No Chink in the Seagate Armour

Rob Howard / 13.11.2016

Team Seagate are the winners of the 2016 AR World Championships in Australia.  

They led from start to finish, had an almost faultless race and could not be more worthy winners.  For the 3 regular team members it is a 5th World Championship win, and for new teammate Jo Williams, her first.

The fact Seagate had a new team mate for the race, one they’d never raced with before, was why I posed the question whether there would be ‘a chink in the Seagate armour’ in a preview.  And on the finish line a smiling Jo Williams said to me how happy she felt, and added, “I’m glad I wasn’t a chink in the armour!”  Touchė!

The world’s pre-eminent adventure racing team lived up to their record and their favourites tag with another impressive performance and most of the time when I saw them Jo was smiling as she raced with 3 AR legends. On the finish line, while the cameras pointed at her better known team mates she said, “It was almost easier racing with them, they are so well organised there were less problems to deal with! I know it means a lot to them to win a 5th world title, and for me to be here and be a World Champion is unbelievable.” 

She looked a bit bemused as one of the video cameras homed in her. It must be a lot to take in, not just the achievement and the journey, but the buzz of the finish line and the assembled media.  She’s finished many races before, but never with such a reception.

The team moved fast on the final stage as they trekked along the coast to Ulladulla, finishing just before midday, and close to the predicted winning time of 4 days. (They were about an hour under the 4 days.)  Waiting on the line were the Fa’avae family, the children holding a colourful Seagate banner, and after the team had made their trademark leap on the finish line and posed for the photos, the family joined them for some more photos.

Stuart Lynch commented on their decision to sleep at the second last checkpoint. “It wasn’t a long sleep but it helped keep us sharp to the finish,” he said.  He looked the most tired of the team, and rarely says much, but on this finish line was quite talkative.

“We lost some time in the caves,” he said, “when Nathan couldn’t get through, and were not down to the river to paddle for first light.  We put a hole into one of the rafts too, but that was our own fault.”  It’s the mark of a great champion that after a comprehensive win all he was thinking about was what could have been done better!

Finish line duties done, the team headed into the traditional XPD finish lounge where a couch, beer and pizza waited for them, and their celebrations could really begin!

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