Costa Rica: The Coastal Challenge
Day 2: The scenery was beyond spectacular ...
Jacqueline Windh / Photos Andrés Vargas / 29.01.2008
The scenery was beyond spectacular, travelling a ridge line with sweeping views of Lake Arenal, the steaming volcano, and verdant rainforested slopes ... but the course today was brutal. Nearly half the field dropped from Expedition to Adventure category.I put on yesterday’s wet socks to start out, because our first four 4km would involve three river crossings as we worked our way up the valley. The water was running really fast – I almost got swept away in the first little channel before the main river, but a kind man behind me grabbed me by the pack. I looked out for a walking stick, and found the perfect one, which helped hugely on the two remaining crossings, as well as saving my quads a bit of a rest on the 800m ascent.
We set out today at 5:47 am – and we had 7 and a half hours to make the time cut-off at PC2, 31 km away. You just need to average 4 km/h – sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, when you are on a steep ascent that is mostly jungle-mud, going gets a bit slow. Fifteen of the 35 who set out in Expedition category didn’t make it.
About 8 km we broke into open cultivated land, high above Lake Arenal. Unlike yesterday, it was a crisp clear blue-sky day, and we could see to the edge of the horizon – absolutely stunning. Rolling hills, some of them with pristine rainforest and much of them lush open cow pasture, and then the lake and the volcano.
I knew I had to make it to PC1, supposedly 15 km (but really more like 17) in about 3 and a half hours to be good with the PC2 cut-off. I felt I was making good time, travelling alone at that midway point far behind the real runners, but ahead of the people who had more trouble with the rough terrain. I occasionally glimpsed Germany’s Brigid Weifenburg behind me, which was good to keep me moving. I thought I made it to the PC in 3:15, but when Brigid showed up a few minutes later, she pointed out to me that we had really been going for 4:15.
I cannot tell you how disappointed I was – I really thought I was on track to make the cut-off. But I knew that, even if I pushed hard to make it, I would be in no shape to then continue the 26 more km of the Expedition route.
So I took a good long rest stop there, and tried to look on the bright side of it. At first I couldn’t see one – but as I prepared to leave, I realized it meant I could put the dry socks I was saving for PC2 on. Several of us left close together. I was rested, hydrated, well fed ... after a kilometre or two, I decided that, well, if I am now in Adventure category, and now only have 16 rather than 42 km ahead of me, I might as well push a bit more. I pushed ahead, feeling strong, and soon had a good lead on the other four. See All Event Posts
