May 2, 2020 — was to have been WCC’s season-opening home small boats race, Kumu’ohu. It’s been canceled, so I propose we run Kumu’NOhu instead. While it promises to be but a pale comparison to a regular race, hopefully it can provide an opportunity for folks to stay together while apart, get some exercise and competition, have some fun, and raise a little money for charity. Here’s how it’ll work…
Like its progenitor, Kumu’NOhu is a 15k small craft race. Unlike its progenitor, you do not need to come to WCC to compete, and there will be awards in divisions for all water-, land-, and basement-based forms of human-powered locomotion: OC1, OC2 (same household pairs only), SUP, surf ski, sprint kayak, sprint canoe, sea kayak, rec kayak, C1, C2 (same household pairs only), paddle erg, rowing erg, running on foot, road bike, mountain bike, stationary bike, Rollerblades, NordicTrac, snowshoe, pedal-powered ultralight aircraft…
Here’s how you enter and compete:
1. Either this Saturday or Sunday, do 15k as fast as you can via human-powered transport on what you judge to be a fair course. Time yourself.
2. If you wish, make a donation to Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen or a similar charity of your choice, or convince others to do the same in your name — this in lieu of a race entry fee (see “Adjusted Time” below for an added incentive to give and recruit others to donate in your name).
3. Then, submit your name, gender affiliation (open, women’s, or mixed — 2-person same household pairs only), age class (junior, open, masters, senior masters, golden masters, platinum masters, generation gap), division (see above), donation amount (if any), and time via this Google form.
If you would like to race from WCC, please observe the club’s distancing precautions by signing up for a Saturday start time on this Google sheet. Please observe the limit of 4 entrants per time.
The course from WCC is as follows: from the club seal, down through the Roosevelt Island cut and Memorial Bridge and the 14th St bridges to the first red buoy, back upstream on the DC side of Roosevelt Island through Key Bridge to Mile Rock, from Mile Rock back to the club then back up to Mile Rock then back down to the club.
Hit hard and stay safe. I look forward to not seeing all of you on the water next weekend, but to receiving your race information and time. (I do look forward to seeing all of you on the water in the hopefully not-too-distant future.) See below for added competitive wrinkles.
Cheers,
Nate
“This all sounds simple enough — isn’t there some way we could complicate this to make it more fun and confusing?” –But of course! There are three ways race times will be evaluated:
1. Course time against other competitors in the same division, age, etc.
Course time — how long it took the competitor to complete the course
2. Adjusted time against other competitors in the same division, age, etc.
Adjusted time — one minute will be subtracted from your time for every $10 you donate or raise for Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen or a similar charity — again, this is instead of a race entry fee. Proof of donation not required, just truthfully attest to your fundraising amount when submitting your name, time, and other info when you submit your other registration info to the Google form (see above)
3. Grand Sweepstakes against all other competitors across all divisions within the same gender affiliation.
Grand Sweepstakes — adjusted times from all divisions, age classes, etc. will be stacked up against each other using the conversion chart (see below) to produce Grand Sweepstakes Kumu’NOhu first, second, and third place winners
Grand Sweepstakes Time Conversions (this is FYI; please submit your course time only and the race director’s daughter, age 9, will perform the conversion calculations — conversion calculations are somewhat arbitrary and capricious and may not be completely fair — not unlike life)
If you are racing…
OC1, standard/marathon C2, sea kayak: no time adjustment made
sprint C1, paddle erg: 5 minutes will be added to your time
OC2, sprint kayak, sprint C2, solo surf ski, running: 15 minutes added
K2 (sprint or ski), rowing erg: 25 minutes added
mountain bike: 50 minutes added
road bike, stationary bike: 65 minutes added
SUP, rec kayak: 30 minutes will be subtracted from your time OR paddle a 10k course instead of 15k (please self-report)
marathon C1: 10 minutes subtracted
other: make me an offer