Race Report : 12 Hours at Night

Race Report 

12 Hours at Night in Prescott, Arizona

Saturday, June 7, morning my family and I headed two hours north to Prescott where the race would take place.  I spent the week before gathering what I knew I needed and what I thought I would need.  From extra tubes to water to food I would eat throughout the night.  The race started at 8PM and would end the next morning at 8AM with the winner completing the most laps of the 9 mile course. Both my son and my daughter raced in the kids event earlier that evening on a much shorter course but still had some climbing.  They both had a great time and came back later to see my off on my journey.  The Two-Wheel Jones Bicycle Shop in Gilbert owned by my friend Larry DeMik was also racing and set up a tent.  Numerous others from the shop were also entered in the race.  

The race started off with a 400 yard running dash down a hill to our bikes and then off onto the course we went.  Not really knowing the course I hung back until I completed one lap of the 9 mile course.  I had a plan in my head to start off with two consecutive laps and then stop and refuel for both food and water.  The first lap took me a little over an hour to complete. Knowing the cold would set in, I started off and wore the whole time my Cat-Ears ear covers to help keep my ears warm as well as block the wind noise allowing me to hear things I would not be able to see in the dark.  The course consists of fire roads and single track with a few good climbs.  There were a few areas where the sand was pretty deep and difficult to navigate with the headlights.  The whole time I was using both a handle bar mounted as well as a helmet mounted lights, dimming them to save their batteries when I could.  It was halfway through the third lap the cooler weather started to settle in. It was also after this lap my body was feeling pretty good but my mind was wandering leading me to lay the bike down a few times.  I was use to everything terrain wise this course was throwing at me, but it was hitting me mentally.  Finished my third lap and hung it up for awhile, sleeping and trying to get my mind back into it and keeping warm.  I knew I had to get back out on the course, even though I was a little sore and still cold.  The sun was rising by now at 6AM and I knew it wouldn't take long for the desert to heat up.  I grabbed a few hydration bottles and off I went.  The course looked a lot different in the sunlight then it did being lit by headlamps. I took my time but knew in my head for my lap to count I would have to finish it by 8AM. I was just a little over halfway through the lap and my tire slipped around a corner sending me to the ground hard, driving my elbow up into my ribs and me looking up into the air.  I jumped up and got back on the bike knowing the cut off time.  It hurt to breathe and I could see my side bruise pretty fast.  I was glad to see the finish line beating the cut off by 30 minutes to spare. 

The Orange Mud Hydra Quiver worked great for holding my hydration bottle along with my tube and fuel.  I ended up putting two other water bottle cages on my bike a few days before.  

I wore my Suunto Ambit 2S GPS watch with HR monitor to capture a lot of data.  I used one of the over 1000 apps, this one being for Mountain Biking.  I am still learning the watch and the very cool things it is capable of doing and capturing. (More on this device in a blog)  

I took fourth place in the single male division completing my four laps. 

So what did I learn from the race?  I need to train a little more riding at night with the headlamp and increase my training before attempting this again next year.  It did not help that my training two weeks out from the race was very difficult after getting an upper respiratory infection. 

This race would have not happened with out the support of

  Two Wheel Jones Gilbert location, Suunto, Uddery Smooth, Orange Mud, CarbBOOM!, ProGold Lubrication, Cat-Ears, Dude Wipes and HoneyMaxx. 

12 Hours At Night

I'm officially entered in the 12 Hours at Night Mountain Bike Race, less than a month away in Prescott, AZ. What exactly does night mean?  Well they gun goes off at 8PM Saturday night with the ending being Sunday morning at 8AM. Some of you have already started thinking, "Dang, how many cups of coffee would that equate too?"  I'm looking forward to the challenge seeing how many laps of the nine mile course I can do in that period of time.  I had to drop out of the marathon I had planned for in Minnesota a week after this race due to a three to four millimeter tear in my MCL. The lower impact of the bike training has reduced some of the pain but surgery to get that repaired is still on the horizon. Let's hope the tear does not get any bigger. 
My friend and Two Wheel Jones Bicycle Shop - Gilbert location owner Larry DeMik will be racing too.  
There is a kids race, very short, that I have both my son and daughter signed up for that goes off a few hours before the dark sets in. 
So go ahead place your bets, amongst yourselves,as to how many nine mile laps I will be able to complete, I have a goal I am shooting for.  

Lupine Lighting Wilma 2400 Lumen Kit

With the daylight hours being decreased due to winter, lights are a needed item when out training.  I am super impressed with the Lupine Lighting Wilma 2400 Lumen kit I have been using.  First off, the light produced by this small unit is similar to a car's headlamp in the terms of brightness.  When the German engineers produced this gem, they put a lot of thought and care in the design and function of this light.  The light comes with a headband mount, which is perfect for running, walking or trail hiking.

View a quick video on the great features of this powerful light.

  It throws off a 26 degree pattern, which after a quick adjustment can be directed out farther or directly down right in front of you.  I have both the headband and bike helmet mount and switching the lamp between the two is a quick "no tool needed" process.  The rechargeable 8.4 Ah battery lasts a long time.  There is a nicely thought out gauge on the battery to let you know how much power is left.  The button on the top of the lamp itself is used to turn it off and on, hitting the button once cuts the power of the light back by half, while pressing and holding the button turns the lamp off.  The kit comes with a 12-volt car charger.  Once again, very well thought out.  I could see this coming in handy for a quick charge on the way to meet a fellow group of riders, or to charge during a long race when a household outlet will be hard to find.

Winter rides are perfect now, being visible to others on the road, as well as being able to see what's in front of me out on the trails or roads, either running or biking. When the sun does begin to rise earlier in the summer months, you can bet I will be out even earlier to avoid the heat and sun getting my rides in.