Hebridean Challenge

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The End is Nigh

Pyro / 08.07.2006

To finish this years Hebridean Challenge, teams were hoping they might get an easy ride. No such luck.

After 4 hard days in the hills, the organisation had to keep the pressure up to the finish. The day’s swim stage was a huge 1600m, two sections divided by a non-competitive walk over an island, supported by their kayakers on their way down from Bhaltos beach. Many team’s swimmers were helped up the beach by teammates at the end of the swim with comments about the cold and the distance. This certainly was not to be a walk to the finish.

The kayakers were also having an interesting time of things, with swell and wind affecting their race. This particular leg of the race involved them leaving their boats beached and jogging onto the land to collect the three checkpoints, however the swell caught many paddlers unawares, John Campbell of Eat Cake included, who was beached inadvertently and turned on his side once while trying to re-enter his kayak. Fortunately, the co-operation between teams is strong and each paddler helped another back to their boats.

While the kayakers paddled round to the swim, and the swimmers were bussed from Great Berneray hall to their start, the rest of the teams proceeded by road bike and runner over 3 peaks back on ‘the mainland’ of Lewis to the swim finish. A slight headwind failed to delay the bikers, however as some teams left Berneray an eagle sat in the middle of the road delayed some of the support vans!See All Event Posts