The AR World Championships - Costa Rica
75 Klicks Above The Do Lung Bridge
Adam Rose / 04.12.2013
If you can, try to get hold of a copy of EcoChallenge Borneo. Watch the first 10 minutes, as they show snippets from the race. There is one particularly telling image, of a racer holding his head in his hands, and the words "what the hell have I gotten myself into?" play over the top. It's brutal, harsh, yet somehow beautiful, someone pushed to brink and maybe just hanging on by ripped fingernails, over the void.
ARWC Costa Rica has not yet reached that point. Not yet. There were telling words as teams came off the water into T2, about the boats not being suitable, the 'easy' stages too difficult, the attrition rate likely to be high, and these from serious contenders.
What do you think? For me, it sounds right on the money. Everyone going into these championships has known it would be extreme. Those boats sound exactly right, the kind over which racers will be able to crack a grin as they crack a beer, maybe a year or two down the line,"Do you remember that first paddle?"
When they talk about The Mangrove, everyone will know exactly which mangrove on the planet is being referred to. 34 celsius in the shade, no water points, foul, stinking, salt-ridden mud, and not a few mosquitos. That some of the teams are sleeping in that ooze is beyond me - maybe they already don't care.
How many teams will finish the race, is the current burning question. Some people are already taking bets. While time will tell, what we know already is that it will be whispered in hushed and reverential tones, not least by the racers themselves. THAT is a race I want to enter. That is an experience I look for, when I read about epic challenges in exotic climes. I want to be taken to the edge, to look deep inside, maybe into the void itself.
Ahead lies Mount Doom. If the 4000m climb doesn't kill the legs, what about altitude sickness? Then more jungle, rafting, more kayaking, more Mud, more terrible Tomcats, and 100 mile rides. If I was racing, I'd already be shaking my head. And grinning, hopefully. What a blast!
In some circles, people say that if you can still stand after the finish line, you didn't push yourself hard enough. This race will bring people to their knees. Hallelujah.
Onward.
SleepMonsters
