Lythgoes Adrenalin Rush

A Coastal run and ride

Rob / 29.05.2002

Overnight the race paused for most of the teams, unable to set out in the kayaks, and resumed for the leaders, who set off on horseback from PC11, the second Red Bull PC station.

All the teams who had raced to PC6 and been stopped there were bussed to the youth hostel at PC8 and stayed there overnight – some of them got 8 hours sleep in a bed! There was no such luxury for the leading pack, who had kayaked to PC8. On that stage ‘Maybe Xdin’ had taken a commanding position with a 3 and a half hour lead. Brian Elliot was immensely impressed with them on the water, “They were like perfectly balanced machines, there wasn’t a movement out of place – they’re some team�, he said.

Next they had to show their horse riding skills and were set off just after 8pm with 2 Irish hunters. This stage was ride and run, and it wasn’t going to be easy in the dark on unfamiliar mounts. Nor did they know the route before the start, they were given a marked acetate sheet to overlay their map. Maybe Xdin were set off first and the others followed at timed intervals, so second placed Team UK left 3 and half hours later, quickly followed by Omniglow Lythgoe and Hellman Moritz. Then came Nokia Adventure and Reebok Adventure.

It wasn’t an easy ride for the leaders, one of the team was thrown but luckily unhurt, and the loose horse trotted up to the other one which was ahead and was held. Navigation too was tricky, especially the second ‘Deiching’. Hellman Moritz spent 2 hours looking for this one. “It was difficult to read the map and there was boggy ground to lead the horse on to as well,� said Pawal Dybeck. One of Reebok adventure’s mounts fell, stumbling into a ditch and was slightly cut, but not badly. The riders too had their aches and pains. Malin Lundvik of Reebok Adventure said, “The horse is OK but my backside isn’t!� Mikko Vehmas of Nokia Adventure was struggling on a sore ankle and when asked why she wasn’t riding calmly said, “My team mate has a more sore ankle than me.�

By dawn the overnight rain was easing off into heavy showers as the teams approached the end of the stage, a transition dominated by Mount Bulben, perhaps Ireland’s most distinctive peak. The transition was right at the foot of the peak and when Team UK and Omniglow Lythgoe arrived there together they had reduced the gap to the leaders by a full hour. They were very quick on this stage on caught marshals, Graham and Jacky O’Hanlon by surprise. They had to quickly tumble out of their sleeping bags and Graham commented, “It wasn’t the smoothest of operations I have to admit.� From the comments of the teams it was clear they appreciated the good mounts and enjoyed the experience. Mikael Nordstrom said, “That’s the finest horse I’ve ridden and Petri Forsman, who rarely says much at transitions, added, “that was a good horse, I liked it very much.�

The chasing teams didn’t set off until well after daybreak, The North Face and Avengers going first just after 8am. They got the best of it, with more bursts of sunshine, a retreating tide revealing a beach to run across and allowing the riders into the surf, and the daylight to take in the spectacular coastal and mountain scenery. Running across a shingle beach just above the waves and loving every minute of it Keith Byrne gestured to everything around him and shouted, “Does it get better than this?�