Expedition Africa 2014
Struggling on the End
Lisa de Speville / 30.05.2014
I can’t think of any races that have had all teams in play until Day 5. And although there has been some attrition today, teams are continuing with three people, determined to complete the course.
Tummy troubles
A number of racers are down with stomach issues – diahorrea with or without vomiting. The big risk here is dehydration – and absolutely no energy. Although it seems more foreigners are down with it, a few local racers are in a bad way.
Team Spirit have had tummy troubles since Day 2. They’re still in.
Cinnober called to be picked up this morning. Three of them are down with it. They’ve been transported to Port Edward. It turns out that in addition to a broken finger, Ida Svensson has a fractured sternum (chest bone). It probably resulted from a fall in the canyon days ago. She was keen to continue so it is probably a good thing that her team did not. Magnus Albinsson seems to be in a condition similar to Cobus van Zyl where he is has no energy and cannot keep any food or liquid in.
Melida Barbee in Team Costa Rica also has it. They’re still in.
SandgropAR have a team member that is quite ill. The team was retrieved from T23 and they’ll start the cycle from T6. They’re unranked.
Darol Howes from Lesotho Sky Flaming Flamingos has been bitten by the tummy bug. He is dehydrated and as a diabetic, medics are attending to him to improve his hydration and keep an eye on his sugar levels. His team will continue.
Cobus van Zyl from Jabberwock is unable to keep anything down – from both ends. The team walked slowly, assisting Cobus to get to T6. They’re been resting and trying to get fluids and food into him. Nothing has stayed down. Medics are treating him for dehydration. He has now withdrawn and his team will continue with the cycle in the morning.
Other injuries
Steven Yates from Senseless was brought into T5 chilled to the bone after the paddle. He couldn’t paddle because of a shoulder injury. hypothermia proved to be less of an issue than his shoulder and medics proclaimed him unfit to continue. He seems to have torn a tendon. His teammates are continuing and he’s meeting them at transitions.
Mike de Haast in Team Bad Medicine has 27 stitches near his ankle.
I think it was on the first afternoon/night in the early stages of the first hike. He was walking barefoot at a beach-river crossing when a wave came in, pushed him and a rock in the water sliced an area of flesh near his ankle. The team called for assistance and were directed to get through to a lighthouse. They got there the next day and were met by the race medics with suturing supplies. Mike’s teammate, Mark Human is an orthopaedic surgeon. Mark put in internal and external stitches and the team continues.
Keeping it in the family, Mike’s wife, Laura de Haast (Team Castle Lite) sliced her lip open when she face planted into the cliff at the abseil on Day 1. It has healed really well and she continues to race (currently sleeping at T6 and ready to cycle in the morning).
Tarryn Povey (Team Spirit) has strapping from mid-thigh to mid-calf. She’s a physiotherapist and her self diagnosis is a torn MCL, which has made her hiking and paddling incredibly difficult. She is currently half-way through the last hike.
There are two racers with a broken finger each. I’m not sure who they are. (I suspect there’s an additional broken finger – a guy who came into T6 tonight).
There’s a woman out there with a big bruise on her arm and a cracked helmet. A rock dislodged from the abseil cliff was came straight down. And that’s why we wear helmets!
Other things
Sportotal missed CP21. The marshal at T4 called Stephan last night and even though their track shows them going past the CP, race rules specify that teams must record the alphabet letter at each CP. Back on Day 1 a number of teams missed CPs (CP5 and CP7) and they had to go back for them. They are unranked.
So, as it stands, only one full team has withdrawn.
Update Friday Morning
One member each in teams PennypinchersAR and RaceMiere are out and teams are continuing as three-person teams. Two members are out of Warriors.
Anger Management were extracted at CP19 and they will continue from T6 on the shortened cycle.
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