The Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) series wraps up in the Comox Lake area on Saturday, Sept. 22. Over 250 racers are already signed up with at least 25 per cent coming from the Comox Valley.
Race director Bryan Tasaka calls the Comox Lake area an adventure racer’s dream. The local hills offer world class single track riding, with Comox Lake providing an excellent venue for paddling and staging.
“Even after hosting 11 races in the Comox Valley, we manage to change the course from year to year,” says Tasaka. “This year there are big changes to the course, including trails the locals haven’t even seen.”
One of the many active local residents, Lynn Swift, will be participating in the team of two category for the upcoming race with teammate Kathy Campbell.
Swift compared her first MOMAR to a marathon, noting how much more fun and, in some ways, easier a MOMAR is. “In a marathon, you are doing the same repetitive thing for 42kms and it is pure mental effort to keep putting one foot in front of another for four hours,” says Swift.
“In my first MOMAR, I remember looking at my watch five hours in and it felt like we had only been out there for an hour. Your brain is so occupied with getting from one checkpoint to another and the change in disciplines allows for variety and different muscle use.”
The race also draws participants from all over B.C. and across the country.
Edmonton’s Tanner Prince will be returning to Cumberland for what he calls “a fast-paced yet fun race,” making the three-day trip with teammate Jason King of Lethbridge.
Prince chose to sign up for his first MOMAR after reading reviews and watching MOMAR videos. “After a bad knee injury, which basically ended my running career, I hopped back on my bike and decided to make that my primary summer sport,” says Prince. “I searched the Internet for beginner-intermediate races and the MOMAR was the one that suited me the best.”
Brentwood Bay’s Todd Nowack, 10-time MOMAR winner, will be back this year to defend his title, and MOMAR’s top female racer, Cumberland’s Sarah Seads, is returning after a two-year hiatus.
The MOMAR is an off-road, multisport sprint adventure race that requires teams to mountain bike, kayak, trail run, trek, and orienteer through a series of checkpoints over scenic and rugged west coast terrain. The MOMAR series has staged 34 races in British Columbia over 12 race seasons.
For anyone interested in experiencing an award winning, world-class adventure race, it’s not too late to sign up for MOMAR Cumberland. MOMAR offers a 50km Enduro Course and 30km Sport Course for those newer to one or all of the MOMAR disciplines.
For more information on the MOMAR series, visit www.mindovermountain.com.
– Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Relay Race
