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TEAM PROFILES
TEAM 1: MY NEXT RACE.COM
The Mynextrace.com team has thrown down the gauntlet, officially declaring they will be the 2008 Moraine for Life Adventure Relay victors. We've got the smallest team, but the combined experience among just 3 competitors means we've got what it takes to get it done!
Peter Donato is a 5-time Boston Marathoner (14 total marathons), with 3 adventure races under his belt, plus over 250 races from 5k's to ½ marathons to 24hr cycling events and more! He's now training for an Ironman Triathlon. He's also winner of the first two 25km Run for the Toad Trail Races.
Bill Haust is a road warrior with 84 marathons completed, including 4 this spring alone, competing in Paris , London and Boston on back-to-back-to-back weekends!
Jennifer Brockett is a mountain biker extraordinaire, causing havoc and chaos on the O-Cup Circuit. Don't let her petite frame and chipmunk-cute brown eyes deceive you. She's an ANIMAL on two wheels! With a Personal Training background and dozens of competitive races under her belt, including the Uxbridge Icebreaker and Paris to Ancaster, expect to not see much of this femme fatale on the trails…unless she stops to extend pity to you before she carries forward. Jennifer notes, “I like passing the girls in races, but more so the boys”.
TEAM 2: THE MILLBROOK MASTERS
We're a bunch of old farts trying to embarrass ourselves. Average age is 60. Our secrets are Dentucream and Depends. The Oak Ridges Trail runs through our backyards and most people don't even know it's there. Several members of our team live around Millbrook and now appreciate the scale and beauty of the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail system. We will use training, knowledge and wisdom to win this relay.
"Captain Dan" Got a problem......don't call
"Farmer Bob" Hard as a tractor.......don't try to pass
"Professor Mark " Athlete. Does tricks for food
"Glenn and Jerry" 1967 Power stroke duo
"Mountain Joe " Tour De France copy cat
Ricardo "Karate Kid"
Steen "Kick Butt" soccer specialist
Len 1/2 of a Marathon Man
Larry Bring on the burn
Lyell Steep hills?.....no problem
Dave "Thumper" Harley guy
TEAM 3: WE DO IT OUTDOORS
Team "We Do It Outdoors" is composed of staff from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's Watershed Management, Ecology, Restoration Services and Planning and Development Divisions, plus one disoriented individual from the Credit Conservation Authority who is trying to redeem himself after being led completely astray while mountain biking in the second leg of last year's race.
Experience runs deep as a core group of this year's team participated in the First Annual Oak Ridges Moraine Relay Race in 2007 under the handle "Only 160K?". In 2007, we represented the best of the mediocre teams, finishing dead centre of the field, 4th out of 7 teams. Honour and glory are on the line. Plus, everyone loved the race so much last year, we had to do it all over again in 2008. "
Detailed Team Roster:
Leg 1 - This year's edition of the Battle of Rice Lake marks the long anticipated return of the Dragon Boating duo of Alex Blasko and returning Team Captain Ken Dion with his pager - with baby #3 due on June 18th, Ken just hopes his pager stays quiet on this leg of the race.
Leg 2 - Jakub Kilis of the CVC seeks to reignite his self-confidence and sense of direction following last year's mountain biking extended tour of the countryside.
Leg 3 - Laura Richards (formerly of Laura James in 2007) returns this year as a master of her fears, willing to once again challenge the trails of Ganaraska Forest, the deep slippery sands and the hundreds of off-road motorized bikes that shared her passage.
Leg 4 - Marks the return of "Crimson" Cassandra Bach who was a last minute scratch from last year's competition due to the onset of a severe summer cold - she returns this year with vengeance and a thirst to conquer.
Leg 5 - The wise and aged marathon journeyman, Lionel Normand, who was not supposed to compete in 2007, will instead attempt to top his last year's phenomenal time in Leg 5, being one of the few competitors not to get lost. His sense of smell really is incredible.
Leg 6 - Relay rookie and education hit man - sorry - hit woman, Lindsay Bunce will attack the hills and trails surrounding the Long Sault Conservation on her bike - if you hear the roar of engines, it can either be stock cars on the local race track or Lindsay grrrrring at competitors as she passes them going uphill!
Leg 7 - Noah "I Will Skate Through the Entire Team, Shoot and Doesn't Score" Gaetz, is another relay rookie who has been assigned this tortuously sandy bike leg of the race. Hee hee, there is a reason Ken is now in the canoe this year.
Leg 8 - Anne "The Legs" Reesor returns to once again pound her pedals across the top of the Moraine in an effort to shatter her inspiring time in 2007.
Leg 9 - Rookie and resident "Nice Guy" Dushan Jojkic will attack his fellow competitors with his friendly banter, jokes and exuberance for life while on this challenging run through the forest.
Leg 10 - Christine "Keeps On Going and Going and Going and Going..." Tu returns in even more magnificent condition than last year's event where she ran for what seemed the last third of the entire race - Just For The Fun Of It. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to see how fast she can navigate the trails during the daylight. Jakub, hint hint.
Legs 11 and 12 - Marks the rookie debuts of marathoners David Burnett and Wai Chu Cheng who have been chomping at the bit to kick some "Trail *ss" since Christmas. Both David and Wai Chu will be joining the ranks of fellow TRCA extreme hoofers Christine and Ryan Ness through these penultimate and penultimate penultimate running legs.
Leg 13 - Marks the return of the most senior member of the Team, Gary "the Carrying Place" Wilkins, who is only exceeded in age on the team by his bike. Gary's innovative style of night riding in 2007 resulted in his arrival at the end of his leg before the support crew could arrive with the team's anchor. Or it might have been because the support crew driver stopped too long for coffee on the way.
Leg 14 - Anchor and Remedial Action Plan Specialist Kelly Montgomery returns to once again drop the gauntlet and set the standard for speed on this last leg of the race. Last year, Kelly waited so long to start her race, she did it twice. We promise, no stopping for coffee until AFTER the race.
TEAM 4: THE MORAINE MARAUDERS
The Moraine Marauders is a 12 member team of family and friends from the King Township Area. Members of the team are: Tom Cober, Catherine Cober, Andrew Cober, Nancy Cober, Muriel Cober, Kristin Dove, David Jansma, Brennan Love, Kyle McEwan, Paolo Sacilotto, Leone Scully, and Alana Wren.
Our plans are to have Paolo Sacilotto hiking and biking 3 stages (5, 6 & 7). The canoeists David Jansma and Tom Cober are both doing a second stage. Tom is biking stage 2 and David is biking stage 8.
Our youngest team member is Nancy Cober (17 years). She is hiking stage 12.
This unique team combines the trail mix ingredients of Youth and Age, Energy and Enthusiasm. It is the Moraine Marauders first relay. The team goal on June 14th is to stay on track, and enjoy the Adventure.
TEAM 5: TEAM TOFU
TOFU stands for "Together Friends Unite".
The name was inspired by a nick-name of one of our Team members, Tomas Fujita. We are team of 10 friends coming together to enjoy the outdoors and 'suffer' together. Team member Steven Mori's mother, Ruth, has been an active member of ORTA and is a Checkpoint volunteer for this race. She was the one who encouraged us to participate.
Our team strategy is to have the boys complete the long bike segments and girls will run/hike the shorter segments but we are a recreational team so our main goal is to have fun & support a great cause!
TEAM 6: TEAM 7 SYSTEMS
Marnie McBean
Four-time Olympic Medalist (Three Gold, one Bronze) Rowing, pairs. She has also competed in the Eco-Challenge, the world's premier expedition race. Marnie is currently working with Olympic teams and athletes preparing them for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing.
Stacie Smith
Recreational athlete who just ‘hangs on for dear life' while racing with husband / teammate Martin Rydlo. Runner, Nordic Skier, Cyclist and Ultimate Frisbee player.
Martin Rydlo
Current Amateur World Triathlon Champion. Former professional triathlete and for several years top 3 in Canada. Has raced in numerous Eco-Challenges from 1996-2004. Currently the Director of Portfolio Strategy & Initiatives at the Campbell Company of Canada.
Dr. Mark Tarnolopolsky
World-renowned researcher in muscle metabolism at McMaster University. National Ski Orienteer Champion. Cross Country Running Elite athlete. Orienteering / Geo-caching racer. Two-time Eco-Challenge competitor
Craig Perfect, PhD Candidate
Yes, the oldest varsity athlete at Mac. I was 30, and broke the Cdn Master's record for 50m free, age group 30-35, with a time of 23.88. For that age group, it was the 8th fastest swim in the world that year, 2002. (It has since been broken by an old foe from BC, but the Ont record stands.)
Over the years, qualified for Olympic Trials, Nationals, and CIS champs many times.
TEAM 7: THE ERRATIC FLASHES
We are “The Erratic Flashes”! Just look up Erratic in the dictionary and you'll understand our name choice. “Flashes”….well….perhaps we'll be the speed of light but probably not.
Our team is a real mish mash and we met by sheer coincidence. Captain Kim Gavine (of the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation) was at a CBC event, mingling with this guy from York Region and he mentioned the race. She immediately jumped on it as she needed more members. He in turn has brought on some team members. Others on the team include someone from Trees Ontario, someone from the Ministry of the Environment, someone from Nature Conservancy of Canada, someone from the Kawartha Heritage Conservancy, the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation accountant, one of her friends…..you get the picture….a real mish mash.
As for skill level....it is varied. Most of us have done some form of competitive racing at one point in our lives but most of us haven't done it for some time.
So, watch the Erratic Flashes. We'll be so fast you might just miss us!
TEAM 8: THE RIDGE RACERS
We are the Ridge Racers! One of two Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) teams, we may be the sleepers in the pack, passing on the inside rail going into the last turn. That would be Dave Wells, our newsletter editor, streaking into the Gatehouse clearing with the rest of the team cheering him on!
We are a true east-west team evenly split along the Moraine. John Vogels, our co-captain, and his brother Harry are honing their techniques for sand and trail racing based on years of experience with friend Neil Park navigating the final biking stage through York Region.
We definitely have some secret weapons in Gary Funk and Kyle Darling, the ironman duo combining distance and speed through the Ganaraska and Durham forests, and all-round runners and athletes Eugene Fiume and Eric Wagenaar, streaking through the Uxbridge and York Region forest trails.
Janie Siegelberg, Edith Williams, Stephen Cockle, and Lorne Hicks bring speed and distance experience to our squad as they combine cross-Canada and international cycling backgrounds.
And the first shall be the last (of the profile, not the race!) as TRCA naturalist and paddler, Peter Attfield, born with one foot in a canoe and the other in a kayak, and Brian Millage, the other co-captain, will combine their superb comprehension of wind, waves and currents to challenge the 8 km stretch of Rice Lake on the first stage of this historic Moraine Adventure Relay! Huzzah Ridge Racers!
TEAM 9: THE SAND SPINNERS
The Sand Spinners recreational masters team consists of 15 ORTA members, who usually are known for their expertise as valuable volunteers on our beloved trail system, as hike leaders, as regular participants in organized walks or as behind-the-scenes executive members and supporters. While our experiences, ages and abilities are varied, our desire to have fun and adventure is tops.
LEG 1: Joan Taylor and Lorrie Collins, our paddling duo, start the race after practicing their canoeing skills since winter ice breakup.
LEG 2: Russ Burton, a recent proud grandfather, will show us how it's done- biking through the sand, that is.
LEG 3: Judith Reda, current ORTA office administrator, who with her Nordic hiking poles has a reputation for really moving along the trail.
LEG 4: Barb Muirhead is probably the only cordon bleu chef racer in the relay.
LEG 5: Linda Chopping learned many trail secrets from her travels in Australia and New Zealand .
LEG 6: Captain Bob Comfort, a rookie captain, is inspired by nearby Mosport's sandy trails.
LEG 7 & 8: Our duo husband/wife team of Noel and Judy Carey have biked and skied in many countries around the world.
LEG 9 & 10: Heather Goldberg and Lisa Cook gained their enthusiasm from longtime hiker, Mom, Joye Cornell.
LEG 11: TBD
LEG 12: Marianne Urbach achieved her biking experience from accompanying her daughter, Mandy, on her practice runs.
LEG 13: Petra Hartwig, past ORTA secretary, now Hope-Hamilton Chapter Chair, may need her super night vision.
LEG 14: Mandy Urbach, our youngest team member and marathon hopeful, is our late night racer.
TEAM 10: ECOHOLICS
What can be said about a group of twenty-somethings (ahem, and a handful of early thirty-somethings) that got together and agreed on a team name of “Ecoholics”? A fitting title as team meetings were held at a local pub and where the concern is not of staying up through the night, but rather making the early start time.
Hailing from the Cobourg area, this group responded to the proposed challenge with a shrug and “An adventure relay? Why not?” With less than six degrees of separation between us as we are either related to, work with, or live with one another, the shear embarrassment of not completing a leg, along with the corresponding heckling, is enough motivation to compete.
The purpose of the Adventure Relay is not lost on the team as each member understands the importance of protecting the ecosystems of the Moraine. Each member will use this opportunity to experience the diversity of this local trail system while gasping in the fresh forest air.
From our first team meeting in March the Ecoholics have used the available training time in one of two ways: the super athletes have gotten stronger, and the rest of us have watched – from the bar stool. From the seasoned runner to the guy who is still looking to borrow a bike, the Ecoholics are ready for the race. Our mantra is simple: survival and after-party .
TEAM 11: RUN LIKE THE DENGUE
The Sanofi Pasteur team's reason for participating in the event is to show support for environmental initiatives to ensure we always have green space available for the all to enjoy. Our company is very strong on a team based approach to conducting its business, so this event enables us to bring our colleagues together in a fun and challenging team based activity.
Our goal is to have a good time and try to complete the event in as close to 12 hrs as possible without anyone getting lost or injured. We have a team of participants from several departments in our company: Product Development, Project Management, Analytical Science & Assay Development, Research, Discovery, Industrial Operations and Engineering.
Two of our team members are from France. Several of our team members are experienced runners and we have several participants with MTN bike experience. Although our canoeists don't have a lot of experience with the "paddles", I can assure you they will be giving it their all. The whole team is fired up and ready to go!
TEAM 12: TEAM POINTS NORTH
Team Points North is a rag tag group of outdoor enthusiasts all with a connection to North Bay, Ontario. I would dare to say we probably will have the greatest range of ages of any of the teams competing in the event.
We have two mother-daughter team members that include our youngest member, Cicci Fiorino, at age 14 and our most experienced member, Claire Proulx at age 70. Claire is celebrating her birthday during the event and will lead our team off on the paddling event with her daughter Sandy.
Team Points North is a name that some of the members have used in other adventure races including the Salomon Frontier Adventure Racing Series and the Raid Pulse Series in Quebec.
The original members of the team are Rod Bilz, Brigitte Fiorino and Geraldine Bégin. In addition to the mother-daughter connection we also have two sisters on the team, Brigitte Fiorino and Judith Baldasaro as well as three sister-in-laws, Brigitte, Judith and Geraldine.
Our team also includes some serious mountain bikers, not sure what they are serious about, but they include Nick Green and Calvin McCourt. We also have two competitive runners including Angela Batsford and Judith Baldasaro.
The entire team is serious and competitive....serious and competitive about having fun and that is the goal for the event. We are looking forward to meeting the other teams and event organizers and if you see Claire remember to wish her a happy 70th birthday...if you can catch up to her!
TEAM 13: THE GATORS
We are all teachers from Father Michael Goetz Secondary School in Mississauga , proudly representing our school mascot, the Father Michael Goetz Gators. Originally, the phys-ed department wanted to enter the Moraine for Life Adventure Relay to demonstrate its physical superiority. But upon realizing that the race wound its way through off-road paths and therefore demanded some intellectually demanding navigational skills, the athletes recognized the need for a team skilled in multiple disciplines.
Thus, we represent a diverse group, ranging from the robust and athletic phys-ed department to the flimsy and nerdy arts teachers; supported by the intelligence of scientists and the enthusiasm of drama, we showcase the benefits of a classic union of brains and brawn, all working towards a common goal.
TEAM 14: THE MOTLEY MORAINERS
We are a motley collection of conservation authority staff (3 CAs from west end of the Moraine - Toronto and Region, Nottawasaga and Lake Simcoe !), and all the friends and family that we could coerce into joining us on this crazy adventure.
We all share a love of the outdoors and want to see our natural areas protected. Some of us are keen naturalists, so if you see us stopped by the side of the trail, bent over looking at a wildflower or scanning the trees for that bird we can hear calling, try not to run us over!
This race is a great excuse to check out different sections of the Oak Ridges Trail. As this is our first adventure race, our main goal is to be "upright and smiling" when it's all over! Our secret weapon? Team captain Julie's super-tasty, super-powered, homemade energy bars (patent pending :>)! That and a whole lot of determination and spirit will see us through!
TEAM 15: YORK REGION EMS EMUS
The YORK EMS EMUS are composed of a bunch of medics and friends coming together to support a great cause and have fun at the same time. Team captains are David Ophek and Helen Galanis. Many of us work and or live in York region and appreciate the efforts of the trail association to maintain and promote the Moraine on an ongoing basis.
We often don't get the opportunity to get out on the trails, and if we do in a work capacity, we really don't have a chance to enjoy the scenery. We're looking forward to taking it all in, hoping for great weather, and a chance to show what the EMUS have can do. We may not be pretty but what we lack in looks we make up for in attitude...
WHO SAYS EMUS CAN"T FLY!!! See you at the starting line.
TEAM 16: POISONED O.A.K.S
The Poisoned O.A.K.S. are a group of young enthusiastic nature loving friends and coworkers who approved of the acronym Overly Ambitious Kids on Steroids over lunch on a beautiful sunny day. There isn't any testing in this event is there?
After hearing about the event in a bike store we instantly began bringing down our productivity at work pouring over the maps, planning who would do what stage and recruiting the best of the best athletes we knew. Unfortunately we didn't have the recruitment package they wanted so we took whoever said they would come. We plan on winning the event by having a great time, leaving it all on the trail, and enticing our athletes with beer at the finish line!
TEAM 17: The CLOCA'nuts
You might say that the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA'nuts) are nuts about the Oak Ridges Moraine. The goal of our team is to ensure the Moraine continues to provide clean water, fabulous views, places to play and an uncompromised habitat for wildlife and humans for another 10,000 years (or until the next ice age arrives, whatever comes first).
What are we about? We are about families, with daughters, sons, wives and husbands taking up the baton and passing it along the journey. We are also about our summer students, who make up 20 percent of our team. We are all about training, with several team members taking up the chicken wing and beer diet as part of their training regimen. We have no ringers, but lots of our team members have rings, on various body parts, some of which may be visible on our trek to the finish line. So look for us, we will be the ones in the grass skirts with the big coconuts.
Meet the Team!
Mark and Patricia Lowe, a combination of neighbouring Conservation Authority forces, will be taking up the first stage with a leisurely paddle on the calm waters of the pastoral Rice Lake. "With no gear to transport, and no portages, it should be a walk in the park" says Mark Lowe. His wife Patricia, team captain, has indicated that she will not be able to sleep before the race. Not for excitement, but she is booked into another favourite cause, the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay For Life event, where she will be walking from 7pm Friday evening to 7am Saturday morning. Their son Ryan, might have to step in, if Patricia cannot get there, or opts for a sleep instead of a paddle. Ah well, she says, it's the tortoise who wins the race anyway.
The Stauffer family will carry the baton for 4 of the stages, as the largest family contingent on the team. Beginning with Dad "Al on wheels", followed by Matt, Kira and Momma Margaret on foot. Some of our team members are not even aware that Margaret is a yogi, so if you see here lying down after her 6 k trek, it is likely that she is doing a little chavastna, so let her rest and just hummmmm.
On call for the Stauffer family, in-case of accident, illness, injury or a shortage of chicken wings, is Gayle Soo Chan, the CLOCA'nuts secret groundwater agent, who will be running where and if needed, but also likely doing some groundwater research on route. "Regardless of whether I have to step in", she says, "I will be there to whip those Stauffers into a fury."
Jackie Scott and Jamie Davidson, a couple of our resident biologists, will be taking to the trails on wheels in a part of the Oak Ridges Moraine which they know like the back of their hands. With their exceptional field knowledge, a few gps units, they could actually find some short cuts. So other teams, beware, the CLOCA'nuts could pick up some critical time on the 6th and 7th stages. They are also known to go out very early in the morning to listen to birds as part of their workplans. So if you see them stopped on the trail, looking up and pointing, just pass them by, they are easily distracted by the wonders of the Moraine. They call it job obsession, we call it environmental passion.
Harry Hirschfield will take the baton from Jamie and continue onto Stage 8 through Purple Woods Conservation Area. The team will be enlisting the support of a hair pit crew, to deal with any helmet head incurred on this stage of the relay. Other teams can take advantage of the hair pit crew services my making a donation to the Oak Ridges Moraine Adventure Relay. Harry has also indicated a diet of bananas and a short and long distance cycling program established by his trainers Deanna, Adam and Mitchell, he could put the CLOCA'nuts into a good position for the second half of the relay.
Celine Dore and Rod Wilmot are the team's newlyweds, reinforcing the old adage, that couples who run together, get together and stay together. They have been off training around the province in preparation for stages 9 and 10 and most recently competed in the world renowned Ottawa marathon in May. Did we mention they competed in the 10k as they did not want to risk any injuries that would preclude them from participating in the Adventure Relay? What dedication you guys!!!!
Diana Shermet, a CLOCA'nut rookie, was brought up from the Windsor farm team to do some wetland assessments in the CLOCA watershed. As part of her contract, we included her participation in the Adventure Relay as mandatory. Just kidding, who would sign a contract like that anyway? Her partner in crime, Mark Williamson, will accompany her on stage 12, as it could be dark at that time, and being new to the area, we thought it best for her to have some company. Hope you can keep up with her Mark. You know she rides her bike to work everyday and is totally ready for the challenge.
Andy Brown and Kyle Myscohowda are fixtures within our organization, coming back for several consecutive summers to slug it out through swamps, dense brush, and murky waters and living a big part of their summer in CLOCA's basement getaway environment. With the asbestos gone, its just rather large spiders and floods that plague them, but again, they say it is part of training for their stretches of the Adventure Relay. So watch out ORM spiders, there are some very fast wheels and feet heading your way. Last we heard, Andy was looking for a bike. Any luck Andy?
Our anchorman, Phillip Gleeson another one of our fabulous summer students is a distant relative of Jackie. It is his first summer here, so he is still somewhat in shock and lacking in a proper desk. He describes himself as tall dark and handsome. His boss calls him waterboy!!! Despite his mother's wishes for him to become a dental hygienist, he is far more interested in the art and science of water in creeks than spit in the mouth. Hope to see you spitting at the finish line Phil and listen to your mother, stay out of the water!!!
And finally a team would not be complete without the support of its fan club and of course the CLOCA Taxi. Brandi Boardman, affectionately known at the CLOCA offices as the Assistant CAO, will be ensuring that folks get to their starts and are picked up at their finish points. She will have her gps unit poised on the dash and her maps alphabetically in order on her clipboard. She might even bring a few treats. So be on time you guys, no dilly dallying out there, she might leave you in her dust. Also, it should be noted that Brandi is a member of our staff health and safety committee, so will ensure that there are no health and safety risks incurred on this relay.
So there you have it, the CLOCA'nuts. We will see you out there on June 14th and 15th. Looking forward to a great race!!!!
Al, Matt, Kira, Margaret, Gayle, Jackie, Jamie, Harry, Celine, Rod, Andy, Diana, Mark W, Kyle, Phillip, Brandi , Mark L, Ryan and Patricia.
TEAM 18: TEAM AURORA HIGH
We're a group of 10 High School students who are a part of Canada 's original high school adventure race team. This will be the team's 4th race of the season. We wanted to do the relay because the Moraine and trail run right through our town and we use it to train during our season so we wanted to give something back.
Our team plans on running the stages in teams to promote spirit and teamwork. Unfortunately our coach won't be able to run as he is in New Hampshire running his own race but the team and the coach are confident that they will be successful and represent AHS well.
TEAM 19: THE BONECRUSHERS
TEAM 20: ONTARIO HERITAGE TRUST
TEAM 21: INDY'S ADVENTURERS
TEAM 22: TEAM KING
We're a team made up mostly of age 50+ friends who live in King City , and who have camped, biked and hiked together since the kids were small. Included in the team are of two of the kids, and two other friends. The name may not be creative but it is descriptive of the team.
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