I see at least a few people still visit this website based on the stats I look at.  I thought I’d update this blog to let everyone know what’s going on.  While 2010 did bring the end of our home renovation (moved back in mid February), it wasn’t the only big change this year.  Patrick Bair, the main force behind the Ultra O-gaine, moved to Denver with his girlfriend Colleen.  I had talks with another area race director to join me in putting on the UOG prior to Patrick’s move, but just felt that in the end I couldn’t commit the time necessary to make the UOG the great event it has always been.  While the UOG has always been profitable, it was the hanging out with friends and the outdoors that drove us to put on the event.  Similarly to why the A24 didn’t return for a third year, the UOG didn’t return because my friend and parter moved away.

2010 wasn’t a total bust for me personally.  I finally returned to running, and despite a miserable July, trained enough to finish the 11 mile StumpJump in Chattanooga.  It was the training for the SJ 50K a number of years ago that I injured my knee which put me on the shelf for a few years.  It felt good to return to trail running and despite a late and rushed start, I finished and had a good time.  I’m looking to return again in 2011 and perform better.  My biking and camping were next to nothing, but I did have enough time to build a bar and put together my man cave in our basement.  Just a few finishing touches remain and I can put the man cave project to rest.

So what does that leave for 2011?  Unfortunately I don’t believe any Checkpoint Adventures events will happen in 2011.  I’ve had a web project in mind for several years and my resolution for 2011 is to finally get it off the ground and launch it.  I’m looking to begin shortly and launch it sometime in mid/late 2011.

I’ll have some news regarding Checkpoint Adventures in the first few months of 2011.  Stay tuned.

I hope everyone had a safe and adventurous 2010. See you in 2011!

-Kevin

I promised an update on the Ultra O-gaine and here it is. Sadly, the UOG will not happen in 2009. My wife and I have decided that this is the most opportunistic time to renovate our home so we are going forward with those plans. Because of the renovation, I will not have the necessary time to devote to the UOG this year.

We haven’t made any decision on the UOG going forward, so don’t rule out a 2010 edition.

Thank you to all those who emailed us about the UOG. Patrick and I couldn’t be more proud that you all enjoy the event so much.

See you on the trails,

Kevin and Patrick

I’ve gotten a number of emails asking about the 2009 edition of the Ultra O-gaine so I thought I would let everyone know what is going on. I’ll include a short answer and a long answer.

Short Answer
At this time I just can’t say if the UOG will happen this year. I should know by the end of January however.

Long Answer
As some of you know, Patrick Bair and I have been putting on the UOG for the last 3 years. The concept of the event was Patrick’s and much of the drive to put it together came from him. I enjoyed the low stress of the event compared to directing an Adventure Race and also liked hanging out with Patrick (and his girl friend Colleen) while we set the course and during other meetings about the event. Patrick took care of many of the course design and race day documents while I took care of the website, registration, and some of the back-end stuff. We consulted each other on anything we had questions about, be it course related, websites stuff, etc. Neither of us really liked doing sponsorship work so we just said forget it and instead focused our energies on bringing you, the racers, the best experience we could.

Due to a new job, Patrick won’t be able to help out with the event as much this year. Prior to the new job, Patrick and I were discussing the 2009 race and possible new locations. With the changes in his job, much of the course design and duties Patrick was performing would fall to me. Patrick will still be able to design the event map and consult on course design, so the end result will mostly be transparent.

I can’t direct the event by myself, so I’ve asked another experienced RD to help me out. I should know sometime this week if he’s able to be the co-race director with me.

There is one last possible hiccup that could derail the 2009 UOG. My wife and I have been talking about doing an extension on our home for the last year or so. If we proceed, there is a pretty real chance we’ll have to move out of our home while the work is going on. If this happens, I don’t think I’ll have time to devote to the UOG. I should know in the next 2-3 weeks if we are going to proceed with the home extension.

If the event does take place, the event weekend may change. The date really depends on how fast we can get a permit approved however. If you have a preferred time of year other than when the event usually takes place (mid May – mid June), please let us know. You can leave a comment in this post below.

I’d like to say a big “Thank You” to everyone that has contacted us about the 2009 UOG. It really means a lot to both Patrick and I that you all enjoy the event so much.

Hopefully we’ll see you in 2009,

Kevin

Lance Armstrong finished just short of 2 minutes behind the winner of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race today.  Six-time defending champion Dave Wiens finished in 6 hours, 45 minutes, 45 seconds; 1 minute and 56 seconds in front of Armstrong.

[Via SI.com]

CPA staff Cathi Cannon also raced Leadville today.  She finished in 12:46.  Way to go Cathi!

Thanks to the Greenville News, the UOG received some press for the first time! Mike Foley profiled three Greenville area UOG participants and threw in some rogaine history also. You can read the entire article HERE.