Lycian Challenge Adventure Race LC 2014 - AREC
Skandia Adventure Are Ready for Anything
Thure Fuhrmann (Skandia Adventure) / 17.04.2014
Danish squad Skandia Adventure Team has entered the final planning stage for this year’s European Championships in adventure racing. As usual the road to the start line has been rocky.
Taking part in a big adventure race has three stages: The early planning stage, the last minute planning stage and the race itself.
With less than two weeks to go we have entered the last minute planning stage and so far it has all gone according to the normal adventure racing dogma. My experience is that in every stage of the planning, there a bomb: A sudden unexpected game changer, that you have to deal with.
In the early planning stage the bomb detonated late: with less than one month to go the girl on our team switched teams and is now racing against us on the British team Adidas Terrex. Had we not been used to glitches like these the reaction could easily have been sheer panic.
But having ten years plus of experience in putting together teams and taking part in AR’s has given me two big advantages: A network of good friends – and solid nerves. Put those two into effect and everything will be all right. We quickly got back on our feet with a strengthened team and can now put the early planning stage behind us.
That all means that we can enter the last minute planning stage and focus on the one issue that really matters: What to eat during the race! For me that means constantly scouting supermarket aisles, shops and markets for special treats for the food bags for the race.
After visiting Berlin with my family I now have my first bag of special goodies stowed away: nuts, dried meat, waffles and a selection of Haribos finest.
Before we board the plane for Turkey all the bags of special treats will be put together with a few homemade company secrets, the favourite (Rahmen Noodles) and we'll top them up with whatever we can stuff in the shopping bags in the local supermarkets once we get there.
Oh yeah, and off course: we'll patiently await the detonation of the Last Minute Planning stage bomb. It can be everything from an impossible to get piece of climbing gear, an unexpected piece of kit added to the list (a pack raft maybe) or a last minute injury.
Whatever it is – we're ready for it!
[The Skandia Adventure Team for the Lycian Challenge 2014 consists of Thure Fuhrmann (DK), Peter Villadsen (DK), Petri Forsmann (Fin) and Fanny Fréchinet (F). Visit the team at www.facebook.com/teamskandia.]
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