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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 13, 2006 Endurance motorcyle rider Mason Harrison of Medford rides in the hills near John�s Peak. He and fellow rider Dan Thoren will compete in the 81st International Six Days Enduro in New Zealand next month. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) Six days of suffering Medford pair will take on grueling international enduro race in New Zealand By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Imagine riding a motorcyle for six straight days, nine to 10 hours per day, over a course that features hills, rocks, mud holes, bridges, creek crossings and other obstacles. Medford's Dan Thoren and Mason Harrison will tackle that very task next month at Lake Taupo, New Zealand, when they compete in the 81st International Six Days Enduro. "This is the Olympics of off-road motorcyle racing," says Thoren, a 32-year-old freight broker. "You have to concentrate on what you're doing for hours on end. It's not like a motocross race, which is usually over in 15 minutes." Adds Harrison: "You get into a survival mode and just do it." The Medford endurance specialists beat out dozens of other U.S. riders by faring well at qualifying events in Stillwater, Okla., Idaho City, Idaho and Walsenburg, Colo. Advertisement The New Zealand event will feature daily distances of 120, 160, 120, 160, 160 and 50 miles, ending on the country's national motocross track. The competitors are required to stop at six to eight checkpoints each day. There, they'll have four to five minutes to make repairs on their bikes, gobble down some food, clean their goggles and gather themselves mentally for the next leg. "You have to pace yourself to some extent or you'll wear yourself and your bike out," explains Harrison, a 29-year-old nurse practitioner. "It's kind of a tortoise and hare thing. Sometimes the tortoise ends up doing better. "You want to ride hard enough to stay on time but you also want to preserve your bike and not work the engine or the clutch too hard." Thoren will compete on a 300-cubic centimeter, Austrian-made KTM in the E3 class, while Harrison will ride a Japanese-made Yamaha 250 in the E2 class. The E3 class has slightly bigger bikes and engines, but, depending on the terrain, they're not necessarily faster. Thoren first climbed on a motorcycle at age 4 and began participating in motocross events while attending Crater High in the early 1990s. But he was more adept at off-road riding and began to spend all his spare time on John's Peak. "That is a great place to ride," says Thoren. "It's where Mason and I and some of the other local enduro racers cut our teeth. There's a lot of challenging terrain that gets you ready for the big races, and the trails are well-maintained." Thoren recently flew off his bike and hurt his knee while on a training ride in the Applegate Trail System, but it won't stop him from competing in New Zealand. "I might have torn some meniscus but I've got a good knee brace," says Thoren. "Walking bothers me more than anything." Harrison, meanwhile, has been on a motorcycle since he was 3. He suffered a nasty wreck when he was 13, dislocating his hip and breaking his wrist near Eureka, Calif., where he grew up. "I was pre-riding a course and hit a log in some tall grass," says Harrison, who spent three days in a hospital. "I didn't ride again for close to a year and I've never completely gotten over the fear of crashing. If the visibility gets bad I still get a little puckered up. "But you have to accept it as part of the risk. The day I quit riding motorcycles is probably the day I step off a curb and break my ankle." Harrison has enjoyed a lot of success statewide and regionally. He's won the Oregon State Cross Country Series, which features both enduros and hare scrambles, which are shorter, more traditional races requiring the riders to leave at the same time and go nonstop to the finish. Harrison also took third in a Northern California series in 2005. As for the race in New Zealand, simply finishing the six-day, 770-mile event would be quite a feat, he says "You can get bronze, silver or gold status based on how close you are to the leader of your class," says Harrison. "I'd be thrilled if I could finish on the silver, but the main goal is finishing, period." And staying in one piece. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com