Quest ARS
The Coniston Quest
Pippa MacDougall - Questars / 30.07.2004
Whilst there were no speed records set this time due to a stiff wind, there were some heroic efforts made by many adventure racers in both the Masters and Novice categories. Half the Masters managed to contend with the choppy conditions to clear all the canoe checkpoints and two Novices teams, the ‘Kennilworth Troopers’ and the ‘Pink Posse’ visited all bar one. Congratulations to all that braved the water and particularly the two teams that capsized and gamely carried on with the assistance of the Quest safety boat.
Conditions for the trail running and mountain bike disciplines were fair as competitors set out from the Coniston Sports and Social Club across some of the most scenic parts of the Lake District. A wide choice of routes across the lower slopes of the Old Man of Coniston, through Yewdale to Tarn Hows, around Holme Fell and into Grizedale Forest afforded both great views and enabled racers to cover some very varied terrain. Many competitors were bowled over by the tremendous scenery.
Racers were able to choose to run or bike first and incorporate their canoe stage within either. This allowed competitors to plan routes that played to their strengths. A good number concentrated on the trail run first with several teams nearly covering all 15 checkpoints. Just one team managed to visit them all, the Veterans team of Frank Hird, Martin Hall and Peter Murray who certainly surpassed their team name of \'The Plodders\' to collect a full 410 questars.
Mountain bikers were rewarded with some great descents on off-road trails as well as some stiff hill climbs and a network of quiet lanes and bridleways. Some great scores were posted with two solo entries achieving all 15 bike checkpoints: Liam Corner and our scorer Allan Farrington, who took time out in the middle of the day to get some exercise.
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