Moutnain Games just keep getting better.  One reason this is my favourite event of the year, is once i am finished for the day competing againts the best females  in the sport, i get to roam around the pretty streets of Vail entertained by the all the other sports and activities of the week.  Very relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere, but at the same time, the reality of fierce competition. 

My strongest event is the Steep Creek Race day 1.  I have won this six times and runner up twice.  Home stake is the section of river i lie in bed thinking about.  It can be a treacherous paddle and each year Home Stake victims are left wondering.  I wonder two, will i be spared.  This year i won by 1200th of a second.  Sitting at the finsih line, i watched with my heart in my mouth Tanya droping down the last three staircases. The instantaneous computerised timing meant the results were anounced within 30 seconds.  I knew it was less than a second between us but not sure in whos favour.  What a competition, true pushing to the limits of both of our capabilities. 

Mountain Games were good for me, i took home a gold two silvers and a bronse. 

Now, back in New Zealand and i am hero amongst my piers.  I made it onto National television and suddenly everyone knows what i did in the USA.  Something eles televised was my admiting to expecting a sibling for Sam.  10 weeks pregnant.  The spewing in my hotel room and the wicked fatigue is all worth it!!!

Thanks to Teva for inviting me again, look forward to bringing number two with me next year.

tanya costing her 1200th second.jpg (181.27 kb)

Today we have a guest post from Kayaker Ron Fischer from the road:

The Teva Mountain Games 2009 are finished. For me the weekend was definitely one of the highlights of this year. Competitions at the highest level, good people, great concerts and funny events like the Dock Dog or the Mud Run. All the Teva Athletes left Vail and went to other places all over the World to go for some more kayaking. I decided to stay a little bit longer in the U.S., grabbed the Teva Multivan and drove 20 hours to California. I’ve never been here before for kayaking but I saw many movies and reports in magazines about this “granit paradise” and I really wanted to come here once for paddling on some of the greatest Creeks all over the World. To get the feeling for these bedrock rivers we decided to make a warm up run on the South Silver Creek which is between Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. The water level was low, but the rock formations were round and so smooth to paddle on. We had a lot of fun! Next we wanted to make a bigger mission. North Fork of Mokelumne River or short: “Fantasy Falls” how we kayaker’s call it. We spend three days on the river in a beautiful and remote valley. At the end of the day we paddled the world class white water and when the dusk came we made a fire, cooked pasta and went in our sleeping bags for a night under the stars. After we ran the river, I had to hitch hike back to my Teva Van which was still by the put in. I knew it’s a long way from highway 88 to the 4, but I heard hitch hiking in the states is easy. So I thought it will take maybe two hours to get there. My lovely Avator Shoe’s were wet from the river, so I went barefoot…that was definitely the wrong decision I figured out! It took me 24 hours till I came to my Van!! Hitch hiking wasn’t that easy. I had to wait and walk a lot and then about half way there the night came and I went to a hotel. On the next day I finally made it up to the Van and I was happy, like never before to wear some Teva Shoes again! Now we’re on the way to Cherry Creek…. Driving the Teva Van and with a pair Tevas on my feet!