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footprint diariesE-Fix 2008An Odyssey Worthy Of Its ReputationPreparing for the 2008 installmentof the Endorphin Fix, the expandedOdyssey classic famous for inflictingpain on racers, Team CheckpointZero/Inov-8 (Jennifer Rinderle,Michele Hobson, Peter Jolles andPaul Cox) knew there’d be plenty ofclimbing. After all, the race wouldbe in West Virginia – affectionatelypersonified in John Denver’s lyricsas the “Mountain Momma” – andthe course would wind throughthe New River Gorge. The gorgeis well known for big whitewaterand old coal-miner trails that leadvisitors through some of the mostruggedly beautiful scenery on theEast Coast. We would experienceit all, and our emotions would riseand fall as steeply as the terrain.When the race finished for us afterabout 63 hours, we would haveclimbed an estimated total of morethan 42,000 feet of elevation. Wewere the second team to cross thefinish line and race directors tellus we were the only team to seethe entire course. Other teams thatcrossed the finish line after us chosenot to punch optional checkpoints,however we ultimately were disqualifiedafter missing a mandatorycheckpoint. We spent roughly anhour searching for the point before wedecided the tape marker was eitherstolen or misplaced. Apparently,we rode past the flagging. Thoughhugely disappointed after thinkingwe may have gotten the win,we certainly will be proud of oureffort as we look back on an epicevent. And congratulations to TeamFeed the Machine who claimed thevictory.Along the E-fix’s 240-mile course,racers would experience all thetraditional adventure racing disciplines– a long canoe portage,a picturesque rappel, single- anddouble-track mountain biking andlong orienteering sections on foot.Plus, the race directors threw in awhitewater swim positioned perfectlyfor a mid-race pick-me-up.The race began with a 10-mile guidedtrip down the New River. Teamswere split into boats according toa lottery selection. Though the racehad begun, our team knew thereprobably wasn’t going to be muchwe could do to stake our claim ata top position during the raftingtrip. So we enjoyed the dramaticscenery – high cliffs and ruins ofold mining communities – and theClass III and IV waves offered bythe New River.After the rafting leg, we transitionedto a short canoe section asdarkness began to fall, then it wason to a three-mile portage and atransition to the first bike leg thatended in the small town of Winona,tucked away near the fringe of thegorge. Teams then trekked to therappel site where we would dropmore than 200 feet before climbingback to the top of the gorgeand negotiating our way along thegorge’s rim to a road that took usback down the gorge, across theNew River, and back up the otherside along an old miner’s path toAdventure World Magazine June 2008 44