Hebridean Challenge

A Faller at the Last

10.05.2002

The day started with Team Compeed/Maxim looking as if they had an unassailable lead, but the unexpected can always happen …..

The final day took teams across Lewis from Uig on the west coast to Stornoway in the east. There were two paddles for the kayakers – the first took them to Bernera, where they had to use their legs to run to the highest point of the island before continuing to Carloway pier, where they met their runners and cyclists.

A cliff run over close cropped turf and round complex knolls and deep inlets, visited Carloway lighthouse, Na Gearrannan (a village of restored the black houses) and the golden beach at Dail Mor. Then they raced coast to coast along the fast and arrow straight Pentland Road.

On the very final hill running leg, south of Stornoway, Jon Whittaker of Team Compeed/Maxim was racing towards the winning post when he slipped and did the splits over a fence, tearing a thigh muscle. It was all he could do to hobble painfully onward as no help was immediately to hand. Realising he’d taken longer than expected his team went looking for him and supported him to the end of that leg, but the delay allowed second placed Parrot Lythgoe to overtake them. At the very last victory was torn from their grasp, and the free place in the British Championship Final went with it.

The final challenge was in the grounds of Stornoway Castle. While the kayakers paddled up the east coast to join them, the other four members of each team did foot and mountain bike orienteering courses around the woodland. Once they were all back they had to leap in an inflatable dinghy, paddle out to a buoy and tow in a log. The finish line was 500m away down the shore and, as they had to cross it with the log, some used mountain bikes as a trolley.

Although Interventure had been at the head of the field all day and were first over the line – because their kayaker had started in an early group of slower paddlers, their overall time wasn’t fast enough to put them in the top positions. This was Karen Drake, a disabled paddler who had started the race in a double kayak with a partner, but unfortunately he fell ill and they had to withdraw that day – incurring maximum penalties. A local replacement was found to paddle with her but by this time the team were off the pace though they were consistently among the fastest on land.

In the end Parrot Lythgoe, who crossed the line second, had the fastest overall time – by just ten minutes from a disconsolate Team Compeed/Maxim. So, the winning team defended their title (under a different name) and one of the UK’s strongest teams now have a slot in the British Championship Final at the end of September.

Team Wales were a strong third, the only all women’s team – ‘Lowe Alpine Girlies’ – came 8th and the one remaining solo competitor, Tony Welsh, finished the course strongly. A great competitive effort.