Dynamic Adventure 12 hour D.A.R.E. - Forest of Dean
Riding the waves of the D.A.R.E .
Patrick Meldrum / 27.05.2009
Watching the rain bucket down during Simon’s pre-race address put a little chill down my spine. I thought it might be one of those days where the elements rather than the distance or the hills might be the biggest challenge. Well, that was certainly true, but it wasn’t rain, or for that matter mud, that would challenge us, but the raging southerly wind. Our race didn’t start brilliantly, with a cancelled departure on Friday night due to misplaced van keys. My team mate Matty Z, went as far as putting a hammer through his driver’s window, hoping vainly that the keys were inside, but also to rescue his race bike from within. So plan B was a very early alarm on Saturday morning, and a long drive pre-race. With the plan to also drive back to London that night, it was always going to be a big day.
Rain and drizzle broke through to clearer skies as we neared Studland, and the day was positively radiant as we sighted Simon and son erecting the DAR banner at the village hall. We then got down to planning, with 2.5 hours up our sleeve to select routes, kit prepare, and take on pre-race sustenance. The hall was soon buzzing with racers, and I was pleased to see more familiar faces; the few people in the world who understand what we do, and don’t think of us as complete nutters!
A Relaxed Start
10am saw clear blue skies, and warm air. The atmosphere of the mass start was relaxed, lacking the jostling into correct time slots or for that matter, any jostling for the front rank. This was going to be a long day, and no one seemed anxious to start at anything other than a steady pace. It was a mantra that Matty and I tried to retain all day.
It was like a bunched club run down to checkpoint 1, right on the beach. I reckon 70% of the field headed that way, and foolishly, we found ourselves at the back of that field as we lined up in good British fashion for our turn to mark our card. By the time we headed north along the hard packed sand, there was a line of runners stretching several hundred metres ahead of us.
Checkpoint 2 was a much less orderly affair, with most racers following the mob into a car park area by the visitor centre. As Matty and I arrived, a clutch of runners re-emerged, so we assumed they’d simultaneously found the CP, and were heading on. We wasted probably 5 minutes searching the area before re-checking the map, and surmising that CP 2 was infact a few hundred metres further along the beach, alongside another building. A building that proved to actually be a fenced enclosure, so yep, several more minutes spent searching for the mandatory checkpoint.See All Event Posts
