2016 ITERA POST-RACE INTERVIEWS AND LESSONS LEARNED
Q: Favorite part of the race?
Kate: My favorite part was conquering the Carrantoohil trek. In spite of my crisis of confidence over nav, we ended up nailing that section pretty well given the extremely poor visibility (fog + nighttime, with emphasis on the fog) and brutal wind. It also felt great to succeed on a challenging section, which had been difficult for us to achieve on prior sections. Finally, I felt like the team came together fantastically for each other on this section.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Kate: This one is easy. THE WIND. No matter the section of the course, anything is worse with a head wind. I do think this was most pronounced on the Loch Corrib paddle, since we couldn't even stop paddling for a second without losing the ground we had worked so hard to gain, though my personal misery was highest on the night bike into Lahinch -- feeling like we should be able to go so much faster on bikes than we were!
Q: Funniest moment?
Kate: Getting into our hotel room in Lahinch and as we all started removing our layers upon layers of clothing, realizing that we had all simultaneously stripped down to our sweet space-blanket dresses - bright orange and reflective silver. We looked like we were extraterrestrials sent to colonize earth, or else cult members preparing to blast off into space. Either way, we died laughing at the thought of Clyburn knocking on the door and catching us in our awkward state.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Kate: Slow and steady progress is still progress. When conditions and the course combine to make a challenging section nearly impossible, I learned that our team is more than capable of pushing through. I'm looking forward to the next expedition and applying this lesson so that we complete more of the course.
Kate: My favorite part was conquering the Carrantoohil trek. In spite of my crisis of confidence over nav, we ended up nailing that section pretty well given the extremely poor visibility (fog + nighttime, with emphasis on the fog) and brutal wind. It also felt great to succeed on a challenging section, which had been difficult for us to achieve on prior sections. Finally, I felt like the team came together fantastically for each other on this section.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Kate: This one is easy. THE WIND. No matter the section of the course, anything is worse with a head wind. I do think this was most pronounced on the Loch Corrib paddle, since we couldn't even stop paddling for a second without losing the ground we had worked so hard to gain, though my personal misery was highest on the night bike into Lahinch -- feeling like we should be able to go so much faster on bikes than we were!
Q: Funniest moment?
Kate: Getting into our hotel room in Lahinch and as we all started removing our layers upon layers of clothing, realizing that we had all simultaneously stripped down to our sweet space-blanket dresses - bright orange and reflective silver. We looked like we were extraterrestrials sent to colonize earth, or else cult members preparing to blast off into space. Either way, we died laughing at the thought of Clyburn knocking on the door and catching us in our awkward state.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Kate: Slow and steady progress is still progress. When conditions and the course combine to make a challenging section nearly impossible, I learned that our team is more than capable of pushing through. I'm looking forward to the next expedition and applying this lesson so that we complete more of the course.
Q: Favorite part of the race?
Claire: It's hard to pick just one....top 3?
1) The Irish people and their salt of the earth demeanor and genuine helpfulness. Their natural disposition and inherent ability to give people the benefit of the doubt was enough to rekindle my faith in humanity and ensure that I'll definitely be going back.
2) Being in a situation where you are forced to be entirely in the moment and be aware of how incredibly alive you are and what that means. The final trek in the dark with the wind and fog was other worldly and one of the those moments where you're aware that its a once in a life time experience.
3) Creating our own verses to 'I Love It' and being the only team to request a song and dance our hearts out at the banquet dinner like a bunch of crazies
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Claire: Being uncomfortably cold, but not being able to shake it or mentally push through it when I wanted and needed to. The instances where I was either hurt or cold to the point that I knew if something happened like a flat tire or capsize I wouldn't have the strength or warmth be able to fix or self-rescue, feeling like a liability to myself and the team was the worst.
Q: Funniest moment?
Claire: Emergency blanket fashion show?.....so hard....
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Claire: I'm not sure if this is some weird self-acquired or american mindset, but I learned not to 'save gear' or layers. Use everything you have, or don't bring it. Also, there are some conditions and climates where 'breathable' gear doesn't matter, and staying dry really is the key to staying alive and continuing. Also, knowing that as a team we were able to keep our cool and make sound decisions and keep things in perspective in the face of adversity, danger, comfort zone limits etc.
Claire: It's hard to pick just one....top 3?
1) The Irish people and their salt of the earth demeanor and genuine helpfulness. Their natural disposition and inherent ability to give people the benefit of the doubt was enough to rekindle my faith in humanity and ensure that I'll definitely be going back.
2) Being in a situation where you are forced to be entirely in the moment and be aware of how incredibly alive you are and what that means. The final trek in the dark with the wind and fog was other worldly and one of the those moments where you're aware that its a once in a life time experience.
3) Creating our own verses to 'I Love It' and being the only team to request a song and dance our hearts out at the banquet dinner like a bunch of crazies
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Claire: Being uncomfortably cold, but not being able to shake it or mentally push through it when I wanted and needed to. The instances where I was either hurt or cold to the point that I knew if something happened like a flat tire or capsize I wouldn't have the strength or warmth be able to fix or self-rescue, feeling like a liability to myself and the team was the worst.
Q: Funniest moment?
Claire: Emergency blanket fashion show?.....so hard....
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Claire: I'm not sure if this is some weird self-acquired or american mindset, but I learned not to 'save gear' or layers. Use everything you have, or don't bring it. Also, there are some conditions and climates where 'breathable' gear doesn't matter, and staying dry really is the key to staying alive and continuing. Also, knowing that as a team we were able to keep our cool and make sound decisions and keep things in perspective in the face of adversity, danger, comfort zone limits etc.
Q: Favorite part of the race?
Starker: This being the first international race team Strong Machine has participated in, the experience of racing with teams from all over the world was mind expanding. Close encounters with French, Irish, Japanese, Czech, British & other teams from around the world, opened my eyes to fact that the sport of adventure racing has a unique ability to bring people of the world together in a mutual passion. The camaraderie between teammates and teams is an experience I will never forget.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Starker: Unfortunately, no one, including the race director, has any control over the weather. I am reluctant to say that the weather was the least favorite part of ITERA. The tenacious and persistant winds & rain created total chaos & route deviations which made this expedition race extremely frustrating for everyone involved. My heart goes out to everyone involved in the planning of and participation in this event. I admire the physical & mental strength of all those who administered and completed the race.
Q: Funniest moment?
Starker: The funniest moment in the entire race may have been, at the cavern, preparing to depart on bikes, an amazing race volunteer gave us a great tip, to don our emergency blankets under our rain gear as a body heat saving layer. We held an impromptu fashion show, displaying our Aluminum foil skirts and blouses for the camera. After 48 hours without sleep, soaking wet, shivering and approaching hypothermia, in a cavern, underground, this was a moment of levity I will never forget.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Starker: The most important lesson that continually hit home was, " you cannot go it alone." A cohesive team will see it through all challenges. I thank all my team members for their constant attention to me and to each other at every step of the race. I have no doubt that this constant communication between all team members enabled us to function effectively as a team. I would also add that the camaraderie and support between teams contributed to the success of ITERA and to the continued interest and participation in adventure racing around the world
Starker: This being the first international race team Strong Machine has participated in, the experience of racing with teams from all over the world was mind expanding. Close encounters with French, Irish, Japanese, Czech, British & other teams from around the world, opened my eyes to fact that the sport of adventure racing has a unique ability to bring people of the world together in a mutual passion. The camaraderie between teammates and teams is an experience I will never forget.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Starker: Unfortunately, no one, including the race director, has any control over the weather. I am reluctant to say that the weather was the least favorite part of ITERA. The tenacious and persistant winds & rain created total chaos & route deviations which made this expedition race extremely frustrating for everyone involved. My heart goes out to everyone involved in the planning of and participation in this event. I admire the physical & mental strength of all those who administered and completed the race.
Q: Funniest moment?
Starker: The funniest moment in the entire race may have been, at the cavern, preparing to depart on bikes, an amazing race volunteer gave us a great tip, to don our emergency blankets under our rain gear as a body heat saving layer. We held an impromptu fashion show, displaying our Aluminum foil skirts and blouses for the camera. After 48 hours without sleep, soaking wet, shivering and approaching hypothermia, in a cavern, underground, this was a moment of levity I will never forget.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Starker: The most important lesson that continually hit home was, " you cannot go it alone." A cohesive team will see it through all challenges. I thank all my team members for their constant attention to me and to each other at every step of the race. I have no doubt that this constant communication between all team members enabled us to function effectively as a team. I would also add that the camaraderie and support between teams contributed to the success of ITERA and to the continued interest and participation in adventure racing around the world
Q: Favorite part of the race?
Cliff: I loved Day 2, where we aced a 25K trek and got to see and interact with the top teams, got a feature photo shoot with SleepMonsters, did a transition in the main bunch of teams and then had a pretty classic XPD paddle singing and playing stupid car games (“I Spy”) to battle off real sleepmonsters. If I had to pick one moment, it was camping on the island that night, eating some delicious food and squeezing into a tent with three of my favorite people, knowing we had so much adventure still ahead.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Cliff: My least favorite moment, even though I don’t regret it, was our decision to bail on the kayak leg. Followed in close second by our decision to bail on the bike leg. I know we had to do it, but it felt extremely sad to be quitting. Throw in the added bonus that we then faced an unknown fate as to whether we would be moved forward on the course or have to wait around for a ride, and those were my low points.
Q: Funniest moment?
Cliff: My funniest moment was RD James Thurlow walking in on my moment of zen in the bathroom at the first TA. It was before 7 a.m. and I was sitting covered in sheepshit eating chili out of a bag. I can’t stop laughing thinking about the ridiculousness of that moment.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Cliff: I learned so many lessons from ITERA…1) Expedition races may be long, but teams start fast! Despite keeping up a pace that would have put us in the top third of most U.S. races, we were left in the dust during the first 24 hours. We were trying to pace ourselves but it appears from what other teams did and from the aggressive cutoffs that there is an expectation that all teams will go all-out in the first 24-48 hours. 2) It’s OK to call race HQ. I thought this disqualified us. But with so many changes to the course, it seemed more than acceptable to call and get info. 3) There is no substitute for an awesome rain jacket. 3) I’m not a huge fan of super-long stages (75k paddling, 200k+ biking). Too long! 4) Bothy bags are great. 5) Epic-brand paddles are great. 6) It’s a good strategy to think of where you might sleep long before it comes to the point where you need to sleep. Sleep deprivation, especially in the middle of the night, can lead to feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of quitting. 7) How much we would recover as we raced. I was amazed at how fresh my legs felt after a day of paddling, even after 60K of trekking the day before. Same for my paddling muscles. 8) The importance of having teammates you love, respect and trust.
Cliff: I loved Day 2, where we aced a 25K trek and got to see and interact with the top teams, got a feature photo shoot with SleepMonsters, did a transition in the main bunch of teams and then had a pretty classic XPD paddle singing and playing stupid car games (“I Spy”) to battle off real sleepmonsters. If I had to pick one moment, it was camping on the island that night, eating some delicious food and squeezing into a tent with three of my favorite people, knowing we had so much adventure still ahead.
Q: Least favorite part of the race?
Cliff: My least favorite moment, even though I don’t regret it, was our decision to bail on the kayak leg. Followed in close second by our decision to bail on the bike leg. I know we had to do it, but it felt extremely sad to be quitting. Throw in the added bonus that we then faced an unknown fate as to whether we would be moved forward on the course or have to wait around for a ride, and those were my low points.
Q: Funniest moment?
Cliff: My funniest moment was RD James Thurlow walking in on my moment of zen in the bathroom at the first TA. It was before 7 a.m. and I was sitting covered in sheepshit eating chili out of a bag. I can’t stop laughing thinking about the ridiculousness of that moment.
Q: What lessons did you learn from ITERA?
Cliff: I learned so many lessons from ITERA…1) Expedition races may be long, but teams start fast! Despite keeping up a pace that would have put us in the top third of most U.S. races, we were left in the dust during the first 24 hours. We were trying to pace ourselves but it appears from what other teams did and from the aggressive cutoffs that there is an expectation that all teams will go all-out in the first 24-48 hours. 2) It’s OK to call race HQ. I thought this disqualified us. But with so many changes to the course, it seemed more than acceptable to call and get info. 3) There is no substitute for an awesome rain jacket. 3) I’m not a huge fan of super-long stages (75k paddling, 200k+ biking). Too long! 4) Bothy bags are great. 5) Epic-brand paddles are great. 6) It’s a good strategy to think of where you might sleep long before it comes to the point where you need to sleep. Sleep deprivation, especially in the middle of the night, can lead to feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of quitting. 7) How much we would recover as we raced. I was amazed at how fresh my legs felt after a day of paddling, even after 60K of trekking the day before. Same for my paddling muscles. 8) The importance of having teammates you love, respect and trust.
