News Article

Womble Carlyle environmental lawyers Ric Morton and Stan Green teamed with friend of the firm Andy Good to finish first in their division in the Over Mountain Extreme Adventure Race, an endurance competition held in the mountains of North Carolina. Racing for Angelman Syndrome Awareness, the Team navigated their way through 67 miles on mountain bikes, 25 miles on foot and 16 miles by canoe in 27 hours.

Twenty-one teams competed in the race which began with the distribution of race maps at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, on Friday, September 15th. Each team began plotting required check points and choosing their race routes that evening. At 8:00 a.m. the next morning, they were provided with coordinates for the final five check points and were required to complete plotting their route before they could begin with a hike over the peaks of Grandfather and a steep run down the east side of the mountain before transitioning to their first bike leg. Alternating between running and biking, plus a lengthy lake canoeing leg, the teams had to find and collect small orange and white check point flags at intervals throughout the race, including the long nighttime hours.

According to Ric Morton, the race was harrowing and exhausting, but exhilarating, as well. “The Race Directors took special care to place Check Point Flags in places where we got great views of water falls, mountain vistas, and a breathtaking nighttime sky at the top of Table Rock,” he explained.

Morton’s teenaged son Mason and his friend Garrett served as invaluable support crew, according to team members, keeping everyone fueled, hydrated, offering encouragement and making sure their equipment was ready to go at the right times in the right locations.

When they crossed the finish line in Morganton at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, the Team’s time placed them second in their division; however the first team across had missed one of the checkpoints and was also assessed a time penalty for taking an illegal route. Thus Team Angelman Syndrome Awareness was declared division winner.

In an interesting side note, all three Team members competed in a 208-mile, 2-day mountain relay race just one week prior to this event. Click here for information about that race.