Team at pre-race meeting
Team NutraMendz/
Mandatory gear check
Demonstrating that tent holds entire team
Paddling skills check
Self rescue demonstration
30 minute survival check in 38 degree water
Ropes skills check
Ascending
Ascending and rapelling
Plotting checkpoints and routes evening before race
Original race route (prior to several modifications)
Awaiting race start
Team at the starting line
First objective--4,000 feet to the top
On the way
Gaining the main ridge
Working our way up
Bottleneck at fixed lines
Team photo at Big Sky
Above the fixed lines--mountaineering in sneakers
On top of Lone Mountain
Heading down to transition area #1
First transition
Tracy fueling up
Kevin looking good!
Leaving Big Sky
Trek on first morning
Lone Mountain in background
After crossing another ridge
Crossing swollen creeks--a recurring challenge
Record snowfall fed raging creeks
Bryan and Tracy--evening of day 1
Morning of day 2
Bryan after 6 hours of vomiting from altitude sickness
Waiting for the kayaks--as water levels continue to rise with warming temps
Stage cancelled as safety crews engaged in multiple rescues
Bryan after being sprayed with bear spray!!
Tracy with cannister that exploded after falling from holster
Washing bear spray out of eyes!
Finally on our trek--evening of day #2
On top of another 10,000 foot ridge
Morning of day #3 after hiking all night
Night of day #3--preparing to bike
Finally reaching transition area after 32 hours!
Morning of day #4
Start of 150 miles of mountain biking
Clint helping us get rolling out of transition
We averaged 1 1/2 hours of sleep per day
Foot care was essential
Crazy Mountains looming
Start of another 28 hour trek
More mountaineering in sneakers
Gaining the ridge after 150 foot rock climb
It was warmer than it looks--not!!!
10 minutes of bliss
Looking back over our route through the Crazies
Almost to the TA
Relief
Following another bike section, we prepare to tackle the Bridgers
The aftermath of another transition
Starting our hike along the entire ridgeline
As darkness fell we became cliffed out
After spending the night on the ridge
Tent site by Kevin
Next morning we found a route down the cliffand were on our way
Sunrise after riding all night
Reaching another checkpoint at dawn
Much of the biking was rerouted because of lingering snow
The cure for the sleep monsters--our constant companions
Gearing up for the climbing section
Starting with a 150 foot free climb
The next two pictures I took from this location
Looking up at Bryan
Looking down
Looking down after 1200 feet of climbing
Bryan on the 150 foot via ferrata
The via ferrata!!
Last bike leg
