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Topic created by bobburg on Mon Mar 9, 2015 at 10:07 am
Hopes for Spring spring eternal. That was one great day in the Pinelands, a unique terrain in unique conditions to say the least. Despite (or maybe because of) the winter snowcover, our staging area was jumping with Scouts and Venture Crews and JROTC cadets, general public as well as DVOA members eager to shake off winter cave-dwelling, facing the challenge (and fatigue) of running in 3-4-5” of snow, all in bright springtime sun. Even hanging and picking up controls offered serious physical training, as that crew can attest to. Many of our veterans wisely chose to run the next shortest course from their normal one.
At least half of those who attended competed as teams, and we had only 2 mp’s and 2 dnf’s! So clearly, everyone was happy to be outside and determined to conquer the snow. (And quick to change to warm dry clothes at Finish.
) And while elephant tracks were unavoidable (the evidence of every single competitor’s every stride was there in the snow), the trails did not provide their typical relief from ubiquitous blueberry, so cross-terrain route choice was displayed all over the place. (Route Gadget should be available any hour now, but we have already documented everyone’s exact route. 
)Thanks so much to everyone who made the day run so smoothly. Bob and Robert and Doug White hung all the controls, joined by Sandy F and Petr to gather them up at the end. Pat and (reconstructed) Bob Burton graciously welcomed everyone all day at Registration. Erik Eddy manned our remote Start (which given the number of youth groups was invaluable) until going out on his course. Vadim navigated the e-system with help from Robert and Sandy F. And a special thanks to Mark F for loaning out a couple of extra compasses in a moment of need, Mary F for navigating us through the permission maze, Erik and Robert for special e-promotion of the event, and Fred K for printing all the course maps in the midst of A Event preparations.
This was Robert’s debut as ED and managed it like a veteran, ensuring that the day proceeded without a hitch. And we both want to offer a special thank you to Doug White, who volunteered early and served as a sort of apprentice ED over the weeks leading up to 4 Mile, clearing an essential White/Yellow trail, posting flyers at the park and in nearby stores, helping out all day from beginning to end, and generally pulling out of his truck an endless supply of solutions for whatever popped up during the day, including his award-winning hot chocolate.
And thanks to all of you who attended, making the day so much fun.
