SitRep: Perris Lake Trifecta Weekend
Perris
California
January 25, 26
2025
Introduction
Like you
and everyone who we have ever known, we are proudly living in the Holocene,
which began 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Our ancestors came
out of that ice age armed with only spears, animal furs for clothing, and a
legendary can-do attitude. The course at the Perris Lake area has geological
remnants of these melting ice sheets (California Glaciation, 2024) and the
artwork of the people (History, 2024) who defined the region thousands of years
ago.
Current
Events
Last
year, the Perris Lake Trifecta Weekend was held in sunny skies, with temperatures
in the 70’s, and provided a great winter getaway. This year, things were
decidedly different. The California wildfires raged for almost two weeks,
shutting down parts of Los Angeles and creating havoc for the local
infrastructure. Travel was questionable leading up to the race, and airlines
did not offer to change flights without penalty until the last minute. Perris
Lake is about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, potentially impacting highway
travel. Ultimately, the fires did not create an issue in the greater Moreno
Valley, where the race is held but cooler and rainy conditions defined the race
for many. But going out west is always a good time (Going Out West, 2024).
Spartan
Relief Efforts
Spartan
announced a relief program and accepted non-perishable goods from racers to aid
those impacted by the wildfires. Since Moreno Valley is a sprawling suburb, picking
up donation necessities for the relief effort at the local Walmart was very
straightforward. When I dropped my bag off at 6:15 the pallet was nearly full
already, solid effort by Spartan Racers and for Spartan who partnered with a
local WMCA to handle distribution.
Logistics
I
booked air travel to Los Angeles (LAX) at a favorable but non-refundable rate 3
months ago. As we got closer to the race, I explored some other options. I kept
in touch with the airlines and American Airlines announced a no-penalty change
fee a week before the event. At this point, I decided to change to San Diego at
the same rate and drive the 2 hours to a Best Western hotel I stayed in last
year in Moreno Valley about 15 minutes from Lake Perris. It has a reasonable
rate, a working outdoor whirlpool, 15 minutes from the event site, and plenty
of fellow Spartans. Palm Springs Airport is an option if you can fly out on
Monday, but I always opt for the red eye to reduce costs and get back to work
on Monday.
Weather
The
weather on Saturday started in the low 40s for early heats and got up to
mid-50s with strong winds by noon. On Sunday, temperatures were cooler with a
light rain, but the wind abated. I packed compression and a rain jacket that
was utilized on Sunday. Since I never wear gloves, I also used Hot Hands for
the first mile or so on both days in anticipation of overhead obstacles in
cooler temperatures. I stopped in at the Med Tent for injury information and
there were more than a few cases of borderline hypothermia. Compression gear
solves most of these issues but in the war between fashion and utility, utility
is fighting an uphill battle, “there is no bad weather, only bad gear.”
Historical
Significance of the Area
Perris
Lake Recreational Center lies within Moreno Valley, a portion of the home of
the Luiseno people who began populating the region at the end of the last ice
age 12,000 years ago (History 2024). The Luiseno were part of the larger
Uto-Aztecan language family that inhabited the coastal and inland area of what
is now the larger Southern California region. They were skilled hunters who
hunted deer, big horn sheep, and antelope utilizing spears, bows and arrows and
combined with teamwork and an understanding of animal behavior. The Luiseno also
created petrograph artwork painted onto rocks that detailed their hunting and
cultural practices. There is a prominent petrograph painted on a huge boulder at
mile 8 of the Beast course that utilizes a red pigment, the Luiseno, made from
the iron oxide gathered from the hills in the region (Luiseno People, 2024).
The
Course
The
Beast course was nearly identical to last year. We spent the first 7 miles in a
big loop around the lake with no real elevation. The terrain had no trees but
sparse vegetation that was dead and nearly black from lack of rain. It’s not
hard to imagine how a spark or small fire could ignite this type of brush and
it would burn for days. The second half of the race sent us along the shore of
the lake, running on the beach and wound its way along the shoreline for six
solid miles. Part of this was beach running, parts running on a path, and parts
in small groves of trees. There were no real technical portions or any of this
terrain, and the beach was compact and not much of an issue. The Super course
eliminated the loop around the lake while the Sprint cut to the beach early in
its routing.
Obstacle
Placement
Critics
of obstacle placement will have a field day with this set-up, obstacles were
heavily backloaded along the beach. For the Beast, there were a series of
easier obstacles, such as Horizontal Beams and Walls, before they sent us out
on the Lake Loop, which had virtually no obstacles. Most obstacles were
backloaded on the Super and Sprint courses.
There
was talk going on about a new obstacle Lattice Wall. Well, when we came up to
Lattice Wall it was nothing more than a 7-foot wall with horizontal slats, a super
simple obstacle. I have no beef with the obstacle itself but in the name of Mirriam-Webster,
it is not a lattice. Lattice has a myriad of definitions in physics and
computer science but in carpentry lattice is a series of interconnecting
horizontal and vertical patterns that create a crisscross design (Lattice,
2024). Lattice can be used for stability or purely ornamental purposes, but
this obstacle had nothing to do with lattice. I propose a write-in campaign to
change the name of this obstacle to something based on reality, and I implore
all Spartan racers to join me in solidarity.
But
there is good news! For the Beast, we came into the breach right after
Multi-Rig, where they had a Dunk Wall set up in the lake. Spartan did something
fantastic here for the Beast, given we are in Southern California, home of Navy
Seal training (Navy Seals, 2024). They designed a preschool, baby version of
BUDS. This meant a 20-foot swim out into cool, choppy water, under the Dunk
Wall, and back to the beach. After we got out of the water, there was an uphill
Barbed Wire Crawl on the sand, and then we moved onto the Kayak Carry. The kayaks
were legitimate, made of plastic composite; not heavy but unwieldy. We only had
to carry them 20 feet into the lake for the turnaround. However, this was long
enough for 4 guys I fell in with to yell “Who’s going to carry the boats” about
ten times”. It seemed redundant of me to point out that in fact, we were
carrying the boats, but I got the point. This series of obstacles was a memorable
obstacle set-up and put a local spin on the race. Sad to say, after the Beast,
they shut down the Dunk Wall due to increasing wind. This meant Super and
Sprint racers missed out on this experience, a tough break for them.
This
course always has a long first sandbag carry that uses a paved section of the
lake. This year they threw in a second longer sandbag carry with those green
sandbags used for building dams during a flood. It was about a mile to get to
Multi-Rig, Hercules Hoist, and Slip Wall coming in for the final obstacle A-Frame.
There was no fire jump; I spoke with the race director who said they never have
them in California anymore; for obvious reasons.
T-Shirts
and Medals and Debts Unpaid
The T-shirt
has a nice design; the Spartan Logo is larger, and the back has a design that
incorporates the Boar. This year there are only unisex sizes, and they seem to
have a more athletic fit. So, if you are still in a bulking phase, you might
consider sizing up. The medals this year are a great design, and the Trifecta Weekend
Medal almost looks like a multi-trifecta medal.
For
those of you who have not gotten your shield from Greece yet or a back owed multi-Trifecta
medal, they had some on hand for racers. They plan to ID what you are owed and
if you are registered and provide them to you at a future race. If you fall
into this category, you may consider contacting customer service to let them
know. To avoid another incident with my good friends in TSA (who knew Calamine
lotion could be used as an explosive), I opted to pick mine up in Jacksonville
next month since I am driving to that event.
Festival Area
It
was somewhat sparse this year, primarily due to the larger issues in
California. There were some local gyms, our friends at the Border Patrol and
the Army as well as some local food vendors. A protein shake with the
perfunctory name “Don’t Quit” (I mean, we just finished) was given out, which
is new this year. It's not bad and probably a better post-race option than in
past years. Regin Energy was not at this race, and I get the feeling they will
not be back.
Summary
I’m glad
we have a January race, instead of the Jacksonville kickoff in February/March.
With any early season race, we’re rolling the dice on conditions, but we still
can get some miles in and a Trifecta under our belts so we can adjust our
training. In December, I re-did my entire strength, running and lifting program
and I found out a lot about how I am responding to a new approach. Races are
feedback and it was great to get feedback early in the season so I could make
some adjustments in my training, nutrition, and recovery This is a solid venue
to get feedback; it is runnable, and the conditions are reasonable for this
time of year.
I
also want to thank my ancestors (through genetic and cultural links) who got us
through the last ice age; you will never hear me complain about the weather.
References
California
Glaciation (2024) https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/research-highlight-researchers-uncover-new-details-about-californias-ancient-shoreline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_SKZVyJDlo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiseño
The
Holocene (2024)
https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/deep-time/holocene
Lattice (2024) https://www.lowes.com/n/buying-guide/what-is-lattice
Luiseno People (2024) https://www.californiafrontier.net/the-luiseno-of-southern-california/
Navy Seals (2024) https://navyseals.com/buds/
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