Dynamic Adventure Racing Challenge

---

New Forest, Old Tricks

Gary Vallance. Photos Ken Rae / 26.03.2007

From the outset, Sunday’s Dynamic Adventure Race Challenge was always going to be something of an anomaly. For starters, the date: officially the first day of British Summer Time, the start had to be delayed until the early afternoon to provide a night navigation stage. Secondly, the location: whilst known for its open heath and historic woodland, when considering an apt description for the New Forest’s relaxed topography, the word “adventurous� doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Thirdly, the weather: after a promising morning the temperature had dropped back to seven degrees in the car park and blowing a gale.

However, this somewhat irregular introduction began to form into a theme for many of the competitors, as early inspections of the map revealed that there was nothing regular about the terrain either. When combined with overlaps in bike and run areas, and a confounding array of route options in all stages, the only certainty seemed to be a limitless supply of lucky heather…

On the hoof

Following briefing and kit check, teams were released in waves from the start. After a short run to a crossroads, as expected, they scattered in three directions.

The majority headed east, and within minutes learnt their first lesson about the fickle local trails. Ankle deep in hoof-chopped mud and with thick gorse bushes on either side, the established path indicated on the map suddenly didn’t seem quite as straightforward as they had expected. Wet, muddy and scratched within the first ten minutes, a healthy respect for the New Forest was quickly developed.

Mad as marsh hares

With their early warning heeded, the first key navigation choice soon presented itself. A trio of point-heavy checkpoints at the eastern extreme of the area were worth considering, with three distinct route options: they could opt for a long but dependable road journey; follow an unmapped heathland trail in a direct line; or decide better of it and just turn west for a predictable cluster.See All Event Posts