Sticks, Stones, and Team Bones
Posted on 07/02/08 1:34 AM| by Osprey
Bones. Bare Bones. Skin and Bones. Rest my weary bones. The name gives a sense of stripping something down to its bare essence, and that’s what this team did. They raced with heart, and not much else. The only unsponsored team in the top three and one of two unsponsored teams in the top 10. Racked by injuries and in their first race as a team, why did they do so phenomenally well?
Maybe it was because they were guided by something higher than themselves. Shortly after the finish line, Team Captain Roy Malone said they were racing for Jimmy. Jimmy is female teammate Ann Hall’s brother, who died while BASE jumping in the Baffin Islands just over a year ago. She cried as she recounted the story three days after their finish, but made sure to relate the big lesson: to embrace life, explore your limits, and keep a passion for whatever it is you like to do. The love and pride showed in her eyes as she relayed their team motto: MORE LIKE JIMMY! This message is emblazoned on their striking black and red team shirts and certainly carried them through many rough segments in Primal Quest Montana.
The team’s main challenge over the race was Ann’s legs. During the riverboarding section, she had strained her shin muscles. As a result, she was unable to lift the fronts of her feet without severe pain. This made every step excruciating. Luckily, teammate Jason Quinn is an ER doctor and an aspiring inventor of useful items (code name: Dr. MacGyver). He rigged a device that ran from the toes of her shoes to the tops of her gaiters and assisted in lifting her feet. It was only with this assistance that she managed to continue through what the entire team agreed was torturous pain. Despite her wrenched shins, Ann claimed that she never thought about quitting. The team never discussed it, though Ann did say she wondered if the “guys” would want to quit because she was going so slowly. Indeed, so slow they only placed 3rd!
Dr. Quinn, medicine man, said PQ Montana was definitely the hardest race he’s ever done, and he firmly believes any other team would not have finished under the circumstances this team faced. In fact, this was a hand-picked team. All four members had either raced with, against, or near each of the three other teammates in previous races, so they all knew each other well. Ann had been approached by several teams looking for a female racer of her caliber, but she was not tempted to say yes to any of them until Roy called and gave her the intended lineup. A “Dream Team” as they called it. She was hooked. Walter Brumniach flew from Queensland, Australia for the race and they all agreed that as far as team dynamics go, they hit it out of the park.
Sitting in the comfort of their Moonlight Basin cabin and against the background noise of Roy’s four blonde children in the hot tub, they spoke for a while of the uniqueness of the team; about how they all knew from the start that this was a team to be reckoned with. Although sponsored teams frequently draw the best athletes, these athletes (as Roy put it) aren’t always the best teammates, especially after 6-7 days out on the course. Negative dynamics can really impair a team’s ability to move forward quickly, an issue that Bones did not contend with. They could trust and rely upon each other to get through the worst situations.
For Ann, PQ Montana represents the first race where she was the slowest on the team. Her experience has always been to become stronger as the race goes on, and she was unsettled to find herself deteriorating instead. She got to the point that she fell over repeatedly on the bike because she couldn’t unclip her pedals owing to the severity of her injuries. In fact, when she finished the race, support crew tried to move her bike out of the way and she said “I don’t think I can get off it!” And Ann wasn’t the only one with problems – Walter’s legs had swelled considerably and taken on the appearance of tree trunks. After the race, he still shunned compression socks due to the severe blisters also plaguing his feet. Ann’s stoic acceptance of her burden inspired him and the other teammates to push through their pain in turn.
Despite the injuries, the team stayed upbeat for most of the race. They said that in addition to amazing views and beautiful backcountry, they truly enjoyed the local Montana citizens.
They said they were approached several times by people asking them if they needed a ride. Once they explained that they were in a race, most of the locals recognized Primal Quest and excitedly asked them how they were doing. The hospitality of the Montantans has been a continued theme from very impressed racers. Cars and trucks routinely slowed down and pulled on the far side of the road to pass the racers on bike – something many bikers around the county would love to get used to. Bones even acquired some local fans that continued to follow them from checkpoint to checkpoint, cheering them on when they saw them on the road. Each teammate thought it was another’s friends or family but once they started talking about it, they realized no one knew who they were and they were merely friendly locals that had adopted the team. This is the kind of welcome racers rarely find in other areas.
Other highlights from Primal Quest Montana include Walter’s first encounter with snow. Being from Australia, he had never experienced it before and was wide-eyed when he walked through knee deep powder for the first time just prior to the race. Previously, he thought that snow was akin to liquid nitrogen in that once you stepped on it, you would instantly become cold and get frostbite. Not so, he found out. Instead, he continuously describes it as “Delicious! Like an ice cream!” in his charming Australian accent. The situation did pose some challenges though, since he had never walked in the slippery stuff before and intently watched his teammates’ technique so he could emulate it.
The whole team enjoyed the snow-covered treks, particularly when they were out early in the morning before any other teams had been through. The feeling of walking through a fresh field of snow was exhilarating. They particularly enjoyed scaling hundreds of feet in elevation and feeling completely isolated – until they walked past a lone camper’s tent. They loved the idea that this gentleman had gone out into the wilderness where he was alone and wouldn’t be bothered, but ended up pitching his tent along the path of a huge adventure race. So much for solitude!
Team Bones couldn’t point to any single piece of gear or nutrition supplement that kept them going. Instead, they focused on regularly eating any food that seemed good at the time. Fritos, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, salty snacks and Ensure (the easily digested, calorie-packed nutrition drink frequently given to immobile senior citizens, not that this team needs any help finding the irony in a situation).
More than any other external factor, they felt that experience was their ally. Team Captain Roy recalled from a previous Primal Quest that the orienteering section could pay dividends, especially when competing teams felt too tired to go for extra points. They decided to get all of the “easy” checkpoints plus one difficult one. Because it was harder to get to, this checkpoint was worth two hours, vice the one hour bonus each of the others afforded. This very wise strategic move nearly ensured victory, but the team was not content to rest on their laurels. They decided to add psychological distance to their time credit, and headed out from the Transition Area without sleep, while DART-nuun (with whom they were neck and neck most of the race) stuck to their plan and slept 3 hours. By the time they woke up, Bones was three hours ahead plus their two hour bonus. This five hour lead was a large enough distance to discourage DART-nuun from giving serious chase, even though both teams felt that DART-nuun was physically stronger and faster. This combination of strategy and fortitude sealed their 3rd place victory and brought them their luxury accommodations at Moonlight Basin – a prize they didn’t know about until after the finish but were thrilled to receive (along with the massages they have planned for tomorrow).
Although the team worked incredibly well together and struggled mightily under adverse circumstances, the very candid Walter wanted to make sure no one had any illusions. He admitted to being rude on the course, particularly during the last uphill biking section when he was trying to tow a much weakened Ann. She wanted to sing to lift the team spirits, an action fully in line with her bubbly and infectious personality. Walter, who was also physically beat, just wanted to finish and told her that was fine as long as he couldn’t hear her. So she sang quietly to herself. When asked if it was a positive team dynamic that Walter could air his frustrations, Ann protested vehemently “NO!!! It was awful! It hurt my feelings!” and the room dissolved in laughter.
Ann, the diminutive but tough blond, beautifully encapsulates everything that’s right with this team. The scrawny underdogs with plenty of talent but a lot more heart, racing for something bigger than themselves, inspired by and inspiring others unconsciously, and lacking any sense of self; driven only by respect for lost brothers, duty to beloved teammates, love of the outdoors, and a tireless drive to not let your teammates down. It’s hard to find a team that embodies the soul of adventure racing more than this scrappy foursome, but easy to hope they decide to race together again.
And as for the team name, Bones, turns out it’s nothing more than a fanciful call sign that Roy and his kindergarten best friend came up with ten years ago when they started racing together. In the end, through 548 miles of trekking, trudging, and triumph, PQ Montana proved that sticks and stones won’t break Bones after all.
Photos by Jason Perreira
