TEAM CALLEVA RACERS 2008-2009 SEASON

Dmitri Kaganovich (Dima)

Team Leader Dima has 20 years of vertical caving experience. He has

completed multi-day caving expeditions at more than half a mile underground. He enjoys rock climbing, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, orienteering, biking, running, and all other activities away from the lab and office. Dima thrives in cold weather and snow, or at least cold rain and mud, but can survive in any conditions.

Dima completed his undergraduate studies at Novosibirsk State University in Russia, and received all post-graduate degrees, including his doctorate, from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He currently works at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. Dmitri served for the Russian Army and the Israel Defense Forces, and was an Advanced Vertical Caving Team Coach for both the Speleo Club Cascade (Russia) and the Israel Cave Research Center.

Dima is the team co-founder (together with Petr). He races as the captain, navigator, or bike mechanic. Dima is also the director and course designer of the annual Calleva Adventure Race.

Petr Minar

Petr grew up with variety of the sports and today he divides his time among mountain biking, playing tennis, running (orienteering), adventure racing, and cross country skiing and of course his family. He likes to try new sports/things and wishes there was enough time to master everything. When on the race course, he goes after the win no matter what discipline and likes to push his teammates to achieve the same objective. He is living in VA, where he is also training and often participating in the races. In the future wants to find some more time and do X-Terra triathlons and cyclocross races.
Some accomplishments:
2008 (busy life, I will be back in 2009 with more podiums J) 12 hours of Cranky Monkey- MTB relay- 3rd in MALE3 masters
2007 Cranky Monkey MTB series (4 races) - 2nd overall in Expert Class (34 under)
Venture Quest (5-9 h. AR) - 1st solo and 1st overall
2006 Cranky Monkey MTB series (3 races) 1st place overall in Sport class (34 under)
Venture Quest (5-9 h. AR) - 3rd Coed3 (10th overall).
Odyssey one day AR (24H AR) - 3rd Coed4
Odyssey Wild Wonderful (24H AR) - 1st Coed3

Karen Stump

Karen is a wedding and portrait photographer from New Market, Maryland where she lives with her husband and daughter. Originally from the Blacksburg, VA area, she graduated from Virginia Tech. During her time in Virginia she was a member of a mountain and cave search and rescue team. Karen participated in many searches and taught search and rescue techniques, along with single rope techniques and cave rescue. Karen has spent many hours and miles on the Appalachian Trail and still hopes to hike it in its entirety one day. A lifelong swimmer and athlete, she medaled in several Junior Olympic games. After college she tried out triathlons and now adventure racing. Karen enjoys any outdoor activities including backpacking, biking, caving, golf, and volleyball.
Recent Races:
Odyssey Sprint 2007, Claytor Lake, VA 1st in Solo Female
Odyssey Wild Wonderful 24 2008, 1st in Solo Female, 9th Overall
Colonies Zone Championship 2008 2nd 100 Butterfly, 5th 50 Freestyle
DeerDash 5K 2008 2nd in Age Group
Rocky Gap XTerra Triathlon 2008 3rd in Age Group
Calleva Adventure Race 2008 1st in Duo Female
The Shag 2008. 4th in prime division. 

Valentin Chapa (Val)

Valentin completed his Bachelor’s of Science, Nursing degree in Colorado Springs, CO in 2006. He recently finished working for Johns Hopkins Hospital and has relocated to the DC area. Valentin works as an Emergency Room Nurse at Georgetown University Hospital and recently joined the Calleva Adventure Racing team in May 2008.
Major sport achievements and outdoor experience:
2006-present Competed in the Eco Motion in Brazil late last year, but the team DNF after a teammate became injured, pulling out at the 200 miles mark.
2002- 2005 Several multi-day AR such as Primal Quest, Adventure Xtream and Adrenalin Rush (UK).A member of Team Kayak Lake Mead since 2003, taking 3rd place in the Moab, UT Adventure Xtream being the highlight.
2000-2001 Started AR with several ACE 2-day staged adventure races in England. With the culmination of participating in the Adrenalin Rush (5-7 day race) DNF due to 2 other team members pulling out.
1989-2001 US Navy Corpsman (medic), worked in various settings from a clinic to a ship. Many times worked independently such as a Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer and a field corpsman with the Marines.

Sara Percy

·Owner and Founder of Pro-Active Bodywork
·Certified Neuromuscular Therapist, In Home Therapy
· Use the hands-on modality of therapeutic massage to facilitate healing, and reduce symptoms of stress. Exercise Physiologist, In Home Therapy
· Administer exercise programs to clients of specific populations (Elderly, Orthopedic Injuries, diseases or disabilities) Certified Athletic Trainer, Independent Contractor
· Provide Medical Coverage at sporting events to Clubs, High Schools, Colleges, and Sport Organizations.

ADVENTURE RACING:
Adventure Racing since 2006
2007 – Genesis Adventures Sprint Series (2nd place overall) Gravity Check
2007 – NYARA Shag 24hr (3rd place overall)
2008 – Odyssey E-fix 3-day, solo female (finisher) Pro-Active Bodywork
2008 – Primal Quest Montana Expedition (official 38th place) GCAR
2008 – Odyssey One Day, 24hr co-ed 4 (tied 1st place) Calleva
2008 – Untamed VA, 30hr co-ed 3 (1st place) Calleva

Mark Lattanzi

Mark began his racing career as a runner. Since high school, he has done countless road races and a handful of marathons. He started doing triathlons in college. In the 1990's, he took up kayaking and long distance hiking, and in 2000, he bought his first mountain bike.
He had competed in a dozen or so mountain bike races when he discovered adventure racing in the fall of 2000. His first race was in a 12 hour race in the mountains of North Carolina. Since then, he has competed in almost a hundred adventure races around the country ranging in length from 6 hours to 10 days. In 2004, he did over 20 races including a solo effort at the 5 day 2004 Beast of the East. In 2005, he teamed up with Jen Marsh and Jason Magness and did the Beast of the East - a 5 day adventure in 35 degree rain. In 2006, he did the 10 day Eco Primal Quest in the Utah desert. Jen's Men finished 24th on the full course. In 2007, he took up ultra-marathoning (30+ mile trail runs) and also tried his hand at some international adventure races (the 2007 AR World Championships in Scotland and the 2007 Australia XPD). To end the year, Mark and teammates Sara Dallman and Jason Magness, competed in the USARA National Championship 30 hour race. They finished 14th out of 80 teams.

Michelle Lindsay

Michelle Lindsay of Blacksburg, VA is a seasoned athlete that has just discovered the world of adventure racing. Competing in swimming, cross country, and horseback riding in high school, she turned her focus to the Olympic distance professional triathlon circuit during college and just after graduating from Virginia Tech.

After experiencing the life of a professional triathlete, she decided to broaden her horizons by trying out off-road multisport, including rock climbing, kayaking, trail running, mountain biking and, of course, adventure racing. She was on a winning team for her first race, the Odyssey One Day in July 2008 in Buchanan, VA, and her second race was also a first place in the premier division at the Untamed Virginia 30 hour race in Richmond, VA in September 2008.

She proudly represented Calleva at both races and hopes to compete with Calleva more in the future.

Vladimir Bukalo (Vlad)

Vladimir is chairing his passion to sport and photography. A member of the Ukrainian triathlon junior national team, he was a participant and price holder in triathlon European and World Cup competitions (1994-1997), and was a Duathlon and Triathlon champion of Ukraine in 1995-96. Vladimir was a student of National Sport University (Kyiv, Ukraine), and then he worked as a sports consultant for triathlon clubs and as a coach. Vladimir was a member of the running club Wedel-Pinneberg in Germany and has competed in long-distance running competitions. He was acknowledged as the best marathon runners of Schleswig-Holstein land (Germany) in 2000-2001, and took 5th place in German Championships, marathon distance in 2004. Vladimir had come back to triathlon in 2004, trying challenge himself in long-distance competitions, and he was a Ironman finisher in 2004-2006.  Since he moved to Maryland, he started to compete in adventure racing. Vladimir has breathed sports since a young age, and he is a fierce competitor. His legs and lungs are a deadly weapon for Team Calleva. Raced with team Calleva in 2007, Vladimir was in support crew in 2008. He is back for 2009 season!