Ecomotion/Pro
Ice on the Beach
Louise Foulkes (ARWS) / 12.08.2013
The race started with teams lined up along the top of the beach. The gun was fired and teams ran to their waiting kayaks. Nathan Fa'avae was heard to say “time to redeem ourselves after the prologue” as he entered the water.
The first paddle was a 4km kayak leg up and around an island in the river. Teams approached it as if it was a 4km time trial. At the first CP, Seagate had a healthy lead however they lost this as they chose to paddle around a sand bank while others dragged their kayaks over the top. Team AXA roped 2 team members to each boat and pulled hard looking similar to horses pulling chariots. Their method was very effective and they overtook many teams.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this leg was the huge difference in the pace of teams as they paddled upstream against the tide then back downstream with it. Faces were grimaced with effort on the way up and every meter forward took a huge effort. After rounding the island, teams looked like they were flying along while barely dipping their paddles in the water. All of this is clear evidence that the tide times on the long rivers near the end of the race are really going to impact the teams forward speed.
The kayak was quickly over with team Unimed Rio Terra de Gigantes arriving first, closely followed by team QuasarLontra and Equipe BSA. Seagate paddled their way back into fourth but outpaced the other teams and reached the TA first.
The next leg is one of the “make or break” legs, 65km coasteering leg where teams traverse rocky headlands and walk long beaches. It finishes with a 3km swim to a CP in the middle of a lake. Currently teams are in the middle of this leg.
When they arrived at CP 2, after the technical rock section of the trek, they found a “Good Surprise”. CP2 is located at a special resort called TXAI. This resort has won prestigious awards such as the “Best Beach Resort” and “Best Eco Resort” in South America. It has also been listed as a top ten tourism destination in the New York Times.
Teams arrived looking very hot. Seagate were first. They said the technical section had been very enjoyable. There was one small jump into water and also a fixed rope across a short section.
The surprise consisted of a table of tropical fruits and a small boat filled with water and ice. The team quickly drank several bottles of water each and ate many bananas. Sophie Hart tried to convince the others to take the whole water melon with them. She had no luck.
20 minutes behind Seagate, Columbia Vidaraid and Rio Terra de Gigantes arrived together. Like Seagate their main interest was the cold water.
As the transition progressed, teams were seen to be taking showers, putting their head in the pool and doing anything they could to cool down. John Karlson from AXA adidas looked like he had a huge belly when he left, his race bib was stuffed full of ice.
As the sun goes down, the last remaining teams are starting to arrive at CP2. Meanwhile at the front the lead teams are expected to make it to the lake at around 10pm.
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