The 2007 Adventure Race World Championship
Taking the Kayaks for a Trek
30.05.2007
As the two leading teams fought their way against a cold headwind on the 20km paddle southward down Loch Eticht they knew this was only the opening part of the ‘Outrageous Portage Stage’. It was a close contest between Nike and Wilsa Sport and they came off the water at the same time, but once ashore and on the first of many portages it was a different story.The first 5km of ‘kayak trekking’ was along a graded track and Nike had prepared two anchor points on their Valley kayaks and rigged harnesses to go over their shoulders. Their clip-together plastic portage trolley was stable and smooth running and altogether it was a more efficient set-up than that used by their rivals.
By the time they came off the track onto the road which runs alongside Loch Rannoch, Nike were already 30 minutes ahead and gaining with every step.
From this checkpoint the route ran along the road to Rannoch Station, one of the most remote in the UK. (Only a few trains stop each day and they terminate at Fort William.) The teams could have paddled along part of Loch Rannoch, and maybe even along Loch Eigheach as an alternative to walking along the road with the kayaks in tow, but neither seriously considered this option. “It’s too cold and wet,� said Alain Berger of Wilsa Sport.
At this point it was still raining hard and the river between the lochs was in spate. Monique Merrill didn’t seem to be letting the weather get to her and just smiled and said, “Big rain drops! But as Nike approached Rannoch Station the sky brightened and for the first time in 36 hours the big rain drops stopped falling. The clouds lifted and the wind dropped, giving Nike perfect conditions for the crossing of Rannoch Moor.
The moor is a huge area of peat bog, water courses, tussocks and mud, divided by lochs Laidon and Ba which the teams would now paddle, but between them was another portage. See All Event Posts
