Endurance athlete Jen Segger and her teammates battled fatigue, pain and psychological blocks to reach the podium at the Gold Rush 24 Hour Adventure Race in Long Barn, California Aug. 14 and 15.
Segger said she was pleased with the result and encouraged that a nagging Achilles injury didn't impact her performance.
"I'm feeling amazing," she stated in an e-mail. "I suffered at the [2,700 metre] altitude that we were racing at, but it was so worth it. I raced injury free and my Achilles did amazing."
The 24-hour race consisted of a three and a half hour paddle, a four-hour cycle, a nine-hour hike and another nine-hour cycle.
The 24 checkpoints throughout the course allowed teams to be aware of where they stood at all times. Segger's team, Dart-Nuun-Sportmulti, was fairly close to the winners, Team Yoga Slackers, for much of the event but just couldn't close the gap.
Segger and teammates Sean Clancy, Cyril Jay-Rayon and Slater Fletcher, finished the kayak section minutes behind the leaders, and managed to make up ground in the first bike section, reaching the checkpoint tied for first.
The nine-hour hike through the Sierra Mountains was beautiful, said Segger.
"The views and the terrain were spectacular," she said.
However, the hike was the portion of the race that saw the team lose ground when Fletcher, a newcomer to the team, twisted his ankle, and the team made some questionable route choices during the hike, which led to them falling 50 minutes behind the leaders heading into the final portion of the race.
Another bike trek finished the race and while nuun-Multisport did make some headway, they ultimately couldn't catch the Slackers, finishing 30 minutes behind the first place foursome.
The next big race for Segger is the Tour des Geants in Italy, which is a 330-kilometre non-stop ultra marathon through the Italian Alps. The race, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 12, is considered by Segger to be her biggest race of the year.
"I will spend the rest of this week running here in the mountains locally for some final big days on the feet (on my list is Elfin, Black Tusk and Singing Pass) and then I am headed to the Great Bear Rainforest for a SUP expedition," she said.
"If the body feels good, I will partake in Xterra Whistler at the beginning of September, creating my own month of pain."
For more information on Jen Segger, visit www.challengebychoice.ca.
