Words by Sarah Hearn | The compulsory dark zone stop reignited fierce fires of competition amongst the seven teams who rested last night and took to the water at 06h30. Spectators enjoyed the hustling going on as Merrell Adventure Addicts fought for the lead which they have held on to ever since.
But it’s a race of tactics and decisions.
The top teams all took to their bikes this evening within an hour of each other and face 61 km of rural road and forest tracks, with twice as much up as down as they head back into the hills, crossing numerous rivers along the way.
Around midnight they should switch back onto foot and focus through some tricky navigation options in the forests. Then they reach CP34 on the banks of the Luphohlo Dam. 300m away is the other bank. Swimming across this will mean losing 5km off the 34km route. The water will be close to freezing, and a team will be close to catching them.
Do the northern Europeans have the advantage here? Perhaps we shouldn’t deny them a little bit of home comfort to compensate for the hot and extremely dry Swazi winter days they have been sweating through. Swazi winter nights however, are chilly by any standards, as temperatures drop significantly to around 3C.
Attention so far has been largely focused on the lead groups but tomorrow will see them finishing and the middle pack getting some more of the paparazzi action, while at the back, amputation decisions will be made regarding which legs to chop off in order to reach the hand holding out the local Sibebe beer at the end.
Those teams which didn’t make the cut off 14h00 kayak start time today will hit the water tomorrow and enjoy the paddle and the rafting. The anticipated action at the weir is slightly offbeat as the water has been redirected, forcing teams to portage across a long stretch of silt. There follows some fun rapids and then a hilly trek. The lead teams’ navigators all saw a smoother option on their maps and cut a chunk out of the route envisioned by the organiser, lets see if the less experienced teams do the same.
Daily photo albums are up on the Kinetic facebook page and website showing bodies getting grubbier and more tired as the race progresses.
Watch the dots on www.kineticgear.org
Photos by Bruce Viaene
- Day 3 photos by Bruce Viaene