Team FOMO does Xterra Nationals

And the third Team FOMO trip of the season was in September to the Xterra National Championships.

Both Troy and Jeff set out in 2012 to qualify for Nationals, and in true FOMO style, they did just that! And as they were so determined to get there, the rest of us just HAD to go along, too! But given that we couldn't just go and cheer on the sidelines, the rest of us all signed up for our own events that weekend. Jesse braved the Xterra triathlon course on Saturday with both Jeff and Troy. On Sunday, the rest of us gave the 21K trail run a try!

Saturday

It was an early start to the morning. Jeff, Jesse and Troy left long before the cheering crew so they could get to T2, drop off their run gear, then head back to T1 to rack their bikes and get ready for the swim. The rest of us came directly to the start at a slightly more reasonable hour. There were the usual pre-race rituals, including a very extensive "to do" list that was followed to the letter. Then there was waiting. And what do we do when we have some downtime? We stand around and crack each other up...it's not hard, and always fun!

Early morning strategery

So as we neared the start of the race, we headed down to the water for warm ups. Jeff and Troy got in to get a feel for the water, while Jesse vamped at the water's edge. Definitely good entertainment for the cheering crew.

SuperJesse

Surveying the course (and competition)

So the cheering crew waited to see the boys come out of the water, then sprinted over to the Bike Out to cheer them out onto the bike course. While waiting for the guys to come through, we decided we needed a shot of the cheering crew...this is what happened...Oh Brian!

Gay? or GAY!

Given that the bike course was a point to point, and mostly buried in the woods with little to no access to spectators, the C Crew headed up to T2 to await the boys' arrival so we could cheer them UP the start to the run course. As we had gotten to the run a bit before the boys came through, we still decided to cheer on the participants ahead of them. The start to the run was quite a long and steep uphill, so we decided that the racers needed a little comic relief. So we pulled out our best cheers, including B-Rian's perfect cheer, featured the spinning jump move!

So as the day wore on, the temperature heated up, and the altitude definitely had its effect on our athletes. That being said, everyone raced their hearts out and showed the Xterra Nationals what they had!

Sunday

SpinnyG represents for Team
FOMO with the Age Group win!

So after a little R&R, hot tub time and a grilled feast on Saturday night, the cheering crew had their chance to race on Sunday. We headed back to the finish from Saturday, and lined up next to some pretty big names in trail running, as well as some pretty little people. There were a 10 and a 12 year old racing in the same race as us...and they were for reals! The 12 year old finished ahead of all of us girls...B-rian saved face by crossing the finish line before her (the little secret being that he pushed her into the trees in the final single track before the finish to secure his win) :-)

The big win of the weekend, though, was Sammy Sam winning her age category for the 21K trail race. Team FOMO made it known that Sam was one of us when they announced her name and brought her up on the stage. It was a proud moment for all of us.

All in all, it was another fantastic Team FOMO weekend. We ate well, laughed a lot, raced hard and had fun doing it all. What this weekend was missing, though, was a good video. Next time.

Jessica