February 16, 2015 at 4:10 p.m.
Contestants brave bitter cold to take part in Flannel Face Off
Contestants brave bitter cold to take part in Flannel Face Off
By Kayla Thomason-
"Considering the severe wind chills we had, just about everybody who signed up to race came out to race," said Dana DeMet, executive director of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce.
DeMet said he received a lot of positive feedback about the event, despite the frigid weather.
"I heard a lot of people saying 'Hey, I thought this is a great idea, it seems like a lot of fun,'" DeMet said. "I've had a lot of fun putting it together and everything so I'm glad people are enjoying it."
The Flannel Face Off, which consisted of an ice fishing sled pull, fake deer carcass drag, a snow bank climb, a woodpile run, and an ice auger race, was shortened from a 5K to a 2.7K due to the skin-stinging cold.
"We were hoping to hit that 5-kilometer mark but just given the temperatures and that people are outside now for at least 30 minutes to do this so that's a long time to be out in sub-zero temperatures," DeMet said.
Luke Baker participated in the race and plans to come back next year.
"(The race was) grueling but it was a lot of fun," he said. "I really liked it. I'd do it again next year for sure."
He said he enjoyed climbing the snow banks, however dragging the carcass was not as fun.
"Dragging the sandbags is rough, the snow's deep, it's hard," Baker said. "(The race) was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it."
He advises future racers to avoid restrictive clothing, despite temperatures.
"Don't dress too warm even if it is 30 below, light layers," Baker said. "Range of motion is hard with too many layers."
The Flannel Face Off drew people from all over the Midwest.
Lauren Haiduk of Geneva, Ill. has a family cottage in the Northwoods. She said she saw a notice about the event on the chamber website and immediately signed up.
"It was hard but a lot of fun," Haiduk said. "Unfortunately, conditions out there were pretty brutal so they had to shorten it, but hopefully next year it'll be bigger, more people and a little bit warmer with less windchill."
Like Baker, she enjoyed climbing the snow banks but didn't favor the carcass drag as much.
"(With the carcass drag), you're in fresh powder and it's hard to navigate through there," Haiduk said. "That was probably the toughest. I did not do the ice auger - it would have been my first time ever using one so I decided to pass on that today so I took a time penalty instead."
She spoke highly of the event and recommended it.
"There's no judging out here, come on out it's a lot of fun, everyone is just out for a good time," Haiduk said. "If you're even considering it, come check it out. I'm sure next year there'll be even more people. It's a really nice group."
She hopes the event continues to grow.
"This is Northwoods-style fun so hopefully there will be more and more of it," she said.
Shelly Gillingham and her husband, James, are training for the Spartan Races - a more grueling version of Tough Mudder Races - and thought the Flannel Face Off would be good practice.
"The challenge was really fun, it was really difficult and I'd do it again," Shelly Gillingham said.
Her husband helped with the ice auger because it was her first time using one and she needed a little more weight applied.
Shelly Gillingham's favorite station was the snow bank climb. Her least favorite, besides the auger, was the deer drag.
"(The deer drag) was probably the toughest just on your quads and going through the path that wasn't gone through yet," she said.
James Gillingham also enjoyed the race.
"The first tenth of the mile as we got onto the lake I was thinking to myself that I was crazy because the cold actually hurts with that wind out there, but it was definitely worth it," he said.
Unlike his wife, he enjoyed the auger station.
"I liked running the ice auger because it was quick for me," he said. "I was behind my wife, who was the first runner in front of me and she got a headstart with the ice auger before I did, so I burned through the ice pretty quickly and then was able to help her out."
Like the others, he thought the deer drag was difficult.
"Definitely dragging the deer (was the most difficult challenge) because the snow is so deep you can break though at any given moment and then you are up to your knees and that is a whole other challenge," he said.
All in all, he said the Flannel Face Off is a good event for people who like to challenge themselves.
"If you got a hankering to do something crazy this is a good place to start, it's not anything too life-threatening, there's a lot of people to help you out if you need it," he said.
DeMet said the race will return next year possibly with more obstacles.
"People talk about how this is like a Northwoods challenge so you joke about trying to get a snowmobile started or something like that, or shoveling or something, so we'll try and keep it within that same vein," he said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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