Ah! To be back in the north woods of Ontario eh! The bush, the northern lights, and the friendliest people on earth. Adventure racing, Atikokan style! Team Enviromark/Chirosport comprised of me, Frances, Ron and Sue Stonitsch arrived in this northwest Ontario town with high expectations and a ting of excitement on Friday, May 21, 2004. Check in was located in the recreation center where we met Garth Stromberg, the race director. Twenty seven coed teams of four from throughout Ontario, Manitoba, and the northern U.S. had gathered for the 36 hour Atikokan Adventure Race. Teams were directed to their gear drop area located inside the rec center/curling rink. Ah! Couldn't get better than this, inside, out of the weather and the bugs? After the gear checks and a bit of socializing with our fellow competitors and friends we organized and chilled waiting for the pre-race dinner and briefing.

After a delicious dinner of salad and wild rice, we watched a video of last years highly successful Raid the North Extreme which was also held in Atikokan. We were welcomed by local government officials and the Superintendent of the Quetico Provincial Park. A local team of the official's and another with the Superintendent were actually racing! What a credit to Garth and the town of Atikokan for this deep level of support of adventure racing!

The race format was such that there were to be three transition areas. Each team could have three boxes, one for biking, trekking, and canoeing. The race staff would transport the boxes and bikes. At the briefing, five 1:50,000 maps were distributed along with updated GIS maps showing logging roads and an even more recent satellite image of the area. Needless to say, in a remote wilderness such as this, roads were being built and being reclaimed by nature on a regular basis. Garth's briefing was brief and straight forward. Teams could navigate where they saw fit, no contrived routes or limitations. And only 12 CP's in 100 miles or 160 kilometers for you Canadian readers! Yeh! With the anticipation building, we set off to design our route.

The race was scheduled to begin at 0400. Thank God, Garth is not punctual! I was up at 0315, dressed and ready to rock and roll. At 0348, Franny asked, "Have you seen Ron and Sue?" Oh no! At 0315, I had rapped my knuckle against the window of their SUV where they were dozing. Sue had sat up with a dazed look, kinda like a deer in the headlights stare. In hindsight, I guess she was still dozing! At 0348, staring through the steamed up windows, I loudly proclaimed, "Wake up! You have 12 minutes till the race starts!" I expected pandemonium, nope, still the dazed look, until it sunk in, the Chief was not kidding! Get UP! I have never witnessed two people moving so fast! First to the bathroom, then to the clothes, then to the bathroom again, then to the clothes again, then, finally to the start line. WOW! Although neither was completely ready, they toed the line with great excitement, wondering what they had forgotten or failed to do. At least we hadn't started the race 10 minutes after everyone else. Thank you Garth and Thank you Ron and Sue!

The race started officially at 0430 under clear skies and mid 40 degree temperatures. A police car escorted the bike pack out of Atikokan to the northeast. Initially, the fast peloton cruised on paved roads. The route then turned to gravel and the peloton broke up. The ride to CP1 was 18.5 miles. At approximately mile 16, on a steep downhill section, a female racer from Team Whistle Pig out of Minneapolis crashed in the sand on the road. I was right behind her. As I got to her side, I observed that she was unconscious, ashen color, with snoring respirations. I immediately asked that someone get the cell phone out and call for assistance. Ron meanwhile offered to ride to CP1. As I conducted the secondary assessment, she started to regain consciousness. Thank God! In minutes she had regained full consciousness and movement of all extremities. Once she stabilized, we continued to CP1. As we biked, the race staff passed us in a support vehicle. As a footnote: Team Whistle Pig continued and finished 21st! We arrived at CP1 at 0530 in 13th place. Continuing on the bikes, CP2 was located on Road 633, just south of the village of Kawene, 9 miles from CP1. We arrived at CP2 at 6:21 in 9th place. Continuing for another 4.5 miles, CP 3 was reached at 6:43 still in 9th place. The route to CP4 was 6 miles. We arrived at 7:25, now in 10th place. The initial biking leg was 38 miles. We had completed it in 3 hours for an average speed of 12.6 mph.

We had arranged with Garth to have Sue's 12 volt breast pump in a vehicle at TA1. She was beginning to become somewhat uncomfortable, as she is nursing her beautiful 6 month old daughter, Cadence and producing copious amounts of milk. Naturally, in adventure racing you expect the unexpected. Yup! It happened! No pump! The portable, manually operated one would have to do. After a 20 minute transition, it was to the trek and CP5 which was an unmanned CP six miles deep in the Quetico. The trail was laced with beaver dams and river crossings. We trail ran the six miles to CP5. On the way back we fast packed and ran the down hills as Sue now had to pump. With milk flying on the down hills, teams who were passing us going the other direction couldn't quite believe what they were seeing! As Sue puts it, "you got to do what you got to do". And as I quickly learned, if Sue ain't happy, we ain't happy! Just kidding! Sue is absolutely one of the easiest persons to race with I have ever experienced. As a team, we had decided to take the longer route to CP6. The choices were either bushwhack through dense forest and swamps for approximately 18 miles or run on trails for 13 miles, then run alongside Trans-Canada Highway for 8.5 miles, up and down a logging road for 5 miles, and a bushwhack for a 2 mile round trip for approximately 28.5 miles. The faster route paid off. Although the short two mile bushwhack was memorable, through bog and fallen timber, we arrived at the north shore of Tilly lake at 1:51 p.m. now in 8th place. Running on the shoulder of the road in wet shoes and socks took its toll on our feet. Sue continued to pump to the stares and disbelief of passing motorists! Adventure racers are different! Isn't it wonderful? Walking in the cold bog water was a welcome relief. During this entire trek, we had maintained a 4 mph pace, or 15 minute/mile average. This pace count kept us orientated to the map and our location. On to CP7/TA2. We arrived at 3:08 p.m. now in 7th place. After a very quick transition, only 19 minutes! We were on the bikes for an 8 mile ride to CP8. We arrived at 4:05 p.m. still in 7th place. Another 8.5 miles of riding on an unimproved logging road took us to CP9, the transition to the final canoeing leg. This biking section was challenging to all teams. The roads were not on the topo maps. By using the satellite image, we traced the road onto the topo. A couple of teams spent many hours navigating the interconnecting logging roads. Due to this, we arrived at CP9 at 5:13 p.m., now in 5th place with a 36 minute lead over Subaru Canada and trailing the 4th place team, Wilderness Supply Co. by less than an hour. Then, things started getting dicey. Apparently, only the paddle gear boxes for the anticipated top 5 or 6 teams had been initially moved to CP9. Much to our dismay, (we handled the news quite well I thought) our boxes and paddles were not there. The black flies were memorable, flying in any and all body orifices. They were just the size to feel them go down as you gagged then swallowed. Only a swig of water would wash them down. Luckily, they were tasteless, and fortunately, they hadn't started biting yet. Probably too cold. I unfortunately, thinking light is right, wore only Pearl Izumi tri shorts and a light top. Burr! Now the fingers were numb and the general body shivers were occurring. Luckily, the transition volunteers were two of the kindest, most accommodating people. The husband gave me his fleece off his back and the wife turned on the Ford Escape heater to high. Along with the 12 volt breast pump for Sue which had arrived, a welcome relief I might add, we patiently waited for 1.5 hours until Garth finally arrived with our stuff. Franny and I sat in the front seat and Sue sat huddled in the back seat with a huge black lab named Dakota. While we warmed and ate, Ron paced impatiently outside, watching over our canoes. When we had arrived at the TA, Ron and I had immediately "claimed" two of the new Souris River 18' Wilderness Kevlar canoes. This choice would ultimately payoff. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, the Souris River Kevlar canoe with the flexible rib system is the toughest, fastest, best tracking canoe I have ever paddled. After Garth's arrival with our stuff, we quickly changed into warm, water proof clothing for the long cold overnight paddle ahead. Unfortunately, we had lost two hours of paddling in the day light. This loss of daylight would ultimately be our greatest undoing. We left the transition area via the Atikokan River at 7:13 p.m. now in 6th place, passed in transition by Subaru Canada.

The initial paddle to the west down the Atikokan River was quite a workout. The river serpentined for approximately 3 miles. Multiple log crossings were encountered. Franny would get out; I would crawl up the canoe to the front and get out, then haul the canoe over. Then, we would reverse the process. Luckily, we avoided getting our feet wet. At one point, a bald eagle, perched high on a tree top amusingly watched. 18' canoes, in swift current, being steered by spoon kayak paddles was quite frustrating. I longed for my bent shaft ZRE race paddle. I was sweating like a steer! The river never seemed to end, until finally, Crooked Pine Lake came into view. Spirits at this point were high. The lake surface was glass like. The sun was just setting. Surreal beauty and tranquility! For Sure! The paddle, the entire length of Crooked Pine Lake was 9 miles in length. Past McGinnis Point we paddled under the northern lights. At this point, we were paddling at approximately 5 miles per hour. We were feeling good and warm. We were heading to the portage around the upper and lower falls. As were neared the end of the lake, we could hear the falls, or so we thought. Unfortunately, the wrong falls! We had inadvertently gotten into a bay north of our intended location. These falls were coming into the lake! There was no portage. We stopped, reoriented the map, and GOT COLD! We paddled numb until we reached a set of rapids leading into Magnetic Lake. At this point, I made the decision to quickly go to shore, start a fire, warm up, get dry clothes on and proceed. At first I felt like I was next to be voted out of the Survivor tribe. I had a small Bic lighter. Remember, light is right. The flame from this small lighter is about ¼" long. Not long enough to even get birch bark started let alone dry grass. After burning a hole in my glove and blistering my finger, the flame finally ignited the kindling! Thank God! I survived another tribal council! As we were warming, more, thoroughly chilled teams came to shore asking if we would share the fire. You bet! After about 30 minutes we were ready to continue. When we left, there were maybe 3-4 other teams huddled around the crackling, aromatic fire. Back in the canoes, Franny and I negotiated the first set of rapids in the dark. And I mean dark. Our headlamps would not cut the blackness and running the rapids was blind. Rocks, either sticking out from the surface or barely under the surface were not visible. At the end of the rapids we solidly smacked a rock but luckily glanced off. Ron and Sue were not so lucky! As they negotiated the rapids and approached the rock, they apparently hit it broadside, causing them to swamp. In 38 degree water with an outside temperature around 32 degrees, the potential for severe hypothermia was acute. Now we had rescue and ultimately survival to deal with in the Canadian wilderness, the only rescue access by float plane in the morning! Luckily, Ron and Sue were able to swim to shore with their canoe. The packs stayed in. I was able to retrieve the floating gear with the exception of the throw bag. Franny got out of our canoe and guided Ron and Sue through the bush back to the warmth of the camp fire. Thank God for the camp fire. The teams who were huddled around the fire, realizing the seriousness of the situation, allowed Ron and Sue to move in close. Both stripped out of their wet clothes and put on a few extras that Frances and I had in our packs. They were thoroughly chilled. I was extremely concerned with Sue. Her body was being taxed beyond its limits. She had to be thoroughly warmed before we continued. As a team, we decided to remain at the fire until Ron and Sue were warm and dry. We would continue at first light. Now, only five hours away. During our stay, we took on the new role of campground hosts. In all, I would guess that at least 15 teams rested and warmed around the now three campfires. Many stories were told and many shoes, bike helmets, clothing articles were melted. I remember as I lay beneath my cushy space blanket, dreaming of Jamaica, someone kept moving my feet away from the fire. I remember my big toe glowing at one point, the urgent "I smell something burning" cry and the 6'5 guy who took up ½ the fire ring as he lay sleeping. Ah, the memories! Luckily, we were warm and dry and ready to continue at 0500 a.m. After a short 1 mile paddle on Magnetic Lake we reached the portage. The portage was 1 mile in length. Somewhere, early on in the portage, Ron proudly proclaimed his dislike for carrying canoes, with wood yokes. I guess you can't take a south Chicago boy into the Canadian wilderness and expect different. Apparently, he hasn't held the weight of the world on his shoulders before! Ha! I on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the light weight (47#) canoe. Although, I have to admit, I prefer padded yokes. The morning dawned clear, sunny, warm, with the wind and current to our backs. Yeh! From the portage, it was another 3 miles to CP10. Finally, CP10 was reached at 6:55 a.m. We were now in 16th place. It had taken us 11:42 minutes to reach CP10. We quickly pushed off from shore and paddled 3.5 miles down the length of Sapawe Lake to CP11 at 7:45 a.m. We were now in 15th place as we had passed a team on the Sapawe Lake. The canoes had to be portaged a short distance across a road to the Atikokan River for the final 13 mile push to the finish. At this point, the river followed the Canadian National Railroad tracks. Multiple rapids, a couple sets of falls, and culvert shoots under the rail tracks were encountered. At this point, Ron and Sue had regained their confidence in running rapids. In fact, they decided to take one backwards! This paddle section was quite enjoyable and the rapids were a hoot. At one point, Franny and I almost shot a water falls. We were headed down when I noticed a log jam at the head. I yelled back! She grabbed the bushes on shore. We stopped. Luckily, we had the throw bag and were able to drag the canoe back upstream. Disaster averted. At this point we passed another team. Ron was once again excited about the prospects of a portage. This one along the rail tracks for a short distance, over a bushwhack and back into the water. After a short set of rapids, and a quick portage we arrived at CP12 at 11:14 a.m. In total, the canoe leg had covered approximately 33 miles. We had been unlucky with the capsize, but were fortunate to have experienced the river in the day light. It is truly a beautiful waterway. Now, only a 1 mile portage to the finish. Quickly, the canoes were thrown over our (my) head, gear and paddles were grabbed by Frances and off to the finish line we went. Meanwhile, grunting and groaning, Ron and Sue double teamed their canoe and gear across the finish line. We crossed as a team at 12:07 p.m. in 32:37 minutes. Due to the fact that we had waited for 1.5 hours for our box and gear, and were assessed 30 minutes at the transition, our final adjusted time was 30:37. Officially, we finished in 15th place, the third U.S. finisher behind our friends AGS/InfiterraSports and Mandatory Gear.com.

Although disappointed with our final standing, we had quite literally survived a potentially disastrous situation. We had raced hard, smart, and had given the race our best effort. We couldn't ask for more. Thank you to all of our families and friends who e-mailed us and followed our progress on www.sleepmonsters.ca and who e-mailed us encouraging words. Sorry we frightened you during our campout! Thank you to John Hobbs and Enviromark for your sponsorship. Without your support we couldn't do what we do, see what we see, experience what we experience and achieve what we achieve. And finally, thank you to Garth, all the volunteers, and the community of Atikokan. May your dream of Atikokan becoming the adventure racing capital of Ontario and all of Canada come true. We support you and definitely will be back! Gerry Voelliger