Arctic Team Challenge
Countdown to Arctic Team Challenge 2005 part 2
Jesper Kunuk Egede / 14.07.2005
ARCTIC TEAM CHALLENGE 2005 COUNTDOWN: 2 DAYS TO GO!Welcome to the tropics – or at least something that could pass as tropical (‘as if…’). Today is one of the hottest days of the year: It’s 27° Celcius in the shade. The West Greenlandic team Pharmanord/Inu:IT have jokingly suggested that we postpone the race until it gets colder – they don’t want the South African team Jabberwock to have too much of an advantage.
The teams from the UK, South Africa and Iceland arrived today so today has been a day of arrivals, a little training, sightseeing, and shopping. The teams have to provide for their own food during the race stages, so they have been preparing for this in the afternoon.
Last year’s #2
Team Saab/Salomon are taking it easy today. Saab/Salomon came in 2nd in last year’s race, and two of the racers from last year – Captain Nicola Davies and Ben Bardsley – have returned this year. The two new members are Andrew Davies and Andrew Schofield. Asked about their expectations, Ben is pretty laid back: “We hope for good weather. The scenery is amazing here. But of course we will also race as hard as we can do. I think we will benefit from having been here last year; we can use that to our advantage. It’s also an advantage that we know it other so well.� Andrew Schofield is also looking forward to racing, although he states this in a slightly off-beat manner: “It’s interesting with races. You’re made to go and you’re told where to go. It’s hard work! But then it’s great that they’re off the beaten track. You get to see things you would not have seen otherwise. It’s very unlike going to Athens, running tracks.�
Later, he adds: “I also want to see a walrus...from a distance.� “That’s because you look like a walrus,� says Nicola and laughs.
Pharmanord/Inu:IT
Three of the guys from Pharmanord/Inu:IT are taking a stroll around town. “We lost Martin – he’s busy doing business on his cell phone,� says Carsten Hammerik, who’s lived in Greenland for a little less than a year. “Yeah,� adds Mikkel Lybaech, “we have to get this race started so we can get him off the phone.�
A little earlier, we had caught up with Mikkel and asked him about his expectations to the upcoming race. “We expect to be in top 3 of the race but obviously we will attempt to win. It’s not going to be that easy, though. We have Saab/Salomon here and some of the other teams also look pretty strong.� He continues: “ This is a race with many surprises. There are so many tactical choices to make; either you make the right choice or you f--- up. And the thing is, if you make the wrong choice, it can make a 5-hour difference in the end.�
Jabber…what?
The members of Team Jabberwock are resting at the school where all the teams are staying during the race. The team consists of Brian Clarke, Allen Doyle and the married couple Cindy and Kobus van Zyl. Greenland is a far cry from their native South Africa: “We knew about the icebergs and also quite a lot of details about the race. But the place is breathtaking in real life,� says Allen, who has been adventure racing for two years. Cindy has done four races: “I used to go to see Kobus racing, but this year I went from support to participation; trying to see if the grass is greener on the other side, I guess.�
Brian, who has been racing for 7 years, also finds the area interesting: “We’re here more for the experience rather than the win. It’s so different from Africa. We are used to mountains and rough terrain but the cold water is new to us. We tried putting our feet into the water – we could only keep them in there for 10 seconds. But we have to go swimming before we go home!�
The other teams have also been spotted walking around town. The only girls’ team this year, Arctic Ladies, have been seen training together for the past days and are also having a good time. Tonight is the night of the intro dinner where teams and officials get acquainted. This is another of the strengths of Arctic Team Challenge: Over the course of the next 7 days, people will often get to know each other really well.
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