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In episode two at least one of us now has a microphone and we're both not on the phone. Jeremey and I talk about the list of things you need to think and ask about before you start a race. In subsequent episodes we'll dive into each category and discuss lessons we learned the hard way so that you don't have to.
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Jeremey Davis & Jefferson Nicholson dive into the nitty-gritty of the endurance event industry to give event planners something new to consider, echo your positive event theories, and give participating athletes insight on everything that goes into an event Before The (starting) Line.
Like 99% of all the other endurance event directors out there we just got this Podcast started with the equipment we had available.... a couple cell phones and access to the internet. And just like our events we'll continue to improve our equipment so your audio experience will get better too. But regardless of equipment I think we drop a couple of great insight nuggets in here during our introduction episode. If you'd like us to dive into any particular subject then.... we'll make some social media profiles and an email address soon enough too ;) JD & Jeff Subscribe on Anchor - https://anchor.fm/beforetheline Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7hK8vsxk5Dgyyz1CoPRTK3 Would love to know how you got started in endurance sport! Comment below
The first episode of the Adventure Geek Podcast. My first guest is Cameron Dorn, owner/operator of The Suitcase of Courage, Guinness World Record Holder, Mountain Climber, Entrepreneur, Motivator, and just all around amazing human.
 Production Crew Member We're currently hiring for our event production, timing, and promotion crew! If you're looking to pick up some part-time weekend work, and enjoy watching trail races, triathlons or other athletic events, we want to meet you! Responsibilities involve some physical labor for onsite set-up and take-down; applicants must be able to lift and control up to 40lbs of equipment. Individuals who are outgoing, friendly, and enjoy interacting with people will excel in this position. This position involves mostly early morning weekend work, with the possibility of some weekday hours. Flexibility and reliability are essential. Many events include travel, at no cost to the individual. Must possess a valid driver's license with full driving privileges. Successful candidates work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment, exhibit great teamwork and leadership skills, and are quick learners with a strong ability to multitask and problem-solve. Compensation: $10-$15/hr. Adjusted depending on qualifications and experience. If you are interested in joining our team please contact us with your resume and include the title of the position you are interested in. Special consideration will be given to applicants who have participated in one of our previous events or have previous event production experience. Apply by e-mail to: [email protected] Applications Deadline: Ongoing RACE TIMING COORDINATOR Responsibilities involve some physical labor for onsite set-up and take-down; applicants must be able to lift and control up to 40lbs of equipment. Individuals who are outgoing, friendly, and enjoy interacting with people will excel in this position. Communicating with race directors, athletes and providing direction to volunteers is a vital aspect of the job. This position involves mostly early morning weekend work, with the possibility of some weekday hours. Flexibility and reliability are essential. Many events include travel, at no cost to the individual. Must possess a valid driver's license with full driving privileges. Successful candidates work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment, exhibit great teamwork and leadership skills, and are quick learners with a strong ability to multitask and problem-solve. Prior race timing knowledge, and experience with simple website updates (via online content management editing tool), and social media is an asset. Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Compensation: $15-$20/hr. Adjusted depending on qualifications and experience. If you are interested in joining our team please contact us with your resume and include the title of the position you are interested in. Applications Deadline: Ongoing RACE TIMING TECHNICAL LEAD Responsibilities include pre-event preparation, organizing and loading equipment for transportation to the event, onsite set-up and take-down, and working with software to prepare race results for participants. Individuals who are tech-savvy, analytic and detailed-oriented will excel in this position. Ensuring accurate race results is a vital aspect of the job. This position involves mostly early morning weekend work, with the possibility of some weekday hours. Flexibility and reliability are essential. Many events include travel, at no cost to the individual. Must possess a valid driver's license with full driving privileges. Successful candidates work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment, exhibit great teamwork and leadership skills, and are quick learners with a strong ability to multitask and problem-solve. Prior knowledge and experience with computers, networking and website programming is an asset. Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Compensation: $250(+)/event. Adjusted depending on qualifications and experience. If you are interested in joining our team please contact us with your resume and include the title of the position you are interested in. The North Shore Cup race weekend is less than 3 weeks away and we have some exciting updates for you regarding the race! There will be 2 race distances to be had this year; the 12 mile race for the Cup and a the 6 mile challenge for those looking for something a bit shorter. In the 12 mile race for the Cup we will have the following categories with prize money and hardware on offer: - Men's overall: Top 3 prize money and a $300 winner take all hotspot sponsored by Stellar Kayaks (http://www.stellarkayaksusa.com/) at the 3 mile mark! - Women's overall: Top 3 prize money and a $200 winner take all hotspot sponsored by Think Kayaks (http://thinkkayak.com/) at the 3 mile mark! - Men's FSK: $100 winner take all prize sponsored by Surfski Syndicate (http://www.surfskisyndicate.com/)! We require a minimum of 3 FSK paddlers in the field for this to be awarded. - Women's FSK: $100 winner take all prize sponsored by Surfski Syndicate (http://www.surfskisyndicate.com/)! We require a minimum of 3 FSK paddlers in the field for this to be awarded. - Men's OC-1: $150 winner take all prize sponsored by Winning Health Sports Medicine (http://www.winninghealth.md/)! We require a minimum of 3 FSK paddlers in the field for this to be awarded. - Women's OC-1: $150 winner take all prize sponsored by WomenCAN International (http://womencanintl.com/wordpress/)! We require a minimum of 3 FSK paddlers in the field for this to be awarded. **If we have a minimum of 8 competitors in the women's 12 mile field, we have a stand alone women's race with a separate start** In the 6 mile challenge we will award hardware to the top 3 overall men and the top 3 overall women. The after race gathering and meal will be catered by our good friend and founder of The North Shore Cup, Chris Williams and Lone Star BBQ (http://www.lonestarbbq.net/). Additionally, we will have demos available of Think and Stellar Surfskis, as well as Jantex and G'Power Paddles, Friday and Saturday. Also be sure and plan to join us for a low key gathering and cookout on Friday evening at the North Shore Condos near the start line. We will be paddling and doing demos throughout the day on Friday at the start finish line, so come on out then as well! The link to registration with a list of registered paddlers at the bottom is here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-shore-cup-paddle-race-2015-tickets-17287990846?aff=eac2 Also, remember, this is a full race weekend, and Sunday we will move across the lake to Santee State Park for the Santee Surf and Turf Triathlon! This will be a 3 mile run, 3 mile paddle, and 8 mile mtn bike. If you are not interested in the entire race but would be interested in joining a team, contact race director Jefferson Nicholson for possible options. The race site and link to registration is here: http://www.adventuregeekproductions.com/santee-surf-and-turf.html Very special thanks to all of our sponsors for helping make this a great race! Feel free to contact myself, Mark Smith, or Jefferson Nicholson with any questions regarding the race, we look forward to seeing you on the start line! Best, Mark McKenzie http://www.eliteoceansports.com 843-224-7509  UPDATE #1
Unfortunately we are currently not planning to host an onsite version of this race this year due to the gardens being booked for multiple weddings and the CU baseball game traffic and emergency services shutting down the west side of the half marathon route. So to keep the event alive, if only in our minds, and training efforts, we're planning to host a Virtual Clemson Easter Bunny Run 5k & Half Marathon. I apologize for the announcement delay as it has been taking some time to make sure we have the right gift packet, run verification, and awards packets plans in place before we roll out any registration forms. Of course we'd much rather be in Clemson that weekend running across the campus and finding eggs but it's just been crazy how everything is stacked against us this year. If by some miracle (do you have a venue?!) we can find a real venue, relatively close to Clemson by the end of the week, we'll make it happen. We made it happen with the Kings Mountain Marathon in just a few hours so I haven't given up hope just yet. Very Best, Jefferson Nicholson Adventure Geek Engineer & Clemson Easter Bunny Run Founder  The goal is for runners to leave an XTERRA Atlantic Series race feeling remarkable.
Co-race director Jefferson Nicholson made a few tweaks for the second year of the series in hopes runners have an awesome experience on the trails. That includes having a multimedia production so runners and spectators can relive the race with videos and photos. The series begins March 16 with the White Clay Creek Trail Runin Delaware. “We (don’t) want to make it memorable, but remarkable,” Nicholson said. “We want folks leaving race thinking ‘man that was the smoothest race, the only thing I had to worry about was the race. Directions were easy, parking and check in a breeze all the way through.’ ” Nicholson said the inaugural year of the series in 2013 went well and there was a bigger turnout than expected. One of the races, the XTERRA Seneca Creek, made Competitor Magazine’s list of “21 Must-Do Mid-Atlantic Races.” He’s expecting 400 to 500 for that race on April 12 in Maryland. The series has races in both Maryland and Delaware, and attracts runners from nearby states. The multimedia aspect to the series will add another layer to the fun race experience. A production company will gather interviews, shoot video, and take photos, and all of those will be posted online afterwards. “We want to help them share memories with friends and family, capture race day and make sure we’re having an enjoyable event,” Nicholson said. He’s added more staff to help with race coordination and course marshaling. The series opener at White Clay Creek is a new race and he encourages runners to use that race to get a jump on the points standings. He thinks the recent winter weather delayed training schedules, so there may be fewer entries. Not only do age group leaders at the end of the season earn a trip to the XTERRA National Championship, but they’ll also receive gifts from Nicholson and his wife/co-race director, Kristen. The two, who own Adventure Geek Productions, got married in January. ~http://www.xterraplanet.com/trailmix/  The Duncan Ridge Trail 50k takes place in North Georgia near Blairsville, starting and finishing from Vogel State Park. Billed as the ‘toughest 50k in the southeast’; it utilizes the Coosa Backcountry Trail and the Duncan Ridge Trail. At just over 31-miles, with 10,000ft of vertical climb (and equivalent descent), the course promises a challenge to any runner. So I decided to give it a whirl! PRE-RACE Since I've never run those trails, I drove down the day before the race to scout portions of the trail. The Race Director (RD) also offered a pre-race packet pickup that Friday evening. I always prefer pre-race packet pick ups so I can see what kind of bib, or number, or timing chip is being used so I may make the necessary adjustments. Got to have everything dialed in and reduce as many race-day surprises as I can. RACE DAY Ever integrated your alarm clock into your dreams? Yea well I got to the race venue just 15min before the start. So much for reducing race-day surprises... I whipped into the parking lot, ran my stuff to the bag-drop, and then went back to my truck for final preparations. It was cool out (~50*), windy, cloudy, and misty; I was expecting just a +/-5* temp change as a high-pressure system moved in over the day. I tend to run hot on race day so just shorts/singlet/visor should suffice, right? I'll come back to that. THE COURSE The bEast Coast mountain trails were as expected, tons of wet leaves, roots, and rocks. Most of the climbs were strait up and over peaks; the trail was riddled with mud and fallen trees to climb or dip under. There were even points when the trail was barely there and thankfully that’s where the RD placed orange surveyor flags to keep runners on course.  The elevation profile data from my Garmin 910xt I was prepared and expecting these rough conditions. I regularly run trails in Pisgah National Forest and got a good deal of training in at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this summer; but the wind and cold got to me Saturday. I couldn't feel my hands for more than half of the time, with wind chill it dropped MUCH more than the anticipated +/- 5deg.
Racing makes you do silly things sometimes. I attempted to run with my fingers under my armpits at times for added warmth. It looked like your imaging, like a bearded distance runner doing the chicken dance while covering intense single track over a mountain as quickly as possible: awkward. The chicken dance posture didn't work well so I just focused on keeping moving, not only for the race, but for warmth and the thought that the faster I run the sooner this will be over. I was pleased to not see the front-runner until ~1mi from the turnaround of the out and back course. At the 15.5mi mark I did the drop bag thing, I crushed a double espresso and a handful of roasted almonds. Now back to the start/finish line! The return trip was tough, slogging up steep mucky pitches, beaten up by runners before and after me... I thought the return trip was supposed to be easier! Now my goal to the finish, NOT GET PASSED. I convinced myself that there was always someone behind me just around the bend, just out of sight. It worked. I made it back to the start line in 6hrs, 49minutes. Earning 6th place overall in my first 50k race! RECAP The Duncan Ridge Trail 50k is NO JOKE. While it is a tough course, the race is very well run, the aid stations are well stocked, and the volunteers I met along the way were great and very supportive! I suggest this race (or the 30k ‘short’ option) for any runner looking for a challenge. The cut-off times were generous allowing participants of almost any pace to finishing the course. There were ample options to drop-out in the event of an injury or being ill-prepared. This race is for the ‘purists’ out there, no awards or age groups, just a finisher’s prize (a nice synthetic hat or a pint glass), and of course, bragging rights. This year there were 185 starters, 163 total finishers, 72 30k Finishers, 91 50k finishers, 22 DNF's, and 19 dropped to the 30k from the 50k. If I find myself still on the East Coast next year, I'll definitely be back for more! Mark your calendars for November 22, 2014!!! Brandon Smith Adventure Geek Racing Team Member  I read the rant and the retort. I have my own unique take on it. From old military days and mind/war games to bouncing and bodyguarding to now marketing in radio for 25 years, I've learned to recognize a reaction similar to the primal 'fight or flight'.
The male creature much more often than not responds to things they are ignorant or fearful of with faux anger, often laced with weak attempts at humor or irony. Stafko is a large, unfit man with a type of Napoleonic complex. He can't be you or beat you, so he'll attempt to berate you. Rather than admit ignorance and learn, his tact is to defer from him to you. He's the bully on the playground who's the frightened kid in reality. The frat boy who still calls a beer a "brewski" long after the last kegger, and he is in loathing of himself. Suck it up buttercup, from one fat bald old guy to a younger fat boy, better to be a moving target than a bump on a log. Grow some stones rather than throwing them. Lace up a pair of sneakers, struggle through a 5K and finish dead damn last, but feel the honest rush of knowing you finished it and no one can take that away from you. Back away from the buffet big boy, you'll find a lot of athletes willing to share, teach, cajole and love you into being more than a bitter self hating asshat. Phew! Was that a B.A.R.? And as an aside, Fartleks still make me giggle. ~Adventure Geek Russ  Daigeaun, Palmer win marathon; Prada, Starr win half-marathon
June 27, 2013 – More than 240 runners from 15 different states were treated to a challenging adventure at the XTERRA Big Elk Trail Run last weekend at Elkton, Maryland. The event was completed on June 22, and it featured both a full-marathon (26.2 miles) and a half-marathon (13.1 miles). Both courses took runners along the picturesque trails at Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area. Michael Dageaun from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Jackie Palmer from Newark, Delaware, were the overall winners for the full marathon. Juan Prada from Newark, Delaware, and Emma Starr from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, were the overall winners for the half-marathon. “I would describe the course as a kind of potpourri,” Dageaun said. “You had a bit of everything imaginable. One moment you’d be running some rolling rooty single track in the woods, and the next, you’d be on some flat double track through a field. There were a couple of road crossings and stream hops that really rounded out the course. Also, lots of twists and turns on the trail itself which at times made getting a good rhythm difficult.” Heat and humidity were also factors, as temperatures were in the 80s throughout the race. “It was extremely hot, especially during the last two hours as the mid-day heat came in,” Palmer said. “I was stopping at every aid station the second lap to dump water on me and try to keep from overheating.” Daigeaun and Palmer were up for the challenge, and they both ran away from the competition. Daigeaun placed first overall, completing the course in 3 hours, 18 minutes, 30 seconds. He finished an astonishing 42 minutes ahead of the other runners. “Within the first 100 yards, I started to pull away from the rest of the field, so I was out front pretty much all day,” he explained. “Being alone for such a long time can test the mind and due to the heat it certainly did. However, between doing long solo training runs that go from 22 to 25 miles rather regularly and racing ultras, it is a feeling I am used to.” Palmer also had an impressive performance, placing second overall and first among all females with a time of 4:01:08. She finished more than an hour ahead of the other women in the race. “I was wondering why I didn’t see many guys the second lap,” she said. “I was actually impressed thinking everyone must be running a very consistently paced race. Then at the finish I realized I hadn’t seen anyone because there was only one guy in front of me!” Pierre Olivier Jacques from Canada placed third overall at 4:04:04, and Zachary Hughes from Wadsworth, Ohio, was fourth at 4:08:18. Sarah Colwell from Frederick, Maryland, was the second female at 5:02:19. The half-marathon field featured nearly 200 runners, and Prada led the way from start to finish. He completed the course in 1:40:14, which was nearly four minutes ahead of the other top runners. “The course was really hard, with a lot of sharp turns,” Prada said. “There were not any long hills, but the trails were very stiff and rocky, so they were tough. The day was perfect – very warm, but inside the woods it was nice. The course was very entertaining, changing at every moment.” Prada is originally from Colombia, but is currently working at the University of Delaware as a visiting scholar. His brother, Luis Prada, also entered the half-marathon and placed sixth overall. Steven Leibowitz from Baltimore, Maryland, was second overall in 1:44:11, and Joe Gonzalez from Fort Washington, Maryland, was third in 1:46:03. Emma Starr was the first female in 1:56:28, and her victory was somewhat surprising because running is not her first sport of choice. She is a member of the soccer team at George Mason University, and enters running races during the summers as a way to stay in shape. “I love trail runs,” she said. “I love the environment and the constant twists and turns of the trails. I just started competing in half marathons this summer.” CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMPLETE RESULTS The XTERRA Big Elk Trail Run was the fourth, and final, race of the 2013 XTERRA Atlantic Trail Run Series. The series will return in 2014, and runners of all ages and skill levels can enter. To learn more about it, please visit www.adventuregeekproductions.com. About the XTERRA Atlantic Trail Run Series The XTERRA Atlantic Trail Run Series is open to runners of all ages and skill levels. In the 2013 season, there will be four races available for runners, with the courses ranging in length from 5 kilometers to 42 kilometers. The top runners in every age group will receive points after each race that will count toward the overall series standings. At the conclusion of the series, each age-group champion will receive a free entry to represent the Atlantic at the 2013 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship. Atlantic is one of 16 regions hosting an XTERRA Trail Run Series. The others are Alabama, Arizona, Southern California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pocono, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. |
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