Team Accelerate Off to Portugal

Stuart Hale (Team Accelerate) / 21.11.2008

The 2009 Portugal XPD race will see Team Accelerate step up to the start line for the first time. The Peak District based team have continued to perform extremely well on the UK scene, having notched up a total of 14 adventure race wins alone this year. In fact in any adventure races entered in the last three years they have never failed to make the podium.

The Team is one of the largest squads in the UK and has throughout 2008 continued with the policy that each athlete only races for Team Accelerate within the sport of Adventure Racing. Regular team training has increased the athlete skill, fitness and knowledge base and this year has seen some of the less experienced racers come to the fore. At the end of September the Team gathered together for a final training weekend before selection was made for the Portugal XPD race.

The objective of the weekend was for the potentials to undertake 36 hours of non stop training in the Lake District. Team Manager Stuart Hale commented, “The weekend was not about how hard the guys could push things, but to discover how they coped with short sleep stops and how they all worked and got along together. We were lucky in that we had a base that we could come and go from at any time, with beds reserved, just in case!”

The weekend comprised long run-treks, mountain biking, kayaking, in-line skating and open water swimming. Full support was available to those training and people parking their cars in the car parks in Borrowdale must have wandered what on earth was going on.

36 hours on and the athletes were still smiling, with quite a few stories to tell. The conditions had been ideal and by 1pm on Sunday everyone was tucking into a full English breakfast, before grabbing a couple of hours sleep and heading for home.

Captain of the Team Accelerate squad heading out to Portugal will be Kev Honeysett. Kev is the most experienced member of the squad having completed two other 5 day events and has podiumed twice before at the Gael Force12. Joining Kev will be Caroline Bullard, Alasdair Bruce and Adam Marcinowicz. Julia Baron continues to train with the squad having been named as ‘Super-sub’. Team roles have been decided upon, as have the Team’s objective for the event – which includes gaining valuable experience.

Team Partners have also been getting in on the act and have been offering additional support and advice as the squad prepares. Nutritionists from High 5 have been giving help with nutritional advice and SKINS helping with sleep and recovery strategies.

Team Accelerate have also announced that New Balance are to become their latest Team Partner and have helped to supply the team with athletic kit and trail shoes suitable for the challenge in Portugal. New Balance will continue with support throughout 2009 for the whole squad.

Team Accelerate would like to publicly thank all their Team Partners: OMM, Make Innovation Happen, Mountain Hardwear, High5 Sports Nutrition, Skins, Accelerate and New Balance.