Mild Seven Outdoor Quest
Flippin Helicopters
Tim / 24.11.2002
The day started with a jungle run over steep and rough terrain. Only half a mile from the start and the first casualty of was taken when Taija Lyyski of Team Lapin Kulta suffered a heavy twist to her ankle which is still not confirmed as broken or not. The team pulled out of the stage and will continue as an unranked team with the three men only. To everybody’s surprise the first team in from the run was Team Saab Salomon. They had had a stormer and came in 2 minutes clear of overall race leaders Team Hi-Tec. Saab Salomon’s experience in running over rough mountain terrain was apparent as they left World Champions from numerous endurance sports trailing in their wake.
Their lead was maintained through the subsequent mountain bike and running stages, it was clear that the Brits were on a charge and that they still have a top 5 place firmly in their minds. Team Nokia Adventure was now in second place with Hi-Tec slipping to third, but it was all very close with only 5 minutes splitting the first 5 teams. The next stage was a 16 km team biathlon (biking and running), Hi-Tec turned up the gas and caught the Brits on the final half K, they were quickly followed by Nokia, GoLite and Switzerland Raidnature. The Swiss were also on a day 2 charge after a disappointing day 1 when World Orienteering champion Alan Berger had suffered a similar complaint to Adam.
Facing the teams next was a short ropes section followed by 18 km of river paddling to the finish. Hi-Tec were first onto the water, they were followed about 1 minute later by Team Saab Salomon. Just as Helen and Adam were getting going, the TV helicopter flew in very low to film them, the downdraught flipped the boat and saw it disappear down river while Adam and Helen swam desperately after it in an attempt to recover. This took time, sadly enough time to see 3 teams pass them while they struggled with this unexpected problem. For the guys on the team it was heartbreaking to see Nokia, GoLite and Switzerland disappear down stream, having worked so hard all day to stay ahead of them. This meant that the British team finished the day in 5th place, but it was much closer than day 1 with only 10 minutes between the first 5 teams.
Ben let us know exactly how he felt at the finish. “The bloody helicopter came so close to us we had no chance. It’s really gutting when we have worked so hard all day only for something like that to cost us second or third place for the day. We have complained to the organisation but I don’t know if they will give us any time back, I think it’s unlikely, they didn’t seem that bothered.�
This coupled with Adam’s condition, which is better than yesterday but he is still not right, just shows what a great team performance it was, and a fantastic demonstration of courage and determination. If the team can continue this way over the next 2 days, and with a little better luck, a top 5 place is still possible, but it remains a tall order even for them.
Full results will follow later, see more Mild 7 photos in the gallery on www.teamsaabsalomon.com .
SleepMonsters
