2008 Odyssey One Day
From 4LPH41337.com
Contents |
2008 Odyssey One Day Pictures
| Pictures | |||
Base Camp |
Start |
Enid Josh Prologue |
Enid Josh Prologue |
Joanna Phillip Prologue |
Joanna Phillip Prologue |
Josh in Mountains |
Josh Reading Map |
Phillip Enid Bike Drop |
Josh Ordering Whopper |
Enid Punches O-Point |
Phillip Enid Joanna O-Course |
Enid |
Finish |
2008 Odyssey One Day Maps
2008 Odyssey One Day Website
2008 Odyssey One Day Race Central
2008 Odyssey One Day Results
2008 Odyssey One Day Reviews
Josh's Take
For many adventure racers the experience of an adventure race is a lot like a 5K or a triathlon or a mountain bike race--pushing their limits and challenging themselves at their own pace and on their own schedule. After all, this is how most of us started; before we got into adventure racing, we looked at ourselves in the mirror race morning and decided to devote everything we had to beating the competition--it was very much an I versus the world mentality toeing the line against the hundreds of others. And so it is without wonder that many elite adventure racers, both new and old to the sport, take the same mentality--that of an I versus the world--when they race.
The tripping point is that adventure racing [at the elite level] is a team sport, and fundamentally this is at odds with the I versus the world mentality with which we grew up. The fact of the matter is in our minds we are an individual pushing ourselves, just as we had all those times before, at our own pace and on our own schedule. The difference, now that we are competing in an adventure races, is the required gear and burden of three other teammates. Sure, most adventure racers will deny it, but it does not change the truth. Most race as individuals within a team, rather than a team of individuals.
Last year, at both Blue Ridge and Overmountain Extreme, I could cite specifing examples where I raced with this I versus the world mentality. I would not admit to it then because I did not see it in myself until later, but I did. While I respected my teammates, my thinking was warped from a team mindset. When they were going slower than me, they were not slowing the team down, they were slowing me down. And if I were bonked or made a navigational error, I was not slowing the team down, I was slowing my teammates down. You see--I was racing as an individual within a team, rather than a team of individuals.
There are subtle but significant differences between the two. Primarily the effects they have on the morale, sincerity, and commitment levels of the individuals to the team--all matters of the heart. It is one thing to say that as adventure racers, we must think in we terms instead of me terms--it is another thing to truly do it. When we truly think in we terms, our perception changes.
For example, we do not carry our struggling teammate's gear solely because in doing so we will speed up our own race by way of the team; rather, the reasoning stops with the team's benefit. Sure, they both render the same effect on paper, but in the heart they are two very different acts. The former tends to embitter us because fundamentally our teammates' individual struggles are imposed upon our individual performance; and now for us to succeed individually, we must overcome not only our own hurdles but those of another. The latter mindset, however, frees us to take on the burden because the we mentality has implicitly necessitated a commitment to do whatever it takes to contribute to the team's success.
To give another example, we do not accept a tow from a teammate merely because of the guilt we feel for negatively affecting our teammate's performance or experience; rather, we accept the tow because it is the most effective tactic for moving the team forward. The former realizes an indebtedness to our teammates' individual performances, while the latter acknowledges a weakness in ourselves that prevents us from contributing to the team. Again, the same effect but a difference in the heart.
Because the effect of the two mindsets is generally the same on the surface, we adventure racers get by with the illusion of truly embracing the team of individuals mentality when we are really thinking of ourselves as individuals within a team. That is, until a catastrophe occurs. Then our mettle is truly tested.
Our catastrophe came two miles into the race, where a moderate pace on foot for twenty minutes led to a unexpected case of nausea and overheating in Phillip. His condition, despite our efforts to monitor and aid his recovery, continued for the entirety of the race. As the realization that there was no beating it settled in, thoughts of how our individual performances were suffering began to creep into everybody's minds. My expectations for the team were completely compromised as we learned that we had missed an unplanned canoe cutoff, forcing us into a placing such that it was impossible for us to catch any teams that had made the cutoff. The absolute low point was on the climb to CP6, where we had two team meetings to decide whether or not we would continue on as a team and finish the race ranked or drop Phillip and continue unranked. After deliberation, we chose to continue on together--at a pace that the team could handle--with the determination that comes with such a decision to finish as a team no matter what.
As mentioned, the decision to finish was a tough one to make, and I am proud to say that we made the choice we did. There was no guarantee we would finish, but we had to believe in Phillip and our abilities to support him and in doing so the team. Phillip had to believe in himself and take a risk that, despite his physical and mental state, he would be able to complete what he had set out to do. In the end, regardless of the mentality with which we started, at CP6 we forced ourselves to believe in a team of individuals mentality. We did and we finished as a ranked team, despite the adversity of the situation.
Joanna's Take
Phillip's Take
Enid's Take
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