Open24

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A Day to Remember

Rob Howard / 31.07.2007

You can cram a lot into a day if you try, but its unlikely anyone around the country did more in 24 hours over the weekend than the 56 pairs in the 2007 Open24. It was a day to remember, with adrenalin pumping canyoning, trekking over the high fells of the Western Lakes, remote and entertaining mountain biking in Eskdale and Copeland, and night time paddling and tandem riding.

It was a memorable, and luxurious venue at the Eskdale Outward Bound centre too. (Not many of those in adventure racing). There was comfy B&B on site, a restaurant serving help-yourself breakfasts, and registration was in the wood panelled library (next to the bar and billiard room). Outside the surrounding lawns gave ample space for spreading out gear boxes and bikes, and the start/finish was on the terrace lawn overlooking the lake. Not your everyday AR venue.

Once teams were registered and kit checked Race Director James Thurlow gave the race briefing with some characteristically blunt advice on what to do and what not to do. Crossing the tidal Esk estuary and attempting Broad Stand on Scafell Pike were among the ‘not to attempts’. He was still not giving anything away about his ‘surprise’ discipline, but when route books were handed out later it was, as some had guessed, tandem riding! (James and Lisa Thurlow are well known for adventure racing on a tandem.)

Historical Navigation

This was not his only surprise however. When teams set off at minute intervals for a short micro-navigation stage around the Eskdale they were given a map from 1867, with 6 controls, but no start/finish point marked. Not surprisingly this caused some confusion and was a great way to wrong-foot teams right at the start! See All Event Posts