Indian Ocean Reunion
Rob / 05.01.2004
It seems the Indian Ocean is the place to be this year. New races have already been announced in Madagascar and Sri Lanka, and the second Réunion d\'Aventures, organised by Gerard Fusil, is taking place from May 2nd – 7th.The first race was a low-key event after the Iraq conflict caused a postponement for several months, but this second race is expected to fill the 30 places available. Any event on Reunion Island is going to be spectacular and the inaugural race was a taster of what is possible, with volcano trekking and canyoning among the highlights. Reunion is one of the best destinations in the world for canyoning and though it’s a small island the scope for different courses is almost unlimited.
The race website puts it like this: “This volcanic mountain that overlooks the Indian Ocean from its elevation of 3,000 metres, revealed its rivers and forests, incredibly varied climates, magical canyons, dizzy rock faces, dreamlike lagoons and legendary craters.â€
Fusil, who started the Raid Gauloises, has big plans for the race, but his philosophy has changed since the days of his first epic, non-stop races. Now he stresses the need to “avoid total exhaustion due to lack of sleepâ€. Teams have to take tents and sleeping bags to camp out independently, sometimes at high altitude, where the nights are cold. The idea is that this compulsory break ensures competitors enjoy the event more and compete more safely.
Modern technology plays it’s part as teams all have to carry GPS and mobile phones and stop by 6pm each night. They ring in with the coordinates of the their position, and again at 6am the next day when they resume. On this race you may get more sleep than you do at home!
The race is supported (and driving around the island is a real adventure too), and there are 3 categories; Extreme, Adventure, and Discovery, depending on reaching cut-offs. The race is open to mixed teams of 4 with an entry fee of 3000 Euros per team and the exact length of the course won’t be announced until late January. The closing date is Feb. 15th and more details are on the race web site (though English translation is limited).
