We’re well into Day 2 and thank goodness for the sun to dry out and warm up these racers after a very chilly night.
By the time I left the end-of-BIG-hike transition this morning there were still nine teams to come in. They would have spent a really chilly night out on the mountain – for sure. Garth Pienke, from PennyPinchers said that they started to descend at around 00h30 and that the sides of streams and puddles of water were iced. Also, the moisture on the ground that they were walking through was freezing on their shoes, creating a layer of ice!
A good number of teams coming off the hike late at night decided to sleep over at T1 where race organisers had made a chalet available, packed with matresses, for the racers. A lot of people came in quite wasted and clearly needed time to sleep and recover. But, those wanting to make the Day 2 river cut-off needed to get out and get going so they packed bike boxes and ate a load of food while marking and planning maps for Leg 2 (cycle, swim-paddle, cycle).
I moved through to CP14, which is the checkpoint on the Tugela River, after Bergville. This is the point of the start of the ‘Tugela Rapids’ where teams will be darkzoned at 17h00.
It’s only a short section of river before Spionkop Dam but with low water it is too dangerous to be paddled on night. So yes, this means that there will be a BIG split in the field from tonight; those who get through CP14 before 17h00 and those who don’t.
It must have been a bit before 10am that Team Silva came through CP14 and started down the rapids. I didn’t speak to them as it is a manned checkpoint where teams can progress straight past once the marshall has noted their team number.
Next was Team Cyanosis, around 15 minutes later. Navigator Nicholas Mulder took a swim in the first rapid (check the Merrell Adventure Addicts FB page for a photo/video by Graham Bird of the tumble). Tie third were teams Merrell Adventure Addicts and Raidlight together.
Graham Bird, usually racing in Merrell Adventure Addicts (out with injury) said that Merrell had a bit of a rough time on the cycle to the start of the kayak section (T3). They arrived at the transition but had not been to CP10 – so they headed out again to visit the checkpoint. This cost them a good 40 minutes, Graham estimates. AND then, on this part of the cycle Donovan Sims took a tumble, cutting his leg quite badly. He spent 20 minutes with the medic at the transition before continuing. Graham says the wound could probably do with some stitching…
The fifth team in was Red Ants. They were the first team to stop at the CP to take off wet clothing, stretch there legs, down some fluid and take on more fluids. I briefly spoke to Brian Gardner who said he was in the middle of a bit of a sense of humour failure. Long, long paddle. From when they left T3 on foot to walk to the 400m swim and kayak pick-up point they’d been on the leg for 10-and-a-half hours; and still had a good 25 kilometres to go.
These sit-on-tops are tug boats. They’re stable, they can cruise the rapids but the going is not easy. So much time on the water takes its toll physically and mentally. Red Ants were biting the bullet. I asked Nicky Booyens about their swim, which they did at about 2am. She said it wasn’t as cold as feared because the water was actually warmer than the air but that being on the water in such cold was even more trying and made the portages very difficult as their hands were barely functional.
I’ve been a bit further back in the field now – currently (about 14h00 Tuesday) waiting below the Woodstock Dam wall for teams portaging. I saw Team Energy just as I got here and Trevor Ball shouted that they’re on a tight-tight deadline to be able to make the rapids. They’ve got say 25-30km to get there and on the water the front teams were doing around 8km/hr on the river (6km/hr on the dams).
I’m expecting Olympus next, I think (no signal/tracking here). Unfortunately I have a feeling that all teams after Energy will be darkzoned. It was this in mind that Garth, from PennyPinchers, said that they’d decided to take their foot off the pedal and to rest at T1 (after the hike) last night. Their estimates had them missing the cut-off so they figured that they may as well rest properly, then paddle through the day and into the night to reach the CP not long after midnight. They could get in a few hours of sleep and then be on the water when the dark zone lifts (must be around 6am / 6:30am). The teams I feel sorry for are the ones like Energy (if they don’t make it) and Olympus who may get to the CP say an hour after cut-off and have to sit tight for up to 13 hours. Those who time it like Pennypinchers actually have the enforced rest working in their favour.
When I leave here I’m aiming for T3 – at the Spionkop Dam and Nature Reserve. Hoping to catch some animals – and teams! I’m hanging with the photographer for Merrell Denmark, Soren Nielsen and it should be fun to play’tour guide’ as we look for giraffe, antelope and other animals that are so familiar to us locals.
I may spend the night at T4, which is the midway camp and the end-of-cycle-start-of-hike. Need power to charge and an internet connection. There’s barely 2G/EDGE even out here.