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Having competed in a couple of events together previously, and the fact this race was being held in our backyard, there was some thought that we could do well at Glenrock. The day started a little warm and there was some trepidation by us when we realised we had to start with a run that took us up some 70 – 80m.
The countdown to race start began and on zero Broken bounded off with the leaders whilst Old was in the middle of the field. By halfway up the hill Broken started to feel the effects of the heat and the fast pace. Into the bike compound with only a handful of teams in front. Great start! We powered along some known tracks to us before our first incident happened…
Broken got a flat tyre just before the decent to checkpoint 12, and after dismounting his bike felt the effects of heat exhaustion. Laid down in the shade while Old replaced his tyre and 15 mins later we were back in action – down a steep tricky single track section that was a lot of fun! Next incident was Old got a flat – not 5 minutes after Broken’s. Damn, damn, damn! Another 5 – 10min rest whilst Old changed his flat and onto the transition to the coasteering / kayak leg. Broken’s words of encouragement to Old whilst changing the tyre: “you do know it’s a race don’t you…”
Found out we weren’t even in the top 50 anymore as we were sent on the coasteering leg instead of the kayak – slight drop in spirits, but soldiering on nonetheless. Next incident involved “discussing” who was holding the control card. Needless to say neither of us was when we reached the next checkpoint (headland). Old used the course description as the control card and punched it to prove that we’d been there. Logic was that someone would find our control card and hand it in, and we’d have the rest on the course description… We followed this pattern and found our way back to the bike transition after a beautiful paddle through the ocean.
The heat was taking its toll, and whilst we continued to make ground on other teams, it was at a slowing pace. The straw that nearly broke the camel’s back was when Broken had a small tumble on his bike which bent his rear derailleur. Straightened by hand as best he could and then we headed for the last two checkpoints of the day. Broken made it close to the last checkpoint (30) before the derailleur completely failed and he could no longer peddle. He then proceeded to “scooter” on his bike to 30, across onto the scout camp road where Old pushed him on his bike to the top of the steep decent to the finish line. From here Broken out-paced several teams to the finish line whilst Old did his best to keep up with him to roll across the finish line together.
3hrs later, a cool shower and great burger for lunch, we could reflect back on the day and have a bit of a laugh. That’s what adventure racing is all about I suppose – never give up!!
Scott Taylor
