Expedition Africa

Team Profile; Beast of Ballyhoura/VGraph

Rob Howard / 05.05.2013

There are a mixture of elite and novice teams here, the full spectrum of expedition racers from those doing their first to some of the World’s best teams.  One of the teams who hope to get round and have a good time are the Irish team, Beast of Ballyhoura/V Graph.

The team captain is Ivan Park, a well known Race Director in Ireland with his company Causeway Coast Adventure Racing.  The team name comes from the fact he is the RD of the Beast of Ballyhoura race, a 40 hour race which has just joined the AR European Series and takes place this August.

Alongside his race organising duties he has put together this new team for Expedition Africa.  “I raced the adidas TERREX Expedition race with Paula last year and we decided to try and put a team together for an international race,” he said. “We looked at a list of places, and Paula had never been here before, so this one stood out.”  Paula Keohan added, “I’m something of a country collector – I’ve been to 60 countries, so wanted to go somewhere new.”

Park said choosing this race wasn’t difficult. “The photos of the Drakensberg, the fact other visitors to S. Africa all said it was an amazing place, the great value of the race package and all the reports about the organisation – it was a no brainer really.”  The team were one of the very first to enter (they are No.3), but that was before all the top teams joined in and they are wondering if that means they will face a longer course than they might otherwise have done!

The two experienced racers are joined by Nigel Mckernan and Robbie Hefferman, who are both entering their first expedition length race. “As a Race Director I get to know lots of racers,” said Park, “and above all we wanted a team that got along and was really committed to this race.  We wanted people to gel well as a team and to have a good holiday, but also to put in 6 to 7 months work so could be prepared.”

Mckernan said, “I’ve done lots of 24 and 36 hour races, and over the years you gradually try longer distances and survive, then gain the confidence to realise you can do it and go up another step.  This is a big jump however, and it’s good to be with some experienced racers.”  Park has raced several Expedition length events and also at the Abu Dhabi adventure race.

Hefferman has more experience of marathon running, finishing 5^th in the Mourne Way Marathon last year and also 3^rd in Ireland’s Coast to Coast Adventure Race.  According to Park, “He runs shorter stuff like marathons.”

The team have been on several training weekends, including some at Ballyhoura which served a double purpose for Park as he is planning his next race there.  Like many N. European teams they have had training limited by late, heavy snowfalls and say they are least prepared for the paddling stages having only been out a few times together. (The race has a higher percentage of paddling than most.)

“The 75km paddling stage is twice the longest distance I’ve paddled,” says McKernan.  “We see all the other teams with their own wing paddles, but we’ll just be borrowing some from the race organisation. Having said that it’s great to be able to rub shoulders with the top teams and athletes – there are not many sports where novices can stand on the start line with the world’s best.

“We didn’t even know there was no short course option when we entered, it was only later that we realised it was all or nothing.  We just want to get to the finish in good spirits and feel we’ve done our best. How we compare to other teams does not really matter.”

Like many slower teams they are already wondering about the paddling dark zone and whether they can reach it, or should even try.  If they push hard in the earlier stages then it could diminish their chances of finishing, but sitting out a 13 hour dark zone might also mean they run out of time to complete the course.  That may not be a decision they can make until after they find out how they do on the first stage, but whatever they decide their only aim is to make the finish line before the course closes next Saturday evening and to enjoy the experiences along the way.

[The team are also supported by Training company VGraph, Champion Systems who provided team kit, Expedition Foods, OMM and outdoor retailers 26extreme.]