 45 minutes late of making it within the 24 hour time limit but I still think that counts as a category win! Too bad it was a charity race with no prizes for wins by category.

All in all it was a great race for us as a team despite my little problem with heat exhaustion. We worked very well as a team and I think Cindy may have been the strongest teammate I have ever raced with. She was absolutely incredible and kept the race pace real high and it was no doubt that my trying to keep up with her hastened my decline into madness I mean illness! We treated this 24 hour race as if it were a sprint race! I have never seen anyone more prepared to race and race hard, unfortunately it seems to have come at a heavy price. Whether it was burn out from a heavy race schedule or just time in her life to move on to other things only Cindy knows for sure. But by the time I had returned home from this race the news I had been dreading for some time had come in the form of an email from Cindy announcing her retirement. The team has suffered a great loss, we will all miss her great spirit out there on the course but I am consoled by the fact that through racing I have made a great friend and that will go on even if the racing together has stopped for now.

So yes once again I have to say thanks to a few people for making this race possible. Thanks to those who donated graciously to the cancer care centre and to the volunteers who organized and ran this race. Thanks to my sister for putting up with smelly adventure racers in her house again! Thanks to Dennis for doing such a great job with support again (so many transitions that he never had a chance to sleep in this race either!!). And on last time a huge THANK YOU to Cindy for not only this race, but also the six others you did with me over the last three seasons. It was an honour and a privilege to race with you and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, good luck in whatever you decide to do next!

Andre Gaudreau
Team Max Payne