The Beast
The Summary of The Beast
Carrick Armer / 08.08.2017
So the Beast is contained for another year, back in its box for the time being. By and large, it's been a happy affair, with cheerful, if weary, smiles for most people for most of the event. That's always a good sign, especially for a race in a new area under new direction. Ivan Park and his team seem to have managed to keep most of the people happy most of the time, which is sometimes a feat in itself.
The course has been a mix of pleasure and brutality, as all good races are. While the biking had been predominantly non-technical, the race has made up for that element in the navigation and the harsh terrain of the trekking stages. The winning team, Columbia Ireland, took great advantage and extended their lead by being the only team to get through the majority of both these sections in daylight. Though that still involved some calculated navigational risks, the visibility must have been very welcome, especially across some of the boggy expanses on the top of the Derryveagh range.
There's been some classic local landmarks to see: Murderhole beach, Ballymastocker Strand, Doe Castle, the Harry Blaney bridge and of course a full 360 landscape view from the summit of Errigal. Okay, most of the teams passed many of these in the middle of the night, and a lot missed the summit of Errigal, but the point stands. Cycling on back lanes and old railway has meant teams have had their tour of the spread out villages and small towns that make up that part of Donegal, with their own air about them. The local support on the course, while particularly bemused in places, has been fantastic. Two seperate checkpoints have had festivals and parties happening at the same time - we're lead to believe there was a 'Lovely Girls' competition at Fanad Lighthouse when the two marshals arrived. We don't know whether either of them entered. We hope John the medic didn't.
In terms of racing, it's been fast and fair. There's been a couple of penalties issued, but realistically they've had little impact on the race results, but with both being issued to frontrunner teams, they've cranked up the tension a little. Speaking of tension, the racing between the top five, at least for the first 24 hours of the event, has been incredible to watch. Columbia, Moxie, 24H Meals, Roe Valley and Voodoo Performance had a great head-to-head going on for a long time, the lead switching regularly and the local team in particular putting the frighteners on the more experienced teams around them. It was unfortunate to see both them and Roe Valley have to withdraw and to wonder what could have been if they'd both made it to the long trek and beyond.
But, that's to find out next year, when The Beast is let out of its box again, and allowed to go and play in the hills. Until then, all that is left is to give out the provisional results, or at least those we can remember after a lovely pint or three of Kinnegar beer...
1st all male team - A.N. Others
2nd all male team - Kinsale AR
Finished with 3 members - Adventurers Assemble
Finished with 3 members - Team No Towrope
Withdrawn - Roe Valley
Withdrawn - Voodoo Performance
1st - Columbia Ireland AR
2nd - Moxie Racers
3rd - 24H Meals Adventure Team
4th - Dogleap
5th - Team Delta Denmark
6th - Big O
7th - Basecamp AR
8th - Outsider
9th - BRCK AR
10th - DC Energy/Black Sheep Hostel
11th - Adventure Race Squad Extreme (oh, alright... A.R.S.E)
12th - Kinsale Raiders
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