Cathy Tibbetts Hoping to Keep Up Friday, May 21, 1999 — 7:30pm (EST) Read Cathy's dispatch below

Despite the fact that I have run 150 miles across the Sahara Desert, canoed 550 miles on the Yukon River, and trekked above 17,000 feet near Mt. Everest, I am wondering if I’m not in over my head this time.

Saturday night at midnight marks the start of he Beast of the East. Canoeing, mountain biking, rappelling/ascending, orienteering, and lots of hiking — all nonstop for days on end until we reach the finish line 350 miles later.

The event really started about a week ago for me, with the pre-race packing. When I graduated from college in 1980 and moved to New Mexico with everything I owned, it was less stuff than what came to this race with me: mountain bike, helmets (three types, for whitewater, rock climbing, and biking), climbing gear, paddling gear, Gore-Tex, fleece, shoes, packs, gloves, headlamp, first aid and safety equipment. There was no way to get it all on a plane without paying for excess baggage.

And since we didn’t tell the airlines we were bringing bikes (they charge $50 each way for bikes) we didn’t know the commuter plane to Roanoke wasn’t big enough to carry them.

"Is this a bicycle?" the woman at the counter had asked, eyeing the large cargo case with 'Performance Bicycles' written on it.

"No," I lied, "It’s just parts," which was sort of true... I had taken it apart to get it in the case. Turned out my teammates had pulled the same stunt in their respective airports, so two of our bikes didn’t get here until the next day.

Doug Judson, Jeff Stewart, Ray Rich and I comprise Team Balance Bar, one of seven, four-person, coed teams. There are also divisions for solo competitors, two person teams, and all male teams.

Friday's skills test started with a check of the mandatory equipment. And they really checked, too. One of the items was a storm-proof lighter, which I had bought the day before the race. There was’t anything that said I needed to know how to use it.

"Let’s see if it works," the race official with the clipboard said.

After fumbling around with it for a bit, I handed it to him and said "Gee, my other one is nothing like this."

After that they went over our bikes inch by inch. Good thing, too, Doug and I both had bad spots on our tires that could have cost us the race. We’re heading to a bike shop to get new ones tomorrow.

After the bike inspection, a short hike through the woods took us to the rappelling/ascending skills test. One of the climbing experts showed me a way to ascend that required minimal use of my arms. It was so much easier than what I had been doing. The latest rumor is we’re going to have to ascend a 300 foot cliff after canoeing 60 miles, so the less work for my arms the better.

The last part of the testing was in the canoes. With an unfamiliar canoe and a teammate I had never paddled with before, I wasn’t overly excited about the nasty eddy spitting at us from the opposite bank.

Meanwhile, the guys were in a huddle discussing the issue of cold water and shrinkage. "We could end up in the female division," one of them remarked.

Ray is an expert paddler so I went with him. We went into the eddy several times, going farther and farther each time. By the fifth time we headed right up the middle of it like we’d been paddling together for 10 years instead of 10 minutes. The skills tests were over and we went out to find something to eat.

Next, we went to the grocery store together and spent $120 on food for the race. Now it’s 10pm and they just went out again, for Mexican food, and probably more beer. They wanted me to go, but I’m staying in to rest for tomorrow. Right now, I can’t keep up with them.

Let’s hope I can keep up with them during the race.

— Cathy Tibbetts, MountainZone.com Adventure Racing Correspondent

BEAST DISPATCHES