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Choices and Challenges

Chris ‘the Sheriff’ James / 30.09.2005

Excellent adventure racing conditions, wind, rain, snow & shine were ready to test competitors during the Rollo’s 6HOUR adventure race and what was even better was that 65% of the field were first time adventure racers.

42 two person teams that made up the field were a mixture of the experienced to the first timer wanting to get a taste of adventure racing.
With Lake Rotoiti being this year’s event location, adventurers were competing in an Alpine environment and with a fresh dusting of snow falling on Friday night, keeping warm was key. All stages started and finished at the West Bay Jetty area at Lake Rotoiti.

At the start of each stage, teams were given a sealed envelope which contained the grid references of where the checkpoints were. This is the format of how each stage was released. Teams were likely to take between 5 to 7½ hours to complete the 3 stages of this year’s course with an extra stage for those teams who returned early.

With a scenic postcard backdrop competitors lined up at West Bay Jetty start line of this years Rollo’s 6HOUR Adventure Race knowing that their first stage was a kayak. When they returned from the kayak teams were given a choice of what stage they could do next. It would be either a Hike or Bike.

In stage one teams were required to kayak the length of Lake Rotoiti to CP1 at Lakehead jetty before returning to CP2, a scree slope at the lake’s edge, before returning to TA1 at the West Bay Jetty.

Returning first to TA1 were Ren & Stimpy the men’s combination of Scott Kinzett & Mark Bryant 2 minutes ahead of Andrew Martin & Pete Pattullo with defending 6HOUR champs ‘Hairy Legs’ along with ‘The 3 Pigs’ not far behind.

Once in TA1 teams were given the option of either hike or bike. Those who choose bike had it easy, however those who took the hike quickly marked their maps but forgot to read the top sentence on the stage notes, which told them that they would ride to the Mt Robert helipad CP3 before hiking up to CP4 at Bushline Hut. Falling snow would greet some teams on their way to CP5 Relax shelter on Mount Robert before descending Pinchgut track back to CP3 to collect their bikes and return to TA2. Those who turned up at the check-out of TA1 in their hiking gear suddenly found themselves having to get their mountain bikes and costing themselves minutes and maybe the race.

Those teams who chose to bike, would ride across and around Teetotal Flat to CP6 & CP7 and a remote CP8 before returning to TA2.

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