It rained nonstop from Thursday mid-day to Friday morning. At 8AM Friday I pulled out from our home only to encounter our road more flooded than I'd ever seen it. As I slowly drove the box truck and camper through several hundred yards of water as much as six inches deep, I knew the day could be interesting. It got even better when I heard on the radio there was a wind advisory and flood warnings for numerous counties, including Brown (Yellowwood State Forest).

The drive to Yellowwood is about 90 minutes. Partway there I got a call from Adam McFarren, one of the Hoosier Hikers Council members. Adam said the roads from SR46 were flooded. We determined through some phone calls that approaching from the north via SR45 was the best option. This route crossed the race course. On a whim, I decided to drive up Lost Branch Road to look at a double creek crossing at about mile 12 of the race. There happened to be two cars there; my race co-director Suzanne Mittenthal and Charlie Wilmering from the HHC. Timing was perfect. We talked some plans for flood re-routes and course flagging. Charlie dropped his truck at Plum Creek Rd, and I drove him to Prang Pond so that he could walk backward, mark trail, and clear any new windfalls. After dropping Charlie I couldn't find a good turn-around spot for my rig so I headed south on Dubois Ridge Rd. Two miles later I saw a stopped car and some trees across the road. It was Adam. Amazingly enough, he was trying to find me (he and Fred Hanson had run out of flagging tape). So far it seemed like these "coincidences" were God directing me to be the right place at the right time. The road blockage forced me to turn around in a small space with Adam's help.

I made it to YSF shelter a couple hours later than planned, but I figured I still had enough time to set up. My loyal helper Scott Hill was sick and unable to attend so I was working alone for a few hours until Jim Evans arrived to help. I spent a great deal of time on the phone with Adam when he called to let me know the south end of the lake was a raging river, dangerously impassable for the race. He and Fred had to backtrack to the north end of the lake along the trail they'd just flagged.

The last few miles of the race would have to move to the east side of the lake (from the west) due to this dangerous creek. The re-route would cut off at least a mile, but we might gain some of it if another problem spot, Indian Hill Road, required a detour onto SR45. That detour decision would wait until morning, to see whether the crossing (around mile 13) would recede. Reports said it was going down. The reroute meant 3 miles of pavement and a mile of gravel, and eliminating infamous Indian Hill.

All the local sources seemed to think that water on Jackson Creek Road would recede by afternoon, so we began spreading word via our hotline and the Summerhouse Inn to use SR45 to Jackson Creek Rd. However, a call from my wife Amanda destroyed that plan. I'd told her to use that route, and she did. Our minivan flooded. She had to jump out and grab 3 month old Darla, wading through several hundred feet of icy water. She took refuge at a nearby house and called for help. I sent Jim Evans to get her, as registration was just about to open and there were people who had come in from the north. Jim's trip took about 45 minutes (30+ miles) each way, although the van was just two miles from the shelter house. I scrambled to get word to the hotel, to our hotline, to our webmaster, to the bus companies, etc. My sister Cindy was a big help in doing this. All of our volunteers were delayed so I was the only person at check-in. Fortunately Adam was there and helped out while I made lots of phone calls. A Summerhouse Inn called all of its guests to inform of the new route. Over 100 runners actually did make it to the site Friday to get packets. Most were weary from much more driving than anticipated.

Dale Rhoads, one of our volunteers, arrived escorting several vehicles of runners. Then Amanda and Jim made it back. After registration closed it was nearly 9PM. We turned our attention to the stranded minivan. Assuming that the flood would recede and we'd need to use Jackson Creek Road for bus and vehicle access in the morning, we called a tow truck. He needed the keys, so Jim and I found a rowboat nearby to put in the DINO box truck. We had no paddles, so fence posts were going to have to do. We drove down toward the van only to find that the road was flooded much further than I anticipated. It would be a very long boat ride. Just as we prepared to set sail, the wrecker driver called to say that he could not tow the van – it was too deep and by law he'd need a scuba diver! He believed the van would be totaled. My heart sunk.

I still needed to mark a mile or so of the trail – new trail to me; Adam suggested we use it to create a distance closer to 26.2. It was the very end of the marathon course and part of the Fun Run. With my headlamp I marked that trail. I called Suzanne Mittenthal and we discussed the fact that everyone would have to use SR45 in the morning. Unfortunately there was no sure-fire way to contact everyone. We concurred that we'd need to put some signs out. Suzanne also realized we were short on Gatorade – my fault, I hadn't checked the actual quantity of concentrate in the boxes. She tried to figure out where to buy Gatorade in the middle of the night.

At 11:30PM I departed for Bloomington and used old banners and spray chalk to make two signs: "Marathon – Turn Back use SR45". I stopped to inform the Summerhouse Inn, and also grabbed a much needed drink and snack there. I continued on 46 to Yellowwood Road (the normal entrance to the race). I made another sign: "TTM - road flood – use SR45". I called Amy Weik, our webmaster, to confirm notices on the website. She was so comforting, praying for us and reminding me that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (from Romans 8:28).

Then I drove to the minivan. It required a shallow water crossing before reaching the van's watery grave another ½ mile along. I put on shorts and old bike shoes. Trudging through the still, icy water to the van, at night, by the light of our box truck's headlights was surreal. Temperatures were now in the twenties. Waves from my steps lapped the back bumper. I climbed in back to grab a few items left inside. Water was about two inches deep under the front seats. There was water in the side storage bins, so I think it was higher than that at one point. After getting out of the water I dried off and cranked the heater on the truck.

At about 2:30AM I made it back to Yellowwood office, where I still needed to get water in some coolers. I filled six 5-gallon coolers and loaded them up in the truck. I fired up the kerosene heater in the shelter to get a head start on the morning chill. At 3:15AM I made it to bed in the camper.

Three hours later the alarm went off. I got up, ate some cereal, and then started the generator and heaters in the shelter. We were not able to get in contact with the five school buses coming from Indianapolis to warn them. I asked Adam to stand guard at the 45/46 intersection to steer them the right way. Shortly after, we received news that access to 46 via Yellowwood Road was now OK... very good news. Adam was released from his bus-spotting duty. Check-in went smoothly, though busy, as so few showed up Friday. Five of our ten buses arrived on time and runners quickly loaded them. At 8:50AM we sent the buses to the start line.

I tried to reassure everyone that five more buses would arrive shortly. It was hard, because I wasn't certain myself. We could not get a direct contact to the buses in route. After 9AM, I watched in horror as five buses drove right past us northward on Yellowwood Road. How they missed hundreds of cars parked in the middle of nowhere I will never understand. A few miles later Dale caught up to them in his truck as they were turning around. Cold runners met them at the road and boarded in no time flat. Adam rode in the lead bus to ensure their route. Adam was the designated "sweep" – taking the rear of the runners at the minimum pace. Anyone who fell behind him would be transported off the course or be unsupported by aid stations, etc.

With our van being dead in the water I had to borrow Joshua Waid's van. He has driven pick-up duty each year, shuttling hurt or ill runners to the shelter. We waited a few minutes more as a late-comer from Michigan scrambled to get ready. His VIP treatment was a wild ride on the back roads to the Morgan Monroe start line.

At the start I reassured the anxiously waiting first half that the rest of the buses were near. One less bus arrived than departed from YSF. Finally it rolled in. Someone REALLY needed a bathroom break. The race start was nearly 45 minutes late. We gathered all the drop bags and trash at the start then headed back to the finish. I'd instructed our DINO staff to start the Fun Run at 11AM. The Fun Run was now an out-and back on the east side of the lake, estimated between 4 and 5 miles. We saw the runners on trails paralleling the road as we drove... a nice perspective.

During the Fun Run, an aid station volunteer came in dire need of more supplies. I carried out a box of cups and stepped on a stick, falling flat on my face after rolling my ankle. It was very painful and I thought it would be a bad one. I iced it immediately, and fortunately it felt alright after fifteen or twenty minutes.

At the finish line, several fun-runners were informing us they had missed turns. Knowing this was the end of the marathon course, with weary runners, we had to re-mark. I sent John Smock and Jeff to re-mark.

There was a pleasant lull in the action between the fun run and marathon arrival. I ate some food and rested in the shelter. Dale and Josh left to try to start our van and / or have it towed to a local mechanic (Dale lives fairly close).

The first finisher of the marathon arrived at about 3:15. It was one of the slower winning times – I guess the mud and water took a toll. I announced with great enthusiasm the winner, 2nd place, and so on. Shortly after, I was told by the first finisher, Ben Schneider, that he shouldn't have won – he accidentally missed a turn (off the road, up onto the trail) in the last two miles. This was despite several arrows on the road and plenty of flagging. I sent Smock out again to place cones on the road. Amanda worked to get the right plaques to the right runners.

At some point Dale returned from checking on my van to tell me that the Sheriff Department had towed it. So, in addition to a dead car and a towing charge we may have a ticket coming.

After the winning runner issue was cleared up, I wondered what would go wrong next. But it was not to be, the problems were over! The day was pleasant and sunny, most everyone seemed happy, and I was enjoying calling out people's names as they finished this very hard event. Due to the late start we tore down well after dark, but with incredible helpers like Cindy, Smock, Josh Kendall, Joshua W, Dale, and Larry Wasson, it went quickly. These guys kept things going all day when the going was rough.

The Hoosier Hikers Council is to be commended just as much. Their crew of 20+ volunteers worked all day Friday and Saturday, marking the course (both the real route and the alternates), concocting the re-routes, setting up and manning the awesome aid stations, and then unmarking the course. Suzanne Mittenthal didn't miss a beat adjusting to the course changes...no small job considering all the volunteers and locations to manage. Particularly valuable to me was Adam, always stepping up to cover any need, and having an indispensable knowledge of trail distances and options. In addition, countless hours in the past few months was done by various volunteers on trail work, clearing, repairing, measuring, and more. We could not do it without them. The race was their brainchild back in 2002, and it has turned into one of the most amazing experiences for so many runners. Although this year's race took a tremendous toll on me personally, I am so glad to be a part of it.

Our AR team (DINO) formed for our first race in February (24 Hours on the Move).This was our team's first race together – Scott Fihma, Bill Toler, and myself. A highly successful race at 24HOTM boosted our confidence. Though we skirted with hypothermia and an ascent snafu that could have convinced Scott to quit, we persevered and recovered to nearly win the race.

Our optimism was smashed when our team literally fell apart one by one at Planet Adventure 24 (April). Our first two team mates dropped out at various points, then Scott Fihma and I went on as a duo until we were exhausted and unmotivated. We DNF'd and felt humbled by the physically demanding course.

Going into Planet Adventure Sprint we committed to give it our all. There were no excuses. Scott and I, as a 2-man team, were going for the win.

The first stage of PA Sprint was a ½ mile road run into an orienteering area with 6 checkpoints (CP's). We were to get five of them before returning. Scott is a top level runner and I am fairly decent, so we knew we could do well here with accurate navigation. We stepped off the pavement in the lead by at least 20 seconds. The CP's weren't too hard to find and we nailed all 5 as planned. The terrain was hilly so I was sweating profusely. After our final CP (#6), I had to decide between two trails to return to the transition area (TA). We were running the trial in the right bearing but unfortunately I was on the wrong ridge. Upon nearing the road we had to cut north again which cost us just a minute or two. We were told we were second into the TA, which was a bit disappointing after such a hard effort.

Next we were assigned to shoot paintball guns. The 3-person team ahead of us was assigned to do paintball later. We each picked up a gun and were told to knock down two milk jugs. It did not matter which teammate or which gun hit the jugs. I hit mine on my third shot. Scott was feeling less confident so he gave me his gun. By then my goggles were fogged and I had difficulty seeing my shots. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. I was getting nervous. Finally I hit the second jug. Scott said he was sure it was our very last shot. I am not sure what the penalty was for missing. Then we had to climb a short tower before going back to TA. We inhaled some food and Clif Shot and started on the mountain bike trails.

Shortly into the trail, the leading team (it's a jeep thing) was coming back toward us. They had dropped their passport. That meant we were solidly in the lead. We did fairly well at mountain biking and had no trouble finding the CP's. Emerging from the trails on SR 46, we took a few mile road ride. At CP11 I stopped too early to look for it and another 3-person team (IndyRootstock.com) passed us. After that we climbed a steep gravel road to a nice cabin in the woods where we were to do an "adventure run" with our helmet and PFD.

It was a fun segment. We went down a steep slope, climbed a small cascade waterfall with a rope to hold onto, then swam across a pond into some nasty decaying leaves in the other end. The swim was quite awkward wearing shoes, helmet, and PFD. I longed to drop it all and swim like I do in a triathlon. Scott wasn't so eager to shed the PFD. After getting out of the muck, we tried to figure out the course markings which were a bit confusing. We were given a small map but it was soaked by then and nearly destroyed by just opening it. We found our way to a second pond, where we were to float one person on a Styrofoam board out to a CP marker suspended by a rope over the pond. I swam while Scott held onto my back. Then we battled more confusing course marking to get back to our bikes. Scott started to cramp in the legs so he took an electrolyte tablet. Taking our bikes through some bushwack must have put a thorn in my tire, as I heard it hissing after we reached the road. My tires had Sealant in them so I decided to ride anyway. The tire seemed to be holding air, although it was a bit squishy for the fast paved downhill that was next.

This led us to the canoe put-in. We were just a minute or so behind IndyRootstock.com. There were two CP's – #16 upstream and #17 downstream. For some reason I thought it would be best to go downstream first. So we did. Then when we reached #17 Scott remembered we were supposed to get them in order. I was so accustomed to our MISSION race being "any order" per segment that I didn't really consider that it might be a problem. The thought of whether we'd get a penalty was on our minds from then on. After getting both, we were still a minute or so behind IndyRootstock.com. We had also seen the next 2-male team (Citgo / Gray Goat) and they weren't more than 10 minutes behind.

Fortunately my tire still had air in it so we continued to the mountain bike trails again where we pushed hard and passed IndyRootstock.com near the end of the cycling. That's when we felt confident we would win. It was all downhill to the TA.

We bombed into the TA for the final challenge – run about ½ mile up to the retreat's pond. We were to swim out (maybe 200 meters) and climb over a cargo net about 15' high, suspended from a steel cable over the water. It was hard. Both of us fought off leg cramps. After working my way over the top, I yelled "Bonsai!!" and jumped off. I didn't fall straight, and belly flopped on my side. Next we swam to shore and climbed a super-steep bank to the top of a zip line cable. Ouch. Upon stepping off I promptly slipped off the handle (wet cycling gloves) and dropped into the water about 10' from shore. Good thing the bank was so steep. I cautioned Scott and he went much further out. We swam back to shore as IndyRootstock made its way over the net and up to the zip line. Scott was having a hard time by now; as swimming isn't his thing, and his legs were cramping. We ran / hobbled to the finish line and celebrated our win for a moment. Both of us called our wives as soon as possible. While they were excited, they both seemed more interested in having us home soon for some family commitments. So we packed up and headed out, talking all the way home about what a fun race it was.

Now all that remains is to see how much of a penalty we'll get for hitting 16 and 17 out of order. It will be disappointing to have a near-perfect race tarnished with such an error. Nonetheless, we had a fantastic time, the race was well done, and we felt that we accomplished our goal.

Amanda and I are excited to announce we just found out we are expecting our third child. We are due in August! Amanda is at the half way mark already. Here's the story:

We must have gotten pregnant shortly before Thanksgiving. When she was having the tired symptoms, we took a pregnancy test which came back negative. When she continued to feel tired (and the tiredness grew to a very unusual amount, even for pregnancy), it reminded her of the symptoms she had last time she had the mono virus, much worse than pregnancy symptoms. She was tested for the mono virus and that test came back positive. After the mono mostly cleared up in a couple of weeks, there were still some lingering symptoms. She was feeling much better, but things were still not back to normal. During this time, we took another pregnancy test just to see if that was what was going on, and that test came back negative.

Okay, so what is going on? She called the doctor and he said Amanda was on the tail end of the length of time these symptoms could be found, and if things didn't change in two weeks, to make an appointment. Maybe her spleen was swollen (the spleen, which makes white blood cells, is affected during mono and is enlarged)... all sorts of thoughts went through her head as to what could be wrong. So, we went through the next two weeks with no change. She was ready to call the doctor back and make the appointment wondering what kinds of tests she would have to go through and what could be wrong. Since two pregnancy tests came back negative, Amanda was excusing the slight movement in her stomach as digestion, etc. After all, her jeans still fit and her weight had only changed slightly.

Before we called the doctor, we took one more pregnancy test and it came back positive! We had our answer and a blessing both. The funny thing about it all is that we were hoping to have a baby this coming fall/ winter. We got so worried about our plans that when the mono hit, we wondered how long our plans would be delayed, even though we were pregnant already. God had to be just laughing and thinking "If only they knew when my perfect plans were for them to have a baby and not worry- taking matters into their own hands. Little do they know they will get what their hearts desire, and even a little sooner". We praise God that the pregnancy sustained and thrived through this chronic illness, especially one that affects the spleen, blood flow, and so many things important to a growing baby. At first, we were so glad the mono virus hit before we started thinking of getting pregnant thinking there would be no way a baby could thrive, but little did we know we were already pregnant and everything was in God's hands.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Each time the next year's schedule comes out, there's lots of talk and speculation about the new locations, changes, and dropped locations. I thought I would just share a few thoughts.

The mountain bike series drops to 7 races – it starts a week later and ends a few weeks earlier. Each year the attendance fades in the last few races. We are hoping to compact the series to help reduce this effect. We've also made the final race in Indy to help finish on a strong note. The far-from-Indy races draw a very small crowd at the end of season.

The best five of seven scores will count. A minimum of four races must be attended to be eligible for series awards. Watch for additional bonus point opportunities – the downhill and short track on July 1 will likely be a chance to get bonus points, as will the PayDirt program once again.

We return to Wapehani Park after a 4-year absence. This is one of the original DINO race courses from the early 1990's. It "replaces" Terre Haute's Plumbers & Fitters course, which has been miserably muddy in our two visits there. The Terre Haute course also may be changing drastically in the future due to logging and other impacts.

Ferdinand is the notable "missing" race. Indiana Race Series director Dan Daly is planning a race there on May 20 - so you climbers can get your fix! We may bring Ferdinand back into the series in a year or two.

There are many other great Indiana events our mountain bike riders are not experiencing. For those of you wanting to race/ride more, try the HMBA Epic Ride, the Huntington Challenge, 24 Hours of DINO, Cyclo-cross, short track, adventure racing, etc.

Trail runners also get to visit Bloomington this year (instead of New Castle). The summer races shuffle a bit but we still start and end the same as the last few years.

We'll be holding a second off-road triathlon this year at New Castle. Both our triathlons are approximately ½ mile swim, 10 mile MTB, and 4 mile trail run. A 1-mile kayak option instead of swim will most likely be available at both triathlons.

We are very excited about the new triathlon, plus the "upgrade" to 24 Hours of DINO. We'll offer 12-hour divisions in 24 Hours of DINO, and possibly a 6-hour solo division.

We are excited about the new schedule, and hope you are too. Happy trails!

Whew! I can now catch my breath a bit from a busy summer of DINO events.

Some of our "customers" ask me if I race / ride / run. Simple answer: absolutely. In addition to "working" at all of our DINO events, I was able to enjoy quite a few other events this summer. I like to compete in triathlons, especially off-road triathlons in the Nissan Xterra Point Series. In addition to those, Amanda and I visited a few other events for our first time. Here's a rundown of some of the events I did this year. Note the period in July/August when I did four triathlons in four weeks! Two were in the same weekend.

June 11 River City Triathlon (Logansport, IN)
June 19-25 TRIRI (Southern IN)
July 16-17, 24 Hours of Kilbuck at Vultures Knob (Wooster, OH)
July 24 XTERRA Midwest Championship (Milwaukee, WI)
July 30 DINO Triathlon (Logansport, IN)
Aug 13 Cicero Triathlon (Cicero, IN)
Aug 14 General Butler Off-road Tri (Carrollton, KY)
Sept 3 Goat Hollow Triathlon (Martinsville, IN)
Sept 17 Huntington Challenge (Huntington, IN)
Oct 1 12 Hours of DINO (Winona Lake, IN)

I'll share briefly about these experiences. I could write a separate journal entry for many of them. But I won't bore you. I hope you are not that desperate for something to read (hey, are you on the job now?).

June 11 River City Triathlon (Logansport, IN)
This was the first time we'd done this annual event. It is held at France Park where we have the DINO Triathlon. We thought it would be good to talk up our race with locals there while trying something new. It was a nice event – great swim course, bike course was hilly! There were an amazing number of volunteers on the bike course. The run was on the park's easier trails. Right up my alley, as I love trail running. It was much like an Xterra triathlon but with a road bike instead of off-road. Amanda won the women's race! I finished pretty well too.

June 19-25 TRIRI (Southern IN)
We've done this tour a few times. Seven days of riding 50-100 miles (two days are optional). We enjoyed visiting places like New Harmony, French Lick, Jasper, Huntingburg, etc. I highly recommend it as a way to explore the state. Our kids were with us – they were in a car with our friend Karen, wife of Jim Evans who rode with us. Suzanne rode more than 100 miles on her "trail-a-bike" attachment. Scott Hill (DINO staff stalwart) also rode the tour.

July 16-17, 24 Hours of Kilbuck at Vultures Knob (Wooster, OH)
My first 24 hour race, on a relay team "DINO/PPFI" with Griff, Tim O, and Rocky. Though poorly attended, it was a blast! The course was crazy technical. Lots of "stunts" and such... This was also my first true use of my brand new bike (I had only 30 minutes test ride prior to race day!). The bike was awesome. I built it up myself, a Trek Top Fuel 110 frame with XTR, plus Magura Marta SL brakes and a Magura Ronin fork, and Sun Disk-o-tek wheels. Nearly flawless the entire 24. Anyway, I was chosen to start lap 1. Just 1 minute into the course, someone tried to pass in a narrow spot and crashed me. The brakes' hydraulic hose was popped off the frame and I was bleeding and pretty shaken up. Dead last! The rest of the lap was lousy, and our team was nearly last as I tagged off. Fortunately I redeemed myself by turning consistently good laps the rest of the time... actually the best average of the team. We settled into a close race with another team which made things very fun. Lots of mind games and good-natured teasing. We didn't catch them in the end, but finished well and had lots of fun.

During the first few hours of the race I got a call from Amanda, who was doing RAIN (Ride Across INdiana). She'd crashed and feared her arm to be broken. She insisted I stay and finish the 24 but I knew she wanted me home ASAP. Turns out she did have a hairline fracture which put her out of commission for a few weeks.

July 24 XTERRA Midwest Championship (Milwaukee, WI)
Headed north to put my bike and body to the test against some of the nation's best XTERRA athletes. It was a scorcher. Temps topped out over 100, and it was humid. The Lake Michigan swim was shockingly cold, probably under 60 degrees in spots. No wetsuits allowed (apparently the current changed temps fast) – it was enough to take my breath away. Some athletes couldn't handle it and dropped after 1 lap of 2. On lap 2, a buoy drifted, making navigation very hard. My swim was ok. Onto the bike, I got a good start but flatted about 3 miles in. Having to make up time and pass lots of people was challenging. I took one hard crash. Starting the run, I was immediately oppressed by the heat. We had to run about a mile along the beach at the start and the end. I kept eying the cool water. Just before we turned uphill from the water, I ran down and immersed myself for a minute or two to cool the core temp. It helped for a while. Then the run became agony... I was SO hot. I made it though, and lots of cool water and ice at the finish kept me out of the busy medical tent.

July 30 DINO Triathlon (Logansport, IN)
This is one of the very few DINO events I try to race in. I had a fairly good race this time and enjoyed being on the other side of things during the race. It is always tough until the race starts to tune out "work" but once racing I can usually let it go.

Aug 13 Cicero Triathlon (Cicero, IN)
A sprint distance race that takes under an hour, Amanda and I like to do this as we both have a shot at winning. This year it was not to be, as both of us were outmatched. Amanda was slowed by her lack of training and recovering but weak arm.

Aug 14 General Butler Off-road Tri (Carrollton, KY)
Decided to make it a double this weekend with two of my favorite triathlons. It was my 11th straight GB. I actually raced quite well considering the effort I put forth the day before. As usual, a fun time spent with the Xterra "family".

Sept 3 Goat Hollow Triathlon (Martinsville, IN)
Another place where both of us had a shot at the win. This is a hilly swim-run-bike race put on by Dan Daly of Indiana Race Series. My swim was good but still a minute behind one fast-swimming young man, who was on a relay team. I caught him midway through the run, and I was leading. I gave it my all on the hilly bike course. I was riding my old-school 1992 Trek road bike instead of my very aerodynamic Softride to save weight on the climbs. Whether that was the right choice, I still do not know. I was passed by two guys with less than two miles to go and had to settle for third.

Sept 17-18 Huntington Challenge (Huntington, IN)
Wow. This was hard. 70 miles each day, with 10-20 being trails, grass, or gravel. I convinced Amanda to race it with me on our road tandem. The road sections were fine – we hung with the main pack without excessive effort. Once we hit the trails, it was brutal. A rough ride, plus Amanda was uneasy without any controls. We struggled through some of the final miles off-road, plagued by physical and mental issues. Rather than drop out, we changed our strategy. The next day, Amanda ran the rugged section while I rode the tandem. It worked! We moved along much faster and finished in a good mood, though tired and sore. Claiming the first place tandem was fun (even though we were the only ones crazy enough to do it)!

Oct 1 12 Hours of DINO (Winona Lake, IN)
This was my second effort at 12 hours solo. I had a great day. If you'll look back at my 2004 Journal entry, you'll find a bittersweet story. 2005 was so much better. I ate smarter, and had superior equipment (new Sigma lights and the new Trek Fuel). I finished the same distance as 2004 - but more than one hour faster (making the cutoff time, unlike 2004), and feeling far, far better.

So that's a short summary my summer's adventures. I've now shifted gears to trail ultra-running and I plan to run at least two ultra-marathon distance events through the winter.

I'm terribly saddened to hear of the loss of one of the DINO "family" – Sharon Wollam, participant in the DINO Trail Run Series, was killed while cycling this weekend. Our utmost sympathy goes to her husband Jerry as well as her family and close friends.

Since I have been producing the MISSION adventure race (2003-2005) I have come to realize that the planners of adventure races face more adventure than the participants. The time commitment and energy spent scouting, researching, planning, testing, and gaining permissions are phenomenal.

I may write another journal entry about some details of things I encounter while planning a race. I have met an incredible assortment of people, learned a huge amount about Jennings County, gotten wet, dirty, exhausted, lost...

Today I'll just write about a two hour window of time. On Tuesday (June 14) I was roaming the county picking up the last of the checkpoints I'd placed for the 2005 race. My friend Bill went with me. We drove down a dead-end road to gather five checkpoints in the area (#1-4 and #29, for those who did the race.) We parked at the end of the road. It was about halfway between #2 and #29.

Bill and I set out to find and retrieve the markers. We found #2 and #4 easily then set for #1. My sister Cindy called me on my cell phone. She knew I was out there that day and informed me of a storm coming... a storm with hail. Almost simultaneously, Bill and I heard a thunder in the distance. We quickened our pace, finding #1 and #3. As we walked toward #29 the western sky started looking quite ominous. We could not find #29 – it appeared a limb had broken off the tree upon which it had been tied. Searching the ground below yielded nothing. We decided to get out of there, as the lightning was striking closer and closer. We ran about ¼ mile to my van and dove in just as the rain dumped down.

As the rain let up a bit, we started to drive out the road we were on. A few branches were in the way. Bill jumped out and moved them. Then about ¼ mile down the road, a large cedar tree blocked the way. Bill got out and came back to inform me that about six good size trees were lying across the road!

On this road there was a small campground. It was behind us (also trapped in). We backed up and drove into the campground. Nobody was around. A home was located at the far end of the campground so we went to the door. I thought I saw someone inside, but nobody answered.

In the campground was a restroom building. We started looking for a saw, or something to help us clear the way out. I found a phone number to contact... it was the lady inside the house who was afraid to open the door to us wet, dirty men on her doorstep. She had no saws of any kind, but promised to call for help. I had also called a friend Dana (North Vernon resident) to bring us a chainsaw or something.

Bill and I drove back to the downed trees. As we walked through them up the road, we realized it must have been a tornado. Numerous large trees were broken and uprooted, and a barn had several siding panels blown off, one old barn crumpled, and a house had some missing roofing. Nearby residents were outside assessing the damage.

Then behind my van from the blocked end of the road came two men in a 1970's Ford pickup, hauling a trailer piled high with junk. We still do not know exactly where they came from. These two cigar-smoking hillbilly-types decided to unhook their trailer and pull the trees away. I moved the van aside and they attached a chain to the truck bumper. One guy stood in front of the truck with a chain while the other drove. The driver decided instead to ram the trees, with the grille of his truck. He didn't seem to consider telling his buddy of the plan. He's revving the engine and the truck is heaving and bucking, while the other man still holds the chain attached to the truck. Bill and I were certain something bad was going to happen. I left the scene and went toward the main road where our help was expected to arrive.

About this time, the county highway department came in with a huge Grad-all backhoe and began clearing the trees. The backhoe made quick work of the mess and shortly after we were on our way out.

That's it for my story about dead-ends, tornadoes, and hillbillies.

The Indiana Bicycle Coalition currently has received just over 200 valid petitions (complete with signature and deposit). We need 500 by June 30, 2005. IT'S UP TO YOU!!

If you are one of the 200+ who has signed and completed a petition and sent it in with a deposit, THANK YOU! Please help ensure the plate will be available by gathering other signatures and deposits from your bicycling friends.

If you have not filled out the petition and sent it in with a deposit, time is running out. SIGN UP TODAY!! The .PDF file for the instructions and petition is attached. It can also be downloaded from the Indiana Bicycle Coalition website.

If our application is approved and we are successful in obtaining 500 signatures on the official BMV petition by June 30, 2005, the Share the Road & Trail license plate will be available starting January 1, 2006.
HELP US SUCCEED!! SPREAD THE WORD!!

Proceeds from the license plate will be used to improve bicycling in Indiana and could be used as matching funds for grants which would make an investment of $25 worth $125 in available funds for projects. The license plate proceeds could help fund airtime for "Share the Road" public service announcements for TV and radio, fund development of share the trail public service announcements, help support IBC's other bicycle safety and education programs and support the efforts of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition to create a bicycle friendly Indiana.

For more information about the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and our efforts to create a bicycle friendly Indiana, please feel free to contact the IBC office or visit our website: www.bicycleindiana.org.

Thanks again for your support of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and our efforts to create a bicycle friendly Indiana.

P.S. If we do not receive at least 500 signed petitions by the deadline, there will be no "Share the Road and Trail" plate in 2006! Please help us succeed!!

Driving to Terre Haute Friday morning, I anticipated re-scheduling the race. Significant rain had doused the state in the prior 24 hours. Water was standing everywhere.

I took a ride around last year's course. Most of it was OK. However, there were several long sections of complete mud bog – totally unusable. I set about finding re-routes. I discovered new trails which were in need of much limb pruning, but appeared to be drier than the rest of the trail. After much consideration I routed the second half of the course onto these new trails. I then spent 2-3 hours clearing branches and improving drainage on the new trail so we could actually use it.

With a dozen or so pre-riders on Friday, the trail seemed to be holding just fine. Saturday afternoon, the trail did totally the opposite of what I thought it would. Had I known the end result, we would have done something differently.

Like I said, with myself and a dozen or so pre-riders on Friday, the trail seemed to be OK... I was surprised to see how mucky it became. The trail will recover but we will need to put some work into it. Racers, want to earn PayDirt points? Let's plan a work day.

We try to be very responsible stewards of our trails... All indications I had on Friday and Saturday AM led me to believe the trails would hold up. Hindsight is 20/20, I am sorry it did not turn out as I had expected. I hope that everyone will understand how difficult these kinds of decisions are. It is a no-win situation when conditions are like that.

Just now I was going through all the e-mail messages that bounce back as undeliverable and remove those that bounce multiple times from my list. As I was ready to delete yet another name, it hit me who I was deleting. Michael Hiester. Michael had never done a DINO event but we'd corresponded via e-mail several times about our events and even about us teaming up for an adventure race someday. He was always full of enthusiasm. He was ready to adventure race and live life to the fullest once he got done with his tour of duty in the Army.

Michael was killed in a minefield accident in Afghanistan on March 26, 2005 along with three other Indiana soldiers.

Let's all take a moment to remember our armed forces bravely fighting for what we generally take for granted. Their lives are on the line for us while we play games like mountain biking, trail running, and adventure racing. Pray for the men and women who are defending freedom in all parts of the world.

From the Indiana Bicycle Coalition: Indiana Share the Road and Trail License Plates

The IBC has collected about 80 valid petitions so far in a quest to get 500 signed petitions by June 30, 2005. Please help us succeed by sending in your petition toady and enlisting your friends to support the Share the Road & Trail license plate for 2006. It is only with your help that we will succeed. If we do not receive 500 signed petitions by the deadline, the plate will not be offered in 2006 - Don't let that happen!! Go to the IBC website and download the license plate form, follow the instructions and send it in TODAY!

If the IBC can get 500 Indiana car owners to sign a petition and deposit $25 with the IBC before June 30, 2005, then it can get plates for 2006. The petitions can be copied from the IBC web page, http://www.bicycleindiana.org/. The signed petition and $25 payable to the IBC must be sent to the IBC before June 30. If the IBC qualifies it will send each petitioner a form to take to the BMV; if it does not qualify the money will be returned. The funds are being held in a separate escrow account until the issue is resolved.

The plates will state "Share the Road and Trails" and include a bicycle symbol. A portion of the funds collected from plate sales will support the IBC's bicycle safety efforts.

I have long been an advocate of trail running. Some would say it is for an obvious reason – to promote the races I direct. But there's also the beauty and tranquility of being in the woods. There are no cars to contend with. And it is often said that trail running is gentler on the body, due to its softer surfaces and the variations in stride length, speed, and direction.

I recently gained a new and deep appreciation for the physical benefits of trail running, through my own experiences. It has been a night-and-day difference.

In early 2004 I developed a hamstring injury which has troubled me ever since. Any time I run fast on pavement, my hamstring begins to cramp up, eventually forcing me into a hobbled trot. Later in 2004 I developed plantar fasciitis. I reduced my running to almost nothing during the later months of 2004.

This spring I decided to train primarily on the trails. I was able to do trail runs of 2-3 times the duration of my road runs, without these injuries coming back. On April 2 I ran my longest run since July of 2004. It was about 12 miles on the Three Lakes Trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest. I felt great – it was beautiful but challenging, and best of all - no injury troubles!

Doing that run gave me the inspiration to really challenge myself.

I decided to tackle the marathon distance on the Knobstone Trail, April 9 (It was part of the KT50 Endurance Runs, a planned, supported run). The trail provides repeated steep climbs and descents of 300' or more. The surface is uneven with rocks, roots, tall steps, creeks, logs, and much more. This is without a doubt the toughest trail I have ever seen.

I was with my friend Tony the entire way. The 26.2 mile distance took us 6 hours and 18 minutes. We were working hard at it. For comparison, Tony and I typically run road marathons in 3:10 to 3:40. As grueling and tiring as it was, not once did I have tightness in my hamstring or problems with my plantar.

I'm sure that when I try to run the Mini-Marathon on pavement in a few weeks I will have trouble. I had to drop out last year. There is a tremendous difference between trail and pavement. I'm completely convinced that the exact same motion, repeated thousands of times on the hard pavement, encourages injuries. On the trail, each step is a bit different. Some steps are very different, such as leaping, turning, climbing, and descending.

I write this article to encourage those of you battling injuries to give trail running a try. (Contact us at DINO if you need help finding a trail near you.) It takes a little bit of adjustment, especially to develop ankle and lower leg strength, but it is absolutely worth it in the long run. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you.

Happy trails!

I need to make a public apology, a confession. I have done something I believe is wrong. It probably harmed nobody, and some may not think it was wrong.

I am a Christian, and I desire that my life and my actions reflect Jesus. If at any time I do not, I ruin the testimony I have for Him. In this matter, I have been troubled by my conscience for several weeks. The conscience is a prodding of the Holy Spirit inside a person to consider right and wrong. Acts 24:16 (NIV) says "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."

A couple of e-mail messages came to me with a large list of CC (carbon copy) recipients visible to all. I used those messages to gain addresses for the DINO E-mail Newsletters. I had vowed in the past not to misuse such lists and condemned those who did misuse an e-mail list.

James 5:16 states, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Friends, I ask that you forgive me for doing this. If anyone has been offended by my actions please contact me.

Brian Holzhausen
DINO Director
317-336-7553
www.DINOseries.com

This weekend I participated in the 4th annual 24 Hours on the Move training event, essentially an adventure race but without official ranking or awards. Eric Bishop and Brant Upchurch (Dynamik Adventures) did a fantastic job of creating a challenging and fun course in the area around Attica, IN.

My teammate was Dick Whicker. Dick's regular teammate had to withdraw due to injury in his shoulders. I was still seeking a team / teammate so we connected. Dick is an experienced athlete in adventure racing, duathlons, running, climbing, even dogsledding and numerous other interesting activities. Though sharing things in common, he's nearly twice my age and weighs 50 pounds less... making us an interesting pair to watch, I am sure.

The start time was 11 am. Around 9 am we checked in and received our map and some instructions with check point coordinates. We were busy the next two hours plotting points and preparing our gear. At 11 we were sent on a "start loop" of mountain biking through the Badlands off-road park. Dozens of ATV's, motorcycles, and 4x4's were buzzing about. At one point we passed just beside a couple of "rock crawlers" – modified 4x4's trying to get up and through huge boulder fields. It was tempting to stop and watch a while. One 4x4'er standing there said "you should be riding!" as we pushed up a tricky section. A racer with us replied "you should be driving!". They all seemed friendly despite their noisy, high-horsepower vehicles. Dick and I were riding with a team of 3 at the front of the pack (around 50 participants total). We finished the start loop in just under an hour and checked in at the TA (transition area). Dick had to work hard to keep with me, so from that point on we attached our "tow rope" which gave him a boost attached to my bike.

Next up we biked on the "WF" loop which led us first to Indiana's highest waterfall (90 feet) in Williamsport. It was beautiful, with ample water thundering over, and ice everywhere from the mist. However, the check point was nowhere in sight. We arrived a few minutes ahead of the 3-man team and neither of us could find it. Soon, many others arrived. Dick and I decided to move on. We later found the point was forgotten; it was not set ahead of the race because of risk of someone stealing it.

Biking onward we found another checkpoint and headed for the third. We missed a turn which allowed the 3-man team to pass us. Point 3 was at a house. Race volunteers gave us a set of 6 coordinates to orienteer. After plotting, we walked to all six, finding most without much trouble. At one point we had to cross a stream. We found a skinny log across the creek and Dick slid across. It cracked as he was about 2/3 of the way, but did not break. I asked him what he weighed... "140! Don't try this!" So I looked for an alternate crossing, to no luck. I pulled out two trash bags and used them like hip waders to stay dry. It worked pretty well... I got just a tiny bit of water on my socks.

We completed the orienteering in a couple of hours and were the first to leave on bike. We returned to TA around 4 pm. Next was the "SC" loop. Biking again, we went to a fairly close spot which had ropes challenges. Ropes hung off a cliff 60-70 feet high into a creek bed below. We went up using mechanical ascending devices, and then rappelled down. This is always a highlight of adventure races. Darkness fell as we left this area. We found another checkpoint, then went to a park in Independence IN. There were inflated rafts awaiting us. They were all alike except one, which was a little smaller. The volunteer said the first 2-person team was supposed to take that one. Lucky us.

A county sheriff was there trying to figure us out. He was quite concerned for our safety. Understandably... it seems absurd when you step back and think.

As if rafting in February, in the dark, on a flooded river, isn't interesting enough, we had to take our bikes with us. We spend a good while getting ready and placing our bikes on the boat. We laid the bikes cross-wise in the center of the raft. I sat in back, with legs under the bikes. Dick sat up front on his pack, with legs hanging off the front of the raft. We pushed off into the current of the river and let it move us along. We were moving at a good rate with the current, and paddling was quite an effort and a bit awkward, so we mostly just kept it pointed the right way and floated. I was quite comfortable, wearing my pack against the raft's stern like a seat. My legs were stretched and out of the wind. After an hour or so, we noticed lights behind us on the river. They were coming quickly. We decided it must be a motor boat. As it came closer, it was a 2- man team paddling nonstop! They passed us like we were standing still and were out of sight in another half hour. We were to stop at the TA.

It took a while to find a landing spot where we could stay dry (the lead team waded out of the river!). We checked in, got some food, and were on our way downstream again. Again, we boated for a little under 2 hours. Dick told me all sorts of stories about various events and adventures he'd done. On one story, "the story that never ends", he kept getting sidetracked and coming back to it. It probably took 2 hours to tell it.

We started to get cold during this segment. Near the end, it began to snow and the wind picked up. It was surreal; riding a little raft down the flooded Wabash River, with two bikes, at 1 am, in the snow! Quite opposite (yet similarly surreal) was the same event one year ago, when Jim Evans and I canoed the Wabash on a sunny, warm February afternoon catching a sunburn in our t-shirts! The next checkpoint was uphill a bit, so we quickly rode off trying to get warmer. We then added more clothing, and placed chemical hand / toe warmers in our gloves and boots. I felt comfortable in just a few minutes. Those were a life saver!

One more checkpoint, then onto a point described as "Gate 5". The road we chose was be the shortest route on map, but we ignored a "dead end" sign and discovered the reason was a bridge over Shawnee Creek was long gone – our map was outdated. The 2-man team ahead had ridden in but not out (judging by their tracks in the snow). Somehow they had crossed the creek. We decided not to risk getting wet and rode another route, adding a few miles. "Gate 5" was a back entrance to the Badlands. We were to go in and bike through the sandy, gravelly terrain again to get back to TA. It was harder this time, perhaps because it was wetter or we were more tired. Dick was very tired in the legs; he had not trained on his bike in 4 months! Plus, I was not towing him through the rugged terrain of the Badlands.

We went in the our camper about 4 am to eat, look at the map, and rest a bit. Dick fell asleep at the table and I took a short doze after debating whether to wake him or let him sleep. Around 5, we both woke and decided to roll out. The next (final) loop was a large bike loop with 6 points. Around points 2 and 3 an area was marked on the map with orange just like the first orienteering section. We decided to ride the loop in reverse so we'd have daylight by the time we had to orienteer. It is much easier with daylight. It was a very long ride and halfway through the loop it began raining, just after daylight. I started to get damp and was concerned about getting too cold. We continued, and fortunately the rain lessened. When we reached the orienteering area, we saw there was a tyrolean traverse across the Big Pine Creek, west of a tiny town of Kramer and an abandoned industry at Mudlavia Springs. We were given our orienteering points, which we plotted. We were to get the first three prior to traversing the creek. Dick and I set off on foot and got the three points. One was at Lovers' Leap, a fantastic viewpoint perhaps 100 feet above the creek. I never knew there were such interesting topography and features in this area!

Unfortunately we did not get to traverse because it was 10 am – just getting back to the TA by 11 am would be tight. We resolved ourselves to riding into the wind and mist for the 9 miles or so, to finish our adventure just a few minutes before the 24 hour cutoff. We had covered as much or more ground as any team; the 2-man team that paddled past us took the last loop in its written direction, so we can't tell who would have won if it were a race. We were very pleased with our performance, only a few minor mistakes and short rests.

Afterwards, a hot shower and meal in Hotel Attica felt fantastic. At the lunch we chatted with other teams, and Eric awarded some random prizes from The Extreme Outfitters. All in all a fantastic event, Eric and Brant planned a superb course! The volunteers had boring, cold jobs for the most part; waiting for hours for an occasional team to arrive. Their support and enthusiasm was awesome. I also need to thank Dean of The Extreme Outfitters for loaning me his nice GoLite backpack (as well as supporting Dynamik Adventures with give-a-ways). And my teammate Dick Whicker was one tough guy and good teammate. Although with his low bike training he definitely would have preferred to be on foot more, we made the best of it and did quite well. He was very positive, patient, and persevering – just what an AR teammate should be.

Plenty of people ask me "so what do you do all winter?" DINO has no events in January or February; and November, December, and March are fairly light. True, there are no busy weekends with site setup, course marking, and all that goes with a race. Winter is an easier time in most respects.

However, I always get frustrated, and sometimes depressed, with DINO as a business at this time of year. There is no money coming in from registrations. What we have in December has to last until March. That is a given... but what is really hard is trying to get sponsors! I can't begin to count how many companies we have asked to sponsor our events over the years. I am grateful for the sponsors we do have, but almost none of them provide any cash flow. We turn the sponsors' contributions directly over to the participants – Clif Bars to everyone, for example. Pyro Apparel champion's apparel. Free stuff for you – our customers.

We need sponsors to supplement DINO's income. Truthfully, as race directors we are making a rather meager living. Every bit counts.

So why is it that we can't get money from sponsors? I think there are several reasons.

1. Economy. I think some companies use it as an excuse, but there is no doubt many businesses are not gushing with profit in recent years.
2. Size. DINO is great (we think!) but when you compare the number of people who participate, spectate, and know secondhand about our events, we can't compete with bigger events. Things like NASCAR seem to be rolling in the sponsor dough. I guess we just need to get on TV, so millions of couch potatoes can watch. Maybe we could have window decals for your race number! Nah, then you'd have to explain to everyone that your "3" doesn't mean you're an Earnhart fan.
3. This is the one I am most disturbed about: the participants in our events do not patronize our sponsors. (This may hit close to home for some of you readers). Our local retail sponsors, specifically, have noted that they do not see our racers coming into the store. Exception perhaps, is using gift certificates won at races.

Why don't you shop with our sponsors??? I must admit, I have done this too – internet shopping, and its predecessor, catalog shopping. Find it a buck cheaper online and the local retail store loses out. Is it just the way things are going? Perhaps. But it is a real shame. Because the local retailer is the one who can help you in a pinch, give you advice, and fit you in person with a bike or running shoes. And, decline of local retailers adversely impacts events like ours. We need to have local support – financially, with products / gift certificates, and to share the word about our events.

Maybe it is just the way things are going – everything will be impersonal, online retail. Will there be no more small bike shops, running specialty stores, etc? I know DINO has changed immensely in recent years, as most of our paper promotions and mailed results have become e-mail and internet. The same medium that made it easier for us to reach you is now biting us in the backside. What will the end result be? Maybe we need to pursue internet based businesses more. Maybe we need to bump our entry fees up and forget about sponsors. Maybe our participants need to change their habits.

Whatever the case, I should just wrap up this "venting" journal entry and make another call asking for sponsorship. Maybe this time...

The following was written by Jonathan Juillerat, our Central Indiana IMBA Representative. DINO supports IMBA, and encourages every rider to become a member.

Over the last several months, the HMBA has continued to foster it's relationship with the International Mountain Bike Association. Last year, we were given the worst grade of any state in IMBA's annual report card. In this year's annual report card, we will instead receive the award for most improved. That drastic improvement is the direct result of a lot of work by dedicated volunteers and also the direct help of IMBA. IMBA is committed to helping Hoosier mountain bikers. This year alone they helped Indiana improve conditions for mountain biking by hosting a very successful Urban Hot Spot in Indianapolis. They also recently presented the HMBA with a $500 IMBA/Clif Bar Grant for the signage at the new Brown County State Park beginner trail and another REI/IMBA.

The International Mountain Bike Association is having a contest amongst its 70 state representatives. The IMBA Rep. with the most new members as of midnight on 12/31/04 will win a brand new 2005 Shimano XTR complete gruppo with wheelset. At last count I was in second place behind one of the Texas Reps by only 13 members (Please, DO Mess with Texas!).

I am challenging all Indiana mountain bikers to sign up for an IMBA membership before the end of the year. If I win the contest, I will sell the entire Shimano XTR prize kit on eBay and donate all of the proceeds to the HMBA. I am estimating that the XTR Group and Wheelset will at least sell for $1500.

That kind of money could go a long way considering the HMBA's list of current projects. I'm pretty sure we can win. If we get 15-20 new members we will have a great shot at winning.

Also, they will continue to give each new member that signs up a FREE IMBA T-shirt and a Blackburn frame pump. Hint, IMBA memberships also make great holiday gifts.

You can sign up and read all the details by clicking here:
Yes, I want to become a new IMBA member!

Cheers,
Jonathan Juillerat
Central Indiana IMBA Rep

Race day! I had a decent night's sleep and woke up feeling ok. I tried to avoid getting into any details of race management – let Amanda handle it, it is her job today. I am a racer. I ate a couple bowls of cereal, then picked up a juice and breakfast sandwich from the Katering Kitchen (who was there providing food for the racers). I enter the soloists' pit area with my toolbox, cooler, tub of extra clothes and food, and a lawn chair. I put my bike on the ground in the pick up zone.

With a couple minutes to go I make a PA system announcement that start time is here, and make sure Amanda is set to go. Over at the start line, Amanda can't get the starter's bullhorn to work so I have to go "fix" it (a couple good whacks usually does the trick) so she can start the race.

The first 100 yards of the race are a run to the bikes. I am astounded at how fast everyone runs. I am a good runner, but these guys acted like their lives were at stake. I get into the trail somewhere mid-pack. There is a pretty significant backup getting into the singletrack. Is this how all DINO races start?? Finally everyone gets into a groove. The pace is not fast, but that's fine with me, I have 12 hours to go. Later in the lap I pick up the speed a bit. I'm riding behind another soloist, Griff, and just ahead of Tim O'Donnell and Steve Harpster. All three are regular racers in the DINO mountain bike series. It is weird to be racing with them. O'donnell and Harpster pass Griff and I since they are on relays. Griff and I try to cool it a bit... the pace was too fast for 12 hours. Griff and I remain together for nearly a lap then I get ahead somewhere and we ride apart. I had planned to stop about every lap to grab more Gatorade. Lap times were faster than I anticipated, and I was feeling good, so I went three laps without stop. By the end of the third I was really in need of more energy. I grabbed a little snack and a bottle then rolled back onto the trail. Two more nonstop laps... the second of these I became very hungry. I should have stopped more frequently.

It was almost 1 pm as I stopped for my lunch. I ate quite a bit, then looked at standings and began to tune my bike; oil the chain, tighten my suspension pivots, and true the back wheel. While truing the wheel, something went "pop!" I had broken a spoke nipple. Bad news!! I had no spare wheel. I did have a spare spoke nipple in my toolbox. Removing wheel, deflating tire, and replacing nipple took a while. I was afraid to true the wheel too much further fearing another break. So I rode the rest of the day with a wobbly wheel.

Throughout the day I developed quite a respect for what the other riders were doing. David Wagoner went on to ride an amazing 13 laps, staying ahead of all the teams until lap 5. Just as remarkable to me was Kiyoshi Otsu, who is truly a novice mountain biker. He kept at it and completed 6 laps. To me, that is amazing, considering how few times he's actually been on his mountain bike. All day long I was riding close to Ron Ostlund. Ron passed me in the exact same spot on two different laps and wound up being the closest finisher to me.

The first lap after lunch was somewhat miserable. Too much food in my stomach. Then I continued nonstop into lap 7. Eric Schroeder (solo) was coming out of pits. He started to yell taunts as he chased me. Trash talking for the first half of the lap, he pushed me to ride hard. He was actually one lap ahead of me. As we went along he became uncharacteristically quiet. Apparently his lunch stop had the same effect as mine – full stomach + mountain biking = discomfort. He passed me right at the end of the lap and I pulled off to get a little more energy. That was my fastest lap of the day.

Lap 8 was ok but lap 9 was the worst of the day. I was getting very fatigued and the end was not near. I pulled off for dinner – ate less than lunch, changed bike shorts, put part of my lighting system on, and hit the trail again. It appeared that I had ample time to get 11 laps.

Lap 10 was ok. I came into the pits at about 10:45 (race time) to put on all my lights. It was now dark enough to need some lighting. Amanda assured me I had plenty of time. I wasn't so sure - I knew it would be close.

A couple minutes into the trail I decided to turn on my helmet-mount light in addition to the handlebar light already on. It would not work. Nothing! After fiddling with it a while I resolved myself to ride with just the small bar-light. I would try to catch onto the back of another well-lit rider. Several people passed but I could not keep with them. It was slow going with a weak light. Time was running out quickly. With about 3 miles to go my helmet light mysteriously fixed itself and came on. I only had about 15 minutes until the midnight cutoff. The lap would not count if I was late. I rode as fast as I could manage, ignoring 12 hours of fatigue as much as possible. I was in the last mile when I heard some church bells in town ring 8:00pm. I thought maybe Amanda started the race a little late, so I'd have time to make it. I pushed harder, but I was so tired. My mind was racing... Can I make it? Will I miss the cutoff?

I crested the last climb where the course runs along a ridge very close to the finish. I heard Amanda's voice on the PA system... "three! ... two! ... one!" Then there was cheering. I nearly cried. Thirty-two seconds late. THIRTY-TWO SECONDS! NO! I was so disappointed and exhausted, I nearly collapsed. I just laid there in the damp grass for a very long time while everyone else headed over to get dinner. Finally I got up and put on some dry warmer clothes. I was shivering and completely out of energy... nearly incoherent.

I ate a plateful of the food, trying not to vomit (the food was great – I wasn't so great). I sat there watching numbly as Amanda, Tammi, and Danielle handed out the awards. Thank God for them. I got a hot shower at my camper and plopped into bed... hoping to sleep a long, long, long time.

Looking back now the 11th lap would not have changed my standing even one place. It did not matter. But I wanted it so badly, and it was heartbreak to work so hard for nothing. I guess that is what attracts some people to the sport... the drama, the sacrifice. Am I ready to sacrifice like that again? Ask me when I forget the agony.

It has been a while since my last journal entry. I have been a busy boy. We had two major events in September that took a lot of work. Plus, we are moving at the end of October – all the home buying details have been quite time consuming. I was also in training to ride in 12 Hours of DINO. That's what this journal entry is all about.

It all started back in July when I'd just done a long triathlon. I'd been fighting a leg injury that bothered me when running. Amanda suggested I take a break from running and ride in the 12 Hours of DINO. Sounded like a good idea. So I began to train with longer and longer mountain bike rides. Most of my long mountain bike rides were at Westwood Park in New Castle. What a great trail. (It looks like we'll be able to have a DINO race there next year – stay tuned!)

I went there about once a week and ride 3, 4, 5, 6, and ultimately 7 hours. I also got some good road rides in, and 3 hours or so on the Ferdinand course. My training obstacles included getting tired in the lower back and in the shoulders. I put my Compex Muscle Stimulator to work – at least once per week I'd use it to strengthen my core body muscles and my shoulders. It worked great for that.

I also tried to work through nutrition and hydration needs, like how much to eat, and when. Freezing bottles of Gatorade and grabbing a new one every 1-2 hours seemed to work well when I carried water in my hydration pack. I found I needed a little food after 2 hours and then again each 1-2 hours.

My 2-year old bike got a lot of wear during training. Within the month prior to the race I had the fork rebuilt, put on an entirely new drivetrain, handlebar grips, shift cable, etc, and did several clean / lube jobs. I totally wore out the bushings on the suspension and had to race with the old ones – none of the shops could get me the pivots quickly. My body held up better than the bike. I had two hard crashes in training but was fine a few days later. I didn't have any problems with soreness, joint pain etc. I was feeling confident with a week to go.

Then the sickness hit me. I am not 100% sure what it was. I believe that my stress level and a taper in my exercise, combined with me having a little too much caffeine caused my digestive system to go out of whack. On Tuesday and Wednesday prior to the race day, I was cramping severely in the lower abdomen several times per hour. It was extremely painful. I curled up in a ball in bed. I had very little energy. I was very upset that I may not get to race. More importantly, how would I do my job at organizing the race?

I went to the doctor, did some research, and by actively relaxing myself and getting some easy spins on the bike it calmed down on Thursday. Thursday evening I headed up to Warsaw. On Friday I felt a bit better still and tried to avoid stress while setting up the event site.

Everyone began arriving for the Friday check-in, dinner, and meeting. A large turnout (156 riders) and a very fun, enthusiastic crowd was ready for action. It was clear that this was going to be an amazing weekend.

(part 2 will tell my race day story)

Most of you probably know that Galyan's Sporting Goods has been bought by Dick's Sporting Goods. The existing Galyan's stores will soon become Dick's or will close for good. The Galyan's headquarters in Plainfield Indiana most likely will be history. This makes me sad.

I have nothing against Dick's. Quite the contrary, I have a favorable impression of Dick's – they provided us gift certificates for prizes at the Logansport mountain bike race, and there is some potential we'll work with Dick's in a future partnership. Dick's is very involved in community programs, supporting worthy causes like the YMCA and youth sports programs. Dick's is good for our community.

What makes me sad is the loss of what started as a home-town, family business, still tied heavily to Plainfield and Indianapolis. Though Galyan's was no longer locally owned, we still felt Galyan's was an Indiana company.

Galyan's does not currently sponsor DINO, but the first two years Amanda and I started with DINO (2001 and 2002) Galyan's was far and away our best sponsor. Truthfully, Galyan's was the best sponsor in our history. Particularly in the first year, Galyan's was a major source of the money, merchandise, a box truck, and really was a confidence booster to help us kick up the DINO Mountain Bike Series. Without Galyan's in that first year we really would have been struggling.

Galyan's is also one of the limited number of places where you can buy things like rock climbing / ropes gear, a huge selection of camping gear, and cool outdoor stuff you just don't see every day. Don't forget about the climbing wall. It's not just shopping, it is an experience. I sincerely hope that Dick's will continue these items in their future planning.

I also appreciate the staff at Galyan's. Although it is a big, department store type of facility, most of the employees really know their products and are active users of the products they sell. That makes shopping enjoyable and builds a trust.

It is with sadness that I bid farewell to Galyan's. Looking to the future, we hope that Dick's will not lose sight of why we loved Galyan's.

The most amazing thing about DINO is the people. What an incredible mix of personalities.

We have the dedicated racers. Some of our athletes take their training and racing nearly as seriously as a professional athlete. In fact, we do draw professionals occasionally. Some of the mountain bike racers put together amateur teams that look like they belong on the professional circuit.

We love to see people progress through the ranks, like Nick Barber (now leading the Expert Men's Mountain Bike Series). Nick started racing about the time we started with DINO. Over the last 3 years he has progressed to the very top of the sport. 16-year old Sam Rhoads moved from Junior class and now is within striking distance of the overall Sport Class title.

We've watched people go through major setbacks and return even stronger. Mark Giganti broke his back in August of 03 and now has returned to podium spots for Expert Men. Jacob Prater's spunky energy was undaunted by a major bacterial infection that nearly cost him his leg.

We have so many people that race with us nearly every event, just in it for the fun. They give it their all no matter what the results may look like. People just there for the love of the sport, like Eric Johnson, Steve Barnes, Mark Glore, Nadine Coles, Dena Lukasik, Ryan Booth, ... really almost everyone is just there for the love of the sport. That is why we do it. We enjoy seeing Bob Thompson walking in with a smile, generally bringing up the rear of the 15k. Hunter Goin at age 74 usually marks our most senior participant by walking the 5k.

It is a family affair too, as a large number of father-son pairs spend race day together mountain biking or trail running. Many family combinations join in our events. Mark and Nick Sovinski, Kiyoshi and Tim Otsu, Dale, Sam and Anna Rhoads, Tim and Joe Casady, David, Joe and Ben Tonak, Blake and Kory Noland, Brad and Braeden Day... the Cacy family, the Freemans, Heather and Jess Randolph, and Kristy & Kylie Lippencott - just to name a few.

Dan and Jacob Prater, Vladmir and Grigory Kagan, Hudson and Harrison Chilton, and Brad and Max Nelson are all sets of brothers who regularly race. There are several Husband-Wife pairs as well; Rick & Lori Goddard, Melody Lowder and Matt Rouse, James and Cindy Harris (who met at a DINO Trail Run), Alan and Kassandra Burnette, Kivan and Debi Hutcheson, and many more.

We have the total novice. This is one of the more rewarding groups to watch. Runners who barely survive the 5k; but they wear a great big grin across the finish line. People who are thrilled to hear they won an age group award and never have before. Riders who enter Intro and are hooked immediately on mountain bike racing.

Spectators are fun too. You can see the pride they take in the athlete they are there to watch. We try to make it as entertaining and informational as possible for them while they wait.

There are a number of people that help make things happen for us behind the scenes. Almost nobody realizes what they have done and almost nobody gives them credit. Each great race site seems to have at least one person like this. Without them the site would be just another race – their contribution is what makes it special.

At the most recent race for example, Rocky Thomas and his wife Dana worked almost the entire weekend making sure things were going smooth at Muscatatuck Park. Rocky didn't even get to race on Sunday but instead sat at the finish line helping take score. Rocky's work on the trails and assistance in coordinating all the North Vernon events has been unbelievable. On July 2 a downhill rider, George Austin, arrived and said he would pitch in to improve the Freerider Challenge course. It was honestly not a great course because I have no downhill experience and very little knowledge. But George spent many hours re-routing, marking, and clearing a new course which seemed to be quite well liked by the participants. George worked so hard at it that he was too tired to take both of his runs down the course. There are also people like David Fleming, who races nearly every DINO event yet takes time before and after to help with our setup and teardown.

At Terre Haute we had the Plumbers & Fitters Union members there to make sure everyone had a great time. They were just thrilled to have an event like ours at their property. Mike Russell and Joe Osborn were two of the many who made it happen. At Warsaw, Eric Graves & Greg Demopoulos are always perfectionists when it comes to hosting us. We know an event there is going to be done right. Craig Schenck, the owner of Doin'it Outdoors, is absolutely amazing when you realize what he is doing. He hosts DINO like a big party for friends and family, grooming every inch of trail virtually by himself.

I could go on and on about everyone who makes DINO such a unique thing. Each and every participant and volunteer contribute something. Thanks for being a part of it no matter how large or small!

Recently I have gone to a couple of churches to talk with children and youth groups. They have invited me to talk about my athletic experiences and relate them to my Christian faith. I've taken my mountain bike, and in full racing outfit, demonstrated some trials type tricks that get their attention.

I realized that most of the people who participate in DINO do not know the story I shared with these youths. Since I believe I'm in charge of DINO for a God-given purpose, it's time to share that story with you.

On June 16, 1992, I was on a road bike ride with a friend. We were very novice riders, on cheap bikes, but just about to finish up an enjoyable couple hours on the road. Heading back to his house on the east side of Indy, we rolled southward through the green light at 42nd and Franklin. My friend Chris was ahead slightly. Suddenly I looked up to see a blue Honda coming straight at me. I recall seeing the headlights straddling me just before he hit me. I don't even know if I had time to hit the brakes. I went over the car and tumbled on the pavement. It felt like I would never stop tumbling. When I stopped I got on my hands and knees and crawled onto the grass... instinct I guess. I was spitting something out of my mouth – I thought it was my teeth all broken up. I later found out it was glass – I'd broken his windshield with my helmet and face. I picked an embedded chip of glass out of my chin some 6 months later.

As I knelt there on the grass, people told me to lie down. When the medics arrived they asked if I had a natural deformity in my leg. That was not a very comforting question. Turns out my tibia (front lower leg bone) was broken. In surgery that night they inserted a titanium rod about 12" long through my knee into the tibia. I was so sore and road-rashed the next few days I could hardly move. Fortunately the broken tibia was the worst injury.

A few weeks later I was still unable to walk and became quite depressed. I began to wish I had died in the crash.

Fortunately, the Lord reminded me that I had a lot to be thankful for. In addition to the fact that I would indeed heal and walk, I had loving family, friends, material needs, and much more. I prayed in my bed, thanking God for all these things... it took a long time to list everything! Until then I had "believed in God" but not really taken it to a personal level. That night I decided I would put my faith in Jesus alone and live my life for Him. I believe Jesus was sent as God's only Son, and that he died faultless, a sacrifice for our sins.

Though I am certainly not perfect I have confidence in the promises he's made in the Bible. I try my best to do things in His strength - not my own. There are many stressful and uncertain times as I oversee DINO but I believe God is in control. When I let go of my own worries and my own ambitions, it goes so much easier.

After we bought the DINO (Mountain Bike) Series in January 2001, our first event was Town Run Trail Park in May. We looked at the past attendance and figured we would have around 100 riders there. After all the dust settled, we had 200 people participate in that race. Wow, was that an eye opener.

We'd planned as well as we knew how. I'd decided that I would do the finish line scoring (me alone!... now we use 3-4 people minimum!), Amanda would do the registration, by herself (with 6-month old Suzanne on her lap), Amy Weik would run the computer to print results, and Mike Hufhand would entertain folks as an emcee. Almost immediately it was clear we were in for a crazy day. There was a line a mile long at the registration table. I asked anyone who was not in the first race (Sport / Expert Men) to wait until later. Somehow we got through it. I think we delayed the start a little to get everyone through. Some total strangers (Sandy Weaver and her daughter Sammi) came to Amanda and said "Would you like us to hold your baby?" Amanda said "Sure!" and handed off the baby. We now share a good laugh with the Weavers about complete strangers getting our baby, with no hesitation.

Just minutes prior to the start time I walked over to the "cliff" where you can see down to the start line. My jaw dropped. The whole area was packed with bikes, cars, and spectators. I could not believe what I was about to do... start off this enormous event. We got things going and miraculously things went pretty well. That is, until time to start the Beginner Men.

I hadn't thought well enough about the start / finish area and the course went right through the start line. I had dozens of Beginner riders lined up on the start as the three lead experts came, sprinting, into view a few hundred yards away. On the spur of the moment I thought I had enough time and blasted the starting horn. Oh, what a mess. Beginners falling all over each other right in front of an incredibly close race for the big money. Anthony Slowinski, Chris Bowman, and Mike Feske were not amused. I wanted to go hide in a hole.

Of course with all these riders we weren't quite prepared for the scoring process. It took us quite a long time to get results and awards out... we answered the questions, "When will the results be posted?" and "When will the awards be?" hundreds of times, it seemed.

I was thinking that probably nobody would come to the second race after that. They did come back, maybe because - if they wanted to race - there weren't very many other choices at the time, but I am glad they did! We learned quick that day. I still don't know if the people who participated realized what our "staff of 4" went through during that race!

Readers: The following is not written by me, but I wholeheartedly endorse it. Please take this seriously, as I consider this one of the most significant things to happen in Indiana for mountain biking. -Brian

Dear Indiana Mountain Bikers,

Sometimes during a ride you can just cruise along and get in the zone. The trees just seem to roll by and you feel like water flowing in a trough. Other times, you hit those spots that you have to really work for. These are the "gut check" moments of the ride. We've all had them, and if you are still riding now, you have learned that the parts of the ride that are the most work can also be the most rewarding. Those of us in Indiana that ride mountain bikes are about to have a "gut check" on our collective ride into the future.

The past several months have been quite interesting for Hoosier mountain bikers. In October, the International Mountain Bike Association released their annual report card ranking for all fifty states. Indiana was ranked dead last, with an embarrassing grade of D+. There was some debate about whether or not we deserved that dubious distinction. Whether or not it was deserved, almost everyone agreed that the situation for mountain bikers in Indiana needed to be improved.

The good thing about the poor ranking was that it got people's attention. Nothing travels like bad news and before long you could hear the collective moans of Indiana mountain bikers all the way from the Ohio River to the shores of Lake Michigan. As a result of the last place IMBA ranking, Indiana mountain bike advocates representing the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association and the Indiana Bicycle Coalition met with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director John Goss to discuss the state of mountain biking on Indiana state properties.

As a result of that meeting and other discussions with the Indiana DNR, the DNR has graciously granted us access to two gems of the Indiana State Park system. It was decided that mountain bikers would be given access to Versailles State Park in the southeast part of the state and to Brown County State Park near Nashville. These are two of the most visited and most beautiful parks in the state. It was obvious that the Indiana DNR was serious about acknowledging and addressing the needs of our form of outdoor recreation. Mountain bikers have had access to five state forests and one reservoir property for a few years now, but those opportunities, although they were strides in the right direction, never came close to approaching the potential of mountain bike trails at Versailles and Brown County State Parks.

Currently there are no trails on the land that the DNR has given us access to in these two parks. There are only large stretches of extremely beautiful, hilly Indiana landscape. The trails aren't there...yet. That's where you come in. If you are a Hoosier that enjoys riding a mountain bike we are going to need your help. Small groups of advocates and trail builders have been working for many years to get us to where we are now. We've come into a windfall, and everyone will have to play a part to bring it to fruition. The DNR has given us access to this land with the understanding that the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association and the Indiana Bicycle Coalition, in concert with other mountain bike groups, will design, build and maintain sustainable trail systems at both of these locations. Also, expectations are that the trails that are built should not only be the best in the state, but should be some of the best trails in the Midwest.

The type of effort that these projects require will not be accomplished by a small group of advocates and trail builders. Everyone will have to pitch in. Some of us will get our hands dirty building trails. Some of us will attend meetings. Some of us will spread the good word and get others involved. Some of us will raise money by joining the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association or Indiana Bicycle Coalition. We will all have to ask ourselves what our part will be to take mountain biking in Indiana to the next level. It's time for our "gut check" as Indiana mountain bikers. We've been given some tremendous opportunities, and we have to prove that our sport and the participants of our sport deserve them. I know that we can succeed by all working together to achieve or goals.

Sincerely,
John Juillerat

For updates on these projects and general information about mountain biking in Indiana please visit the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association website at http://www.hmba.org.

Versailles State Park
By Richard Ries, mountain bike chair, Indiana Bicycle Coalition

The area being considered for mountain bike trails is in the extreme northwest corner of the park, where the old 4H camping area was located. This is probably the most beautiful area of a park that is extraordinarily scenic to begin with. The opportunities are great, as the terrain in this corner is ideally suited for trails. The challenge will be creating access. There's a creek to cross, and there's no easy way to keep visitors within park property as they drive from the gate to the proposed parking area.

Versailles State Park has a lake, canoe and paddleboat rental, fishing, a swimming beach, a large outdoor pool, camping, cabins, hiking trails, miles of horse trails and a horseback-riding concessionaire. Adding mountain bike trails to this property will make it the most well rounded recreation destination in Indiana.

I'll be sending reports to be posted on IBC's Web site. For more immediate and detailed information visit: BigRingAdventure.com. You can also call me at 812-265-6313 or drop me an email at rich@BigRingAdventure.com. The official Versailles State Park website can be found at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/parks/versailles.html.

Brown County State Park
By Jonathan Juillerat, at-large director, Indiana Bicycle Coalition; advisory board, Hoosier Mountain Bike Association

In addition to Versailles State Park, Indiana mountain bikers will also be given access to Brown County State Park near Nashville. This is especially exciting news as Brown County is Indiana's largest and most popular state park. Brown County property managers have designated a large area of land primarily in the northwest corner of the park for future mountain bike access. Currently, there are only a few existing trails and facilities in this area. Almost all of the future trails will be new construction, and they will be built from scratch through volunteer efforts. Members of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association have already begun to work with park officials to begin the planning phase of the project.

The initial plans envision a large system of trails comprised of multiple interconnected loops. Trail designers will include trails for different abilities from beginners to advanced riders. The goal of the project is to build the very best mountain bike trails in Indiana, and to build something that mountain bikers of all ages and abilities will be able to enjoy. Mountain bike advocates that are already involved in the project stress that the Brown County project will be long-term and it will take a tremendous amount of volunteer effort. Anyone who is interested in helping with the Brown County trail building project is encouraged to contact Jonathan Juillerat of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and Hoosier Mountain Bike Association via email at jjuillerat@indy.rr.com or by phone at (317) 513-3017. The official Brown County State Park website can be found at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/parks/brownco.html.

The last 7 weeks have been a bit different around our house. We had our baby boy, Hans Michael Holzhausen, on Dec 14. It is a nice thing that we are at the least busy point in the DINO event season. We get to take a little extra time away from the business of planning races and focus on our family.

We were once again amazed at the absolute miracle that pregnancy and birth is. God created an incredible system in the woman's body to grow a complete and whole person like that!

He started out VERY different than our daughter Suzanne (3 yrs old). Hans slept a lot. Suzanne fought it and was always alert. She still fights sleep.

There is something magical about 6 weeks. Suzanne was the same - at 6 weeks they seem to get a personality. Hans has just this week started smiling at us and saying little words like "gaa" and "goo". We are enjoying the conversation with him.

He has been doing well lately despite getting a little infection a few weeks ago. He's growing well and looks great. Suzanne loves to be a "little mother hen" to him most of the time. He's been sleeping through the night already and that is a blessing for us all.

We look forward to taking Hans to many of this year's races, so look for him cheering you on as you make your way to the DINO finish line!

DINO is our business. It's how we support our family. (Barely, but we're getting by!) When we have an event, it takes much more than just Amanda and I to make it work. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our "staff" - really just a bunch of volunteers, who give generously of their time and energy to help us succeed and help the events happen. We are so blessed and thankful to have them on our "team".

I am sure I will forget several of our important helpers - please realize that this is intended for everyone who has ever helped us make DINO what it is. There are countless riders and runners who have pitched in and helped set up or tear down a race site. We appreciate each and every one.

We have a handful of extremely dedicated people who travel with us to nearly every event (that was over 15 different weekends this year). These are the people who we could not operate without. They have spent countless hours working in the hot, cold, wet, and dry (and everything in between). We are unable to pay them for their time, just an occasional gift to help cover their expenses and perhaps a dinner out on the way home from the race.

Scott Hill has been the most loyal of all, attending every DINO event this year with us. He plans his days off from work around DINO. Scott can be found on Friday afternoons pounding fence posts in the ground, moving all our gear from place to place, and generally doing whatever is asked of him. On race day he is well practiced at the job of aid station management and preparing the kids' race courses. He's still ticking at teardown time, when we hurriedly toss everything back in the big yellow DINO truck.

Jim Evans is nearly as faithful. He's becoming an expert at setting up the sound system and working the computer on data entry and race results. Jim usually arrives early Friday afternoon and makes sure everything is in place for the big day. Jim also makes the fantastic awards we give out at each race, giving us a deal good enough I know he's not making any profit.

Joshua Waid takes time from his landscape business to help out. The strongest of the crew, Joshua can be counted on to move any heavy object we ask. He is an amazing mind-reader - he seems to know what we will need done and gets to it before we even ask. Joshua never sits idle waiting for something to do. If you don't see him, you know he's busy doing something productive.

Someone you rarely see but certainly appreciate is our webmaster, Amy Weik. Amy now lives in Chicago but is as dedicated as ever in making DINO's website easy for participants to find results, photos, and information. As with most of our helpers, she is grossly undercompensated for the work she does. The website is our most important resource for event promotion and communication.

Working behind the scenes at a majority of races is Michael Cochran, who's started running the 5k Trail Runs this year but operates the computer at most of the bike races and some of the running races. He is our go-to guy when we are struggling to sort out results issues.

There are several others who are less regular at events but are key players when they are with us. Kirk Hilton joined us this year by helping at many of our southern races. Kirk is another example of a person who always finds what needs done and does it. I can count on Kirk to have all the timing items in place when I'm ready to start the race.

There are a number of racers who spend more time helping us than they do racing. Eric Johnson has recently started assisting, before and after he runs the DINO Trail Run 15k races. He usually arrives on Friday and stays in a hotel (at his own expense) just so he can help us set up. Rocky Thomas and his wife Dana have been very valuable this year, particularly the races in their hometown North Vernon. Rocky and Dana spent full days working with us at the Mission on the Muscatatuck Adventure Race and at the Tecumseh Trail Marathon. Deanna Furrey is another rider who has been very helpful ever since we started directing DINO in 2001. She is proficient on the computer with data entry and results. David Fleming is our best customer - he's raced in more DINO events than anyone else - yet he volunteers to help set up and to take down the event sites any time he can. Robert Bolt was also a big help a couple times this season.

There are many other helpers who are "on call" and come to our assistance when needed. Even when it means a long drive, they are willing to pitch in. John Hamilton, George Dewitt, Carol Goodman, and Nick Paschal are but a few examples. Others that have helped from time to time are Marcus Fields, Tammi Wagoner, and Melody Lowder.

We also need to thank James Harris, who takes the vast majority of the photos on the DINO website and expects nothing substantial in return. Shawn Barney has started taking photos of some events for sale on his website, simplethink.com. There are also photographers who have sent us photos to fill in the gaps where James or Shawn aren't there... Larry Lawrence comes to mind as one.

It would also be improper to forget our families, who usually keep our daughter Suzanne during race weekends. Mike and Nancy Holzhausen (my parents) and my grandmother Eleanor, plus Amanda's mother Alice and David Crouse. They frequently juggle their schedule and drive out of the way to help with Suzanne and we appreciate their support.

Our volunteer staff is so important to us. We hope that someday soon we'll be able to provide a little more substantial reward, but for now we hope the satisfaction of a job well done and the appreciation of several hundred off-road enthusiasts will keep them going. Next time you see one of our volunteers, please take the time to show your appreciation. There really would be no DINO without these people.

We first conceived the DINO Trail Run Series in 2001. When I decided to go full time as an event director we recognized a need for more events, to make income. There seemed to be a need and a desire for more trail running races in Indiana. Each year there were only a few, and some of those were very low-key, informal, small events. We felt that if we promote well, make the events exciting, and welcome first time trail runners, we'd draw a good crowd from the people looking for something just a bit different. We chose two distances, one for the beginners at 5k, and one for more serious distance runners at 15k. We felt 5k and 10k were not different enough, and anything over 10 miles might wear out regular runners in a series.

Our plan was to test out the idea of holding trail run races on the same weekend as mountain bike races, saving us time and effort in course marking and setting up our equipment. If the first year went well, we would expand in 2002 and include trail run races at most of our bike locations.

Well, the first year went great - actually better than expected. We averaged 174 runners per race - more than our mountain bike series! These three races were in Indianapolis and New Castle in November and December 2001.

In 2002 we implemented a state-wide, 8 race trail run series, primarily in conjunction with mountain bike races. The idea backfired badly. We averaged only 76 runners per race.

The two races closest to Indianapolis were also right before and after the Mini-marathon, and we felt a serious "Mini-vacuum" effect... over and over again we heard "I don't want to get hurt for the Mini" or "I'm still recovering from the Mini".

But the main problem was definitely location, location, location. Our base of participants and our strongest area of advertising is definitely central Indiana. We discovered that runners don't like to travel too much. Our mountain bike racers are willing to go all over for a good race course. Most runners would rather hit the local 5k than travel an hour for something else.

So, for 2003 we brought the venues back to central Indiana, with two ventures a little farther away. The formula worked, as we averaged nearly 200 per race, even though the postponed race in Richmond had under 80 participants.

Looking ahead, we want to follow a similar format by having most of the races within half hour of Indianapolis, and a couple a bit farther out. The farther away races will be at courses with special scenic charm or especially challenging terrain. People interested in series points will be sure to attend because attendance is generally smaller, thus the points come easier. We hope to find a good variety of locations so we can change things up a little each year. That is part of our DINO philosophy... variety. Know of any other good 3+ mile trails in central Indiana?

I opened myself up for comments after the DINO Mountain Bike Series concluded but I never expected such a strong reaction. I emailed some of the top series finishers, particularly in Sport and Expert Men. Some of these riders had taken advantage of PayDirt bonus points, some had not.

For those of you unfamiliar with PayDirt, we awarded up to 20 bonus points toward the DINO Mountain Bike Series. Points were awarded (2 per hour) for labor or advocacy efforts that improve or increase the mountain bike trail access we have. So by working 10 hours on trails, a rider could typically bump up a spot or two in the series, compared to those who did no work or did not turn in points. The series maximum this year was 600 points (6 best scores times 100 per race). PayDirt boosted that maximum to 620.

The idea is that mountain biking (and its image) needs much improvement in Indiana. This was a way to spark racers to get involved.

I wondered why some riders would not take advantage of the bonus points knowing full well the affect on their standings. There were a few who may have done trail work but did not feel it was right to turn in their hours. Brad Kosiba, very much affected by the bonus, said "I would not, even if I did volunteer to help on trails... turn in the time to help my race points. If I had to use these points to win the series that way, in my opinion, would not be winning." Will Sherman stated "I think these points are hurting the overall spirit of a championship and that many riders will feel cheated by extra points." Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley's view was, "How does work on a track have anything to do with racing ability?"

There were several statisticians in the bunch who did calculations to figure how various point configurations could have affected the results. There were countless different suggestions on how to promote trail advocacy and volunteer labor. Some suggested a price break on entry fees. There were suggestions to lower the point value so that someone who did no PayDirt could still win by performing flawlessly.

Jason Pruitt, an Expert rider, was bumped from winning a series jersey because he did not turn in PayDirt. His view was quite different, stating "Yeah, I was bumped. But, I think it is a good idea to get people involved in trail work. We, definitely need more people to help out with trail work." The top series champion (Expert/Pro), Matt Battin, added "I think the pay dirt program is a good idea for riders to give back to the sport. 10 hrs is a small sacrifice."

The "for PayDirt" discussion was not totally focused on idealistic trail advocacy views. Part of the nature of any game (and bicycle racing is really just a game) is that there are rules. Participants should figure out how to take advantage of the rules they are given, without breaking them. Jon Clodfelter won the Sport overall title, and said "I could care less if Pay Dirt points are awarded or not, but if they are, don't act like you didn't know about them at the end of the season. Or, if you don't feel like doing trail work, act like someone cheated by getting theirs." From Alan Clements: "Every DINO series rider has the EXACT same opportunity as the next. Whether its race day or an off weekend. It is up to each individual to capitalize on those opportunities that are out there for all of us." Clodfelter added, "I do trail work on a consistent basis and felt that this was a no-brainer."

So what to think of all these arguments and opinions? Well, I personally believe it is important enough to take care of our trails (and to pursue more) that there needs to be a motivational factor in the DINO Series. What shape that might take next year has not been decided. Most likely it will involve points in the series. The quantity and method of mathematics has yet to be decided. If nothing else, I hope we have stirred up an interest in some people. Maybe we made them think about why, or why not, they should give their time and energy into more than just riding their bike hard all the time.

We were at Doin'it Outdoors on Sept 26, setting up for the DINO Trail Run and DINO Mountain Bike Series the next day. There was a light rain on and off all day, but nothing much to worry about. As evening approached I was on the trail marking the route when the heavy rain rolled in. By the time I got back I was completely soaked and the trails had become extremely slippery.

We consulted the latest forecasts, which were predicting heavy rains, thunderstorms, wind, and possibly tornadoes moving through all night and ending sometime around 9AM. All the DINO staff and Craig (owner of Doin'it Outdoors) discussed the options and decided it was best to postpone the races.

Our concerns were mainly with two points: Safety (it was slippery even for me to walk on the trail) and Enjoyment (especially for the mountain bikes - it's not much fun to clean up all that muddy mess). I also worried about trees and limbs falling on the trail, causing a problem we might not be able to correct by start time.

We packed up all of our valuable items, leaving most of our event set up, and headed out so I could email everyone from home as soon as possible. On the way I called each and every pre-registered racer (about 100 calls on the cell phone). Then I emailed our newsletter lists (about 3000 people) and called even more people. The storm kept coming as we went to bed.

Almost to our disgust, we awoke to find a beautiful, sunny morning. We knew that runners would see that and head for the race. It was too late though, we had already done all we could to get the word out. A fair number of runners had indeed arrived to find there was no race, yet the trail was in decent condition. There were understandably some upset people.

The rescheduled races went well and we had great trail conditions. Unfortunately, the attendance suffered immensely -one week was too short of notice. Our portable toilet rentals and several other expenses were lost. Some series contenders (especially runners) missed the chance to earn points, while others seized high points in the small race fields. In retrospect, the best thing would have been to hold the race as planned, at least the running race. The mountain bike race postponement may have been wise. But looking at what we knew Friday night we made the best decision we could and went with it.

This kind of situation is one of the hardest things about DINO. Being on the trails, we are much more susceptible to weather than road races or other events. We try to remind all participants to check the website and especially the DINO hotline phone number to verify the status of an event. There are a lot of gray areas in decision making about our events. Town Run Trail Park has been a royal pain for us as it has flooded the last four times we have raced there. We have taken a lot of heat about racing in the wet conditions, yet postponing is a major difficulty.

Often times it is quite a heavy burden to weigh the value of safety, fun, and financial success of DINO events. We really need all of these together to make sure DINO conti