Smoky Mountain Highland Games – Training Day

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Throwing a big F-ing rock.
WeeMan can handle his package!
Notoriious has WOOD!

Yes….what the hell.  We are going to suck but after this weekend’s training we will suck less.  Well WeeMan is still going to really suck (suck it WeeMan).  Suck at what you say?  We are going to suck at the 2012 Smoky Mountain Highland Games.

The Games are located in Maryville, TN at Maryville College and are centered around a field of athletic competition which includes the well know “Caber Toss”. All in all there are 9 different highland athletic events.  Really crappy examples of most of these can be seen in our training day video.  There is also competition of Pipe & Drum Bands, individual Pipers and Drummers. Lassies and Laddies compete in the Highland Dance as well.  The Bikes N Beers clan will be there and I am sure you will see us bust out in a jig or two.

Entertainment includes Country Dancing, a Dog Show, and Clan Competitions that can get pretty intense, not to mention several incredible Stage Performing Bands, Balladeers, a Comedian and Kid’s Playground & athletic competitions. Of course, there has to be ‘Education’, even if it is learning about the different types of Scotch. Can we help it if you have to take a wee sip?

The word ‘Clan’ means family. Many Clans have very extended family ties that are known as Septs. Septs are either what we know today as in-laws or are non-related families that lived under the protection of the Clan Chief. Each Clan has a tartan with a plaid that is designed for a particular Clan. If you belong to that Clan, then you may wear their tartan.  We looked all over for the clan tartan for Bikes N Beers and could not find one but not the less we will all have kilts with tartans of our own choosing.  Except WeeMan….we made sure his kilt was extra long too…even though he is kind of short his junk isnt.

Clan Tents are set up around the main field where the families of each Clan gather to watch the competition. If you find your family name at one of these tents, there will be someone there to welcome you and tell you about your family history as it relates to the Clan.  That’s not going to happen at the Bikes N Beers tent though.

The event kicks off on Friday May 18th with a parade and concert starting at 6:30 and runs all the way through Sunday.  The Bikes N Beers Clan hopes to see you there

Some days you just feel UNSTOPPABLE

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Here is another wreck from our trip to Snowshoe Mt. WV.  This is one of the expert runs (some letter of the alphabet) going down the basin.  Zack was feeling particularly good that day.  I think it was because he had a good breakfast.  He had just wowed us with some excellent drops in the drop park.  His best drop was about 14 feet.  We came to this jump/drop and Zack did everything just right once again, except the part where he hit the tree.  Don’t worry he was riding a rental.  Enjoy!

SEAL Extreme Challenge

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On April 7th 2012 Outdoors in the Smokies once again presented the SEAL Extreme Challenge.  The course was of Course Challenging as only Dan Schreder can provide.  A description of 5.6 kilometers of gut wrenching, character testing, pain inducing fun would not do this event justice.  Of course Bikes N Beers were there to provide video coverage and tasty brews.  Presented here is a small snippet of the fun, Enjoy!

Doom on You

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As the morning fog settled in the small race valley, and the dew clung on various awnings; I smelled coffee and the anxiousness of a serious challenge brewing.  So I put on my War Face and headed to the check-in, to begin the most physically challenging 5K I have experienced here in the South.

This is the fourth time BikesnBeers has competed in this race, and the second time we have been a sponsor.  That meant at least one of us has run it every single time, and that one would be me.  You would think that I would get bored doing the same race over and over, but the event organizer, Outdoor In the Smokies, does an excellent job of continually adding to the event and changing up the course.  One year they started you out going through the water, another had you go up the 100’ rope climb twice; you never know quite what you have in store when you sign up to race.  This time the race added a second rope climb located near the top of Cardiac Hill and added some new features to the obstacle course.  This year’s event also provided concessions (homemade BBQ), beer to runners of age, and a band to complete the Smokey Mountain experience.

As part of the Sin City Geezers race team, my 10 year old son joined me to experience the pain; and after this race he now knows what it feels like to be a Geezer, even at his young age.  He had run some cross country prior to this in school events, but nothing that required the vertical demands this race put on him.  And that is part of what makes this race unique.  Typical cross country runners are not used to the steep climbs and scrambles up and down hillsides involved in this race, and like my son, they were in for a whole new kind of challenge.  It was also nice to experience the race again through the eyes of someone who has never done it, and doesn’t know what the next bend has in store.  That continual look and mutterings of “Are you kidding me” and “I hate this race”  and “When will this climb end” reminded me of my first time at this.  And even though we completed the race in the bottom half of the standings, we both ultimately had a great time, all mutterings aside.

For anyone looking to test themselves in the future this race will definitely do that, but keep in mind that the race sold out about 3 weeks before the event, so register early.

Washing (out on) the Table Top.

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Every table top needs a good wash now and again.  That’s what I am doing.  Washing (out on) the table top.  If you enjoy going downhill I highly recommend Snowshoe, WV.  They open their doors to downhill mountain biking in mid June each year.  The accommodations are stupendous, the trails even better.  This is one of the sweet runs you can find there.  We hit this particular table top man times.  This wasn’t one of my best.     Here is a link to a video we put together on our trip to the park last summer.  Enjoy the crash of the week featuring me below!

Where is that little @#*! (Catch the Leprechaun 5K)

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The second annual “Catch the Leprechaun” 5K in Oak Ridge fell on the day, St. Patrick’s Day that is.  Being an Irishmen this is one of my favorite days of the year.  What better way to celebrate than a fund-raiser for a great cause like the American Cancer Society.  Bikes N Beers attended the first Catch the Leprechaun race last year and knew we would be back.  This year was no disappointment.

Race Director Chris Keever told of the loss of his father before the race started which was why his family puts on the race.  What a great way to remember a family member. It is good to see that, although this is only the second year, there were more than 400 racers who attended. Not only was it a great day for a 5K race, Chris had live music that started 2 hours before the race and continued long after.

Bikes N Beers was allowed the privileged of being one of the event sponsors this year.  We appreciated the friendly crowed an spontaneous interaction…cause this just makes for great video.  This race will continue to grow and we at Bikes N Beers plan to be there to see it happen.  In the meantime, enjoy the video.  See you next year.

Has anyone fallen in the lake yet?

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This footage was taken at the 12 hours of the hill of truth race at Haw Ridge in 2008.  This rider approaches a part of the trail called Rachel’s landing.  She asks if anyone has fallen off the trail yet and then promptly falls off the trail and into the lake.

A Race for Brainzzzzzzzzzzz……..

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We stood in the overcrowded darkness of the covered starting corral, I wondered what the world would look like in the zombie apocalypse, and whether I would “live” to see another beer in my belly.

As the gate crashed open and the mass of racers pushed through each other to get free and onto the course, I got my first glimpse of the undead through the smoke; framed in the stark forest and grey sky.  She appeared to have been turned on her way to a prom, or a dance, and was grey in complexion, covered in blood, and had a crazed, lifeless hunger for the racers.

It had rained heavily the night before, and every step out of the gate was a slide through ankle deep mud as several ghouls lumbered towards us looking for a meal.  I quickly moved out onto the course, planning to dart past the few zombies I expected; but many more had congregated near the corral as if they knew where to look for fresh meat.  I quickly avoided 1, then 2 more, and then lost my traction in the slippery mud just as I felt a firm hand grasp my shoulder…  It was Jason checking to see if I made it through the initial sprint unscathed.  That was the start of the best race I have done to date.

How do you take a standard 5K race an push it to the next level?  You add some obstacles.  How do you make it totally awesome? You make it a race for your “life” against a horde of zombies.  That is exactly what we experienced in the “Run For Your Lives” 5K race outside of Atlanta.

The event did a good job with the atmosphere.  It included a short maze, smoke, and people kind enough to really get into the role of being undead.  Adding the zombie factor to an obstacle race was a stroke of brilliance on the organizers part.  About 10 minutes into a normal 5K race I am already bored and wondering if it is all worth it.  Running a 5K with obstacles is more exciting, but if there are long distances between the obstacles I am back to being bored.  With this race, in between all the obstacles, for the entire race, are zombies looking to grab your flags (flags are used as lives in the race).  Not just 1 or 2 zombies here and there, but over 100 lumbering throughout the course in groups of 2 or 4 or even 10. This meant that you were always watching your back for what just came out of the trees, changing your speed and direction to avoid the grasping hands, and looking for a safe place where you could relax back into a nice jog.   This also definitely made filming more of a challenge for us.  The only way to make this race any better would have to been to assign us Nerf guns to “defend” ourselves with.

Also, it taught me a few things about the impending zombie apocalypse:

  • Slow zombies are only a preference.  Some zombies have watched “28 Days Later” (I know it is not technically a zombie movie).
  • As you slip and slide through the muddy trails to safety (and beer), it is sometimes hard to tell other racers from their undead brethren, so trust no one.
  • Friends make good bait.  Especially the slow or asthmatic ones.  Again, trust no one, since someone may view you as the slow one.
  • Zombies do not like being teased.  Imagine that.  Even the undead have sensitive feelings, and hungry zombie friends still lurking.
  • Have fun.  It’s not like it is the end of the…, well have fun anyway.

 

Run For Your Lives! It’s Not Just a Race Its a Game Of Survival

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Well, everyone will be glad to know that after the zombie apocalypse BikesNBeers will still be standing there atop a pile of mutilated zombie corpses.  Some of us may be a little more undead now than before, but we still know how to enjoy a good race.

And, as far as races go, “Run for Your Lives” is one of the most enjoyable events we have attended.  That is, excluding all the effects of bad weather we encountered along the way.

Stay tuned for our in depth tale of keeping our flesh intact and uneaten, as well as the video recounting the devastation, in the next week or so…..unless….we….kktch…..kktch….Brainzzzz….Brainzzz.

Enterprising Alex

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We are back to Alex. This video showcases his riding skills again.  If you have ridden Enterprise South then you will recognize the big lattice bridge that runs through the skills park.   Once again Alex has rolled this feature many time, but not his time.  The crash was caught on two cameras.  However this video only uses one.  The view is unique in that he is riding behind me.  The camera was mounted on the front fork and pointed toward the back of the bike.  Enjoy.