VOODOO Ultra + BONS TEMPS Relay:
Ponytail Boys™ will host the VOODOO Ultra & Bons Temps Relay building off the success of the first year event in March of 2021. For the 2022 version, this 130+mile Point-To-Point adventure will take runners from Baton Rouge Louisiana down the Mississippi River to New Orleans through uptown and into the heart of the French Quarter. The race will take place on top of the Mississippi River levee and select streets in New Orleans. Runners may compete solo or in teams of 2, 3, or 6. Outside of being a great run with incredible scenery, the athletes will be treated to the ultimate after party in the Crescent City. This destination race is sure to make quite an impression on the national and international running scene.
With over 25 combined years of experience, the infamous Ponytail Boys™ have directed and participated in trail and ultrarunning events in the south and beyond. Walker Higgins (founder of WHOA Racing Co.) and Jeffrey Beck (founder of FORGE Racing) are sure to delight you with their "go get 'em" attitude.
You can hate us but you'll secretly love us. :)
PARTNERS & SPONSORS:
Evan Beck Photography
Brew Ha-Ha Coffee Shop
Forge Racing
Whoa Racing
Urban South Brewery
MS Trail Alliance
Pointe Marie
L'auberge Casino Resort
Winding River Co.
Please contact Ponytail Boys for your interest in sponsoring our event.
VOODOO ULTRA / SOLO:
This is the cruel and sinister side of the race... The hexes will soon be upon you for 130+ miles, we hope you are prepared!
All wanting to compete in the SOLO Division must have COMPLETED at least 1 - 100 Miler or be approved by the race directors. 100 Miler must be done within 2 YEARS months prior to the start of Voodoo. (ie. March 2020 - March 2022). You will be required to submit the race link and results.
May we recommend one of our events:
CHILDREN OF THE CANE 100 Nov 13th 2021
https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=84350
IMPORTANT: All SOLO runners MUST have a support crew!
Your support crew will be your lifeline and provide you with all the water, food and needs throughout your journey.
BONS TEMPS RELAY:
This literally means "Good Times" in French and we promise you will have some! The Good Times Relay is the fun side of our event. Invite some friends, get a van and be ready to create memories. As the call of New Orleans and South Louisiana go..."Laissez les bons temps rouler or relay!" :)
Relay options of 2, 3 and 6 person teams.
Divisions: Coed* / ALL Female / ALL Male.
Coed teams can have any mix of female or male but must have atleast 1 female and male participant.
All teams must pick a Team Captain. The team captain will setup registration and pay the full amount. Collection of individuals will be among each team.
LIVE TRACKING / LEADERBOARD:
LINK HERE:
COMING Prior to Race!
*All Teams/Runners are responsible for having a way to carry their tracker. Recommended options: 1. tape to outside of pack or on hand held. 2. place in upper pocket of pack. 3. pass as a baton (meh). 4. Never place in bottom of pack.
Trackers need a clear line of sight to the sky for proper signal.
Friends and family can follow your entire journey! This is an amazing feature that VOODOO is super excited to bring to our event. Checkout this video to see how it works
http://live.enabledtracking.com/Quar50-2020/
*Upon completion of the event each runner and relay team will be required to return the device or they will be charged all incurred fees from the tracking company.
HOW TO TRACK RUNNERS?
Open Site / Click Participants / Select Desired Team
or
Click Pin Drop Icon to see all Dots/Teams expand.
Once team is selected you can view splits from exchanges, time of day those points were met and even zoom in on the map to see exactly what runners see.
GRAVEL BIKE RACE:
Say what?!?! That is right...the Ponytail Boys™ decided to spread the love to all the riders of the steel ponies by adding a rad bike division! The course will follow the same exact route of the running event and protocols will be in place to insure all runners and bikers safety. With roughly 85 miles of gravel and 45 concrete to zip on down the Mighty Miss the idea has been an inch we had to scratch!
Divisions:
131 open male
131 open female
131 masters male
131 masters female
Bikers will get all the cool shit the runners get and will have Realtime Live Tracking!
RACE SWAG:
All Runners will receive:
Custom Voodoo Branded...triblend t-shirt, race bib, finisher medal, secret swag, sponsor items such as bars, gels, glide etc.
SOLO Runners will also receive:
Voodoo Branded Finisher Shirt
Voodoo Branded Belt Buckle
REQUIRED GEAR:
Expect items such as hydration packs/bottles, blinky lights, batteries, head lamps etc.
Additionally, we will have required safety gear such as Class 3 Visible Vest, 2 Biffy Bags for all runners, Van Signage 1. "Runner Numbers", 2. "Caution Race In Progress" and more. These will be an expense for all participants and required! Links and pricing coming soon!
DISTANCES:
Solo: 130+ Miles
2 Person: 65+ Miles ea.
3 Person: 43.333 Miles ea.
6 Person: 21.5 Miles ea.
MANDATORY PRE-RACE MEETING:
Coming Thursday of RACE WEEK at 7pm via ZOOM. Link Coming!
AWARDS:
ALL Finishers will receive a custom finisher medal to commemorate their experience.
SOLO: Top 3 Places for Male and Female Divisions
RELAYS: Only *1st Place will be recognized in the relay divisions (Male / Female / Co-ed)
*To have a 1st place there must be more than one team in your relay and division.
RELAY LEG DISTANCES:
All relay teams will be required to exchange at set locations along the course approximately every 4-13miles. These locations will be given out prior to the event via the Race Bible in PDF format. Some exchanges will be manned aid stations, unmanned water drops and some simply gps points.
RUNNING SURFACES:
The surface is roughly miles 0-5 paved, 5-10 gravel/dirt, paved 10-15, gravel/dirt 15-100 and paved 100-130+
The gravel can very due to what the Corp of Engineers decided to place on the top... Pea gravel to limestone and maybe crushed concrete. We recommend a high cushion or a shoe with a rock plate built on or inserted to help prevent stone brushes and make every mile feel like a dandy!
These distances are approximate and will surely change due to construction etc.
WAVE STARTS:
Wave Start times will be used to cutdown on congestion and allow for the field to be spread out and socially distant. Placement will be chosen at the sole discretion of the RDs:
Start Times:
Friday:
8pm: Wave 1
Saturday:
8am: Wave 2
1pm: Wave 3
SOLOs will be placed in the Friday Night wave. (unless elite with a predicted speed under 24hrs.)
Relays will be placed in either of the Saturday according to predicted speeds.
VOLUNTEERS:
Please click the Green (VOLUNTEER) link next to the registration link at top of this page! Select the volunteer duty that most fits your strengths. All Voodoo Volunteers will receive a custom T-shirt to commemorate the epic weekend they had helping make Voodoo possible!
COURSE / ROUTE / MAP:
The course will begin in downtown Baton Rouge, travel along the famous stretch of Mississippi Levee all the way into New Orleans around Audubon Park and find its way into the French Quarter with an ultra finish fitting for such a journey!
FYI - the river is ALWAYS on your RIGHT...if not, you are going backwards or in reverse! haha
The general course map is here abet some changes toward the start and finish will be made accordingly.
MAP: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/3163086865
CREW / PACERS:
ALL Crews, Team Support and Pacers MUST Sign a WAIVER Prior to the Race!
RELAY TEAMS:
All Teams are required to have a crew vehicle. Pacing for relay teams is strictly never allowed.
SOLO:
A crew vehicle is required for all solo participants.
Pacers are allowed for SOLO runners ONLY. All Pacers must check-in prior to the race, signed a liability document and wear a crew bib at all times while on the course. Pacers are only allowed to run behind or on the side of the runner (NEVER in front) and are not allowed to mule or carry supplies for runners. Pacing can only begin at mile 60 on the course. Runners are allowed up to a maximum of 3 pacers (only one pacing at a time) and 1 crew chief (4 total).
CUTOFFS / PACE CALCULATOR:
All runners will be have a total of 42 Hours. Your total possible time will be based on the Starting Wave in which you are seeded based upon your estimated finish time.
Wave 1: 42 HOUR Cutoff 12pm Sunday
Wave 2: 42 HOUR Cutoff 2pm Sunday
Wave 3: 42 HOUR Cutoff 4pm
Besides a finishing cutoff all runners will have time cutoffs at all of the major Aid Stations. These Cutoffs will not be negotable and will be based upon an average time required to reach each station.
To calculate your pace please see the link below:
http://www.pace-calculator.com/
Check-in / Medic Station:
These stations will be designed to ensure runners safety and ability to continue on. These are not refill or aid stations in the normal sense. Remember, all runners (SOLO & RELAY) should have adequate supplies in their crew van for the duration of the journey.
REQUIRED GEAR:
High Vis Vest
Blinky Light for Rear
Water Bottle/holder or Pack
Also see race BIBLE
RECOMMENDED GEAR:
More info coming but but to start... high cushioned shoes or trail shoes with rock plates, sunscreen, bug spray etc.
FAITHFUL RD's:
Walker Higgins and Jeffrey Beck...aka Ponytail Boys, are so stoke to bring you this wild adventure. We do not take it lightly that you will be trusting us with more than just running. We will do everything we can to make your weekend epic and truly memorable. Please send us any questions or concerns you may have.
WEATHER AVG:
The historical avg for weather during 26-28 of March:
Avg Low of 55
Avg High of 75
To see more details such as rainfall, daylight etc...
https://weatherspark.com/m/11336/3/Average-Weather-in-March-in-Baton-Rouge-Louisiana-United-States
Facebook Group for Runners / Crew / Pacers:
This group is private and you must be approved to join. Please click the link below to do so. This group is there for everyone to have a rersourse for planning logistics, finding teammates etc.
Voodoo Ultra & Relay - Runners / Crew / Pacers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/262860211457828/?ref=share
REFUNDS:
We will do our best to insure the event takes place. NO Refunds or Rain Checks or Transfers to Other Runners will be available. In the current world of pandemics, disasters and such a virtual option will be created if we are forced to cancel. All virtual participants that submit results and data will receive shirts and appropriate medals/buckles.
COST & FEES:
We have created a 3 tier pricing structure that goes up the closer to the event. This encourages early registration, training, allows RDs to plan and overall helps reduce cost.
Registration Opens June 8th, 1st price increase is Jan 4th and 2nd price increase is Feb 15th.
Pricing Increase Schedule:
Solo: $325 / $375 / $450
2 Person: $350 / $400 / $450
3 Person: $450 / $525 / $600
6 Person: $750 / $825 / $900
Please note that in 2020 the state of Louisiana began requiring services such as running events to charge taxes. These taxes and processing fees are additional to the above breakdowns. Additionally, see Required Gear to plan accordingly.
Event's current local time: 8:44 AM CT
