2010 Hell's Gate Hundred Results, April 3, 2010

We designed the Hell's Gate Hundred route in 2009 to include locations and sights that are not visited in any other one-day cycling event in Death Valley National Park, including Artist Drive, Hell's Gate, Daylight Pass, and the ghost town of Rhyolite. The full 100.7 mile route features 8600 feet of cumulative elevation gain. As such, we had a truly memorable and adventurous weekend in Mother Nature's Greatest Sports Arena with the 2nd ever edition of Hell's Gate Hundred, held in Death Valley National Park on April 3, 2010.

One hundred and forty-five riders participated in the event, with 106 riders completing the full 101 miles, while many others were challenged mightily by the 79-mile route (turn-around at Daylight Pass) or the 65-mile route (turn-around at Hell's Gate). Attesting to the wide-ranging enthusiasm for riding in Death Valley, we had registered riders aged 21 top 75 (avg of 46.7) from fourteen American States: AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MA, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, SD, TX, and UT, plus Canada!

Two riders completed the full 100.7 mile distance on Elliptigo bikes: Bryce Whiting and celebrated ultra runner Dean Karnazes. Dean's an eight-time finisher (and 2004 champion) of the Badwater ultramarathon, the 135-mile running race from Badwater to Mt. Whitney which we also organize. Another Badwater finisher, Tim Kjenstad, also completed the full Hell's Gate Hundred. Also of note from the running world, the legendary Ann Trason, the fourteen-time women's winner of Westeran States 100, completed HGH this year. We were also honored to have John Marino, the godfather of ultracycling who created the Great American Bike Race, Race Across America, and Furnace Creek 508, riding HGH for the second year in a row.

We were pleased to once again serve locally grown dates from the China Ranch Date Farm in nearby Tecopa, NV at each checkpoint! Dates are a delicious source of energy for athletes which have been eaten and enjoyed in desert regions for millennia! Hell's Gate riders ate them at each checkpoint and discovered why! Plus, we are excited to support a local business, a fellow member of the Death Valley Chamber of Commerce! Of course, as at all AdventureCORPS the mainstay fuel and hydration sources were HEED, Perpetuem, Hammer Gel, and Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition.

A Friday CORPSyoga class led by Elizabeth Jefferson and a Sunday morning hike led by Chris Kostman rounded out a superb weekend in Death Valley. Certainly everybody had an adventure and it was a pleasure to spend a fantastic day "out there" with you! Thanks for riding and thanks for joining us!

Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who made it all happen!

Check-In: Steve and Elliott Barnes, Jeff Bell, Elizabeth Jefferson, and Chris Kostman

Start Line: Francis Marlon Ignacio, Alan Messara, and Ricky Herrera of Adobo Velo, and Chris Kostman

Artist Palette: Elizabeth Creel, Jeff Bell, and Elizabeth Jefferson

Beatty Cut-Off Road Water Stop: Rich Stuart

Hell's Gate: Francis Marlon Ignacio, Alan Messara, and Ricky Herrera of Adobo Velo

Daylight Pass Water Stop: Robin Stevens with Shiva and Savannah

Rhyolite: Wayne and Shelby Kostman, Steve and Elliott Barnes

Furnace Creek Finish Line: Elizabeth Creel, Jeff Bell, and Elizabeth Jefferson

CORPSyoga on Friday: Elizabeth Jefferson | More Info

Roving SAG: Doug Goodwin, Rich Stuart, and Chris Kostman

Photography: Chris Kostman, Wayne Kostman, Elizabeth Jefferson, Badwater Mayor Ben Jones

Special thanks are also extended to the wonderful people at the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort, Joe's Sanitation of Pahrump, Liberty Ambulance of Ridgecrest, the National Park Service, and Cal Trans in Bishop.

Images from the Ride, as well as Blog Reports

	Show 1: Friday Yoga (4/2), Start Line, Hell's Gate Ascent, and Rhyolite Photos by Chris Kostman
	Show 2: Start Line and Artist's Drive Ascent Photos by Wayne Kostman
	Show 3: Artist's Palette Checkpoint Photos by Elizabeth Jefferson and Elizabeth Creel
	Show 4: Rhyolite Ghost Town Checkpoint Photos by Wayne Kostman
	Show 5: Furnace Creek Finish Line Photos by Elizabeth Creel and Chris Kostman
	Show 6: Wonders of Death Valley (China Ranch, Flowers, Fish, and Rocks, Echo Canyon) Photos by Wayne Kostman Wayne has a keen eye for flowers and birds and other interesting smaller details which most people don't even notice. Simply put, he's a world-class photographer. He and Shelby Kostman also ran the checkpoint at the ghost town of Rhyolite during the event as well.
	Show 7: Sunday Morning Golden Canyon - Gower Gulch Hike Photos by Chris Kostman
	Bonus Show 8: By Badwater Ben Jones: The first series was in the mid-portion of Artist’s Drive and in the Rhyolite area. At the end are scenic shots of the weekend including the cemetery at Rhyolite.
	Blog Report: George Red-Eyed Vireo Vargas of EpicTrain
	Blog Report: Errin Vasquez of FrontageRoads
	Blog Report: Marcus Edvalson of Ride and Ruckus

Awesome, Unsolicited, Totally Appreciated Feedback!

I loved the event. This new route showed me parts of Death Valley I was never exposed to before. Artist Drive was a nice treat. Also knowing that there is a 16 mile climb just 11 miles from the Furnace Creek Ranch is very good for future training. I've been doing the spring and fall double centuries since 2003. I like the diversity of this century route: Great climbs and being able to see riders continuously throughout the route.

I haven't done many organized centuries since 2004 because my training consists of solo centuries as I get ready for the 508. One reason I like doing doubles is so I can work on my nutrition strategy and of course my pacing. But this year my training time, and racing time are both limited. I'm really enjoying doing century routes instead of doubles. One reason would be less gear needed for a century as opposed to a double. I don't need lights, and the staff doesn't have to work the course for 18 hours. As far as training, riding a fast climbing century has plenty of training value and stresses my system just enough but yet I can recover possibly overnight and do another hard century the next day.

Another reason I'm diggin' centuries this year is I'm actually hanging out at the finish line and meeting riders and hearing their stories of their journey. When I finish doubles I am completely spent, as I should be, and don't have the energy to be social. I'm usually off in a corner just trying to recover from the 11 odd hours of punishing my body. You know riding a bike is supposed to be healthy but when I first finish my doubles I swear nothing about it feels healthy ;) - George Red-Eyed Vireo Vargas

Great ride! Have only done one other century in my life and that was >15 years ago. Only did the 100k but that was still a satisfying killer for someone who didn't train. Thanks to all the volunteers and staff. - Andrew Silva

My girlfriend and I just go home (Calgary, AB) from our trip last weekend and just wanted to let you know what a good time we had at the Hells Gate 100 and in Death Valley. The staff and volunteers were awesome. This marked my first event in about year and a half as I had ACL injury over a year ago and surgery last October. It was great to reach my goal of riding the full 100 miles and it would not have been possible with out the aid stations and volunteers. We hope to return again for future event, keep up the good work. - Darren Hirst

My first century and it was a blast. the support staff was great and the course was well worth the challenge. I'm hooked. See ya in the spring! - Todd Turner

AdventureCorps folks. I wanted to thank you for the suffer fest I experienced on Saturday. It was my hardest ride to date, but even after all the pain, suffering and mental anguish, I am left wanting more and harder. There is something about the Death Valley landscape, and challenging events like this that require something more of you than you are perhaps comfortable to give. I know I crossed a line I hadn't ever crossed before. I also wanted to thank you for the amazing support at all the rest stops. I was amazed at how patient people were with me when I kept trying to dig into the HEED and they had to keep reminding me that there were pre-measured cups sitting at the other end of the table. This ride is literally impossible without the help of you find folks. I will be back, you can bet on that. - Marcus Edvalson

Thanks to you and AdventureCorps for a great event this past weekend. I'd been out to Death Valley many times before by motorcycle, but this was my first time on a bike out there. What a different experience! This ride kicked my butt, and in the end, the course won, but I plan to come back next year or maybe October. - Errin Vasquez

Just wanted to thank you for putting on a great century in Death Valley. Even though I couldn't force my body up to Hell's Gate I had a good time and enjoyed our discussion on the side of the road. Every ride I fail at I learn something about myself. I already want to attempt it again and Happy Birthday. Good Job - Bruce Malm

I'm the guy whose tire and tube you changed around mile 95. Just wanted to say thanks again - you saved the day for me!! I was pretty tired at that point, and if that next tube blew again, I think I would have called it quits. I was really happy to be able to finish. You guys put together a really great route and my wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks again! - Evan Thomas

Official Results