Desert Winds 2009 24 hour race

Written by Ryan Van Gorder
Created Date: Wednesday, 13 May 2009 11:24

nuun-FeedTheMachine, consisting of Ryan VanGorder, Jen VanGorder and Aaron Matzke, toed the starting line this past weekend in Temple Bar, Arizona with the other top regional teams to kick start their 2009 Adventure Racing season at the Desert Winds 24 hour adventure race. The race took place in the rugged desert to the East of Las Vegas, Nevada and consisted of trekking, mountain biking, canyoneering, swimming and navigating their way through the course.

The race started off well with the team sharing the lead for the first couple of hours until a navigational error in the labyrinth of canyons cost the team vital time and had them chasing the leaders. "Swimming out to islands and through the canyons was definitely the highlight of the course," exclaimed Ryan. After working their way to the first transition the team set out on bikes and proceeded to climb their way up 3000 feet over 20 miles. A series of additional trekking loops and checkpoints had the teams biking through the night until they set off through the desert for their last trek.

26 hours later the team ran into the finish. While the out of character non podium finish hurt, the excellent adventure and determination to finish the course proved to be a great way to start the season and get ready for what is surely going to be another good year for team nuun-FeedTheMachine.