06/26/2026
Great recap of where teams are at as they push into the final day of racing
Good morning Rootstockers! Steph here with some dotwatching on our final day of racing. We have only three teams that have completely retired by now, including Bull AR, Ozark Trail and Checkpoint Zero, a real surprise out of this tough, experienced team.
We have several teams that have followed Orange Lederhosen's lead, by skipping the last trek and bike raft section of Stage F, which was sponsored by MRS Packraft, and proceeding directly to TA 6 - Lost Squirrels (now non-comp), who took the Alt F route; and Irritatingly Optimistic, Grit AR, Irrational Fortitude, and For Sight Racing, all of whom took a route on the west side of the mountains that saved a lot of climbing and appears to have been some fast roads. Great choices by these teams, who will soon be joining the lead team, 4-Hour Fuel, at TA 6, where they are about to break down their bikes and begin the final two Stages of the race. Over the Mountain are beelining to the finish line, apparently still under their own power (judging by the multiple pings along the road, which indicates they are moving at the speed of bikes and not cars), having become non-competitive after losing a teammate.
The podium race finds that Mercators skipped the same optional CPs as VERT on their way to the Molly Stark SP trek, and will need to skip more points in that trek in order to reach the finish line on time. So, VERT stands solidly in 2nd place at this point. Gymcity has skipped more CPs than Mercators up to this point, but that may change after this Molly Stark trek. Gymcity biked to the opposite side of Harriman Reservoir, opting to avoid the time-consuming strapping down of bikes to pack rafts. I expect most every team behind them will do the same. Strong Machine is making their way through the trek at Molly Stark, undoubtedly enjoying some time on their feet after the previous three bike/paddle/bike legs. They are poised for a top 5 finish. In the battle for 5th are our Canadian friends Spare Parts and team No Ragrets. Spare Parts had a more aggressive drop strategy in the big trek at White Rocks, so we'll see if that pays off in the final point tally. Teams have 24 hours left of racing, so we'll start seeing teams beelining the mandatory CPs and picking up the low-hanging optionals to ensure an on-time finish.
The women's race finds Fragile Flowers (now non-comp) having also biked rather than paddled to the west side of Harriman Reservoir. Chickpoints are currently pulling off the lake at Somerset Reservoir, and the only question there is whether they will head east to the alt-F1-3 points or will take the westerly route more directly to TA 6. I would guess the volunteers at TA 5 are advising teams at this point to take that quicker route, to ensure an on-time arrival at the finish line. 2 Dudes and a Donkey is making their way through those Alt F1-3 points now and will retain their top spot if they continue making their way through the course and reach the finish in the next 24 hours.
You'll see some fast moving green dots joining our Endless teams today, as the 24-hour race is underway, and races alongside the 5-day race to the finish. With super fresh legs and brains, will they give the 5-day racers a turbo boost to the finish? They may be the mental tow they need just now.
We'll see you all on the back side of today. Have a great Friday friends! ARWS - Adventure Racing World Series MRS packraft
