ARWC 2015 Brazil - Pantanal
Races within the Race
Rob Howard / 18.11.2015
As the 2015 AR World Championship progresses through day 4 teams are re-thinking their objectives. For all of them the primary objective is simply to keep going, putting one wet and sore foot in front of the other, constantly drinking and trying not to make a navigational error, which would be soul destroying here, where every few metres is so hard won.
Those teams moving more slowly have course cut-offs and transition closure times to beat. A few teams were already moved from AT3 to AT5 and these were allowed to leave after the first 5 teams had passed yesterday evening. (The ACE Estonia team had a following as they set off on their trek from Port Sao Pedro as they were in 5th at the time.)
[The Nordic Adventure team had also wanted to rejoin the race here, but were not permitted to as they had already had two team members sick with the heat and it was too much of a risk for them set off on the next two remote stages.]
Of those teams which did set off on the Amolar trail it seems certain 4 will miss the extended 3pm closure time at AT4. Team 9, Ekos/Selva Aventura arrived in transition with just minutes to spare to stay on the full course.
They said team captain Djaima de Siqueira had suffered badly with the heat towards the end of the trek and they had to stop in the shade but it was so rocky there was nowhere for him toeven comfortably lay down.
They gave him much of the team’s water – then naturally the rest of the team began to suffer too. At one point, just for a few minutes, it rained on them, the first rain I’ve heard of in the race, despite it being the start of the rainy season. It was a very short relief however, and the team felt even hotter when the rain stopped!
The teams which are going to miss the transition closure at AT4 are nos. 21, 32, 24 and 27, three from Brazil and the team from Uruguay. They will have to wait at the TA until they can be extracted down river.
Further forward in the race the next AT closure is also moved forward (to 2am tomorrow), so that is the next deadline for the Ekos team – the time by which they must finish their paddle down the River Paraguay.
Looking forward around the course the closure time at the remote AT6 is 08.00 tomorrow and at AT7, the end of the forest pack rafting, at 06.00 on Thursday. Then comes the shorter (26km) trek – still carrying the kayak bags – to AT8, which is open until 12.00 on Thursday.
After that it is the 150Km MTB stage and this has the two race cut-offs at PC21 – Leke Curve. The first is 06.00 on Friday and anyone arriving after this has to go direct to PC25 on the second MTB stage. The second is 20.00 on Friday, and after this teams must go direct to PC29, which is close by the finish in Corumba.
After this there are more closure times at the remaining AT’s and a deadline to get to the ropes stage by 06.00 on Saturday. Even some of the top 10 teams may have to be aware of these timings and in a race to beat them. Tired, blistered and dehydrated their pace is slowly dropping, they need more rest than in other races and the clock keeps ticking.
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