Team Turtle::
The last Sunday of March, 2008, saw the return of Max Adventure’s Kathmandu AR series to Wildhorse Mountain on the Sunshine Coast. This year represented the third time in a row my team mate Scott and I competed together under the name of Team Turtle. After completing the race last year, I quizzed race director Gary on why he hadn’t sent teams up to the top of Wildhorse Mountain itself, confining the race to the relatively flat forestry surrounding it. With a wry grin on his face, he answered “Oh, but I have before…….” It was to prove a prophetic question for upon opening race packs and pulling out the map, sure enough CP1 was located smack at the top of the hill. This twist was to prove a challenge for our team, who try not to get caught up in the inevitable mad sprint at the start of any race, but to hold back and save energy for the end of the race. Personally I would have much preferred to visit the top of the hill at the end of the event when you knew you could put in one last big effort. Surprisingly however, the hill did manage to separate teams out significantly, and upon returning to the bottom to clip CP2, the race was on in earnest.
Leaving the TA, we set out on what was to be a 6-7km run leg, collecting 6 check points and crossing under the highway through a half filled drain pipe, which was unforgiving every time I lost concentration and straightened out from a running crouch. The trek leg was set up to invite some interesting navigational choices, with a couple CPs requiring either a swim across a creek or a long run around. We were lucky enough to find a fallen tree to cross quickly on the way to CP7, whilst other teams splashed across further down stream.
A quick transition saw us onto the bike for the first time that morning. It was here that we (note liberal use of this word) made our first navigational error, turning off at an intersection too early, before realising our error after about a minute and backtracking to the correct route. Although it was an awesome day in regards to weather, the area had received a lot of rain during the week and the minor tracks were quite boggy in patches. From the bike, we donned PFDs, swum across the river and bashed through the bush to the track on the western side of the map. After a little difficulty finding the next CP on an overgrown track, we made our way to the kayaks for what was to be a relatively short 2km paddle. It was on this paddle that we saw the lead three male teams coming back after collecting the sole CP, all within a minute of each other. Team guyandrews.com were in first place, powering through the water with what seemed like a one foot wake behind the boat, closely followed by Mountain Designs. It was apparent then that it would be a close race for first place, and also apparent that the gap between us and third was probably too far to close. Nearing the paddle CP, we were surprised to see a mixed team paddling down the river from the other direction beyond the check point, having significantly over shot-it. I really felt for this team; getting the navigation wrong always hurts, but never as much as it does in the kayak
At the end of the kayak leg, it was nearly race over for Team Turtle when Scott, who was carrying the boat from the front, dropped it down earlier than expected and I managed to slam the end of the kayak smack into the middle of my crotch. After it was apparent that no-one was going to help the pain with a quick massage, I just sucked it up and pushed through the last run leg, and onto the bikes. We made great time through the last ride, hitting all the CPs spot on, and being helped by the fact that a number of mixed teams had already beaten a path through the worst of the overgrown tracks. Eventual line honours went to the male team Mountain Designs, who apparently caught Team guyandrews.com on the last CP to finish ahead by 14 seconds. The mixed category was also won by Team Mountain Designs, with the female category headed by the Aunties Tri Adventure. Thanks again to Max Adventure for putting on a well organised race and a great post-race feed, as well as all the volunteers on the day.
Liam St Pierre |
