Blue Notes deflated at Trailplus

17.09.2002

After wins in the first two Trailplus races Team Blue Notes were hoping to make it 3 out of 3 last weekend (Sept. 14/15th) and in the early stages of the race it all went according to plan. Then disaster struck – 3 punctures on the ride deflated their high spirits and ‘Team Living Well – Sutton Coldfield’ (formerly Team 52degrees North) got home 5 minutes ahead of them.

With 96 teams setting off on the Sprayway sponsored race it was the biggest team race of the year (Trailplus is team of 3 only) and once again everyone set off on stage one, a trail run around the lake, with the spectacular backdrop of the Sandhurst Military Academy behind them. This time there were a couple of challenges during the run – to carry a team member using some sacking, and a set of over and under obstacles, before teams faced the now familiar ‘team ski’ challenge.

Then came a fast and furious bike ride in the surrounding forest – where Blue Notes lost the lead and one rider came to grief – with a painfully dislocated shoulder. The challenge during the ride was a series of floating pontoons to cross using a plank, but for Ben Greenslade of the winning team just riding at all was a challenge. He\'d only been drafted into the team at 8pm on Friday and didn\'t have bike at 11.30pm that night. The first time he had riden a bike in 5 years was to transition - making his team\'s win all the more impressive. The other team members were Duncan Hough and Andy Jennings.

After the ride came 3 laps of the lake in kayaks, a plunge into the water while carrying the boats above their head, and then the slippery wall, before racing across the finish line.

Race organiser, Keith Anderson, was pleased there were no retirements (though a few teams had one member pull out) and with the range of finishing times 2 hours 55 minutes to 5 hours 52 minutes. “We design this event to accommodate a competitive front end but mostly for the people who want to give adventure racing a go,” he said. “The Sprayway – TrailPlus event has certainly grown over the season and gives people of all abilities that opportunity in a safe yet exhilarating environment. We hope to announce our 2003 race dates soon.”

The full results are listed on the following pages.