Test of Endurance 100k

With the High Cascades 100 mile race in Bend just around the corner on July 20th,  it may be wise  to spend some time on the bike. Trevor and I were excited to participate in the Test of Endurance 100k,  a local race put on by Mike Ripley of Mudslinger events.  Since both of us raced pretty hard the week before in the Mt. Hood 6hr race, we thought we would use this race as more of a training ride, to gauge how our bodies handle being on the bike for 62 miles.  And of course, a race on the Mary's Peak trails was pretty hard to turn down!

Keller had been looking forward to this day too.  He was excited to challenge his endurance by completing 25miles of the course, his longest race to date.

The weather was perfect, the trails were fun and the aid stations totally rocked. 

There was no need for me to carry anything other than a water bottle for this 62 mile race.  The aid stations were perfectly set up around the course and they had EVERYTHING I needed.  Hammer Products Rock!!

Both Trevor and I had really good days on the bike, and Keller too. We had hoped to catch Keller on our way to the finish, but there was no way.  He spent 4 hours on his bike and made it back to the finish long before either of us.  Smiles wide, Keller reached 2nd place, another podium finish!

Trevor loved climbing the Northridge Trail up Mary's Peak and was 4th to the top!

The Wildflowers were amazing!  And how cool is it that Oregon Velo takes such amazing photos? 

The best part of the day for all of us was meeting a fellow Japanese competitor named Sho Ming.  Having been in Corvallis all but 3 days, Sho sought out advice from the internet on local outdoor activities to participate in.  He settled on the TOE as his weekend adventure, and boy is that how it turned out.

Sho rented a bike from Peak Sports never having mountain biked before, let alone raced.  He rode the 16 plus miles out to the race site with a small water bottle and chocolate, and barely got to registration on time.  Feeling optimistic, Sho registered for the 50 mile race.

Without going into great detail here,

Sho is a happy and adventurous guy, and has inspired us to strive for openness in adventure too.

Sho inspired all who met him and witnessed his perseverance and bravery.  Knowing only basic English, Sho threw himself into an unfamiliar and very challenging situation, in the middle of the forest somewhere in the coast range with a bunch of Americans in which communication was difficult.  It became clear that he was in over his head, but with the help of the amazing race sweep team, he completed 25miles of the course and made it to the finish line in one piece.  This still is an incredible feat.  The Ripley's presented him with a medal for this great effort.

My family had the honor of driving Sho back to his hotel in Corvallis where we learned more of this adventurous and brave life.   We pieced together a lovely conversation and my children were in awe.  In 3 days, Sho had gone fishing, climbed a mountain and entered a mountain bike race.  All following a very long airplane ride from Japan where I would imagine some amount of Jet lag still lingering.

Tired and inspired, we look forward to the next adventure.  Trevor and I will do the HC100 mile in two weeks and Keller is excited to join a junior team for the High Cascades 24hr race the following weekend.  Never having been on a night ride, he is volunteering to do a midnight lap!

Stay tuned!

Keller with his new racing buddy Nathanial Hart.  Together they, along with 3 other juniors will take on the High Cascades 24hr race!