Southern Traverse

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Overcoming the Elements

Derek Paterson / 14.11.2003

It took just under 100 hours, almost 24 hours more than Race Director Geoff Hunt predicted, but a winner finally walked up the beach at St Clair, Dunedin, to claim the 2003 Southern Traverse – and win a paid entry into the 2004 World Adventure Racing Championships in Canada.

On Thursday morning, Day 4, as fierce westerly winds swept Lake Mahinerangi and the surrounding countryside, Icebreaker/Bridgedale finally emerged from the clouds covering the Lammerlaw Range. Overnight, teams had been pounded by hail, drenched by rain and pelted by snow.

They had made good progress during the fine weather window, trying to make up for their misery in Tuesday night’s route finding, but the cold front set them back again. Hours after they were expected, Icebreaker/Bridgedale emerged out of the cloud and staggered down to their kayaks. They were the first complete team, hot on the heels of the unranked Omni Graphics.

Bands of hail swept down the lake, pushing the kayaks down to TA7 and on to TA8. Here teams had another short orienteering section to complete in the Waipori Forest before paddling round to Mahinerangi Dam and TA8, finally reconnecting with support crews who had been waiting for 36 hours or more. They had anticipated 19 hours.

The orienteering section wasn’t all plain sailing, either. Cycle Surgery Scott USA, after a frustrating trek through the tussock, put in a big effort paddling down the lake, pushing hard to try and haul back the lead team. At TA8, the officials made a major mistake, telling them they didn’t have to visit two of the CPs, a course change that was only supposed to be for those teams on the shorter course.

When it was learned they had missed the two CPs, they were disqualified but allowed to continue unranked. After a protest and jury meeting, where it was decided they had acted unwisely but under instruction, they were assessed a time penalty of one hour, to be served at the last manned CP, two hours from the finish.

Unaware of the drama behind them, Icebreaker/Bridgedale were pushing on, back down the Berwick Forest on the bikes, back into kayaks to paddle the winding river in reverse, out onto Lake Waihola and then down the Taieri River to Taieri Mouth, chased all the way by bands of hail and, occasionally, squalls of snow.
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