Endurance Quest Espoo
Endurance Quest Returns With a Spectacular Course in Finland
Press Release / 17.08.2023
The Endurance Quest, a part of the ARWS European Series, presented teams with some challenging navigation and numerous tactical decisions throughout the 24-hour race in Espoo, Finland. Thirty-two teams from seven different countries converged in Finland to participate in the Endurance Quest.
Two ARWS Race Directors also joined the Endurance Quest to gain fresh insights for their racers. Team XPD Holland, Directors of the upcoming European Championships for Raid Lowlands, sought to gauge the difficulty of EQ navigation and gather innovative ideas for next year's championships. Pablo López Franco, who directed the 2021 Adventure Race World Championship and European Championships, had previously raced twice in Endurance Quest in 2005 and 2007 and came back to race again.
On Friday, August 11th, the teams arrived at the Race HQ situated in the Haltia Finnish Nature Center within the Nuuksio National Park. The day was packed for teams as they completed race registration, prepared two TA boxes, a kayak bag, and underwent training in Finnfoam (using a urethane mattress for swimming). This swimming activity has been a fixture in Endurance Quest since its inaugural edition in 2002.
During the race briefing, teams received the final details about the course, cutoffs, and the initial leg's execution. Following the Adventure Race World Championship model, race organizers provided maps for legs 2-4 on Saturday at 8 am, while the remaining race maps were distributed at TA2.
At 10am on Saturday, the race commenced with a 300-meter marked uphill trail leading to the Solvalla Sport Institute football field's peak. There, teams were furnished with maps for the first leg, which encompassed a 7-kilometer rogaine, including a 400-meter swim featuring Finnfoaming. Team Multisport.fi and the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure team took the lead after completing leg 1.
Leg 2 was a 52-kilometer mountain biking leg, utilizing special MTBO maps from the Finnish MTBO Championships 2021. This leg took teams from Nuuksio to Espoo National Park, culminating in TA1, positioned at Espoo Archipelago's Hanikka Beach.
Leg 3 was a 24-kilometer sea kayaking stretch through the Espoo Archipelago. Although route choices were limited, the teams engaged in significant sea kayaking. The mild wind ensured a lack of substantial waves, allowing teams to relish the beauty of Espoo's archipelago.
Leg 4 was a 28km MTB, a short, straightforward bicycle journey from Espoo to Kirkkonummi, featuring enjoyable single tracks. The primary aim of this leg was to transition teams to the Meiko Wilderness.
Leg 5 was a demanding 16-kilometer night trek, complete with a rope section. The teams at the front completed this leg during daylight, securing a substantial advantage over those navigating it at night. Termed a "navigation nightmare," this leg demanded a high level of orienteering, akin to the Finnish championship standard. With limited trails and numerous small swamps and knolls, navigators had to maintain constant awareness of their location.
The rope section featured rappelling from a 25-meter-high cliff using a figure-eight and prusik. "I relished this navigation challenge, the detailed maps, the remarkable terrain, and the demanding checkpoints. I will return to tackle this leg during nighttime," remarked Oskar Svärd from team SAFAT as they reached the rope section with a 10-minute lead over Multisport.fi. After leg 5 at TA2, teams drew the remaining maps while enjoying warm Tactical Foodpacks for dinner. These food packs provided quality race energy for both racers and race volunteers throughout the weekend.
Leg 6 was a 63-kilometer mountain biking leg, boasting simpler navigation alongside captivating checkpoints situated under an ancient ruined water mill and a cave. The cave, positioned 1.5 meters above the ground, necessitated teams to employ rope ladders for access.
Leg 7 was a 22-kilometer trek, following the renowned Nuuksio Classic trail marathon route. During the 2012 Endurance Quest, there was a 45-kilometer trekking leg covering the entire Nuuksio Classic trail marathon. However, this time, only half of it was included. At the onset of this leg teams traversed a small lake. The leading teams tackled this portion in pitch-black conditions, guided by glowsticks on the opposite side of the lake. SAFAT led the race with a 20-minute gap over Multisport.fi. Both teams encountered minor navigation errors, and at CP70, Multisport caught up to SAFAT.
Leg 8 comprised a 6-kilometer swimrun/canoe section across three different lakes. Teams had the choice to swimrun, canoe, or undertake both activities. Leading teams Multisport.fi & SAFAT opted for swimrun, while the third-placed Bull Adventure Team chose canoeing. The time difference among the teams was 3 minutes for Multisport.fi & SAFAT. Even before the race starts, course designer Jerry remained uncertain about the fastest way to complete this stage. Pablo conveyed his satisfaction with leg 8, stating, "We relished the short trek and chose a longer route to enjoy the lakeside view."
Leg 9 was a brief 8-kilometer trek to Haltia, featuring several off-trail CPs. Throughout the leg, Multisport.fi & SAFAT remained in close competition, but just 100 meters before the finish line, SAFAT, who were racing as a team of 3 and so were racing non-competitively, allowed Multisport.fi to secure the victory. The finishing time was 21 hours and 21 minutes.
Final Results:
Team Multisport.fi (FIN) - 21 hours, 53 minutes
Bull Adventure (FIN) - 24 hours, 3 minutes
Free Adventure (FIN) - 25 hours, 17 minutes
All three top teams incurred distinct penalties. Race referee Petri Forsman vigilantly monitored the teams' progress to ensure a fair competition. Multisport.fi received a 30-minute penalty for crossing a restricted area corner. Bull Adventure faced a 60-minute penalty for failing to present a mandatory phone during gear check. Free Adventure suffered a 30-minute penalty for crossing a restricted area corner.
Race organizers received substantial positive feedback regarding the map quality and the course's natural beauty. This endurance event will continue to be part of the ARWS European series in the upcoming year, showcasing a fresh location and novel tactical options again in future races.
For more information on Endruance Quest visit; https://www.northernadventure.fi/endurancequest
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