Mild Seven Outdoor Quest

---

Who are Team iRule?

Lisa de Speville / 02.11.2004

Wednesday, 3 November 2004

Everyone wants to know ... who are iRule? In short, they’re a team of accomplished athletes who have taken 2004’s Mild Seven Outdoor Quest by storm. An unknown in adventure racing circles, they logged 4 consecutive stage wins and a second place on the final stage to be crowned the 2004 Mild Seven Outdoor Quest champions.

I had the fortune of sitting down with iRule captain Marcel Hagener and team-mate Kris Clauson this morning. This is what they had to say…

German-born team captain Marcel Hagener has been living in New Zealand for 15-years. A carpenter by trade, he used to ride pro mountain bike for the Scott team in Germany. An accomplished multisport athlete, Marcel assembled the team recruiting athletes he\'d met at at events - specifically NZ’s Coast to Coast and the 28-day Length of New Zealand races.

He\'s accompanied by Kris Clauson, Craig Stevens and Eric Billoud. Kris lives in Tasmania, the others are based in NZ and even though they live far apart, they’re in regular contact. Marcel calls them to check up on their training and to “make sure the hunger is there�.

Why did he select these guys as his team-mates? “We just clicked�, he explains.

What is iRule?
Marcel and Kris have been involved with iRule (www.irule.co.nz) for sometime, particularly on the R&D side with product development. A home-grown New Zealand company, they produce MultiSport and Adventure Racing clothing and also run an information repository offering both scientific and particle training information.

Mild Seven Outdoor Quest 2003 ...
They’re not newcomers to this race. Marcel, Kris and Craig took part last year with 52-year old Bob Foster in team Arrow International.

Actually, in 2003 Marcel had first phoned Eric. Wanting to race, Eric responded, “I’m only 44!�. Marcel booked him in advance for 2004.
Their 2003 race was mediocre. Bob took ill and they had a rough day 2, pulling through the next 3 stages to finish 8th overall.
Joined in 2004 by a now 45-yr old Eric Billoud, the team would be racing with the benefit of previous experience.

The all-male team rule
An all-male team, I asked Marcel whether they had considered racing with a woman. He replied, “yes, but the pool of women at the same level as Kristina [Anglem – Team Seagate] is so small. I can count them on one hand.�
Marcel adds that in triathlon there are many very, very strong female competitors but that the difficulty in finding a female team-mate for AR is because of adventure racing’s off-road nature, particularly the off-road running. They are open to recruiting a female team-mate for other events and would one day like to see 2-men, 2-women team combinations.

Team Dynamics
On this all-male issue, I asked about their team dynamics. All-male teams often have a testosterone-pumped reputation where they out-race each other and are less likely to assist their older team-mate than they would a female team-mate. In turn, the older member is less likely to ask for assistance. iRule can’t understand this mentality.

They work on a no ego principle and, as witnessed on the course, they communicate well, helping each other through the disciplines. They check up on each other frequently asking “You ok?�, and take turns towing and pushing who ever is feeling low.

Kris added that when racing individual events you can rest a little but in the team everyone goes flat-out. The race is made more enjoyable because they’re able to help each other.

Their philosophy is to “Speak up soon�. The longer someone waits for assistance the more exhausted they will be.

Race Strategy
Mild Seven Outdoor Quest is hard and fast. I was curious about their race strategy. “We never cross into the red zone and always go really hard�, Marcel replied. He added that they all felt the heat and made certain that they were drinking enough fluids.

Chased by Nike ACG-Balance Bar on Stage 3
The final cycle leg on Stage 3 was nail-biting stuff. They had a massive 7km uphill epic to the finish line. iRule had a few minutes on Nike ACG-Balance Bar off the tubing section, but this advantage was being rapidly eaten into by the chasing Nike ACG-Balance Bar.
iRule crossed the line only 20s before Nike ACG-Balance Bar. I asked about this…

“In front you don’t know where the other teams are�, Marcel replied. “We didn’t see them until they were right behind us. Kris shouted, “They’re attacking!� so we gave it everything to stay in front and get to the top. We worked hard, so hard.�

A whopping US$66 000.00 cheque
The team is self-funded and paid their way to come. Marcel actually hedged all his savings on the entry fee, “I was in the black�, he commented. “But, I was convinced that we would have a good race.�

Greatest moment?
“All the hard work�, Kris replied. “We finished every day feeling absolutely knackered.�

Best thing about Mild Seven Outdoor Quest?
Marcel: “This race is very, very well organised and the prize money is excellent. Prizes are awarded all the way down to 15th place so almost everyone gets something. Last year we made back our entry fee. This year we have done well.�

They’ll definitely be back next year.

What’s up next?
“10 days of total relaxing�, Marcel quickly responded. “It is important to rest.�

I was interested in whether they’ve got their sights set on entering non-stop adventure race like Southern Traverse. They’re definitely interested and have considered the event but have as yet got no fixed plans besides the events they enter individually and they’re limited by not having a female team member.

I’m certain that this isn’t the last we’ll hear of these guys on the adventure racing circuit. They’re strong, accomplished and have solid race ethics. All round nice guys, I’m smitten and will be following their races with great interest.

My thanks for Marcel and Kris for taking the time to chat to me this morning – Lisa

ENDS

See All Event Posts