Several local Ladysmith endurance athletes excelled at the Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) in Cumberland over the weekend.
Over 600 racers participated in the off-road multisport race, which includes paddling, treking and mountain biking either a 50 km Enduro or 30 km Sport course.
“From the Friday night street party to the Saturday night post-race party, it was another amazing weekend,” said race director Bryan Tasaka.
“Not only did the weather cooperate, we were, once again, fortunate to have an enthusiastic and dedicated group of sponsors, volunteers and racers.”
Rich Huggins was part of the four-person men’s team ‘The Mooseknucklers’ that reached the podium in third in their category for the Enduro distance.
Members included others from Nanoose and Nanaimo and their finishing of 5:48:52 was good enough for 15th overall.
Shawn O’Toole and Michelle Steel, otherwise known as team ‘Where’s my Lucky?’ were fourth in the two-person coed category and 23rd overall. They completed the race in 6:14:03.
Breigh Huggins and teammate Leah Pond of Nanoose were 6th in the two-person female category and 80th overall out of the 134 teams, crossing the line in 6:57:25.
Cedar’s Kelly Bollinger was part of the four-person coed team that placed third in their category for the Euduro race.
The race started with a paddle on Comox Lake, followed by a trek through the bluffs above the lake.
Upon arriving at the Coal Creek Historic Park, teams were given an orienteering map in order to find nine checkpoints.
Racers transitioned to their bikes at Village Park, riding the trails behind Cumberland, over Nikkei Mountain, then down through the Eastern Block towards the finish line.
The MOMAR series has staged 38 races in B.C. over 18 race seasons.