Bimbache Raid Platja d\'Aro 2013
Team Beacon AR Preps for the Bimbache Extrem!
Adam Rose / 05.09.2013
You know how they say that just turning up on the start line is a victory? That.
This has been the craziest run-up to a race I’ve experienced. Bureaucratic issues with government departments, stolen passports, stress fractures, broken toes, replacing team mates, lost equipment, multiple trashed governmental IT systems – it’s all been fun and games! And much use of Google Translate with the organisers.
We entered back in April, in order to get the free accommodation and transfers available to the first 15 teams. There were teething problems communicating with the organisers, but eventually it was all sorted.
The Bimbache has an impressive pedigree. Host to the 2010 World Championships when Buff Thermocool topped the podium, renowned as a tough event, we entered to get a taste of tapas and torture under a hot sun. Taking place in Catalonia, with the emphasis this year on sea and mountains, it sounded like heaven, especially compared to the boggy cold of UK expedition racing.
The organisers have set a goal of running the resurrected event for 4 years from 2013, with the first staging designed to bring the widest field possible. Consequently, unlike most expedition length races, there aren’t any cut-offs. The course should allow teams of all abilities to complete the course, with the fastest finishing in around 3 days, and the slowest limited to the maximum of 5. Truth be told, that has now changed to 4.5 days, but who’s counting?
The disciplines are trekking, mtb, kayaking (river and sea), coasteering, via ferrata, underwater orienteering and NO skates – woot – over roughly 570km.
Training-wise, we’ve had to up our game. After competing in the relatively short Slovenian AR last year, this is the first time we’re tackling a 5 day race. All family men, in our 40s and 50s, we don’t have the spare time that some less-married, less-childrened people might have. So, we’ve trained smarter. Less of the junk miles, more of the quality. More interval training, more hills, more speedwork, and when possible, more on the bike. 380km of mtb isn’t anything to sneeze at, especially if the claim of 20,000m vertical gain is to be believed.
We’ll be going from sea level at Platja d’Aro on the Costa Brava, to just below 3000m in the Pyrenees. Multiple times, obviously, if we’re making that altitude – ouch.
I’ve done hiking in the French Mercantour Alps for a week in May with a heavy pack; we’ve completed a couple of longer, overnight sessions, including biking from near London to Poole Harbour then running around it, with some kayaking mixed in. Andy did the Labours of Hercules ultra run in the Peak District, while I completed the Lakeland 100 ultra. Ross and Daniel have been biking all over, and generally we’ve gotten up to speed.
The injuries have all occurred in the last month. Mine was the stress fracture, brought on by the Lakeland, while the other break had nothing to do with over training – just a chance encounter with an aggressive table leg. Right now, with 3 days to go before the race, we’re battling the Home Office over their inefficiency, and have no guarantees Australian Daniel will be able to make the starting line.
The 1.6kg tent has been delayed in Customs, again due to IT problems on their side, so currently we are missing a major piece of mandatory gear, and a wild search is underway in case we have to replace Daniel. So far we have two Spaniards, one Finn living in Colombia, and one Mexican waiting in the wings.
The beady eyed amongst you will have noticed the lack of female names in our team. Yes, it’s true, we neglected to find a woman willing to spoon in our stinky tent. No problem, racing out of competition was never going to be an issue. We will race as hard as we can, but our event is simply about the journey, not about the podium. Presumably Buff Thermocool is breathing a sigh of relief.
We’ll try to keep you updated on the race as it unfolds. As usual, all mobiles are sealed, so hopefully the organisers can send out tweets/reports, but if not, we’ll be sure to give you the lowdown afterwards. The race should be a cakewalk compared to our prep. Or not – lol.
SleepMonsters
