Friday, July 25, 2008

THE HAY IS IN THE BARN!

Mt. Hamel above creates the nearly 4000 ft climb indicated just over half way on the course.
A few nice taper runs to keep the legs limber and the race is on! Can't wait to go on vacation and enjoy the beauty that Western Canada has to offer. I have the best crew chief in the world Michelle who will provide motivation and assistance. WooHoo! We both get to meet Sarah too! She may even ride along with Michelle if she gets the chance.

I'm not going to win this race but I'll finish! I'm guessing 20 hours to run the 125KM (77.6 miles)
Read carefully:

Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the Alberta wildlife branch is warning bikers, hunters, and fishermen and any person that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related function to take extra precautions while out in the field.

We advise the outdoorsmen to wear little noisy bells on clothing as to give an advanced warning to any bears that might be close by so that you do not take them by surprise.

We advise anyone in the out-of-doors to carry Pepper Spray with him in case of an encounter with a bear.

Outdoorsmen should also be on the look-out for any fresh bear activity and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is small and contains lot of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear feces has little bells in it and smells like pepper.

http://view.break.com/542467 - Watch more free videos

Did you see the big bear poop while fighting? What's up with that? I thought they did that in the woods.


This should balance out the violence of the previous video

24 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Did you see the big bear poop while fighting?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That is some great multi-tasking skills :-) at the end of that clip looked like they needed some cliff-shots...they were bonking Bears--lol

Looks like your ready Eric!! Put those feet up and poop :-) for the week.

Donald said...

Wow - that's gonna be awesome! That pic and the race profile look like fun. Have a great race.

And remember, you don't have to be faster than a chasing bear ... just faster than the guy beside you.

Darrell said...

I'm never quite sure how to interpret those charts. Looks to me like you'll need a ladder to get up some of those things.

Have a great run.

Joe said...

Bear poop with little bells would clearly be a sign to hop in the car with Michelle and drive home.

Have a great run, Eric...can't wait to hear all about it!!

Joe said...

Eric, I just read the full .pdf instructions for the Death Race. Wow.

This will be something. It was well described and you've trained well and have The Ultimate Crew. can't wait to hear about it. Best of luck!!!

Legs and Wings said...

Enjoy hanging with Sarah and the Cannucks this weekend. Rock on.

Anonymous said...

Yikes! Good luck on this one. I think maybe something a little more lethal than pepper spray might be needed. Tell Michelle to stand by with her rifle ready. ;)

Sarah said...

Let's hope the bears stick to fighting each other and leave you alone! You have enough to think about with that elevation profile. You're ready but I'll say good luck anyway. : )

Cat. said...

OK Eric, you made me laugh out loud with that one. Here's hoping you have a wonderful race and great vacation!!

Cat.

Olga said...

This race draws my attention for sure. How about be mild and say sub-22? It's a bear (NPI).

wendy said...

the hay is definitely in the barnes.

I hope you and michelle have an awesome time in canada, and I hope you forwarned those bears that they are no match for the mad monkeys!

Leslie said...

Ummm...helloooooo? Did you forget your favorite Canadian girl will be there for moral support as well??

Leslie

Journey to a Centum said...

Leslie - I mentioned you might be in Grande Cache to Michelle a long time ago and then I couldn't find anything to verify it again. That will be great to see you up there. We will watch for your green hat!

email- emwrbarnes@comcast.net

Sarah Elaine said...

Eric,

Bear bells are pretty common place here. You can buy them at any outdoor store. Same with bear spray, though you have to be quick with that stuff.

Here are the rules: For grizzlies (they have a hump on their back), you play dead. If you try to fight them, it just makes your own death more painful.

For black bears (which can also be brown, but never have a hump), you make a lot of noise and fight back. You may be able to scare them off before you are mauled too badly.

And of course, never EVER get between a mama and her cub - no matter what colour the bear is.

Here's a new little rhyme for you to memorize about bears:

"If it's black, you fight back. If it's humpy and brown, you lay down."

See you soon.

Unknown said...

Have a great run! I bet I can take those stinkin bears. I poop way more than they do!

Sarah Elaine said...

Not as a scare tactic or anything, but here's a news article about a runner who was mauled by a bear this summer near Lake Louise:
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=d9a4c307-468c-4d40-a897-a5164de9a519

Aren't you going to Lake Louise??

But don't worry, it was the first mauling in that area since 1995 move. All the bears have since moved north.

And she survived, so it's all good.

Meghan said...

Eric,

Best of luck this weekend! And, have a fabulous vacation, also. I canNOT wait to hear all about this experience! The hay is definitely in the barn and you are ready to go!

Meghan

PS. Be careful for bears, 'kay?!

Scott McMurtrey said...

that little guy was a fighter. i like him. he's a bit like me - small and not afraid to bite someone while they're pooping.

have a great trip! and you might as well win the thing if you're driving all that way.

-glass knees

shawn said...

Good luck Eric! Don't mistake the wildlife for cuddly little teddy bears. Take care of yourself and finish!

Jon said...

Bears versus the Mad Monkey? I think you can take 'em! :-D

Good luck and kick some CDR tail!

wendy said...

WAY TO GO, ERIC!

You rocked the CDR! =)

Congrats, my friend!

Scott McMurtrey said...

Congratulations are in order!

Ryan said...

WTG nicely done Eric! Looking forward to the details.

Laura H said...

Great job Eric - way to outrun the bears! Can't wait to read your report! Rest well...