Helly Hansen Adventure Challenge #3
Winter Wonderland
Rob Howard / 08.12.2008
Over 700 racers turned up to shiver on the start line and look enquiringly at the solid lake, but adventure racers are not easily deterred and Race Director Paul Magner announced; “Have faith, the paddling will go ahead!� At that point he did not know just how thick the ice was however …
This was the second outing for the Helly Hansen series at Hawley and it is similar to the better known Longmoor venue (and not too far distant from it). The military land is used for army training and is a mix of woods and sandy heath ideal for a few hours running, riding and paddling … and a few other activities designed to keep the competitors moving and stop them freezing.
The first of two start waves set off at 10.00, racing out of the base compound on the lake shore, through the perimeter fence and into the woods for the first 5km run. Five minutes later the second wave set off to follow them, running over an area of sand traps and circling the lake to return to transition. The frost in the trees and ice in the puddles was already glittering on what was to be a sparkling winters day.
It was no great surprise that serial race winners Votwo.co.uk were first back into transition to swiftly switch to their bikes and race off on the first of two Mtb laps. The hard ground ensured they were even quicker than usual, but there were some patches of deep mud on the trail to negotiate. There were new single-track sections too, but sadly the BMX track-like ground used last year had been bulldozed flat!
As the riders made their way around the water-safety team called Paul Magner over, concerned that the chunks of broken ice now floating in the channel they’d created were sharp enough to puncture the 3-seater Sevylor inflatable kayaks. They took one out to test and made it round so the decision to go ahead was made, but on a slightly shortened course. No sooner was this done than VoTwo.co.uk came racing over to grab their kayak and set off!
They were escorted to show them the revised route, which passed round an island and back to the start point. The earlier paddlers had to cope with more ice while later on a wider channel was cleared. The ice sheet on the rest of the lake never looked like melting though!
SleepMonsters
