---

A ‘Sprint’ Start

Rob Howard / 16.08.2006

With the start time set for 11am, the start line 2km down the hill in Hemavan ‘central’ and the first transition area in the car park of race HQ it was a ‘relatively’ relaxed morning on the first day of competition at ARWC2006.

Many teams were grateful for this as their major concern overnight had been the complex logistical challenge of packing their race boxes, and they needed the time in the morning to finish the task. With 4 team gear boxes being moved around to a set schedule (sometimes with more than one at a transition), plus bike, paddle and inline boxes, the task of ensuring the right food and mandatory gear was always going to be in the right place at the right time was a puzzle of the like of which most had never encountered before.

Even very experienced race planners feel there is a risk of getting it wrong and acquiring penalties. “The only race that was more complex than this was the Raid Gauloises in Kyrgyzstan,� said Pete James of Aberdeen Asset Management.

So, once everything was packed and the boxes were shut and delivered to the correct piles around the hotel complex, teams were glad to put it behind them, get down to the start line and focus on the race ahead. The skated down the hill and left their skates (or kick bikes) on the edge of a rough field, 200m from the start line, then moved across to the start to collect their MIMAS race trackers.

See All Stories On This Race