Questars Race 2
Brecon Quest
David Hunt (Questars). Photos by Jon Brooke / 03.06.2008
There was a palpable air of anticipation as teams congregated in the sports hall for the Race Briefing to learn more about the course. Teams then had time to review the many route choices provided by the widespread location of the optional checkpoints before starting their race and receiving the all important Checkpoint Descriptions and Values card on the start line. This revealed which three of the 18 trail run and 18 mountain bike checkpoints marked on the course map were dummy ones. Many were relieved to see that they included the farthest away trail run checkpoints on Waun Rydd.
Runners still had some significant hills to climb to gain all the available points on the trail run stage. After some delightful riverside and towpath running on flat ground runners were presented with more of challenge. Many got to the 1000 foot high checkpoint 12, which commanded great views back down onto Brecon and the mountains of mid-Wales. Here teams needed to decide whether to go on to the summit of Bryn. Those that did were rewarded not only with a well-deserved 50 points but also with even more panoramic views of the high Brecon Beacons. 15 teams continued through Talybont Forest to collect all the available 400 points on the run.
Most teams decided to visit the kayaking transition point during their running stage. This was located a mile from the start where the Taff Trail and Usk Valley Walk all follow the southern towpath of the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. Help was on hand to aid teams down the steep canal bank onto their very buoyant double kayaks.
Teams then set out in both an easterly and westerly direction to visit the kayaking checkpoints all suspended to water level from the north bank of the canal. The colourful Quest fleet of kayaks provided quite a spectacle to many users of the towpath who encouraged teams on to visit as many of the six kayak checkpoints as they could during their allocated maximum of an hour on the water. Nine teams did indeed collect all the available kayaking stage points.
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