Transition 5 has been busy – with teams coming and going throughout the night. Here’s some news from this transition.
Stone cold
When Team Senseless arrived at T5 at midnight it was panic stations as we realised how hypothermic Steven Yates was. He’d injured his shoulder and was unable to paddle. If you paddle, you stay warm. If you sit, you freeze. And that’s what happened. Our medic on call, Hennie, got him inside and wrapped up to warm him up immediately. Once his warmth and colour had returned and his vital signs were stable, we were concerned about the severe pain in his shoulder, which he was unable to move.
While keeping an eye on him, he spoke to me about the cycle leg.
He said that the challenge of the cycle leg to T4 was not the navigation but that the climbs are so steep. He says that the unit on his bike was showing gradients of 14 to 18 and even up to 21.
“Alpe d’Huez is only 9,” he added.
They faced many of these steep monsters every hour. Up and down. Up and down. He said that physically it was a tough ride. They definitely did push their bikes. This is echoed by other teams.
After a sleep and later reassessment, it was decided that Steven would stay behind and his team would carry on. They’re all disappointed not to be official anymore; Steven’s thoughts are with his teammates. He has caught a lift with a media crew and will be at T6 to welcome his teammates in.
It’s time to wake up
“It was so busy and hectic last night. It was so full in here. And we had all these funny wake up times for the teams – 2am, 3am… really funny,” says Henrike, one of our young marshals at T5.
T5 on Thursday morning
By 09h30 on Thursday morning, 30 teams had passed through (or will are still at T5) – the Cremone resort in Port St Johns.
The CP22 thing
Apparently it isn’t too hard to locate CP22 in the dark; it’s on a ridge. The challenge is finding a way through the vegetation FROM CP22. In the day it is easy; at night it is near impossible. Teams are spending hours bashing through the bushes – they’re getting shredded. But there’s an easier option. Return to the road outside T5, walk down to the beach and follow the beach.
Castle Lite and PennyPinchersAR were at T5 for a while last night before heading out to go couldn’t to CP22. They returned, slept, and left again at 04h15. This was a planned move. Other teams, like Sportotal, ended up back here because they just couldn’t find a way. They spent almost 14 hours out there -all night left here at 16h21 on Wednesday evening and returned to T5 on Thursday morning at 06h00. And then they took the beach option.
Cinnober left T5 on Wednesday morning, returned four hours later, filled up their water and headed out again. Three of the team have bad diarrhea. They sheltered overnight with locals and called for assistance this morning. They are being driven back to Port Edward. Their expressions are very glum and they’re incredibly disappointed. But that’s unfortunately how things go in an adventure race.
Bloed & OMO
24hrs into the race they were 12 hours behind. And so this ‘more mature’ team has created their own race. They’ve been picking up CPs that are convenient to locate and, for the rest, they’ve been straight lining to transitions.
They came into T5 this morning and they’re all looking really good.
“We sleep a bit every night and I’ve got my cooker so we make coffee – for other teams too,” says Abel van der Merwe.
They’ll be skipping the CPs on this hiking leg, straight-lining it up the beach to T6. This is the same route variation that teams not yet on the river will have to taste.
Just left
Outnorth Adventure came in this morning just after 6am. They had a short sleep and left at 10h17. They’re looking alright and looked ready to face the hike.
Drie Latte en Een Platte have just arrived (10h45). We’re expecting Baba Orienteering Belgium in a few hours.
That’s it for now. I’m here at T5 for a while. Not sure where I’m off to next.