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Virgin Territory

Gary Davies of Team Adventure Sports Mag UK / 29.07.2009See All Event Posts Follow Event
Have you ever tried paddling a canoe through Grade 2+/3 rapids in an adventure race? We did and are still alive to tell the tale. Natalie and I thought it was the most exhilarating part of the UntamedNE Adventure Race and it's a memory we'll both remember for a long time.

We had lost significant ground to the leaders in the preceding 24 mile MTB section because we couldn't find a trail and ended up 'bushwhacking' 2km to the CP as opposed to taking a relatively easy ride on muddy paths. This was a common theme for the rest of the race!

The river was calm at the launch area and we were just settling into a rhythm when we saw a large number of spectators on the bridge ahead with cameras. We soon found out why! Unknown to us almost every team through the rapids had been thrown from their canoe. We managed to keep paddling through it and keep the canoe in a straight line but it was soon full of water which made it sink lower in the river and take on even more water.

We were soon thrown from the canoe, holding onto it and trying not to lose our paddles. I had attached 2 maps to my legs with bungee cord and was worried that they'd be ripped out in the turbulent water. Natalie soon screamed to say that her backpack hadn't been secured to the canoe and we'd lost it. I was beginning to deal with the disappointment of having to pull out of the race because her backpack contained the other 10 race maps and the emergency satellite telephone.

We swam the canoe to the nearest bank downstream of the rapids and managed to turn it over. The race was back on. Natalie's backpack had been trapped underneath. We'd only lost a water bottle!

More rapids appeared ahead on the 18 mile long paddling section and we successfully negotiated them all apart from one which we decided to portage around. This was the right decision. Another team behind us decided to take it on and failed. The female member in their group was suffering from the cold water and nightfall was approaching.

<b>Cut Backs in a Good Cause</b>

The subsequent 13 mile bike ride took us to the 'conservation project' where each team was given a pair of secateurs and a hand saw. Each team had to clear a patch of 500 sq ft of overgrown waterfront property that would become a new trail for the Northern Forest Heritage Park.

I must admit that we didn't enjoy this part of the race especially as our mixed pair team had to cut down the same amount of vegetation as a team of 3 or 4! However I can understand that the race organisers want to give something back to the community for agreeing to host and support a race.

We had passed several teams during the MTB section before the conservation project and felt strong during the first night of the race. However our climb up the leaderboard during the subsequent MTB section was hindered by a locked gate across a trail and a less-than-accurate description for one of the CP's. However the description was the same for everybody.See All Event Posts
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