Dark & White Events/Cotswold Outdoor - DW4 2010 Adventure Race Series - Round 1 (of 3)
Up, Down and Underground in the Peak
Dark and White Events / 17.03.2010
What a great day; after a tough winter the conditions for the first Cotswold sponsored Dark & White adventure race of the year were nearly perfect with scudding cloud and bright sunny spells. Just a cool north westerly wind to factor into the route choice, but at least it would help to keep people cool...ish. The ground conditions were generally pretty good, although there was still some snow and ice on the high moorland tops, which surprised a few people.Competitors began arriving early and there was a great sense of anticipation as people caught up on the news and renewed acquaintances from last year. There were the usual questions about format, kit list, what can I leave at transition and the late inclusion of the need for a head torch, what was that for? More of that later ...
It was great to see several new faces and their rather excited and slightly bemused look as the rules were explained and advice proffered. But hopefully they started a little more prepared than they would have been and subsequently enjoyed their first adventure race experience.
People liked the ability to be able to start when ready any time between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and the possibility to transition twice between the biking and running phases added to the potential complexity of route choice. There were nearly as many different routes as competitors which is great to see from an organiser’s perspective as it meant there was no obvious route and no snakes or processions of bikers/runners.
People started transitioning after about an hour as some competitors decided to favour one discipline, but most transitions were in the 2 to 3 hour range. Everyone seemed to be pushing hard as they changed discipline although we did have one couple who had been seen carrying a pack of playing cards on the running leg - not exactly essential kit, I hope it was not a reflection of their expectations!
So what was the head torch for? One of the biking controls was deep in the bowels of the rather worryingly named Suicide Cave on the infamous Winnats Pass near Castleton and one of the running controls was in a low and very wet culvert under a road near Barber Booth so some form of light was essential. Another issue for competitors to contend with were two controls that were only open for limited periods.
Post event feedback over the tea, coffee and biccies was interesting with comments like “my legs are on fire!� “great course and control placements�, “superb event�, � tough, challenging event in a stunning location.�.
The results showed just how competitive the racing had been with only one point separating the overall first and second places, Warren Mason taking top honours scoring 427 and the team of Eddie Winslow/Dan Halliday scoring 426 with Simon Enderby third on 416 points out of a potential total score of 470. Top mixed team was Julia Baron/David Spence with a superb 389 and first solo lady home was Ruth Shedden on 341.
To see the full results (overall & split times) go to http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk/results-cross-country-fell-races.asp.
The Buff hill climb challenge winners were: Liam Corner (14.58), Victoria Moorhouse (23.14) and Nick Hammerton/Jonathan Picknett (17.58).
Event spot prizes went to David Luttig, Simon Brown, Simon Bloor, Marisia Cole, Jillian Barker and Blair Rountree.See All Event Posts
