East Hampton - It had been some time since Ed and Caroline Cashin had gotten away - away from the daily grind, away on their own, just away. They'd recruited Mom from Ireland to take care of the kids while they vacationed in Costa Rica. Of course, what they call "vacation" doesn't include beachcombing or boogie-boarding but rather the most difficult multi-day mountain bike race on the planet.

Ed Cashin said that he and his wife wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and scenery in Costa Rica and that's what they did. Photo by Corine van der Linden

From November 11-14, the husband and wife team took on La Ruta de los Conquistadores (translates to the 'route of the Conquistadores'), a four-day stage race over active volcanoes, across mountain ranges and rivers and through thick rain forests that spanned from the Pacific Coast to the Caribbean. As for it being touted as the world's toughest, the Cashins certainly wouldn't deny that fact.

"It was something else," said Ed. "We finished. We made it every single day, every single checkpoint. We made it through."

Caroline, 33, had signed up for last year's La Ruta, which follows much of the path that Spanish conquistador Juan de Cavallón used in first colonizing Costa Rica, but training was too difficult with a newborn on board. She deferred it until this year, even if her work at a Sagaponack estate as well as at other odd jobs runs her upward of 90 hours per week. Ed, busy with Weekend Warrior Tours in Sag Harbor, intended on traveling with her to Costa Rica to provide support along the way. There was only one problem: "She signed me up without telling me," Ed said.

Covered in mud, Caroline Cashin forges ahead up a muddy hill. Photo by Ed Cashin

Even for experienced mountain bikers, their training regimen didn't correspond with what might be considered necessary for such a race, in which riders had to climb 42,000 vertical feet over four days. They went in cold turkey and, according to Ed, whatever happened happened. He had completed the race in 1997 so he had a fair idea of what to expect, only then it was three days long. As he remembered, the first day was the toughest - a 108-kilometer stage where, after a 2.5 hour climb, they were in the middle of the jungle and carrying their bikes through knee-high mud for approximately six miles, which took them about three hours. They finished the day with a three-hour ascent from valley to mountaintop, which Ed said "wasn't so steep so it wasn't the worst thing."

Stage two was only 50 miles, but every rotation of the wheels necessitated great effort. They endured 15,000 feet of climbing, including one point in which there was a 30 percent grade. Ed said that he only knew one man who completed the trip entirely on his bike; otherwise, "in the end, everyone walked."

The third day brought a five-hour climb up a volcano, at which time Caroline had what she called "a meltdown." Halfway through, Ed looked back and she was on her back staring at the stars. He spotted a hotel and brought her coffee and a chocolate doughnut. They continued another 2½ hours uphill before reaching the top. What followed was a 12-mile downhill that was both beautiful - "you had the jungle, waterfalls, howler monkeys, it was incredible," Ed said - as well as difficult. The terrain was rocky and wet, only to be handled by deft technical riders. Their hands were going numb from the constant braking. Halfway down, they made a brief pit stop, wolfed down a small meal, and continued on.

"You look online and see the elevation charts, and it just looked like you go up one side and down the other, but when you go down the other side, there were more uphills on that," Caroline said.

Day four started with a 4,000 foot climb; the rest was either downhill or flat, although that didn't mean it was easy going either. They had to cross a series of bridges that were 50 feet above Class IV rapids (with high waves and dangerous rocks) and had concrete ties that were 18-24 inches apart. "It was raining and you're looking down, and you could easily fall through," Ed said. "There were places where some were missing and you had to jump over with your bike on your shoulders. It was pretty heinous."

The two enjoy a well-deserved rest after completing the race, which required a total of 35 hours apiece on the bike. Photo by Corine van der Linden

They concluded with a four-mile ride along the coastline with puddles in which, according to 41-year-old Ed, "you were riding through these puddles and your full bike and handlebars were underwater yet you still had traction." They finished their journey at 2:30 p.m. local time on November 14 and joined the celebration. Of the 211 entrants, 26 did not finish. Caroline finished in 10th place among the 12 female finishers with a total time of 35 hours, 15 minutes, 55 seconds. Ed's time of 35:08:10 placed him 56th among men ages 40-49. They were less concerned about their times than enjoying the overall experience; by contrast, the race's overall winner, Costa Rica's Manny Prado, completed all four stages in 18:09:28.

"It was a little bit tough, but we rode together, we helped each other, we fixed each other's bikes, it was fun," Ed said. "We weren't so stressed out about what time we got. We just went out there and enjoyed ourselves for four days, and we ended up doing well and seeing an incredible part of the country that no one else can really see. Some of the stuff was so far into the jungle it was amazing."

Caroline had completed innumerable mountain bike races, including the rigorous 24 Hours of Moab on a few occasions, but this was her first stage race. She echoed her husband's sentiments about not letting their competitive side get in the way of enjoying themselves. Sometime this winter or spring, the Cashins said they'll block off some time to vacation again, this time at a little more relaxed pace - maybe.

"This summer's been crazy for both of us, so it was nice to not worry about calling people back and checking your e-mail all the time," Caroline said. "We both had fun. We definitely do normal vacations - we're planning on going to California in March - but we're bringing our bikes."