Go Ape Go Adventure Racing
Go Ape took on a new challenge and experienced adventure racing. Here we tell our tale. So it’s the 1st October 2011 – the warmest October day on record and even in the Lake District it’s clear blue skies and temperatures in the high twenties. With less than 24 hours to the first race of the 2011/2012 Haglofs Open 5 Adventure Race Series it looks like it’s going to be a hot one!
It’s Sunday 2nd October and throwing back the curtains to reveal…..normal service has been resumed, it’s a damp misty morning and the temperature as dropped 15oC. Well I suppose this is more like what we are used to Adventure Racing throughout the deepest darkest English winter.
So before going any further I guess we need to explain what Adventure Racing is all about.
Adventure Racing (AR) is one of the fastest growing sports in UK and can comprise a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including navigation, cross-country running, mountain biking and in longer events paddling, climbing and rope related skills.
The Haglofs Open5 Series takes place over the winter and comprises 7 races at different locations across the UK starting with Staveley (Lake District) on 2nd October 2011 and finishing at Ashbourne (Peak District) on 1st April 2012.
On the shorter end of the AR spectrum, the Haglofs Open 5 race format allows you to visit as many check points (controls) as you can by mountain bike and on foot within a strict 5 hour time limit. You have to navigate to control location using an OS map (1:50,000 for biking and 1:25,000 for running) which the organisers have kindly pre-printed with the controls on it. However, each control is assigned a points score and some don’t even exist but you don’t get this vital piece of information until the clock starts ticking – so don’t think you can plan the route whilst sipping a hot tea in the registration hall, no you have to do that on the run within your 5 hour time limit. There are no prescribed routes – you can use all public footpaths (but not for biking) and bridleways and once in open access land you are free to career off in any direction you like.
One decision you can take before you start is whether to run first or bike first – To be honest it’s personal preference but if you have ever mountain biked for 3 hours up and down muddy, rocky bridleways and then got off and decided to try to make your legs run you probably understand why we generally decide to run first and bike second.
Next decision – how long to run for before getting on the bike…..well the points available typically divide up into 250 on the run and 350 in the bike – so our well honed plan (not) is run for 2 hours then bike for 3……sounds simple? Well it is on paper but just wait until your out on steep, muddy, hilly trails looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack – or is that a check point in a National Park
The object of your desire is a small electronic box 2 inches by 4 inches which the organisers kindly attach to branches, fences, stiles, ground stakes (often in the middle of a bog), under bridges, in the middle of rivers, inside hollow trees etc., and to be really kind they add a short length of red and white tape just to help you find it! Forget the great big orange and white flags you get on orienteering check points – you can (and yes we have) been right on top of an AR checkpoint and still not been able to see the wood for the trees!
The solution – you need pinpoint navigation to get you to the checkpoint location and then rely on the “location description” to zero in on it like an exocet. This is all easier to do running but less simple when haring along at 20 – 30km/hr down a rocky bridleway on a mountain bike – one lapse in concentration and your past it and having to ride back up the hill to dib it.
Whilst you’re having so much fun running/riding and navigating you also need to keep a keen eye on the clock. 5 hours means 5 hours and the organisers have devised a cunning plan to make sure you get back in the allotted time and they aren’t hanging around in the dark as you coast in – Time Penalties!
So the final and probably most critical judgement call is which checkpoints you are going to bag and which you will just ignore…..is that 15 point check point another 10 minutes away really worth it? That is unless you are one of the male solo’s who have been known to clear the entire course in less than 5 hours!
By now you have probably worked out the winner is the person/team who has collected the most points. See simple little sport isn’t it !
So cutting to the chase – how did team Go Ape fair on their first outing of 2011? After 5hr 4mins and 6sec (ooops there’s 10 points gone in a puff of smoke) we accumulated 410 points and came in 11th out of the 31 mixed team pairs. Just to show how tight this competition is, just one extra checkpoint could have raised us 5 places……well as my school reports always said – must try harder!
