Lythgoes Adrenalin Rush

More Adventures of Pepi

Rob / 28.05.2002

No team has had a more eventful race than Ukatak. Only after Martin Nieto and Natalie Pelland had drafted in Pepi, a race volunteer as a very last minute team member did their 4th team mate, Marco Pautini set off from Italy, booking his flight at midnight the day before the race.

They set off together and were next spotted illegally using a road by Race Director Brian Elliot who was up above in the race helicopter. The real dramas began last night when the arrived at of the cliffs ready to abseil, only to be told by they looked unfit to complete the ropes stage and would have to sleep for 2 hours.

They didn’t take it well. “We had a very bad time and spent 9 hours up there in total� Pepi said. We had already put on all our equipment and argued for maybe an hour, then we had to sleep and it was very cold and wet up there so this wasn’t a good idea. By the time we got ready again and completed everything it was 9 hours since we arrived and Natalie was now so very cold. We set off, then turned back but the fog was so thick we couldn’t the PC. So we separated, Martin took Natalie down and Marco and I continued. Martin was really angry about the situation.�

That decision made a controversial incident far worse as it’s a sacrosanct rule not to split up. When Pepi and Marco reached PC4 on their own they were immediately disqualified, but the PC staff didn’t seem aware Martin and Natalie were not following. The instructed Marco and Pepi not to go on, but they refused and continued anyway. Soon there was real concern for the missing pair and after initial checks the situation was on the point of a full scale search when they were found back at HQ in Enniskillen.

Soon after Pepi and Marco reached PC5, where they planned to try and join up with other teams and continue the race. So Pepi is still on the course, but with half a team, and following an incident which has left everyone angry.