Randonee Racing

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Winter Teva Mountain Games SkiMo Race

Posted by sarianderson on December 19, 2011
Posted in: Upcoming Races. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

The Teva Mountain Games and I have a long history. I’ve competed in just about every Teva Mountain Games (TMG) since the first one over ten years ago (I missed the years when Juniper and Axel were born). I even met my husband at TMG.

Over the years at TMG I’ve participated in 12-hour adventure races with Team Nike, raced in a mountain bike crit around Vail Village, trail run in the snow, kayaked Gore Creek, and done the four-event Ultimate Mountain Challenge more times than I care to remember.  A couple of things I’ve never done at TMG are nordic skiing and ski mountaineering. That’s about to change. I’m more than a little excited about the inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games. I’m planning to race in the winter version of the Ultimate Mountain Challenge, which includes a Pete Swenson-designed SkiMo race. Check out the video below, where Pete explains the SkiMo race. It’s going to be sweet for both amateurs and pros. If you’ve ever thought about trying randonee racing, this is the event to put on your calendar. Hope to see you there!

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Where I’ve Been

Posted by sarianderson on September 16, 2009
Posted in: Training. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

Yes, I know I’ve been slacking on the updates but I have a good reason.  I have been down for the count the past five weeks or so with constant nauseousness and exhaustion.  Just as I was ramping down my training for the TransRockies and feeling good with only a few weeks notice, I found out I was pregnant.  This was a very pleasant surprise but I was bummed to not be able to race with Anita.

It amazes me something this small can make me this sick.It amazes me something this small can make me this sick.

At that point I was very early in the pregnancy and the additional blood in my system must have been helping me in my training.  I was running faster than normal with less effort and was really looking forward to six days of trail racing.  Apparently that was the honeymoon phase as a week or so later the exhaustion, nauseousness and vomiting began and that’s where I’ve been since then.

I have still been able to get out for some great runs and rides even if they’re not as often as they used to be.  A few weeks ago in the midst of the worst of it, I enjoyed an awesome two hour run on Red Hill with Elinor and Leah.  It was such a nice surprise to be able to get out that long although I did pay the price later that day and the next day – I was totally worked.  I think I may have felt worse than I do after a six day expedition race.

Although I don’t love being pregnant, I do love the outcome and am already looking forward to meeting the newest Anderson.  I’m bummed to be missing the randonee racing this winter but am looking forward to lots and lots of pregnant training just like last time.

Out for a hike at 7 or 8 months pregnant last time.

Out for a hike at 7 or 8 months pregnant last time.

TransRockies Run with a legend

Posted by sarianderson on August 3, 2009
Posted in: Gear, Training. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

GTRunLogo_4CThis weekend I did two big local runs (Basalt Mt. and Mt. Sopris) in an effort to cram in some high altitude mileage and test my legs a little bit.  On Friday I found out I’m going to be racing in the Trans Rockies Run with last year’s champ, Anita Ortiz. The TransRockies is a 6-day stage race covering 113 miles and climbing over 25,000 feet in elevation. Unfortunately, Anita’s race partner, Katie Mazzia, is injured and cannot defend the title this year. I’ve wanted to try this race for a couple of years so when I saw the news on Facebook I immediately jumped at the opportunity to join Anita. Anita is fresh off a win at the Western States in her first 100 miler and is always fast, no matter the distance. We’ll be racing against big names like Nikki Kimball and Kami Semick and alongside Dean Karnazes and Helen Cospolich.  Thankfully my legs felt pretty good this weekend.

As I have been running for hours on end the past three days, I’ve actually been daydreaming a lot about skiing and randonee racing. After all, skiing down Mt. Sopris is a helluva a lot faster than running down it. La Sportiva recently unveiled their new ski mountaineering race boot and I can’t stop thinking about it. The Stratos has a 100% carbon outer and weighs in at only 2 pounds!  Just think how fast I can go uphill with those on my feet – I won’t even know they’re there.  Now, how do I get my hands on a pair? They cost $2,200 and only 20 pairs will be available in the US.

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Until I figure out how to convince La Sportiva and Ian that I have to have a pair of the sexy carbon boots, I’ll continue to pound out as many miles as possible on the trails and roads in the Roaring Fork valley.  I need to be ready to race at Anita’s level in just three weeks!

Team America! F*&k Yeah

Posted by supportcrew on March 11, 2009
Posted in: Race Coverage. Tagged: , , . 4 Comments

Team America is present and accounted for – 12 boisterous Yankees that stick out like sore thumbs in this tiny town of Areches, tucked away deep in the French Alps where no one speaks any English and it’s perfectly normal to run around in a one-piece, skin tight ski suit and lime green boots all day.

Areches

Areches

We’ve come for the 24th annual Pierra Menta, an infamous, four-day randonee stage race, where 180 teams of two will skin up and ski down over 10,000 meters (32,000 feet) before the finish on Sunday. And, because Sari seems to love any kind of race that involves an obscure sport, loads of expensive gear, days of suffering and virtually no prize money, this was a race she couldn’t miss.

Sari is racing with her Nike teammate Monique Merrill (Mona), joining 4 other American teams who’ve made the trek here, plus one more team of American ex-pats who live in Chamonix. It’s an impressive showing for the US, where only a handful of people even know what a randonee race is.

Team America consists of:
Pete Swenson and Cary Smith
Monique Merrill and Sari Anderson
Jared Inouye and Brandon French
Jason McGowin and Brad LaRochelle
Nina Slitich and Lynsay Myer (from Chamonix)
Katie French and Ian Anderson (coaches/cheerleaders)

Sari and I arrived in Geneva on Monday morning after successfully completing an almost dry-eyed handoff of our 20-month-old daughter to my parents at the Dulles airport. In Geneva, we met the other American teams and planned our assault on Areches. It required two-trains, an overnight in Alberville (site of the ’92 winter Olympics) and a couple of taxis loaded the the gills for the final push to Areches.

Waiting for cabs in Albertville

Waiting for cabs in rainy Albertville

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Unloading at our hotel in Areches

The race starts tomorrow at 7am, much to the disappointment of Sari and Mona, who were excited about the originally planned 10 am start. Apparently, it snowed 80 cm above 2,500 meters here yesterday and the avalanche danger is pretty high. We watched a helicopter throw dozens of bombs around the surrounding peaks this afternoon. So, the race is starting early in the hopes that conditions stay firm and safe. Regardless, all racers are required to carry a beacon, shovel and probe, just in case.

Team America cheese plate lunch

Team America cheese plate lunch

Mona, Sari and Katie in front of our hotel

Mona, Sari and Katie in front of our hotel

Gear check-in at registration. Boots must be above certain weight, skis must have metal edges.

Gear check-in at registration. Boots must be above a certain weight (20 oz?), skis must have metal edges.

Brandon, Jason and Brad at registration

Brandon, Jason and Brad at registration

Day one course profile.

Day one course profile.

After registration, we all met back up for dinner. According to the race organizers, tomorrow should be relatively short, about 3 hours for the top teams, with about 2500 meters (gulp) of total climbing. Team Captain Pete Swenson thinks it’s the downhills that’ll be the hardest part of the day. The snow conditions are likely to be super variable – soft at the top, to bulletproof in the middle, to slush at the bottom. Pete, who has raced in Europe a bunch, says that the Italians and the French are the teams to watch. Not only do they go up fast and transition quickly, but they’re experts at the high-speed ‘wedge’ technique on the downhills, which most Americans are too prideful to adopt. It should be interesting to watch.

Anyway, Katie and I are getting up early tomorrow in hopes of catching our team at the top of one of the climbs. I’m going to try and post photos and blog updates each night, so stay tuned and cheer on Team America!