Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge
Race Blog 2 - In Freycinet National Park
Will Gray (Webber Challenge) / 07.12.2011
Competitors in the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge are now through the first hurdle of registration, eager to get going on a course that will take them in and around the spectacular Hazards Mountains. As Mark Webber is whisked here and there with various film crews and media interviews, the buzz around his unique adventure race is rapidly building.
Since running around Hobart with more than 200 locals in his new 6.5km Adventure Run, Webber has been taken through quite a schedule of filming and media opportunities ahead of his only competition day in the event, on Wednesday, when he races with Guy Andrews.
Fitting the trip out here and back into his F1 commitments was a challenge in itself, but it was one he would not allow to move from his schedule, resulting in a challenging route from Brazil, via London to Melbourne then Hobart, followed by a return trip to London via India for the end of season F1 prize giving - all in less than a week.
But while Webber’s journey may be arduous, it is nothing compared to what the competitors are preparing for. Even just tomorrow’s opening day will see them take on almost 60km of different disciplines. They will be kayaking across Coles Bay, biking through the trails and roads of Freycinet National Park and abseiling off a rock on the route to Wineglass Bay before a final kayak into the spectacular and extremely exclusive Saffire Resort.
The field consists of some well-known names from the sport, including Jarred Kohlar and Emma Weitnauer, racing for Pure Tasmania, and Guy Andrews and Mark Webber, who are racing as Team Tasmania, with Australian sprinter Darren Clarke taking over when Webber departs.
Red Bull also have a team to watch, with Australian touring car driver Rick Kelly and South African ultra runner Ryan Sandes, taking part in his first multisport event, while there are plenty of dark horses in a field of 25 two-person teams.
Webber, with a wealth of experience from racing in the past four events that ran in 2003, 2006, 07 and 08, greeted the troops with a beaming smile as he offered a few words of advice in the pre-event briefing. He was excited for the event to get going after a busy pre-event period, for him this was the moment he flew over to Tasmania for.
It all kicks off at 7:30am local time, with a rapid navigation around the resort before the competitors take to the water for the start of what will be a thrilling but challenging five days of competition.
To follow the race live visit: <a href="#" onClick="javascript:newsitewindow('http://www.markwebbertasmaniachallenge.com')" class="main">www.markwebbertasmaniachallenge.com</a> or join the twitter stream SMWebberTasChlg.
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