Urban Wild
Roundup

"The Lost Lagoon"
Belmont, Saturday, August 13, 2011

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Fresh! Although, a bit balmy. 66 adventures traveled from places like Texas, Sacramento, and Scotts Valley to the Belmont Sports Complex. And then their feet and bicycle wheels traversed the isles of the Lost Lagoon. Team Digger also featured a 50 lb. pack and pushed a stroller - talk about extreme training! The venerable Adventure Turtles team "got the band back together" to celebrate Nancy's upcoming 70th birthday - this group had the two visiting Texans. From Berkeley we had two cub scout packs and San Jose fielded a team from Lynbrook High School. One student who attends Westminster School in Connecticut is interested in making a local map and bringing map sport to his local community. I'm learning about the stories behind the team names - the 7 Questions Tour team travels the world and tends to get asked the same seven questions. I wonder if one of the questions is "What are the seven questions?" And among the participants, we welcome recent arrivals to the area from Sweden, Bangers + Mash from San Diego, and the Whidbey Island Nerds returning from the Seattle Area.

Thank you all for a fun event! With all the work put in making the map, I intend to put on another Lost Lagoon event next year with a different start and finish location and a night option. (Or, a moonlight event with a day option.)

Thanks to our sponsors, the Racing with Giants adventure race team, contact them if you are interested in AR or just joining them for some fun training - kayaking, mountain biking, and other adventures. Also thanks to Zombie Runner, a cool running store and cafe in Palo Alto, for the swag bags!

Thank you's:

Registration helpers: Julien Lallemand and Alex from Racing With Giants, Vladimir Gusiatnikov
Aid station: Vladimir Gusiatnikov, Lani Schreibstein
Photography: Lani Schreibstein, Vladimir Gusiatnikov
Room Setup: Chris from City of Belmontf

Results - Categorized

5 km Family

1. The Wild Ones 2:18:30
2. Pack 30 Webelos I+II 2:39:00

5 km Masters Women

1. Team Bree: Lara Willing, Margaret Bierman 1:29:05
2. Silva and Judy: Silva Sheppard, Judy Koehler 1:36:26

5 km Masters Mixed

1. Chelrose 1:30:20 (+1 penalty minutes)
2. The Adventure Turtles 1:59:46

5 km Open Women

1. Anonymous 0:47:38

5km Open Women Choose Your Own Adventure

1. Letty Flores 2:23:30

10 km Family

1. Brent & Matt 1:30:00 (+1 penalty minutes)
2. Digger 2:37:55

10 km Junior Men

1. Ronald Yeung: 1:47:29
2. One Man Band: William Kim 2:54:34

10 km Masters Women

1. Penny DeMoss: 1:23:30
2. Wonder Girls: Vicki Woolworth, Kim Granger, Bo Sun, Chantha Sun 2:16:30
3. Las Bonitas: Joan Roos, Jennifer Kerr 3:11:00

10 km Masters Men

1. Brad Wetmore: 1:24:15 (+1 penalty minutes)
2. Round & Round: Bob Baylor 1:43:15
3. Team Markowitz: Frank Markowitz 1:50:44
4. Chupacabra: Mark Blair 1:51:46

10 km Open Women

1. Erika Kikuchi: 1:30:20 (+1 penalty minutes)

10 km Open Mixed

1. Team India 3:08:33
2. Nekketsu HIgh School Orienteering Club 3:23:52

10 km Open Men

1. Pivot: Darren Don 2:33:05 (+1 penalty minutes)

25 km Junior Women Choose Your Own Adventure

1. LHS 3:54:00

25 km Masters Mixed

1. Whidbey Island Nerds: Heidi Cusworth, Bill Cusworth 4:00:25

25 km Masters Men

1. Greg Favor: 3:34:40

25 km Open Mixed

1. Bangers + Mash: Lucy Beard, Nigel Beard 3:57:20 (+1 penalty minutes)

25 km Duathlon Masters Women

1. 7 Questions Tour: Ilya Pratt, Lori Lewis 3:15:20

25 km Duathlon Masters Men

1. Steve: Steve Gregg 2:32:47
2. One Big Guy: Geoffrey Sears 2:48:41

25 km Duathlon Open Men

1. Dennis: Dennis Wilkinson 1:54:19 (+1 penalty minutes)

Results - Overall

5 km

Anonymous 0:47:38
Team Bree: Lara Willing, Margaret Bierman 1:29:05
Chelrose 1:30:20 (+1 penalty minutes)
Silva and Judy: Silva Sheppard, Judy Koehler 1:36:26
The Adventure Turtles 1:59:46
The Wild Ones 2:18:30
Pack 30 Webelos I+II 2:39:00

10 km

Penny DeMoss: 1:23:30
Brad Wetmore: 1:24:15 (+1 penalty minutes)
Brent & Matt 1:30:00 (+1 penalty minutes)
Erika Kikuchi: 1:30:20 (+1 penalty minutes)
Round & Round: Bob Baylor 1:43:15
Ronald Yeung: 1:47:29
Team Markowitz: Frank Markowitz 1:50:44
Chupacabra: Mark Blair 1:51:46
Wonder Girls: Vicki Woolworth, Kim Granger, Bo Sun, Chantha Sun 2:16:30
Pivot: Darren Don 2:33:05 (+1 penalty minutes)
Digger 2:37:55
One Man Band: William Kim 2:54:34
Team India 3:08:33
Las Bonitas: Joan Roos, Jennifer Kerr 3:11:00
Nekketsu HIgh School Orienteering Club 3:23:52

25 km Foot

Greg Favor: 3:34:40
Bangers + Mash: Lucy Beard, Nigel Beard 3:57:20 (+1 penalty minutes)
Whidbey Island Nerds: Heidi Cusworth, Bill Cusworth 4:00:25

25 km Duathlon

Dennis: Dennis Wilkinson 1:54:19 (+1 penalty minutes)
Steve: Steve Gregg 2:32:47
One Big Guy: Geoffrey Sears 2:48:41
7 Questions Tour: Ilya Pratt, Lori Lewis 3:15:20

Original event information

Event Update posted August 9.

Enjoy a 5, 10, or 25 km map adventure trek to find interesting checkpoints!

The coastal communities of San Mateo and Foster City provide an interesting maze of lagoons to navigate, with a circular street pattern to make the route planning a bit different. Enjoy the island hopping and bay viewing.

All of the courses - 5, 10, or 25 km - may be done on foot. The 10 and 25 km have a section that may be done on a bike if you sign up yourself or your team in the Duathlon category.

Event Schedule:

9:00 Registration open
9:40 Registration closes
9:45 Course briefing
10:00 Mass start, all courses
2:00 All courses close

Courses and Team Categories

The course lengths of 5, 10, and 25 km are approximate; more exact lengths will be published prior to the event.

Everybody's on a team of 1 to 5 people. Sign up ahead of time or at the event individually; you will register your team the day of the event. So, teams do not sign up ahead of time, but every individual on the team who wants a reduced entry price should sign up online ahead of time.

Every team will be in one of four categories: Junior - all participants under 18; Masters - average age of participants is 40 or more; Family - mix of juniors and non-juniors; everybody else is Open.

There will be award certificates for the top three teams in each category on each course.

So how does this work?

Please be registered by 9:40 so we can start on time. You can leave non-valuable items at the registration area, which will be monitored by event staff. You're also allowed to leave stuff like car keys if they're put in a sealed "lunch bag" type thing clearly labeled with your full name.

10 minutes before the 10:00 mass start there will be a course briefing with information that will be helpful to you in completing the course. You'll receive an event "passport" for marking checkpoints. Then maps will be handed out.

You can get the checkpoints in any order, and finding the best route or tour to get them all is an interesting part of the challenge. If you're using a bike in the duathlon category, the checkpoints will be divided into multiple sets - some, you will get on foot, and the others, you are allowed to use your bicycle to find them.

At checkpoints, you will answer a multiple choice question about a recognizable map feature, or you will find an orange and white marker and use its attached hole puncher to mark a punch pattern on your event passport. To place in the event, you need to correctly mark all checkpoints on your passport.

There will be water and snacks available at the start and finish and, for the 10 km and 25 km participants, at an aid station out on the course. If this might not be enough for you, consider bringing your own water and energy snacks to carry with you.

What will I need?

  • Comfortable clothes for moving around.
  • Comfortable shoes good on trails and pavement.
  • Head cover, and apply sunscreen to exposed skin.
  • A pen or pencil (or two) to mark answers on your Q & A sheet.
  • Biking gear - duathlon participants only: Helmet and bike lock are mandatory.

Optional gear:

  • Compass: it's not necessary, but could help you reorient your map if you're disoriented.
  • GPS logger: it might be fun to record your route, but don't use it to aid your navigation. That's why you have a map!
  • Mobile phone
  • Food, energy snacks, and water, in case you might need to refuel in between aid stops.

Hazards

  • Traffic: many major roads will be crossed. Please observe the rules of pedestrian safety, and don't read the map while crossing roads.

Cost and Registration:

signup online by August 7
signup online by August 11
event day signup
Adults, per person
5 km = $10
10 km = $15
25 km = $25
5 km = $15
10 km = $20,
25 km = $30
5 km = $20,
10 km = $30,
25 km = $40
Students and juniors, per person
5 km = $5
10 km = $7
25 km = $12
5 km = $7
10 km = $10
25 km = $15

When you signup online, you are not committing to show up or pay. Online signups help us prepare for the event. We'd rather be overprepared, and we encourage you to sign up ahead of time if you have any interest in attending.

Directions:

The event center is the conference room inside the Belmont Sports Complex. It is located on Island Parkway in the city of Belmont.

Coming from San Jose on U.S. Highway 101: Take the Ralston Ave. exit. At the end of the off ramp, there is a traffic light. Continue straight onto Island Parkway. Make the third left into the Belmont Sports Complex parking lot, just after crossing the creek.

Coming from San Francisco on U.S. Highway 101: Take the Ralston Ave. exit. At the end of the off ramp, there is a traffic light. Turn left, and cross over the freeway. Then, make your first left onto Island Parkway. Make the third left into the Belmont Sports Complex parking lot, just after crossing the creek.

Public Transit:

Take Caltrain to the Belmont station. It is located on Ralston Ave. Then walk or bike northeast on Ralston Ave. toward the bay for about half a mile. After you cross U.S. Highway 101, you will make a left turn onto Island Parkway. The Belmont Sports Complex is the third left turn a car could make, just after crossing the creek.

Event Contact: Rex, 5 1 0 - 6 8 1 - 6 1 8 1, rex@terraloco.com

August 9 Event Update

1. What's it like out there?

This really feels like the island life. Hawaii by the bay. Lots of water and the courses get you to nice vistas. There are many pathways connecting streets (and leading to hidden parks) and quite a multitude of flavors of housing tracts - many different themes and vibes. I thoroughly enjoyed myself setting the courses.

No hills to speak of, but some of those bridges will surprise you! And some of the parks have what I'll call "moguls." There are some busy roads to cross (not so much for the 5k course) and I would advise considering that in your route planning. What looks like a "multilane" road on the map is probably busy to cross for most of its length. Where those roads cross bridges, there are often paths that go underneath the bridge of the multilane roadway, FYI. Sometimes, to cross a bridge, you have to go underneath it first, then climb a ramp to reach the pedestrian path which is embedded in the middle of the bridge!

2. The map

At 1:15000, it almost fills an 11" x 17" sheet of paper, and it's completely custom made - meaning, I mapped the whole area myself. No USGS, no OpenStreetMap, no Google, no aerial photo - it's all drawn with CAD tools. Very detailed. I'm not claiming perfection, but it's way better than anything out there. You know where you can go and where you can and can't cross. Of note: three kinds of olive green - regular olive green means neighborhoods with uncrossable yards, olive green with hatching indicates apartment complexes that are crossable, and olive green with black lines means "private, don't go there." With this map, everybody gets the whole enchilada - those on the 5k, just fold it in half, and you're good! 

3. The courses

Nothing's hard to find here, especially with the very detailed map. Still, you need to pay attention - because if you do lose contact with the map, it can be tricky to relocate when you're in streety neighborhoods. The route choice problems are supreme, thanks to the weird street layout and large water obstacles. I am not totally confident I picked the best routes for these courses, so you might end up with a shorter distance traveled:

The 5km course - as the crow flies, 5 km, Rex's distance on foot is 7.5 km.

The 10km course - as the crow flies, 10 km, Rex's distance on foot is 13 km.

The 25km course - as the crow flies, 20 km, Rex's distance on foot is 25 km.

4. For duathlon participants

Duathlon participants will do the 5km course on foot first, followed by the remaining 10km or 25km checkpoints on bike. A road bike is best. There are some very short dirt sections, but most everything is paved. Please do not bike _through_ parks, and where you deem appropriate, _dismount_ your bike so as not to annoy folks.