Not everyone lives

"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives."
- A.Sachs

Blog about 2008 Death Race from Chris Mitchell

http://ultrabongo.blogspot.com/2008/07/pittsfield-death-division-2008.html

Training Log - June 30th 2009

• Seated elliptical - 20 minutes - Target HR 150, Avg HR 142, Max HR 157, Time in target zone 14 minutes
• Rowing machine - 20 minutes - Avg pace 2:19 /500 meters
• Upright bike - 30 minutes - Avg HR 153, Max HR 176
• Medicine ball overhead throws (kneel) - 10 min w/o break - medium weight
• Medicine ball lateral throws (kneel) 3x30 each side - medium weight
• Knee extentions with knee table - 20# 5x60 each leg
• Pushups using bosu balls (kneel) - 2x15 and 1x12

Also - Visit to Green Mtn Rehab to get right foot worked on, professional number 2 says "no running"

Worth watching

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching"

Unknown Source

Training Log - June 29th 2009

• Ran quick 5k in the morning
• Went to get foot x-ray (possible stress fracture) ... x-ray came up negative, but they said it may be too soon to see. Doctor says no high-impact activities. Going to gym tomorrow.

Photos from the 2009 Death Race

http://picasaweb.google.com/JackCary/DeathRace09#

Story from Rutland Herald

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090628/NEWS03/906280368

2009 Death Race Summary (at least what I saw)

I'm going on zero sleep so this may be off.. but here is what I remember

1. 8-9 PM FRIDAY
2. Start at Amee farm.
3. Follow glow-sticks in woods.
   
4. Take gear and mandatory bike up 1800 feet to top of Joe's hill.
5. Remove front and rear wheel from bike.
   
6. Remove chain from bike.
7. Hangout by the fire pit and "strategize".
   
8. Race director says: "You will carry your bikes with you for the entire race"
9. 10 PM FRIDAY
10. Pre-Race meeting - Thanks to volunteers, staff, private land owners, and thanks to all the nuts that showed up to the Death Race.
11. Race Director says: "Matches and Lighters are not approved gear".
12. 11 PM FRIDAY
13. Take bikes/gear but not wheels/chain back down mountain to Amee farm
14. MIDNIGHT
15. Try to get some sleep
16. 3:30 AM SATURDAY
17. Head lamps start to come on, people getting out of cars, packing gear including axe.
18. 3:55 AM SATURDAY
19. Race director says: (while holding huge tree stump) "First task will be to find a tree stump with your bib number on it and dig it out of the ground with your axe, or what ever tools you are carrying with you." Reminder, whatever gear you start with, you must take with you the entire race.
    
20. Race Director says: "You must keep roots on stump.
21. 3:57 AM - Race director - when you get your tree stump, you will carry it for the entire race.. with all of your gear and bike... also there are 2 hour task cut-offs. If you don't finish in time, you are out of the race.
22. 4:oo AM - Race start
23. It's pitch dark
24. The next 12 hours went something like this...
25. Cross route 100 get in drainage ditch
26. Crawl uphill in long ditch under barbed wire (about 1 foot off ground) with gear
27. Turn right into uphill clearing full of trees cut off about 1 foot from ground
28. Find the tree with your number, in the dark it could be anywhere
29. Remove your tree from ground with whatever tools you have
30. At least 3 people drop out here or do not make the 2 hour cut-off
31. Once you have your tree stump, carry it with your gear back down hill in ditch under barbed wire
32. Back across route 100 to Amee Farm
33. Take your gear, bike and stump down hill towards river into another ditch under barbed wire.
34. Crawl under very low foot bridge with barbed wire with all gear, bike stump
35. Exit ditch and enter extremely rocky river
36. Rocks are from baseball size to watermelon size, there is no flat ground, water is knee deep. All rocks are very slippery. Walking is very difficult, most people fall in.
37. Walk in river down stream a mile or two.
38. You will see a man.
39. Man gives you a single match (not waterproof) which you must carry with you for another task.
40. Turn around in river and head back upstream
41. Still carrying gear, bike, match and stump.
42. Back into ditch this time uphill under bridge, under barbed wire and back up to Amee Farm
43. Cross rt 100
44. Find pile of 20 large logs
45. quarter/split every log in pile
46. Some larger logs take racers 30-40 minutes each
47. More racers drop out
48. After logs are quatered, stack all but six logs
49. you will carry 6 pieces of wood up to the colton camp
50. Start hiking uphill to colton camp with 6 logs, bike, gear, stump and match
51. Once at colton camp (about a mile up hill) put your logs on the wood pile (keep your stump)
52. Next instruction, hike up very very very steep mountain trail with all gear, bike stump
53. at the top of the trail there will be a list of 10 names.
54. Memorize the 10 names
55. Return down very steep trail to colton camp to recite the names
56. if you forget any names, you must climb up again and again .,. with your bike, gear and stump
57. From colton camp hike back down to Amee farm
58. You will see a pond.
59. Get in new ditch under barbed wire and crawl up hill to foot bridge
60. on the bridge there will be an object made out of Legos ... yes Legos.
61. Memorize the structure/colors exactly
62. run down hill jump into pond and get a bag of Legos from the far end.
63. Take Legos to shore and build the structure that you just saw
64. if you do not make an exact copy, back in the ditch you go under the barbed wire and to the foot bridge.
65. Until you get it right
66. *by the end of this task, 50% of the racers have dropped out or missed the cut-off
    
67. Rain storm
68. Back to Amee farm
69. Back downhill with your gear, bike, stump under barbed wire
    
70. under bridge
71. back into river
72. this time turning right (upstream)
73. Very very long river walk with river rocks carrying everything
    
74. Get to flame/torch in water
75. Get out of river and read instructions for next task
76. drop your bike and pack, and hike up hill to riverside farm
77. find hidden chicken egg in field
    
78. find fire wood
79. bring egg and wood back over hill to the riverside where you left your gear, stump, bike
80. Use your single match and wood to build fire
81. Use old cans (some were dog food cans) to boil water
82. cook egg in boiling water
83. if you crack your egg, you must go back up hill to riverside farm and get another
84. eat egg
    
85. more racers drop out or miss the cut-off
86. It is now mid-day
87. rain starts hard
    
88. pick up gear, stump, bike and head back over hill to riverside farm
89. you will find your bike tires
90. put the tires back on your bike
91. go to pond
92. dive to retreive your bike chain out of pond (not sure how this was done, as i was trying to catch up to race leaders)
93. Put chain back on bike
94. Ride bike around Joe's field and then put your bike in the barn
95. You are done with your bike
96. go back to pond and get weighed on scale
97. grab bucked and fill with 20% of your body weight in rocks
98. take bucket of rocks, gear and stump up a fucking killer hike to Joe's hill
99. Most of the hike is strait up a revine with waterfalls
100. lots of non-trail hiking through thick woods and nettles
101. Close to top of hill (this was about a 2 hour hike) dump your rocks
102. hike up to top of joe's hilla
103. you must now hike back down the other side of the mountain with your stump, gear and empty bucket
104. this hike is very sketchy, branches in the way, a 4 foot drop off etc.
105. at the bottom, you must completly fill your 5 gallon bucket with water
106. then turn around and go back up steep steep hill with full bucket of water, gear and stump
107. oh, and if you spill any water, you have to do it again.
108. this hike up took the fastest racers over an hour
109. Once back at the top of Joe's hill, dump out your water.
110. Head back down front side of mountain
111. back uphill to Amee farm in trench
112. under bridge
113. under barbed wire with your gear and stump
     
114. 20 hours have passed since you hiked your bike up Joe's hill for the first time
115. First finishers cross the line. Most did not make it.
116. It's past 4 PM on SATURDAY ... hardcore.
     

Back from the 2009 Death Race

Details and photos coming soon

Training Log

• Hiked/walked most of the course with the racers, including all hikes up mountains, and a good bit of river walking. No barbed wire for me this year :)
• Stayed awake 38 hours from 6 AM Friday to 9 PM (minus about an hour "rest" in my car)

Pittsfield facts

Because of the town's mountainous terrain, the invention of the one-legged milking stool is attributed to Pittsfield "...as a means of conquering a stern difficulty."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsfield,_Vermont

When death came

"'I'll just go around this rock and think
About it later.' That's what you said.
When death came, you said, 'I'll go there.'"

--Robert Bly, excerpt from "When William Stafford Died"

(Thanks Aaron!)

Save it and preserve it

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it." ~Plato

Training Log - June 25th 2009

• Recumbent bike - 60 minutes - Target HR 150, Avg HR 132, Max HR 195 (I think the monitor had an error)... time in 150 zone 20 minutes.
• Rowing machine - 15 minutes - Avg pace 2:25 /500 meters

My feet will like this

Looks like a lot of good information on this site.
http://www.fixingyourfeet.com/

No concern to us

"Death, the most dreaded of evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist death is not present, and when death is present we no longer exist."

• Epicurus

Training Log - June 24th 2009

• Started walking again in my Vibram Fivefingers . Right foot is feeling a bit better.

How Far

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -T. S. Eliot

Videos

Peak Adventures Death Race 08

Death Race Training '09

Death Race Training Jan 09 - Winter running up icy hill pulling sled

Peak races - Death Division and Ultra Marathoners

Death Race in the news

Misc. Training Advice

Here’s training advice from Andy Weinberg (race director): "I've cc'd my friend Joe. He may be able to give you some advice on training. Seeing you live in Florida I'm thinking you can find some wildlife to train with or you can find a airboat driver who may be willing to drag you through the swamps a few days per week." "check into the florida state prison for 30 days and get in as many fights as possible."

Jack's notes - WTF?

Training advice from Joe Desena (race director): "The best training tip: jog with a sledgehammer and weighted vest."

Training advice from Tracy Cross (barn manager): "and i personally think you should still swing it (the sledgehammer) like a wild man as cars pass...."

Doug Lewis Death Race Training (Joke) :

Do not under any circumstances try to replicate this training. Doug Lewis is a very unique and "special" person and he does not reccomend this type of training for normal people! Peak Races does not endorse these training techniques! This is purely satire!

Death Race Training

Nov 2nd: Using Duct Tape and shards of shale I made a hatchet and cut down a 30 foot White pine and sawed it into 3 foot section. I then peeled off the bark using my two front teeth.

Nov 4th: At 8:00 am, I carried newly cut 3 foot logs up 1400 vertical feet, through a flowing Mad River tributary and piled them onto a rock pile I built at 6:00 am. After lunch I carried the logs back down the 1400 vertical feet and buried them in the ground vertically so only one foot was visible.

Nov 5th: At 2:00am I ran up the Antelope trail at Mad River Glen with no shoes or socks on. I then stripped off the remaining clothing I had on and tried to roll in any Animal scat I could find. I then stayed completely still for 90 minutes crouched in a gulley.

Nov 8th: To recover from Hypothermia from last workout, I put on 7 sweaters, set the heat to 77 degrees and rode my stationary bike for 2.5 hours with no fluid replacement until I finished. I then drank one gallon of water in 4 minutes.

Nov 11th: I sang the National Anthem for 55 minutes non-stop while walking blindfolded through the Winooski river.

Nov 14th: I laid down on a bed of barbed wire on my back and held up a five gallon jug of water for 80 minutes while Kelley tickled my feet with a feather duster.

Nov 16th: I watched 8 hours of "America's Next Top Model" balancing on a physioball without falling once.

Nov 19th: I tied my right arm behind my back for an entire 24 hours. I wore a mitten on my left hand the entire time and had to do a 1000 piece puzzle. The picture on the puzzle was of David Goggins playing badminton in Navy fatigues.

Nov 24th: I killed 40 Turkeys with my bare hands and de-feathered them. Then, donated them to the local food shelf for Thanksgiving.

Nov 29th: I stood in front of a snow gun at Sugarbush for 3 hours with only goggles on my head.

Nov. 30th: Took a bath.

Right on Schedule for June...

Jack's notes - WTF????

What do you mean that was only a pre-race test ?