What a difference a day makes! Monday after the race it’s raining buckets while athletes were blessed with near ideal conditions for the Rogaine on Saturday and Sunday. It didn’t look like it was going to start that way though…

The Dakota Rogaining Championships was a USOF-sanctioned event organized by Peak Assurance, Inc. with course design by Rick Emerson. Rick was the Course Designer and Assistant Race Director for Primal Quest Badlands 2009. He shared that much of this terrain was slated for a good test of backcountry navigation in PQ, but was this removed when inclement weather slowed progress early in “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”.  Who better to experience this now than some of North America’s best orienteers?!?

60+ folks registered for this inaugural event with the vast majority of athletes entered in the 24-Hour Championship race. The Rogaine included three events: the 24-Hour Championship, a 12-in-24 Hour Race, and a 4-Hour Short Course. The event was held in Custer State Park – located in western South Dakota and one of the largest state parks in the United States. The host club was the Black Hills Orienteering Club. Participants came from 14 states and provinces and included multiple past US and North American champions.

A front swept through western South Dakota on Thursday – dropping three plus inches of snow in the South Hills and Custer State Park. Racers began wondering what they were in for, but nature cooperated with the Rogaine – sort of, that is… Participants experienced record lows on Friday night - 19 F to be exact. This only proved to be a morale tester as Saturday dawned clear and mostly sunny.

The Hash House (site for the event headquarters and the start and finish lines) was located at the Game Lodge Group Campground on the east side of Custer State Park. The CG proved to be very plush as Rogaines go – with a large picnic shelter, electricity and lighting, heated shower rooms, and ample tenting and parking. The ingenious volunteers fashioned pop-up kitchen, registration, and medical areas and further enclosed the picnic shelter with plastic to minimize winds and enhance heat retention. Sponsor banners from TankaBar and Zanfel decorated the digs and the kitchen was even adorned with icicle lighting to add to the ambiance.

An indoctrination by Chad Lehman, the Park’s Resource Biologist, started the activities on Saturday. He addressed animal and botanical hazards and other rules of conduct within the Park. Custer State Park has a rather large population of buffalo, mountain lions, elk, deer, and other wildlife so his indoctrination added to the excitement level of the participants. With 27 teams prepared to traipse out across the rugged backcountry of Custer State Park, we wanted folks to at least be aware of the potential hazards and awesome experiences.

Rick Emerson followed with a brief course overview, provided a weather update, and reinforced what the Park was going to offer – a test for the best. Maps, control descriptions, and scorecards were distributed at 10 AM with the race slated to start at 12 Noon. Intention sheets soon followed…

The 19 Championship teams and all the 12-in-24 hour teams prepared for the High Noon start. It was interesting to observe the different strategies athletes practiced in the planning strategies. First, everyone scattered – to the numerous picnic tables provided, their cars, monster tents, and even the Resort’s hotel rooms. Distributing intention sheets and imparting map clarifications proved to be quite an exercise with the dispersion of participants.

Afternoon approached and athletes gathered – eager for the mass start at Noon. At 12:01 PM, the official start line funneled racers across the bridge south to the picnic area and off they went  - most for the next 24-hours.

Knock on wood, the Hash House proved to be pretty quiet. We had a racer call about an hour into the race – they bumped into a set of parents that lost their three kids up on Lover’s Leap trail at CP 35. We called Steve Housley, the Park EMT, to refer the situation. Seems the kids made it back to their campground sans the parents. Perhaps these children are future Rogainers…

Our primary activity at HH was the 12-in-24 racers completing that event. Those folks were determined not to be late with the first team coming in a bit before 9 PM and the final participants finished shortly after 11 PM. Straight-up, these folks all looked solid and probably should have tackled the 24-hour event!

We did have one visit from a co-ed team experiencing stomach problems. The male was unable to keep anything down. A cup of soup and some tomato juice followed with a few hours of sleep and they rejoined the fray. All in all, only four 24-hour teams visited us Saturday evening and Friday morning. All but one went back out on course.

The hardest part of a Rogaine from the organizer sense?  Patience. It’s a 24-hour race and hardly anyone comes back to the Hash House – at least on this course. Saturday night and Sunday morning proved to be pretty lonely at the Hash House with most competitors pushing through the night. Only a few teams stopped to fortify and rest.

Weather wasn’t a factor during the race, but did provide a tad of excitement. Folks on the southwest portion of the course experienced a bit of a snow squall when a front blew through early Saturday morning. Shortly after, the skies cleared, the waning moon appeared, and folks were treated to mid-30F temperatures throughout the early morning.

Wee hours found Rick and Toby, his Brittany Spaniel, bidding time waiting for activity. That activity ended up being a field mouse teasing Toby while Rick tried to catnap in a zero gravity recliner. Folks rising for a 4 AM restart provide a shot of adrenaline in those pre-sunrise hours. 

Almost everyone made the 12:01 PM deadline. The lone late team was very late – experiencing a significant penalty for delaying the dinner hour. The standard was 10 points per minute late. It was very neat to see 24-Hour folks finishing along side of the 4-Hour Short Course participants.

One team intended to clean the course, but shared later the elevation, foot issues, and a few navigation errors put a stop to that effort. They commented they perhaps completed 60k of the planned 80k they thought it might take to clean the course.

Bagging all 51 controls would have totaled 2730 points. The overall champions, Pete Cameron and Harper Forbes of Untamed New England, scored 2280 points. Team Phast Generation, the male Super-Veteran team of Ken Walker and Glen Blake, took second with 2070 points. The top female team and third overall was Team Barbs (Campbell and Bryant) with 1820 points. Way to go ladies! Please check the tables for the full results.

The best tug at my heartstrings – my wife and her teammate coming across the bridge at the finish line. Amy stomping through the creek to cool her feet and the hug and kiss I received from Julie after her 21+ hours of perverted pain and pleasure.

The second best tug – a toss-up between one, the McCurry’s observation of what I have come to realize and am destined to share is Custer State Park is so dearly special and unique or two, the quick hug goodbye to Jon, my Registrar, after the almost three days of event organization.  As the saying goes, it doesn’t get any better than this. So many memories, so many to thank!

To my Course Vetter and fellow setters, Randy Ericksen and Scott Gengler, wow! One racer commented, how did you set all those controls – there is no easy access to all those locations? Well, a couple of other dedicated and crazy friends that appreciate what we have as much as I. Sharing your experiences and hearing your feedback when enjoying what we have here in western South Dakota is a reward beyond measure. Thanks for being friends!

The awards ceremony included a dinner buffet sponsored by Peak Assurance and served by Custer State Park Resort. The menu included pulled buffalo in a mushroom au jus with all the fixings. Thank you Coca-Cola for the drinks – the athletes really needed those carbonated beverages! The open-air dinner was enjoyed in mid-60 degree F temperatures and full sun. In the true spirit of adventure, Rick Emerson provided medals to all participants. He commented anyone adventurous enough to attempt a Rogaine deserved a medal. Rick announced the category and class winners and points, distributed prizes to category winners, and awarded medals. Door prizes from sponsors were also drawn and distributed.

The ingredients for success – diversified terrain with almost unlimited access, facilities to comfort racers, volunteers, and guests alike, an energetic team of volunteers, and world-class athletes. The Dakota Rogaining Championships had it all!

Finally, to the sponsors – we know this is a tough time. That you took the gamble and sponsored a Rogaine event in South Dakota shows your true support for outdoor recreation and an audience that lives and breathes the same principles. Thanks to Zanfel, TankaBar, nuun, SportMulti, Coca-Cola, RoadID, Scheels, SleepMonsters, and Avis.  I welcome your future participation and will continue to promote you in the best of light! The heartiest thank you is to Custer State Park. Working with Park personnel is always a pleasure and I look forward to our next adventure!

What’s up next? Folks definitely want another Dakota Rogaining Championships. We are looking at a late-June date for 2011. Some folks think hosting WRC in 2014 would be an excellent event for Custer State Park. What do you all think?!?

Our dreams are only bounded by what we attempt – not necessarily by what we can accomplish. Dream on and live life to your fullest!