Untamed Virginia Captain Communication #2

There is an optional Pre-Race Meal on Friday, June 8th from 6-8 PM. The Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Charlottesville store will be reorganized to accomodate us, and we'll have a fully catered Italian meal. Tickets for the meal are $15 and must be acquired in advance; if you want tickets, you can purchase them by logging on to your team area (www.UntamedVA.com/Admin). You should have your login and password in the original "welcome" email after you registered for the race, but please email info@UntamedVA.com if you've lost track of your login and password.

The race finish line will feature food and drinks, as well as shower facilities for all racers. We will not have a conventional awards ceremony since teams are likely to be finishing several hours apart (there are no optional checkpoints along the race course, just a couple tough time cut-offs to keep teams on pace); instead, we will conduct our prize raffle during the race and post the results at the finish line where raffle winners can select their prize. This way, teams have the most flexibility with their post-race schedule as to whether they are eating, or showering, or sleeping, or swimming, or traveling. We've also arranged for free camping for any teams that want to stick around Sunday afternoon and/or evening and get some sleep; just email info@UntamedVA.com if you're interested in the camping so we can reserve sufficient space. You would need to bring your own tent etc.

By the way, our prize raffle is going to be big with lots of great stuff from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Trango, Stonewear Designs, Teko, Gary Fisher, and others.

If you have already reserved a canoe and need to pay your $100, login to the team area of the website (www.UntamedVA.com/Admin) and under the "Team Options" tab you should see the choice to pay for your canoe. If you don't see the choice, you may not have a canoe reserved so contact us ASAP! Payment will be completed electronically and must be done my May 31st or else we may release your canoe to another team.

To update everyone on the riverboarding component of the race, we've had to rework this element. Instead of providing all racers on all teams with a RipBoard riverboard as we originally planned, we'll be providing one board per team and other teammates can bring their own RipBoard or they can trek, bike, or paddle the alternate route for the section. This means that we only require one set of fins per team unless you're bringing your own RipBoard (in which case you'll need fins for every person on the river). We have arranged a great deal on fins & booties for riverboaring, as well as RipBoards at 33% off retail . . . you can check it out here. Unfortunately, you will not be permitted to riverboard with boogie boards or other alternatives for the race; just RipBoard riverboard products (our arrangement with them ensures product exclusivity).

The next, and final, Captain Communication for the Untamed Virginia Adventure Race will go out in early June and include more course information (and feedback from our course testers) and some final race details.


This is Captain Communication #2 for the Untamed Virginia Adventure Race; Communication #1 is available here. With less than a month until race weekend, we're glad to share additional race details with you; be sure to forward them to your entire team and support crew. Included in this communication: Pre-Race Meal Waivers & Health Forms Race Finish Line Canoe Rental Riverboarding Clarification RipBoard Riverboarding Clinic Next Communication There is an optional Pre-Race Meal on Friday, June 8th from 6-8 PM. The Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Charlottesville store will be reorganized to accomodate us, and we'll have a fully catered Italian meal. Tickets for the meal are $15 and must be acquired in advance; if you want tickets, you can purchase them by logging on to your team area (www.UntamedVA.com/Admin). You should have your login and password in the original "welcome" email after you registered for the race, but please email info@UntamedVA.com if you've lost track of your login and password. In an effort to cut down on paper waste, we're doing all race waivers and emergency medical forms electronically. Log in to your team area (www.UntamedVA.com/Admin) to complete these forms in advance of the race. We will extend a 5 minute head start to all teams that have these electronic forms completed by June 6th; that's right . . . you can get an edge on the competition just by taking care of these forms in advance. This will make all our lives easier, and just a bit more environmentally responsible. We also suggest that you keep copies of your insurance cards with your race support crew just in case. Having that data in a single, convenient place can make your lives easier in the case of an emergency. The race finish line will feature food and drinks, as well as shower facilities for all racers. We will not have a conventional awards ceremony since teams are likely to be finishing several hours apart (there are no optional checkpoints along the race course, just a couple tough time cut-offs to keep teams on pace); instead, we will conduct our prize raffle during the race and post the results at the finish line where raffle winners can select their prize. This way, teams have the most flexibility with their post-race schedule as to whether they are eating, or showering, or sleeping, or swimming, or traveling. We've also arranged for free camping for any teams that want to stick around Sunday afternoon and/or evening and get some sleep; just email info@UntamedVA.com if you're interested in the camping so we can reserve sufficient space. You would need to bring your own tent etc. By the way, our prize raffle is going to be big with lots of great stuff from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Trango, Stonewear Designs, Teko, Gary Fisher, and others. There are still a few canoes available through Liquid Lessons where, for a flat $100 fee per canoe, they will stage the canoe for you at the start of the paddling sections and transport the canoe for you during the race; this means your support crew doesn't need to pick up or return the canoe, since the outfitter is in charge of moving it for you. To make arrangements to reserve a canoe from Liquid Lessons, call us at 1-877-486-8263 or email us at info@UntamedVA.com. There are only a couple canoes left! If you have already reserved a canoe and need to pay your $100, login to the team area of the website (www.UntamedVA.com/Admin) and under the "Team Options" tab you should see the choice to pay for your canoe. If you don't see the choice, you may not have a canoe reserved so contact us ASAP! Payment will be completed electronically and must be done my May 31st or else we may release your canoe to another team. To update everyone on the riverboarding component of the race, we've had to rework this element. Instead of providing all racers on all teams with a RipBoard riverboard as we originally planned, we'll be providing one board per team and other teammates can bring their own RipBoard or they can trek, bike, or paddle the alternate route for the section. This means that we only require one set of fins per team unless you're bringing your own RipBoard (in which case you'll need fins for every person on the river). We have arranged a great deal on fins & booties for riverboaring, as well as RipBoards at 33% off retail . . . you can check it out here. Unfortunately, you will not be permitted to riverboard with boogie boards or other alternatives for the race; just RipBoard riverboard products (our arrangement with them ensures product exclusivity). The RipBoard riverboarding clinic is confirmed for June 2nd in Richmond on the James River. This will be conducted by the owner of RipBoard, so you know you'll get a great introduction to this whitewater activity! This is optional, and not a requirement to race the Untamed Virginia Adventure race; the water you'll see in downtown Richmond will be much tougher and technical than what you'll encounter during the actual 2007 race, but RipBoard wanted a chance to showcase their product on the big rapids of downtown Richmond. The June 2nd clinic is free to racers, and clinic roster details are now being handled by RipBoard so contact them at 1-866-311-2627 or info@RipBoard.com to be included in the clinic. The next, and final, Captain Communication for the Untamed Virginia Adventure Race will go out in early June and include more course information (and feedback from our course testers) and some final race details. Until then, on behalf of Untamed Adventure, may your maps always be dry! Grant Killian www.UntamedVA.com www.UntamedAdventure.com		Race schedule at a glance: Wednesday June 6th, deadline to complete online race waivers (and earn time bonus) Friday June 8th, 6-8 PM optional pre-race dinner at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Charlottesville Saturday June 9th, 6-8 AM mandatory Race Check-In at Boys & Girls Club, Charlottesville Saturday June 9th, 8 AM mandatory Team Address at Boys & Girls Club Saturday June 9th, 9 AM official Race Start Sunday June 10th, 2 PM race course officially closes Race check in will be at the Charlottesville Boys & Girls Club, located next to Buford Middle School at 617 9th St Sw, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Race check-in starts at 6 AM and the pre-race address will begin promptly at 8 AM, so plan to have your check-in completed by 8 AM. Don't forget our Calories for a Cause program where teams can pre-order pizzas that will be waiting for them at one of the night checkpoints for the Untamed Virginia race. Hot pizza has saved us during some of the races we've done, and we think it's a great way to raise money for a great cause! Click here to order your Calories for a Cause and get full details. The race maps for the Untamed Virginia Adventure Race will be full-colour, waterproof maps that are pre-gridded. There will be several of these topo maps, of various sizes, and they will be 1:30,000 scale and 1:24,000 scale. You'll get supplemental park and area maps to complement your official topographical maps; these maps will not be waterproof and may be of dubious quality . . . you've been warned! Outside maps are permitted, but not really necessary in our opinion. You may want your support crew to have a Virginia Gazzetteer to help keep them oriented during the race. Race checkpoints will be communicated in UTM format as follows: 0719700 E 4211800 N You will be plotting some points "on the clock" (for orienteering sections), but CP locations will generally be given in your race instructions; you will get your race instruction booklet once you complete the team check-in on Saturday morning June 10th. Look for the Gary Fisher Bike Love Tent at a mid-race Transition Area. Gary Fisher knows adventure racers can be hard on their bikes, and not everybody can have expert bike mechanics on their support crew, so they've elected to come out with some tools and spare parts to work to keep every team pedaling towards the finish line. Gary Fisher representatives will be on hand to perform routine maintenance and tune-ups, but not bottom-bracket overhauls. Of course, your support crew might have to return the favor by sharing some pizza with the Gary Fisher guys, but it's a small price to pay for on call pro bike mechanics!