A BARCing Song

Graham and Jacky O\'Hanlon / 06.10.2002

Race volunteer Graham O’Hanlon wrote a memorable ditty after the last Adrenalin Rush and is now saddled with the task of composing after every race! Here’s the ‘unfinished symphony’ he came up with after BARC, with a few notes of explanation. You did, of course, have to be there to really appreciate it.

\"Many of the great composers have got away nicely with a half done job. True, this was often because they were dead, and that is not an excuse I can use as yet, but occasionally it was due simply to an interruption to the creative flow. For Coleridge’s ‘Kublai Khan’, it was the ‘person from Porlock’. For me it was a bunch of folk in head-torches running in circles shouting “Team coming!, Team coming!�.

\"With the first BARC being set in North Wales, the song needed some Welsh influence. We initially thought contemporary, and were going with the Manic Street Preachers “If you tolerate this, then the Eco-challenge will be next�. However, we finally settled on Shirl, for good old sing-along value.\"

To Shirley Bassey’s “Hey, Big Spender!�

The minute you entered the race,
We could see you were some teams of distinction, some real contenders,
Good looking !!?, so refined??!
Didn’t you want to know exactly what you would find?
So let us get right to the point,
You’ll have to dib your dib in every hole you see!
Sudocreme ready?
Spend a little time with me.

It looked pretty bad at the start.
All the marshals on the docks in Dublin, missed the ferry!
Getting crabby, so confined!
Didn’t think that they were going to get here on time!
Kit checks got straight underway.
Climbing up the rocks, and Kayaks on the sea.
Watch out rabbits!
Lost the code but need a pee!

And then you were up at the start.
Into the sea and paddled to Portmerion, a real big send-off
Mill-pond flat, but one capsize
People wet, but luckily nobody dies.
Then you pulled up at the docks,
Running round the woods in search of each CP
Two grass-top shelters!
Bugger!, that was down to me.

After a walk with the boats
Rowing round the lake in search of dibbers, found one dead body!
Police called in but just a sheep.
No arrests, so move on to the waterfall leap.
Then it was off on the bikes
Through the woods on the Coed-y-Brenin trails.
Hill-top finish!
Do all campsites slope in Wales?

It was quite hard on the joints,
When you all ran Cadair Idris, in sunny weather,
Dehydration, heavy sack.
Support crews were asleep and not expecting you back.
So out once again on the bikes.
Peddles upside down and boxers on the chain!
A lot more riding!
Gorillas hiding in the (pub) rain

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