Resting up and moving on (Sat. night to Sun. Dawn)

Rob / 15.04.2002

Overnight the teams moved through the forest areas around Glenmore Lodge, mainly on mountain bikes, and had some chance to rest, often more than they expected. Those at the back who had been taken out off the full course had to wait until the rest of the field came by the checkpoint they were moved to before rejoining – which gave them 5 or 6 hours of much needed sleep. Hopefully enough to keep them going until the end.

Team Seven Days had managed to stay on the full course and last night as dusk fell they had to come off the river Spey, abandon their canoe and walk on to the next checkpoint. (It’s a race rule not to be on the water after dark.) Then they started a long trek southwards but in the night Colin Roberts became severely hypothermic and the medics pulled them off the course at 3.30am and back into Glenmore Lodge. His core temperature was down to 34 degrees and he was finding it hard to stand but he warmed up and recovered well after 8 hours sleep, then the team continued into the mountains.

This is typical of the attitude of the race organisers who are doing everything they can to keep teams on the course, with great success. None have given in yet. They encourage teams to use the radio if they need help or advice (unlike some races where radioing in is a disqualification offence) and that’s what Total Adventure did, though a bit reluctantly. They too had a hard time in the night and were getting very cold. (The skies had now cleared, the temperature dropped below zero and there was a hard frost by morning.) They made it to the checkpoint after the night trek and they too were put to bed to rest and warm up before continuing in the early hours of the morning.

The leaders spent much of the night on their mountain bikes and Anna McCormack of leaders Goretex Golite described the long forest road and track ride as “horrible�. They were having a lot of trouble staying awake on the bikes, and resorted to shouting at each other or trying to have conversations to keep themselves awake. “You can tell when someone is going� she said, “they start to weave about. We even had to sit facing each other in a canoe the previous afternoon too, so we could talk to stay awake.� They managed well enough and kept going to the first major transition area of the race, which they reached at 39 minutes after midnight.

The large white tent lit from the inside was like a beacon of warmth and contained their food boxes, dry clothes – and sleeping bags, and whether they were planning to have a sleep there or not, they got one. This was the point various race penalties were served (1 hour 38 minutes in their case), but the organisers put a hold on the race for the leaders here too, stopping them for an extra 2 hours. This was to ensure they didn’t go up into the mountains in the dark in the frosty conditions.

So by the time a clear frosty dawn arrived Goretex Golite, Parrot Lythgoe and Bridgedale Ireland were bedded down, with the leaders setting off just after 4 a.m. carrying ice axes and crampons for the climb ahead.

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