All's Well On The Western Coast, But The Monster Looms...

Adam Rose / 03.12.2013

ARWC Costa Rica is a looong race. We know that. We also know that curve balls can come thick and fast, with all the technical hiccups that can occur in AR. So far Seagate, Thule and Haglofs Silva have been steaming away at the front, but Tecnu & Columbia Vidaraid are closing the gap, and we have yet to hit the serious mangrove mayhem. What if a team gets a kayak puncture? Considering that these kayaks have an even longer leg awaiting on the east coast, one nasty nip from a croc or aggressive branch could drop one of the leaders right in the pooh. 

Route-wise, the race has pretty much been going according to spec, insofar as there haven't been any serious deviations. Early on the bike stage, Merrell & Seagate took a more easterly route alongside the Panamanian border before rejoining the fray, but otherwise the only marked departure was after CP4, when the field seemed to split almost in half, with some following the prescribed route (N>W>S), and the others (including the 3 leading teams) taking a more direct line on lesser roads (SW > W) to the first transition.  

Early in the first kayak stage, the only indication of sneakiness was as teams left Golfito Bay. The three lead teams took the official route, but in short order, a good number went due west, hopping over a narrow, tree-covered sandbar to cut a corner. At least 12 have taken this route, including Merrell, Axa and Gear Junkie, but most have been Costa Rican - no doubt using local knowledge. In a race where the field is in close packs as it is right now, any advantage is good. 

Team 10 seemed to have dropped the checkpoint in Golfito Bay altogether, following the shoreline straight towards CP9, then unexpectedly did an about turn on the aforementioned sandbar, paddling back south to CP8. There is a possibility that the first mangrove channel, leading into Golfito Bay, became freakishly boggy for the later teams. Team 66, near the rear, avoided it almost entirely, before portaging across the peninsula into the bay, to get the CP. 

There has been a bit of apprehension watching them orange blobs. After roughly 40km of the total 65km stage, Tierra Viva started moving westerly into deeper water, apparently to drop CP10 and go straight for T2. Five teams followed in close pursuit. Were they simply tired, and therefore following blindly, or was the weather pushing them away from the coastline? It seemed too early to be dropping CPs, especially for teams not lightly regarded. Fortunately Tierra Viva straightened course and the others followed. 

So, with the 10 lead teams off the water, hauling their kayak gear et al over the 200m climb near the Corcovado National Park, the first truly interesting stage awaits. Who will get lost in the mangroves of Doom? Who will lose it in the massive mudness? Who will go so far off course that they end up looking for Colonel Kurtz? 

Don't leave your machine. Watch those orange blobs…

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