Merely completing the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing (MOMAR) event in Squamish sounds like a grand achievement. Saturday’s (May 22) competition involved 50- and 30-kilometre courses that worked in a bit of just about everything: trail and urban running, biking through fun and famous Squamish trails, bouts of orienteering and bushwhacking and even — for the 50-kilometre racers — a 50-metre rappel down a sheer cliff drop on the Chief.

But the Whistler athletes who took up the considerable challenge went well beyond just completing the courses and hitting all 24 of the checkpoints; they all achieved impressive times and top standing in their respective categories.

Whistler’s Kevin Hodder had a successful partnership with Squamish’s L.J. Wilson for a second year, as the pair powered across the finish line in a total time of five hours, 56 seconds for sixth overall and second in the category for two-man teams.

Dubbing themselves 2 Slow, the duo crossed the line minutes ahead of two solo racers from Whistler, as Michael Conway and David Viitakangas finished seventh and eighth overall, fifth and sixth in the solo male division.

Conway, who also raced in the 2009 MOMAR event in Squamish, stopped the clock at a total time of 5:03:55 after the day’s arduous journey. Viitakangas wound up with a time of 5:09:07.

Hodder and Wilson, who also powered to victory in their category at the 2009 Squamish MOMAR race, had to settle for second in the division this year behind North Vancouver’s Gary Robbins and Victoria’s Todd Nowack, past MOMAR champions and the third-fastest racers of the day.

The Whistler foursome of Leeanne Fitzpatrick, Jayde Quilty, Tara Geach and Marcus Waring snagged a joyful victory in their category of four-person co-ed teams, with a time of 6:46:46, while getting into the spirit of the chase with a team name of TAG, You’re It!

Whistler’s Nancy and Alan MacConnachie captured third place in the category for two-person co-ed teams, crossing the finish line with a total time of 6:31:30.

The 50-kilometre course included a one-kilometre run around Quest University, 35 kilometres of mountain biking on Squamish trails, an eight-kilometre orienteering stage, a run around downtown Squamish and even a waist-high crossing of the Mamquam River. The 600-metre hike up the Chief and 50-metre rappel down a cliff face served as a crowning moment.

Saturday’s race marked the start of the 11th season of MOMAR events, and the second event is set for Sept. 25 in Cumberland.

Whistler riders show speed at Canada Cup

Whistler and B.C. riders scored big in the first Canada Cup downhill races of the season, led by Elite riders packing a powerful one-two punch and a long, strong complement of junior men.

Whistler’s Tyler Morland and Rebecca McQueen surged to the top in the Elite races, both posting second-place results in Sunday’s (May 23) events. Morland helped B.C. riders cement a stranglehold on the Elite Men’s podium, as he was bracketed by Nanaimo’s Steve Smith in first and Victoria’s Dean Tennant in third.

Whistler riders Nick Geddes and Tyler Allison led the way with Victoria’s Kyle Marshall in a surge of strong B.C. youth, as B.C. riders took eight of the top 12 spots in the Junior Men’s category. Geddes smashed into second place with a time of four minutes, 9.863 seconds, while Allison rocketed into third with a time of 4:12.023.

Whistler’s Max Horner wasn’t far behind, speeding into sixth place amid the strong field.

Cycling B.C. team leaders said in a statement that they were thrilled with a “great weekend and a great team effort,” as coach Dave Hord put it, in an event with implications for future progress.

“This race is important. It has given some of our young riders valuable UCI points to help them towards their goal of riding in World Cups… It is (also) a selection race for the national team for the world championships to be held in Mont Ste. Anne later in the year, so these successes are significant,” Richard Wooles, Cycling B.C. head coach and high performance director, said in a statement.

Hord added that the Cycling B.C. policy of bringing some younger riders to elite eastern races seems to be paying off, as proven by Geddes and top female U17 rider Holly Feniak.

“Last year we brought Nick Geddes with us when he was still a U17 so was not actually racing in the Canada Cup, but gaining the experience of participation at a national-class race. This year, in his first Canada Cup, he took a second place,” Hord said.

Other rocking results

• At the second B.C. Cup downhill race of the season, Saturday’s Turner DHR Downhill in Nanaimo: Whistler’s Alf Brockett, first, and Florent Carreyron, 11th, Senior Men; Pemberton’s Jaime Hill, second, and Whistler’s Dawn Cashen, third, Elite Women; Whistler’s Jack Iles, second, U15 Men; Whistler’s Trevor Burke, fourth, Elite Men; Whistler’s Jessica Nordlander, fifth, Senior Women; Alexander Geddes, eighth, U17 Men.

• At the second B.C. Cup cross-country race of the season, also in Nanaimo on Sunday: Whistler’s Trevor Hopkins, third, Master 30 to 39 Men; Jack Iles, third, U15 Men.

• Whistler’s Claire Buchar finished seventh at her first World Cup downhill race of the season in Maribor, Slovenia, after battling through slippery, tough conditions and a rocky, muddy track in the finals. Despite the difficult conditions, Buchar said on the canadiandhgirls.com blog that she finished just two seconds off the podium and remains “so addicted” to racing.

• At the North Shore Spring Triathlon on Monday (May 24): Whistler’s Greg Sandkuhl, first, Men 65 to 69; Pemberton’s Kai Riess, first, Men 16 to 19; Whistler’s Karen Blaylock, second, Women 50 to 54; Whistler’s Christine Suter, fourth, Women 40 to 44.

• Whistler Skating Club athletes took on the Victoria Day Interclub Competition at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex, where Lydia Robertson and Noam Steele scored first-place finishes in their Pre-Preliminary categories, and Jandzeela Tompkins achieved an eighth-place result in her Preliminary Women’s event. Skating in the new Performance Evaluation program at the Elementary level, Abbey Dekok and Caitlin Patterson earned silver rankings, and Miori Chigama, Emelia Leigh and Kristjan and Nikolas Rohde merited bronze rankings.