Transition Bags Information for Snow Donkey 2009:
Please label all equipment and bags CLEARLY with either your team name (if team) or personal name (if solo).
TA bag 1: Snowshoe Bag
Please provide a bag large enough for yours and your team’s snowshoes and other gear that you would like at this transition. Your snowshoes will go out on the course in this bag.
Items you might put in this bag:
• Snowshoes
• Shoes
• Extra clothes
• Extra food and water
• This bag must be placed at Bag Drop #1 area very soon after registration.
TA bag 2: Empty bag
Please provide a bag large enough for yours and your team’s snowshoes and other gear that you would like at this transition. Your snowshoes will return to Fort Whyte Alive in this bag.
Items you might put in this bag:
• Shoes
• Extra clothes
• Extra food and water
• This bag must be placed at Bag Drop #2 area very soon after registration.
Cross Country Ski and Biking Transitions
You will be instructed on race day where to drop your equipment for these disciplines.
Please ensure that all your cross country ski and bike equipment are separated and organized prior to the race start. You may leave an extra bag with food, gear, clothes, etc. at each of these transitions as well. Please make sure that all equipment and gear bags are very CLEARLY labeled with either your team name (if team) or personal name (if solo)
What to expect:
Overview:
The Snow Donkey Adventure Race
The race will take between 2 hours and 4 hours depending on your rate of travel. The average team may take about 3 hours and 15 minutes. You will travel as a team of three or solo throughout the race course. Your team will carry a passport that you will have
stamped at each checkpoint. Some checkpoints will be unmanned and require you to punch your passport with a specific hole punch. When you have reached all of the checkpoints in order and crossed the finish line you are done!
Race day registration:
When you arrive at The Snow Donkey Adventure Race host site you will need to check into the registration area. Please drop off your waiver and medical forms and pick up your racer bag with maps, passports, jerseys, etc. Race Start time is at 10am. The briefing process takes about 30 minutes and then getting your gear and TA bags to the appropriate drop site at Fort Whyte may take another 30 minutes. In this time make sure you go over your maps and plot your course. Arrive at the start line no later than 9:50 am.
The Maps:
You will receive a 1:20,000 topographical map. You may also receive maps such as 1:5,000 map (showing more detail) or satellite photo of one or more sections of the race. You will also receive a set of written instructions to aid you in getting from one CP to the next. Please refer to them often! You must be able to plot 6 digit UTM coordinates.
Disciplines:
Snowshoeing / Trekking:
Be prepared to wear footwear both conducive for fitting snowshoes and trekking.
Winter Biking:
Biking terrain will include paths and some roads. The biking will not be very technical but depending on snow and ice conditions, please bike with caution and walk your bike when you feel it is necessary. Consider using flat pedals instead of clipless for winter riding. Biking shoes are often not very conducive for cold weather unless you have covers. Using flat pedals in the Snow Donkey may allow you to select warmer footwear for cold conditions. If you will be riding with bike shoes you may have to carry your running shoes in your backpack to be ready to trek or snowshoe. Ensure that you have a way to attach your bike shoes to your backpack or that your pack is large enough to put your shoes inside.
Cross Country Ski:
This is an adventure race not a cross country ski race. It is recommended to bring classic skis. Part of the ski course will be marked and part of it will not be marked. Terrain may be varied. It is up to you to consider your equipment. If you feel that you are crossing rougher terrain, some racers may choose to take their skis off and walk small sections.
Transition Areas (TA):
You will proceed on course unaided for the entire race. Transition areas are sections of the race where you change from one discipline to the next. TA’s always have water if you need to refill. If you are biking and the next section of the race is skiing, you will stop in a transition area, where your gear for the next section will be waiting for you.
As part of your mandatory gear, you need to have 2 large bags for transition areas. These bags need to be packed and ready BEFORE the start of the race and dropped in the appropriate locations for race staff to deliver for you. (More info to follow)
Ideas for packing your transitions bags:
• Pack snacks and food you will want for the next section of the race
• Pack any special drinks (Gatorade, e-load) that you would like to have for the next section
• Pack an extra shirt/pants or jacket (if the weather is bad) in the bags
• Have each teammate pack their gear in different style bags so it’s easy to grab your gear when you arrive
• Pack gear in water proof bags in case of rain or yucky weather.
Transition bags need to be tagged with your team number. You will be given these tags when you register.
Start line:
The Snow Donkey Adventure Race will be a mass start.
Jerseys:
It is mandatory to wear your jersey as the outermost layer of your clothing – AT ALL TIMES.
Dinner tickets:
You will receive 3 chili lunch tickets in your racer kit or 1 if you are a solo racer. You will need to turn these in to get your lunch at the end of the race. If you wish to purchase dinner tickets for friends or family, the cost is $5.00 per lunch. You can purchase extra tickets at registration in the morning.
What to wear:
Please be prepared for any type of weather. Adventure Races can be warm and sunny or cold and snowy. Bring extra layers so that you can add or take off layers during the race.. (For more suggestions on gear, visit The Wilderness Supply Co. on Ferry Rd. The staff at The Wilderness Supply Co. are very knowledgeable in this area).
Shoes:
Any type of running shoe will work. Gore Tex shoes are great for winter races. Wear warm socks.
What to eat:
Here are the four basic food groups of adventure racing:
• Sugar
• Fat
• Protein
• Salt
We cannot stress enough how important it is to have salty snacks available on the race course! Consider stashing a thermos in your backpack or transition bag of hot chocolate or water.
Here is a list of foods that Team SwampDonkeyAR.com likes to race with:
Pringles
Hot rods
e-load (potassium/salt/carbohydrate drink) Found at Bike Stores.
Sweet and salty bars
Nuts or trail mix
Oreo cookies
Hammer™ Gel
Clif™ Shots
Clif™ Bars
Clif™ Shot-Blocks
One bite brownies
Snickers
We usually package small amounts of each food we like into the “snack size” Ziploc baggies. Then you can grab a quick snack while you are hiking. At the minimum you need to eat 200 calories/hour. That’s about equal to one chocolate bar an hour.
How much to drink:
At the very minimum you will need ½ a litre of water every 30 minutes. That is equivalent to a 500 ml pop bottle or biking water bottle or 2/3 of a bottle of wine☺ A smaller person might only need 1 litre every two hours. Most racers use a hydration system known as a Camelbak but unless you have a tube insulator, your tube line may freeze. Consider an insulated water bottle holder for your water bottle. This is a plastic bladder with the tube attached that you put in your pack. You can drink from the tube system as you are biking / skiing along. Even if you never race again you will use this product when you are out walking the dog, picnicking or camping, but like we said, ‘once you try The Snow Donkey Adventure Race, you’ll be hooked’.
Rules to know:
LEAVE NO TRACE: This is our most important rule. Please respect the environment you are in and be sure to pick up any trash or garbage that my fall from your pack or while on course. Each CP will have a garbage bag and CP staff can pack out any found garbage.
100 FOOT RULE: You must be within 50 feet of your teammates. If you are separated by any more than that and the race staff sees this, you will be assessed an immediate 2 min penalty (to be served on the spot). If your team is caught a second time you could be disqualified.
ON COURSE GEAR CHECKS: At different checkpoints you will be asked to produce a piece of the mandatory gear in order to move on. If you do have this piece of gear you will have to serve a 10 minute time penalty at that checkpoint – for each piece of missing gear!