Stupid Thing #2 - Salomon Snowshoe Raid

Well folks, “Stupid Thing” number 2 is firmly behind us, and we’re gearing up to get ready for the next one!!

The Snowshoe Raid took place under sunny skies and crisp air on February 21 at Horseshoe Valley Resort in Barrie, Ontario. Ten of us entered - five teams of two: Team Trip and Stumble, Team NOKNEES, Team C&N Express, Team Icescream, and Team Ediwa. We even had two friends who came along to cheer us on.

Armed with our topographical maps, our shiny new compasses that we didn’t really know how to use yet, and our sense of adventure, we headed off into the mayhem. When we arrived at the registration center, we were met with intimidating swaths of spandex-clad marathon-running types (150 of them to be exact) who were intensely conferencing with their teammates about their chosen routes. Grabbing our packages and maps, we too quickly set about planning our *much* less ambitious routes and trying to figure out what the red needle on our compass meant (ok, I’m exaggerating a bit).

Racers getting ready

The deal was this: 1) you get a topo map of a 16 square km region of woods, 2) there are 45 checkpoints within this space – 43 are marked on the map, 3) you have three hours to find as many as you can and return to the finish line, using only your compass and your wits.

Four of our teams at the start

Finding all 45 was out of the question for all us, so we each set our sights on a few checkpoints that we thought were achievable and set out from there. Interestingly, all 5 of our teams took completely different routes! Team C&N Express decided to take their fitness and their buns of steel and put them to the test - running up and down steep hills in the "matrix" region, scoring on many high-scoring checkpoints! Team NOKNEES got bored of finding the easy checkpoints and decided to challenge themselves with one of the steepest hills in the park – and found the checkpoint at the top of that hill! (legs hurting the next day, I’d imagine, ladies!). Team Trip and Stumble covered the greatest distance of us all – getting up to the far corner of the map and finding many checkpoints! Team Icescream (who we think win the contest for best team name) have interesting stories to tell – ask them, and maybe they’ll share!!

Shif breaking trail

Jen and I started with some easy checkpoints, and then decided to get waaay off the trails and trust in our compass – it was fun, and we managed to find 11 checkpoints without getting lost! As an added bonus, at one point our adventures found us sliding down a steep tree-covered hill on our butts – seemed the most efficient way to get down, and it certainly was the most fun (except for occasional collisions with large trees)!

Checkpoint!

Jen at the finish

A fun time was had by all, and I think I can safely say that we all exceeded our goals and expectations of ourselves! I think that this was truly the most fun I’ve ever had at an organized sporting event (sorry, Nancy – dragon boat is fun too)!! It was truly exhilarating to be off in the woods, trusting in your compass and map, pushing your body’s endurance, and seeking out these little red flag-boxes tied to trees. The glow inside me lasted for days!

Survivors - four teams and two cheerleaders in the chalet

Here are lots more pictures from the organizers of the race.

Updated List

Here are the 12 Stupid Things planned for 2009 (plus a few others). Most of these events are confirmed, though some dates are not available yet. We'll keep this list updated.

January
.
Resolution Run - January 1 - Markham, Ontario
5K run or walk
DONE!

February
.
Salomon Snowshoe Raid - February 21 - Barrie, Ontario
3-hour snowshoe orienteering race; 5K or 10K snowshoe race
DONE!

March
.
Friends in Motion 10K/3K - March 22 - Toronto, Ontario
10K or 3K - run or walk
DONE!


Other stupid things we might do in March:
Achilles St. Patrick's Day 5K - March 15 - Toronto, Ontario
DONE!

April
.
CN Tower Climb for World Wildlife Fund - April 18 - Toronto, Ontario
Climb the CN Tower
DONE!

May
.
Canoe the Credit - May 24 - Mississauga, Ontario
3K, 6K, or 12K flatwater or 8K whitewater canoe paddle
A non-competitive canoe paddle down the Credit River, ending at the mouth of the river at Lake Ontario. We might try the whitewater route. There's also 3 flatwater routes. Here's a video showing last year's event. Registration is open and they expect it to fill up pretty quickly, so if you're really interested, you might want to keep checking in.

Charity: Conservation Youth Corp

June
.
Toronto Mud Run - June 7 - Toronto, Ontario
5K or 10K run through trails, mud, and obstacles; 1.5K race for kids
The ultimate in stupid fun! A fun little trail run at Claireville Conservation Area in Toronto. There are hills, river crossings, climbing walls, tunnel crawls, hay bales, obstacles, and lots of mud. The race finishes in a giant mud pit. Free t-shirts, snacks, and outdoor showers!

Registration is open! We already have at least one muddy buddy joining us!

Other stupid things we are doing in June:
Toronto Pearson Runway Run – June 13 - Toronto, Ontario
5K run or 2K family walk/run on Runway 06R-24L at Toronto's airport (closed for the race, hopefully). Registration is open and this fills up fast.
Charity: Credit Valley Hospital Foundation

Pride and Remembrance Run – June 27 - Toronto, Ontario
5K run or 3K walk – part of Toronto's Pride celebration. This is becoming an annual event for us and a few friends – come join Team 12 Stupid Things! We're going to try to hold a certain friend to her promise to run in a Wonder Woman costume. Registration is open!
Charity: Casey House and Black CAP

July
.
Sweet Corn Challenge - July 26 - Richfield, Ohio
10, 25, 50, or 100 mi bike ride – with optional 'horrendous hills'
12 Stupid Things heads south of the border for a nice little bike ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the rolling hills and farmland of northern Ohio, Jen's old pedaling grounds. After the ride, there's a pulled pork (or veggie burger for the Shifs of the world) and corn-on-the-cob dinner, a band, and cheap massages. And you get sweet corn to take home. Registration is open.

August
.
Flying Chicken Run - August 15 - Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
5K or 10K run, 5K walk, or Little Chick Fun Run for kids under 6
Dress up as a chicken (OPTIONAL!) and run or walk through cutesy Niagara-on-the-Lake! You could step it up a notch by making chicken sounds as you run. There are prizes for the best chicken costume, and there's lots of food and a barn dance following the run. Shif and at least two of our friends have promised to run in costume! Jen is opting out, using the excuse that she plans to use this occasion to run her first 10K.

Registration is open and is limited to 500 people. Full buffet dinner is optional.

September
.
Tour de Greenbelt – September 26 - Lake Simcoe, Ontario
Casual bike ride - 25K, 50K, or 100K
A series of non-competitive bike rides through the greenbelt that surrounds the Greater Toronto Area. Get out of the city and see a bit of the beautiful Ontario countryside. All routes have rest stations along the way with porta-potties, snacks, and beverages, and the day ends with a BBQ of fresh, local food. For those of us without cars, all routes are transit-accessible or shuttle service is provided.

Dates have been announced, but there are no other details yet. We're going to do the ride on September 26 in the Lake Simcoe area. There are also rides on September 12 (Niagara-on-the-Lake), 13 (Burlington), and 27 (Durham). Registration is open!

Charity: local cycling organizations

Another stupid thing we'll be doing in September:
GWN Dragon Boat Challenge - September 12-13 - Toronto, Ontario
We'll be paddling with our team, the Flaming Dragons, in our second dragon boat regatta. Any women in the Toronto area who are interested in dragon boating can talk to us about possibly joining the team!
Charity: Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto

October
.
Trek or Treat – October 23 - Vaughan, Ontario
Night-time trail run - 5K, 10K, or family "creepy mile"
Running through a "haunted" wooded trail at night around Halloween – this might even be stupider than the snowshoe race! Costumes are optional, but not laughed at. Lots of families do this event together. Headlamps are available for rent.

Registration is open! Space is limited, so if you're really keen on this one, sign up fast! First 100 to register get a pumpkin. Check out some pictures from last year.

Other stupid things we might do in October:
Run for the Cure - October 4 - Toronto, Ontario
5K run/walk in support of a cure for breast cancer. Jen did this event a couple times in Denver and it is one of the most touching, amazing, inspiring things she's been part of. Here are some pictures from last year's run. Registration is open.
Charity: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

CN Tower Climb for United Way - October 25 - Toronto, Ontario
If you missed the chance to climb the CN Tower in April, you get to try again with Jen and her work colleagues! We'll see if we can improve our times. Registration opens in August.
Charity: United Way

November
.
Turkey Trot – November 26 – Miamisburg, Ohio
5 mile run or 1 mile walk

or

100th Annual Thanksgiving Day 10K - November 26 - Cincinnati, Ohio

10k run or walk

12 Stupid Things goes back to the US while we're in Ohio for American Thanksgiving. We'll do one of these events - which depends on which Ohioans we can rope into doing it with us. If we run 5 miles Thanksgiving morning, how much pumpkin pie can we eat later in the day??

December
.
Santa Jingle 5K - December 12 – Burlington, Ontario
5K run

To top off our series of stupid things, we'll be running a 5K dressed as Santa! There may be kids looking for gifts trying to chase us down, so we'll need to train so we can outrun the little buggers! Registration gets you a free Santa suit. And you'll need it, because all runners in the race have to wear one! We are giddy about this one, and it seems like a very cool way to finish the year. Here are a few pictures and a great video of the 2009 race.