What an exciting weekend.

We picked Vance up at around 8:30am or so, loaded up all the gear and bikes and headed to Conasauga, TN to race in an 8 hour SORCS team race. Keep in mind, our team racers consist of two old guys (Vance 48 and Chris 40) and one young rocket, (Trevor). So keeping that in mind, about 30 minutes into the trip, Vance has to pee. This is not so bad except he has to continuously pee around every hour or so, of course we begin to hash on his old age being the reason he is having difficulty controlling his bladder. This also becomes contagious as Cal takes on the disease and begins to have to use the restroom frequently as well! For a while, I wasn’t sure we would ever make it to the track.

On the way to the track, we passed some very beautiful country. The highway we were on took us directly by the site of the 1996 rafting Olympics in Ocee, TN. This is a man made white water rafting course and is now open to the public. It was so amazing to look at, that we stopped and got out to take it all in, and of course let Vance and Cal pee. We also passed by this awesome zip line course. The course had six large platforms and over 6000 feet of zip line. We now are planning on getting some of our closest racing pals together for a white water rafting/zip line adventure racing trip next time around. What a weekend that would be!

We finally get to the track just in time to be greeted with a nasty thunderstorm. It rained something terrible and we just knew, a mud fest was about to take place. About an hour later, the rain stop and the ground soaked it up like a sponge, perfect soil conditions is about the only way to describe it, just perfect. The ground there was sandy, black dirt, not much red clay like we are used to. We walked several miles to check out the terrain and discovered some of the best trails we had seen in some time. This track had everything from a several hundred yard creek/rock run; to hill climbs and downhill’s to some really flowing single track. There was also a high speed run right thru a cornfield. To prove this, Vance actually has corn kernels embedded to his goggles as he decided to do some corn shucking at around 60 miles an hour!

We left the track and went on a search for a hotel. Now you wouldn’t think there would be anything going on in Cleveland TN on any given weekend.. except the weekend we decide to get a couple of rooms. We begin to call hotels on the way to town only to find out that there is some big college function going on and most of the rooms were booked up. We ended up going to two hotels that were full before settling down at the Howard Johnson, which just had a couple left. Phew! We check in, eat a ginormouse meal at cracker barrel to fuel up, and then head to town to find something to do. We were unable to find a put put, or bowling alley, so we decide to go catch a movie. Once there, we find out that the only thing there is to do in that part of TN is watch movies because there was no room anywhere. People were standing everywhere, parking was overflowing, lines were way outside the doors, we decide a movie wasn’t that big of a deal. Hmmm, what now, let’s pop in to this huge firework store and check things out. We do and it’s cool, but the guy running the show in there makes us a little nervous. He looks and talks like exploding things is his only hobby and seems to enjoy it a little too much. Maybe we should turn that place over to the FBI or something. So out of fear for our lives (and our hotel getting blown up) we make a small purchase and head back to the room.

Once there, old man Vance breaks out this noise making machine. He’s totally excited about this thing as it makes ocean sounds and animal sounds, thunderstorm sounds and so on. He says he needs this thing to sleep and may be the greatest invention of all time. Of course we look at him a little funny and realize, wow, this guy is getting old! Now we had adjoining rooms, so we left the doors open so we could shoot the bull, but shortly after laying down, you could hear this rumbling from Cal and Trevor’s room and of course we have to investigate. These two were throwing down, I mean a full blown snoring contest that you wouldn’t believe, of course both were out and have no idea how they were doing, but it was sure funny to see. I’m the next to drop out and evidently Vance didn’t turn on his noise machine because he was up most of the night watching the rest of the transformers movie and I guess cleaning and pacing!

Race day. We hit the track early and find our pals, neighbors and fellow competitors Corey McDonald, Steve Henson and Todd McDonald parked across from us and racing the same class. Pit row had filled up a bunch from the day before and looked like it was going to a decent turnout. The race started at 9am and Trevor pulled the first leg for us. He had a great start (third into the woods) and it was on. Lap times were running in the 21 – 22 minute range and with this information, we were able to put our strategy together. They come around and we sit in third with Trevor right on Corey and Hayden Okelley in the lead but they were basically all together. This went on for a little while when we find out Corey ran out of gas and something else happened to Hayden, so towards the end of shift one, we are in the lead. Vance goes out and I think we are still leading around this time, runs his shift and sets some really good times and right on par with Trevor’s times, but that’s not good enough for the 14 time champ, he says he is determined to set our fastest team time, it’s still a long day. Chris head’s out for his shift, first time on the track and I believe we were still in the lead at that time by a few seconds. A couple of miles in, I remember Hayden passing me on an alternate line on a downhill section. I tried to fall in behind to keep pace, but he was out of my reach, so I let him go and fell into my pace. I remember feeling disappointed because that was our lead right there, but better to stay upright and moving than on the ground. Head down, push. At the end of my shift we were still in second with the Mcdonald/Henson team not far behind. Trevor goes back out and by now, the heat was hitting home. Most of the team’s guys were starting to look weary, but that’s part of an endurance race, sucking it up. I think we had planned on Trevor running 4 laps or so, but he pulled into the pits very early with bike problems, luckily, I was on deck and sitting on my bike ready, just in case when he came in. The clutch went out on his bike, so Trevor is going to ride the Honda next time out. We switched bands and off I went with the McDonald team just a couple of seconds back. We are now down by around 6 minutes to the Hayden/Grizzle team and basically neck and neck with the others. I go out rolling, way past my comfort zone, but still pumped to be in contention, with my team depending on me, time to roll. About a third of the way through the lap, I hear Corey behind me. I try to take all the short lines I could and push as hard as possible to keep him back there, I knew he was going to get by, I just wanted it to take as long as possible. He finally does get by and I hold on to him and was able to keep pace the entire lap. I knew he must have been tired but thought if I could just hold on to him, we’ll be good once we switch out to a fresh Vance. I really don’t have any trouble keeping pace with Corey and even thought about making a move on him in one of the creeks, but dummy me pulled in too close and he blistered through, spraying water all over me, covering my goggles, this is all right before a dusty corn field fast run. I pull my goggles off and can no longer see as the dust was all in my eyes. I have no choice but to slow down and get some distance so I can see to move on. I burn a couple of more laps and then switch off to Vance; we now sit in third around 6 minutes from the lead and a minute or so from second.

Vance sets out with a mission, to set our fastest lap time. We think he does as he drops into the mid 21’s and cuts the minute gap to second to just a few seconds. Next lap or two, Vance comes around and has taken over second place from Steve Henson, but Steve is not far out at all. Cal is throwing down some serious calculations as the race draws towards the end and determines that first is a little too far out to capture at around 6 minutes but second is well in grasp, as we are in second now. Trevor goes out for the last leg, with about a 15 second advantage over the Mcdonald team. While out, Cal gets a commitment from the scoring folks that they will give them one more lap. The plan was for the cut off to be 4:30, if the leaders come in before, they will get the white flag, after, the checkered. Shortly into the second to last lap, the scoring folks come to our pits and inform us the Hayden/Grizzle team has broken down and we are now in the lead! Of course now the excitement is brewing in all of the pits and the scoring area as the series folks said they haven’t had a leader’s race this close and exciting in a long long time. The guys come around and it’s Corey McDonald with Trevor exactly on his rear tire, 2 seconds back. Keep in mind that Trevor is not even on his bike. This is what it has come down to, 8 hours later, white flag lap, leaders two seconds apart. We tell Trevor and Corey that this is for the win, but they already both know as they say Hayden’s bike leaning up against a tree on the trail. It’s on!!

The intensity at scoring was huge for that last twenty minutes; nobody knew who was going to pop out of the field first. Tons of speculation and chatter and we even begin to pack up our pits as to take our minds off of it, nothing anybody can do now, just down to two guys giving there all. Here they come… and it’s…… Corey Mcdonald in first, with Trevor a minute back as he went off the trail in the dust trying to push.

Wow, what a race. We are of course happy for our fellow locals from back home and we all tell each other’s race stories and smiles and all that good stuff. A race this intense and this close is what we are all after every time we go out. They don’t happen like this often, but when they do, you just cannot replace the thrill and excitement that goes along with it. The FTI team was awesome as was the others, the race was as emotionally draining as physical, but I don’t think any of us would have it any other way.

We send out our congratulations to Corey and Todd Mcdonald and Steve Henson on a race none of us will probably ever forget. We also congratulate Hayden Okelley and Mike Grizzle their third place finish even after breaking with two to go.

Special thanks to Cal at FTI racing, the Connell and Earl families for all of their support.

check out all the photos here… CLICK