2011 Voodoo Fire

Yesterday was the inaugural Voodoo Fire 70 mile race that kicks off the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series down at the Pueblo Reservoir.

Several of us from the team managed to get our final sign in on Friday night, collecting our swag bag and number plate, before heading to the hotel to crash for the night. While at dinner I got a text from my coach that there had been a change in the course and that we would be doing three 23 miles laps instead of the planned two 35 mile laps, and that the start time maybe had moved up to 8:45 AM from the original 8 AM start. I did not doubt his message, but it was a bit of a WTF moment because when we signed in 40 minutes earlier there had been no mention of a change.

Sure enough the next morning we find that the race start had moved up to 8:45 AM. Evidently the water at the water crossing had become too deep. This had been my guess since I had gone across the water crossing earlier in the year when it was over the knee deep. The race organizers had tried to reroute that part where a small section of the local highway would be used but the State Police would not grant permission for that to be done, so the entire race course had to be rerouted at the last minute. I have to say, Warriors Cycling did a good job at sorting that out and having the course remarked by the time the race started. The 23 mile loop provided plenty of fun and challenge, although I was very glad to be done with the dosey doe switchbacks on slippery shingle rock by the end of the third lap, twice through would have been plenty!

For me the race ended up not working out how I had planned. The feed zone was several miles from the start, so we had to drop our coolers and food and whatever else we needed at the feed zone then drive down to the start. I mistakenly left my pre-race drink and all my salt tablets up in the feed zone. So I was not able to do my usual last minute pre-race hydration and salt intake. Instead I drank a bottle of water. A second thing I did that was unusual was I had an Apple Fritter from Starbucks as a supplement to my breakfast, this haunted me through most of the first lap with frequent regurgitation of apple chunks and a heavy feeling stomach... yuck!

Near the last few miles of the first lap my troubles showed their first sign. At a little runup that had become congested I had to dismount and run up a rock ledge. At the top, my right calf seized up in a cramp all of a sudden. It pulled my toes straight down and I could not put any pressure on my foot. Arrrgggghhh! If you have ever had this happen you know how badly it hurts! Luckily it only lasted maybe ten seconds and I was able to get going again. I came through my first lap at around 1:51. I didn't even think about the leg cramp I had twenty minutes earlier and headed out on my second lap.

Within a mile or so the second lap my cramping issue resurfaced at a more sketchy section of the race. Near the beginning there is a little runup that requires a huge amount of effort to get up, and the dirt was loose with a smooth shiny speed bump half way up. Well I hit that speed bump and tried to apply the power needed to clear it and my calf seized again, I toppled over. Someone was coming up behind me and I had to grab my bike and hop out of the way. I spent a fair amount of time trying to get my leg working again. The entire second lap I had many moments of my right calf seizing in a cramp, or my left quad seizing, both hamstrings a couple of times, and whatever the muscle that is the inner thigh of my left leg. I spent a good amount of time coasting the lap it seemed.

I got back near the beginning of the section where I first experienced my first cramp, and everything went to Hell. The section was technical and rocky, and I made a twisting and jarring motion and it seemed all the muscles in both legs seized simultaneously! I fell over and layed there in absolute agony! I was hoping that my muscles were not going to tear. It was nearly a minute or more before I tried to move again, and as soon as I did my leg muscles revolted again. I went through this process of trying to move to get up five or six times, finally I was standing again but afraid to move. I can't even count how many people passed as I hunched there in agony, but it was a lot. It was a good ten minutes before I started to push the bike again, and at least five minutes of pushing very slowly and carefully before I got back on. That just plain sucked!

I made it through the second lap to the feed zone. Thoughts of quitting entered my mind...

I made it to my supplies, grabbed a handful of S-caps (300mg salt tablets), and downed them. Then I grabbed a whole bottle of Carborocket and drank the whole thing, and set off on lap three. I knew of two spots I could bail if I had to.

After about 20 minutes I was starting to feel confident that I was over my leg cramping situation and started racing again. I was catching quite a few people and getting around them, finally I felt pretty good and was putting in hard efforts again on the little climbs on the course.

In the end, I finished the 69 mile course in 5:52 in 72nd place of around 250+ racers, and 29th in my age group of 61 men age 30-39. I consumed four 22 oz. bottles of Carborocket 333, two 22 oz. bottles of regular Carborocket, and a 24 oz. bottle on top of that. Plus about 6 or 7 packets of Honey Stinger gels.

Today my right calf is destroyed. It hurts to walk stairs, or to move my foot, or to touch it. I feel some soreness in my hamstrings and some pain in my left quad. It will be a few days before I'm feeling better. In the future I need to be more careful about not changing my pre-race routine. This being the first endurance race of the season I guess I am out of practice.

The race itself was quite fun. The Voodoo Fire course is likely the most fun course in the series that is on the Front Range, although there are several new races this year so I'm just guessing. Good riding!

Update on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 8:18PM by Mike Berg

Some awesome race footage shot by teammate Brandon Newcomer

Update on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 8:24PM by Mike Berg

Also see a photo of me on Mountain Flyer. Plus OutthereColorado.com