Questars Series Race 1 - Wiltshire
The Questars Series Returns for 2023 with a Picture Perfect Start at Pewsey
Rob Howard / 27.04.2023
Racers gathered for the first Questars adventure race of 2023 at the St. Francis School in Pewsey, looking forward to the first race of the year and a new era for one of the UK’s oldest adventure races.
After the series was cut short last year it looked like Questars might not continue, until Joe and Kim Selby stepped forward to take it on. Joe has competed in Questars races many times over the past 13 years and said, “It might have been a decision made as much with my heart as with my head.”
After a lot of hard work in the lead up to the race and with help from the previous owners, who were supporting him at his first race, the day had arrived for the first of the new Questars races, and there were 251 entries.
On a fine and cold Saturday morning it was an expectant group of racers who gathered in the Hemery Hall gym for the first Questars under new management. There was a sociable and excited pre-race buzz in the hall as most were returning racers and regular competitors, catching up with old friends from past races.
All Questars races are held in the south of England and the race community has been boosted over the years by its association with the UK Challenge (formerly the Microsoft Challenge), training teams for the prestigious corporate team building event. There are links to the Royal Artillery as well, and they were holding their own annual Adventure Race Championship as part of the first race of the year.
The Questars tribe was reunited in Pewsey, which Joe said, “is always a favourite venue”, and he made no significant changes to a tried and tested race formula. There were still 6 hour (Masters) and 5 hour (Novice) courses, with options with or without kayaking, for teams (4, 3 or 2) and solo racers. Each team or racer was provided with a waterproof map, pre-marked with all of the checkpoints, kayaks and equipment were provided and there was bike hire available for those who needed it.
The format allows everyone to race to their own abilities, for as long as they want, and rewards good navigation and strategy. The competitors choose their own course to get the most points in the time available, deciding how long they want to run, and how long to ride. (Only one transition is allowed.) The kayaking stage is fixed at an hour with time slots allocated, which teams have to factor into their plans. It’s a flexible format designed to challenge elite racers and be accessible to complete newbies.
Some were racing for the first time, including Inger Westerberg, an orienteering champion from Sweden, who travelled to the UK to race with her daughter, and two teams of 4 from the Tilston Trotters running club who had travelled from Cheshire and were all taking part in their first adventure race. One team was called the Hares, and the other the Tortoises (who were all racing in brightly coloured tutus). The tortoises said they were going for the most fun and the lowest points score, and probably a pub lunch!
The control descriptions, points and location of the dummy checkpoints were given out on the start line and from there teams set off running, riding and paddling in all directions, each with their own race plan for the day.
Exploring the Vale of Pewsey
The Masters teams had the first time slots on the kayaking, which was up and down the Kennet and Avon canal and the boats were launched from Pewsey Wharf, which is just across the road from the school. For much of the paddle the teams were passing moored canal boats, with those near the wharf brightly painted and those further along the canal a bit more down market and workman-like.
The racers were more interested in finding the checkpoints hung on the opposite bank, and in how many checkpoints they could reach in their hour long time slot. (There are heavy penalties for staying out too long.) As elite racers Nick Gracie and Tom Davies passed they said “we have to turn after 33 minutes”, but on the way back the comment was “they were easy enough to get in time”.
Novice kayakers could turn around after getting a few of the 6 checkpoints and some had another challenge ... keeping in a straight line! The Tilston Trotters Tortoises said; “We probably did twice the straight line distance as we zig-zagged from side to side all the way.”
The running and riding checkpoints were spread across the picturesque Vale of Pewsey and reached via tracks, bridleways and footpaths. Most were to the North, with a string of running checkpoints set along the escarpment from Knap Hill to Martinsell Hill, giving the racers sweeping views back across the patchwork fields and villages of the vale below. There were also a few biking checkpoints south of Pewsey, with one on the steep southern escarpments of Fyfield Down.
Some of the most challenging checkpoints were those furthest north, in the confusing trails and steep ground of the West Woods. Solo racer Lyndon Sutton couldn’t find one of the run checkpoints here. Lyndon has entered every Questars (since 2001), is now 72 and was racing under the team name “hips, knees, wrists, thumbs, pain” but despite the physical challenges he’s still enjoying his racing and orienteering. He’s the elder statesman of Questars racing.
Dry Trails and Fast Racing
The West Woods featured in the outcome of the Masters team race with the two highest scoring teams opting to skip CP’s 27 & 28 to leave themselves more time to clear the biking checkpoints. Deciding which checkpoints not to go for is an important skill in Questars racing. In the fine weather and with dry trails the riding was fast, so category winners Nick Gracie and Tom Davies finished with 27 minutes to spare and could certainly have claimed at least one of the dropped checkpoints.
Gary Davies and Mark Chryssanthou did the same thing and scored the same points (965), but finished 19 minutes later, and with the nagging feeling that had they managed to only drop one CP and finish in time they would have won. They only had 7 minutes to spare however.
In the Open Solo category the winner, Iain Porter, cleared the course scoring all 1000 points with 5 minutes to spare, while second placed Dan Thorby also reached all of the checkpoints but was 1 minute 42 seconds over the time limit, incurring 10 penalty points. Stephanie Gibbins was the highest placed female solo with 790 points and Jen Hunt & Andrea Berquez were the winners in the female teams category with 765 points.
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Questars format means every point counts, whether it’s for first place or 20th, and getting more points than your (friendly) rivals is as good as a win. For the Tilston Trotters the result was a true story of the Hare and the Tortoise, a fable for all new Questars racers to study!
The Hares rushed around, going up and down hill and covering a much greater distance than the tortoises – but it was the Tortoise team who scored the most points. (500 against the 380 the Hares scored, though they did finish an hour early by mistake!) Slow and steady can win the race.
Douglas Buckeridge of the Tortoises team said, “Our plan was just to avoid the steep hills on our route, take our time and have fun. We had a long transition after the kayak stage to dry out and eat something and we had a blast. It was a fantastic day out and a good result, especially for Becs (Rebecca Campbell), who had only ever run 5k before.”
Team Sweden enjoyed their day too, finishing second in the Novice Female team category with 455 points. Asa Bell, who lives in the UK, explained she was looking for a new event for some motivation to get fitter and invited her mother to join in (as navigator) and her friend Jenny. “It was so much fun,” she said, “and so pretty around here.” Inger said, “It was fun to see the countryside this way and I will look for adventure races at home in Sweden now.” Jenny added, “It was my first time on a mountain bike and I enjoyed it!”
Similar sentiments were voiced on the finish line many times as racers said what a great day out it was and praised the course. Kudos to Joe Selby, whose first course had one clearance (just about the perfect result for a planner), visited some great places and allowed all abilities the opportunity to explore the area.
The race organisation was highly praised by the competitors as well and it was an impressive first race for the new Questars organising team. They won’t get much of a break as they are in action again very soon as race #2 in the Chilterns is on May 13th.
For more on the Questars series and to enter a race see www.questars.co.uk
Race dates for the rest of the year are;
Chilterns – May 13th / South Coast – June 10th / Cotswolds – July 1st
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