Dynamic Adventure Racing

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New Racers in the Forest

Jonathan Mayne (Dynamic Adventure Racing) / 24.03.2004

As dawn broke on Sunday, the wind from Saturday seemed to have blown itself out taking the rain with it. The temperature had dropped, but the sun was shining, making the day a more enjoyable prospect for the racers taking part in standard Dynamic Adventure Racing event.

The Sunday course was certainly going to be challenging for competitors who, if they wished to clear the course, would have to bike 40kms in 3 hours, run 16 kms over boggy ground in 2 hours, and night navigate 6km in 60 minutes, all without making a navigational error! 50% of the competitors were taking part in their first ever adventure race and had plenty of questions for the Dynamic Adventure Racing team and Dave Sterry, our entertaining and humorous guest adviser from Team No Worries.

The run was certainly challenging with Marc Balstan and Graham Atkinson getting the highest score of 242 out of a potential 300, with Mike Davies and Matt Kemp closely behind them on 240 points. Many of the beginners were happy to complete the closest checkpoints without getting lost. A few fell into the trap of trying to cover the kilometre between checkpoint 19 and base by going cross country – through deep bog that a few sank into up to their thighs, before giving up and taking the long way round!

The hour between stages allowed the competitors to warm up, mark up their maps, plan their routes and refuel in a relaxed manner before heading off on their bikes. After 15 minutes, the weather, which so far had been kind; turned. A hailstorm, made painful by the strength of the wind, rained down on the New Forest.

Those bikers heading into the wind literally had to stop and shield their faces from the discomfort. After 30 minutes the hailstorm stopped and was once again replaced by glorious sunshine. Mike Davies and Matt Kemp proved to be the strongest on the bike scoring 408 out of a possible 450, the second highest score was Jim Fitzgerald with 378, and then Marc Balston ad Graham Atkinson scoring 370.

As nightfall approached 40% of the competitors returned home, whilst the remainder stayed for the 60-minute night navigation. Sasha and Toby Fisher scored the highest, dropping one checkpoint and scoring 200 out of 250, closely behind them was Luke Fulton and John Lambert with 170. See All Event Posts