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Till the Pips Squeeze at Pippingford

Rob Howard / 08.09.2006

There was no mistaking the new sponsor for the Trailplus organised one-day series. The Helly Hansen flags were snapping in the strong wind and the fearsome slippery wall was guarding the entrance to a finish corridor fenced off by bright blue and red Helly Hansen banners. (Those the organisers had managed to keep up in the gale force winds the previous day anyway!)

The first of the new Adventure Challenge Series was all set to start at Pippingford Park, in the heart of the Ashdown Forest, and as the teams lined up the weather showed no signs of the promised improvement. It was drizzling and low cloud and fog hid the surrounding valleys and hills into which the course would go.

The 55 teams and pairs who had entered gathered near the Manor House, ready to set off, but not sure exactly how far they would be going as there were no course measurements given. They had seen a sketch map and course outline, and knew the format, but there was no need to remember its complexities as the route would be marked and marshalled and no navigation was required. It was a matter of following the tape and instructions and keeping going to the finish ... which proved to be a very tough challenge indeed.

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