24 Hours of 9 Mile Report

24 Hours of 9 Mile Race Report
8/2/08 - 8/3/08

I did everything wrong. Diet, fluids, mental state. It was a great lesson in how not to handle the pressure of a big race.

Let me start by saying that the venue, organization and the course were all top notch. Wausau is a beautiful place with some amazing outdoor opportunities. Checking in, camping, showers, course marking etc. were all in place and ready to roll on Thursday when we arrived. The Nine Mile Forest is a huge mountain bike and nordic skiing area. You could easily kill a long weekend in Wausau and ride a ton.

LC and I got our camp set up Thursday, which was the way to go. We got a primo camp site and were able to set the EZ UP up right behind our tents on the last section of single track before the start/finish. We were set up next to Mark Hendershot and Nat Ross.

We pre-rode the course on Friday doing a morning lap and an evening lap with a trip into Wausau in between. I chose to run a 32x19x29. The course was tough. There was very little sustained climbing, but the course has 1,400 ft per lap. So, you are up and down a lot in 14.5 miles. It was a mix of wide open two track and technical single-track. There were several technical rock gardens both on climbs and descents. The course also sported a lot of roots ala Ithaca.

Race day arrived and I made mistake number one. We had eaten a big supper tow nights in a row and I thought that a light breakfast was the way to go. Wrong. I was hungry by the end of the first lap and that was not good. AFter placing our bikes at the start of the course we lined up for the lemans start. 3,2,1 and we were off. After a .5 mile run we got back to our bikes and were off for real. It was a cluster for the first lap until things got themselves sorted out. Next year I'll skip the pre-race meeting, get a better bike location and line up at the front for the run.

Now to the debacle. I was riding well but never felt very good. Not bad, just not good. I tried fluids and food but never got things where I would like them to be. This began to worry me. At 10 pm I took a nap and went back out. LC and I met up and rode my tenth lap together. It was slow going. My goal was to ride 14 laps. After the tenth, I just couldn't will myself to go back out. This is where I am really disappointed. I let the pain (two new holes in my butt) and fatigue get the better of me and I called it. Had I just kept riding, even slowly, I could have gotten my 14, which would have put me in the top five.

Moral of the story is: when endurance racing, NEVER QUIT.

So, I am stoked that I went to this great event, but I am disappointed in my lack of mental fortitude.

LC rocked. But I'll let him tell his story.

Wayne Cook