2021 XTERRA Conquer the Crater pre-race report

Seasoned athletes know the importance of the days leading up to a big race.  With the upcoming XTERRA Conquer the Crater Race in Sudbury on August 14, the training staff of the Greater Wanup Triathlon Club (GWTC) took the opportunity to pick-up the race packages for the Club's athletes and scout the course terrain, particularly the recently built Kivi Park Cross-Country Mountain Bike route.

2021 XTERRA Conquer the Crater pre-race package pickup and info session

 

 

The pre-race info session was well organized and swift, deftly giving athletes or their support staff course tips and important tidbits.  Featuring it's trademark 'one spare-rim look', the Greater Wanup Triathlon Club's team support vehicle was equipped with a training bike for a paid stunt rider to pre-ride the course, and advise club racers about 'best-lines' on the descents, and the best passing lanes to blow past the age-groupers clogging the climbs.

The test rider is reported to have stoically set-out from the parking area, riding to the Crowley Lake start area along Raft Lake Road, which was surprisingly long and hilly, and then pre-cycle the route for aforementioned scouting.  The scout decided it was in the team's best interest to bail at the halfway point, as the terrain had been considered rather taxing.

At the all-hands club meeting the next day, feelings were mixed: despite being ridden on, half the bike course was still unfamiliar territory, the run course untouched, and the lake not even fished, let alone swam in.  Worst of all, the club's premier test rider was in dismal condition from the course test ride the previous day ride.  Drastic measures were called for, and rather than resting, the clubs president said we need to look beyond Greater Wanup, and it's General Store, and into Greater Sudbury itself, for the latest in athletic supplementation research and application.

In Greater Sudbury, all roads lead to Paris street, and on Paris Street, is the World's Greatest sports and nutrition health food store.  "Somewhere on these varied shelves will be the secret of athletic greatness" one club member was thought to be overhead saying while perusing the shelves early on the morning the day before the race.

The secret to health and performance may very well lie within these shelves, potency increased after a short period of natural organic fermentation.

Spotting a potential gold mine of performance enhancing natural supplements, the club member was quickly on their phone trying to google the number of aerowatts-per-calorie and other metrics purported by the miracle elixirs.  The nutrition coach came up with what they thought with was the best mix, of bang-for-the-buck performance enhancers.  

"If you're going to take performance enhancers, you gotta take them race day, right in the morning" said the unnamed GWTC coach.  "Our team came up with what we thought was the best bang-for-the-buck expired day-of suppies plan for this race based on what was available on the discount rack at the health food store" (sic). 

"Double up on 'em Amino's on race day, blast a vega, and a skratch" said the coach.  And with this, race day nutrition was settled.  

 "The best time to test a new supplement or PED is in a race for sure", said Rob E., Greater Wanup resident and member of the local triathlon club, "If you want to know it works, what better way?".

 

"You see the things they find at the health food store?", said Rob E., "this last one ticks all the boxes: keto, testosterone, and watermelon?  Like come on, it's like free speed!".

 

With approximately 25% of  the course scouted, and a solid nutrition plan in place, all that remained was to execute on race day.