Salomon Adventure Challenge
Parry Sound

May 31, 2003

Mud, Sweat, and …No Bugs?!?

After a two week deluge of rain in Parry Sound, ON we expected to be treating the local black fly and mosquito population to a veritable feast on May 31st, 2003 - a healthy payload of 79 teams (including Team Adventure Sports Magazine from Georgia!). However, racers were given reprieve as the pesky insects decided to take most of the day off.

The 2003 Salomon Adventure Challenge Parry Sound racecourse was completely different than the 2002 edition. FAR Inc. decided to feature the landscape to the Town's north this year - a vast expanse of deciduous forest and marshland that opens up directly into the Parry Sound to the west of Nobel, ON.

Similar to our Bark Lake event on May 11th, the Parry Sound race drew a large field of teams with varying abilities, ages, and experience. While some teams like Salomon AC regulars Kinetic Konnection of Windsor, Inertia of Toronto, and Bereft of Purpose of Cheltenham came to challenge for top spots and prizes from Salomon, most came to experience how much fun this Series is.

After rumbling away from Waubuno Beach Park in 6 buses to the start line, the race began adjacent to Hwy 124 with an opening, 8 km trek. The first destination was the north/south power lines above the 4X4 tracks leading to CP1 - a westbound, off-trail journey of 3-4 km. Routes varied significantly as some teams chose a straight line through whatever came their way (eg. swamp, bush, open marsh) while others attempted to finesse their way around the landscape's features. More than one team did some swimming in this section and it was Team Adrenaline Rush of Barrie, Team White Squall of Barrie, and Team Intrepid of Oshawa who jumped out to a 7 minute lead over the chase pack by the first CP.

Making quick work to the first TA and the start of the 12 km mountain bike, Team Adrenaline Rush, a father and two sons trio (none of which were shorter than 6'5"!) burned through and sent a clear message to all that they were here to win - you've never seen a team transition this fast! A couple of teams, Race Day Show Ups of Kitchener and Run DLC of Vancouver/Toronto had a bit of trouble locating CP1, but came out of the bush with good spirits and hopped on their bikes with smiles intact.

From TA1 to TA2, the north end of the Parry Sound, the mountain biking section took teams to the south of Nine Mile Lake toward Nobel before circling up to the crossing of Hwy 69, then southwest to the TA. It was a mix of paved road, 4X4 track, dirt road, single track and 'ATV dodging' that certainly gave the race some personality. Team Adrenaline Rush were pleased with this particular route as they knew the area quite well while Teams Muskoka Outfitters of Bracebridge, No More Excuses of Markham, and last year's winners Team Hunger of Kleingurg hammered strongly on the bikes. The racers' favourite sign on the course? - "Danger, Explosives" (no worries though, it's abandoned and quite safe!).

With an 11 minute lead intact, Team Adrenaline Rush pushed off into the Parry Sound toward the east shore of Elizabeth Island before heading straight south past Bowers Bay and onto the finish line at Waubuno Beach Park. Teams Algonquin Outfitters of Dwight and Mud Puppies of London put in some speedy times on the water and more than a few teams commented on how picturesque the paddle was.

In the end, an impressive performance by Adrenaline Rush is to be commended as they led the entire race but equally important is the fact that 76 out of 79 teams (96%!) made their way over the entire racecourse. While shorter than most Salomon AC's in distance, there were several challenges and choices along the way that made finishing this race a great accomplishment.

See you next at Quebec City's Stoneham Mountain Resort!

Odyssey Production & Hub Onsite:
Salomon AC Photo Sales

Visit Odyssey Production and Hub Onsite's websites for more images from Salomon AC Parry Sound...and if you find one you like, just order it right from either site!

TOP TEN RESULTS

For Full & Detailed Results and an entire Team Listing CLICK HERE!

Rank  Team Name  Location Finish Time
1st (Open)    Adrenalin Rush Barrie, ON 3 hrs, 34 min
2nd (Open)    Intrepid Oshawa, ON 3 hrs, 43 min
3rd (Open)    White Squall Barrie, ON 3 hrs, 43 min
4th (Open)    Muskoka Outfitters Bracebridge, ON 3 hrs, 51 min
1st (Coed)    Algonquin Outfitters Dwight, ON 4 hrs, 11 min
2nd (Coed)    Hunger Kleingurg, ON 4 hrs, 13 min
5th (Open)    Hub Media Windsor, ON 4 hrs, 17 min
3rd (Coed)    Peaks Brampton, ON 4 hrs, 17 min
4th (Coed)    Jagermeisters Belleville, ON 4 hrs, 19 min
6th (Open)    The Village Idiots Oakville, ON 4 hrs, 32 min


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