Expanded News
A list of news on Team Karma activities.
Announcing the Gold Rush Valley series. 2004
Team Karma is pleased to be working with Alan and Bev Abbs, organisers of the Tehama extreme events, to present the 4 event Valley Series. Info
Aconcagua January 2004
Team Karma members Joanne Grether, Brien Crothers and Adrian Crane along with Adrians sons Johnathan and Christopher takled Mt Aconcagua, Argentina ion January of 2004. The ecxpedition reached reached 22000 ft before being turned back by an overly cautious, anxiety ridden father!
- Team Globalstar/Karma, made up of Joann Grether, Brien Crothers, Nelson Snyder and Adrian Crane, ably supported by Dana Haynes, won the Sierra Challenge Adventure Race on the 8th and 9th of September. Other Team Karma members competed as Team Smith Chevrolet and supported by Steve Branch gained 4th place.
Start at Millerton lake just N of Fresno, at 9:30 am. Six mile run out on road, back on trails and then overland by the lake edge toward the boat ramp. The lake is low and the shoreline is rocky, sandy and convoluted. Swim a short channel and jog across a low ridge to the boat ramp. Paddle 6 person raft about 6 mile son the lake. Third place heading for island when lead team turns off to hit checkpoint while we persuade 2nd place Smith Chevrolet with Larry, Itzahk, Dee Dee and Amy to stick with the course and go around the island. Clearly complain to Helene at CP 1 about other teams not going around island , even though she had been using her bull horn to attract us - she forgot the route instructions said 'go around island'! Larry falls into the lake
Paddle hard to end of lake section where we are in 5th place of 15 starters with a few 2 man teams.
Hard , hot mountain bike for 26km along ridges by the river to CP 2. Brien is feeling ill with stiffed up sinuses. Nelson is strong enough to tow Brien or Joann in turns.
Break for a few minutes at end of mountain bike for Brien to recover. Dana has cold Orange soda - great. In 2nd place now. Head out, up steep hill on asphalt and choose mountain bike so both Nelson and I can tow. Switch to road bikes after 5 miles at top of hill. Nice bike ride broken by a quick 'tubing' session on a wide placid stream. Joann and Brien get bigger tubes and gently breeze across while Nelson and I paddle hard to keep up on our small unstable tubes. We made it through that water section just as the sun went down, it will be cold for any following teams. Back on road bikes and race the dusk to the end of the section. Just need about 30 minutes of lights.
Finish the cycling in the woods near Chea? Saddle at a decent assistance point where Dana has Raviolis. Now we can depart on the foot section. Pass several teams , most of whom were transported through some of the cycling sections but one of them is Team Block is captained by Rick from Karma's successful Idaho Team.
Now in first place. One of the two person mixed teams is doing well and stays ahead of us on the trail. We do a good piece of cross country navigation to get by them again. I hike and sleep while Joann directs me from my elbow.
Up to Fresno dome just before dawn and I have to persuaded Brien and Joann that they need to do the rappel. It will be faster anyway and they need the experience. Nice easy low angle rappel.
Last section is following fire roads to the Fish Camp where the finish is. Do a few nice shortcuts. Once at Fish Camp we had hoped that the last ride and tie might be cancelled but it is not. Set off with3 bike sand me ion foot. I jog up the gentle hill on a stony road and easily stay ahead of the struggling Joann and Brien. Nelson tows again. Once to the half way of the 6 mile circuit we think things will be easier but the trail is tight, rocky, rutted and sandy and it is a bear to ride. Since I can still stay ahead on foot, I swap with Joann and she jogs while the rest of us can barely keep up even on the downhill. Muddle through a maze of paths in the last mile till we finally finish well clear of our nearest competitors to claim the overall title.
- Team Karma, made up of Joann Grether, Brien Crothers, Nelson Snyder and Rich Bartlett won the 4Winds Adventure Race.
- Breaking news in the Adventure Racing world. Team Karma wins the 4Winds Adventure Supreme Race in Grand Tetons, Idaho in 6 days 11.5r hours - 12 hours ahead of second place. Karma recruited Rich Bartlett last minute as a substitute to replace one of two members that were unable to compete. The other member being Nelson Snyder who navigated the course flawlessly. The original members of Team Karma are captain Joann Grether who is an accomplished ultra runner and Brien Crothers an accomplished mountaineer. All 4 members brought his/her special disciplines to the team and they all meshed as one unit which got them to the finish line hours ahead. No one on the team had raced past 60 hours before this race.
Driggs, Idaho, August 10, 2001) -- Team Karma competed in and won the longest adventure race (in terms of miles) ever held in America, the Four Winds Supreme Adventure. The nearly 400 mile long race was held in the Snake River Range of eastern Idaho, southwest of the Tetons. The team’s winning time was 6 1/2 days, with approximately 14 hours sleep in that time. They finished 12 hours ahead of second place. The race consisted of mountain biking, hike-a-bike (a mixture of mountain biking and pushing/carrying their bikes), trekking, mountaineering, flat water kayaking, whitewater kayaking and rappelling. One section was a 75-mile mountain bike ride into Caribou National Forest, crossing into Wyoming, then back into Idaho for a whitewater section. This area of the country offers considerable natural beauty and wildlife including: moose, bear, mountain goat, elk, fox, bald eagles, and more.
Team Karma is a California-based Adventure Racing Team. The team is involved in training, organizing, and competing in Adventure Races around the world. Team members competing in the Four Winds Supreme were: Captain Joann Grether (Modesto, CA), Nelson Snyder (Portland, OR), Brien Crothers (Cobb Mtn., CA), Rich Bartlett (Lancaster, CA), and crew person Dana Haynes (Modesto, CA).
Team Karma consists of Adventure Racers and Ultra Runners who have competed in literally hundreds of long distance races around the world. Members have competed successfully in Eco Challenge, Raid Gauloises, Extreme Games, 100-mile foot races, 24-hour races, marathons, triathlons and mountaineering expeditions.
The team’s recent victory shows its dedication and ability to go the distance. They have more races planed in the coming months and the Raid Gauloises, scheduled in northern Vietnam, next spring.