Digging Up Some Rants

Not much going on today. Pushed some weight on the leg press last night so I did som active recovery by digging out and bush in my back yard. Got the El Santo shined up for tomorrow's multi-hour suburban park assult and that's about it.

So I see that Granny Gear is having what they call their 24 Hour National Point Series. Real cool idea. The drawback is that you'd have to be Donald F-in Trump to race it all. Can you imagine?? 6 races x $330 + registration fees, camping fees etc., You would be looking at close to $2,000!!! Great beard of Zeuse!!!! That's not even including travel expenses etc. I'm still not ruling out Big Bear, but I'm 98% sure I plan to race the Hardcore 24 and the Mohican 100 a couple weeks before and STILL not come close to a Granny Gear solo entry fee. I'm not gonna get in to the whole "it's hard being a race promoter bull shit" I'm sure it is, and I know I wouldn't want to do it and I'm damn glad there are people who want to do it. I just have to decide if I'm $330 worth of glad.

It seems like there are about 3 different kind of promoters not including NORBA & UCI: 1. Puts on a race to entertain some folks, get the word out about a cause or raise money for something. 2. Just wants to get a lot of like minded people together to enjoy what they enjoy and maybe bring some folks and thier wallets into paticular town or happening, and 3. One that trys to make a living off of being a promoter, charges, some serious coin to make up for the fact that this is their livelyhood.

I don't begrudge people for trying to make some jing but if this, but if this is your "job" why don't you work the sponsors more for funding, prizes etc., and lower the prices so you could get MORE people racing. The more folks you can turn on to racing the more of a chance you have they'll be back. That's just my thoughts. Maybe I'm just jacked that my pockets aren't as deep as they used to be. Who knows.

At last years Lodi Farms there were over 60 Solo racers at like $35 plus the jing they got for T-shirts etc., hell that was over $2,000+ that they got JUST from the Solo field. Last year's Big Bear there were like 11 Solo racers. Big deal. Yeah that's $3000+ but at Lodi that money is going back into keeping those trails open, putting on the race and making improvements to land that I believe was donated. The Hardcore is cash in going to the Boy Scouts. I guess I've made up my mind. Maybe it's NOT 100% but it's DAMN close.

While I'm on the subject, hands down the BEST race I've ever done was the '05 Wilderness 101. $135 got you a supported 101 mile race, camping, CoolMax T, food, beer, pint glass, cash payout for top 3 or 5 per class, (can't remember) and swag prizes for like 60 deep!! Kudos to Shenandoah Mountain Touring for putting on a kick ass race. With it being part of the National Endurance Series it's gonna kick even more ass in '06.

I'll be hitting Mohican and the 101. Plus when your a shlep like me out there just to push himself harder than the last time, doing his best and having some fun THIS is the sort of FAQs you look for on a race registration (taken from the Mohican 100 race site)...

Q: Do I need to bring my own beer for the post race party or is it supplied?
A: No need to bring beer! You will have EARNED your beer if you finish.

Word.

Do you have a favorite race? If so, sound off, I'd like to hear. What made it great? The trails, people, location, racers, support, costs?

That's it. Time for fight some crime or die trying.

Later.