Team CUL8R @ Full Moon

This was our first big race, our first real test as a team. Would we pull it off like we had in the shorter sprint races? Would we build up a bigger name for team CUL8R?

It all started when we were told that we were entered into the Kinetic Full Moon Adventure Race (120 km), we had no idea of what lay ahead of us. As a team of four consisting of myself (Daniel Patrick), Jonathan Wocke, Danie Botha and Greg Avierinos, who had the most experience, we had a lot of training to do. This started with two afternoon sessions at TBI where we learnt teamwork skills, what to expect in the race, how to be mentally prepared and rope work skills. We were on the right course.

Sooner than we knew it we were on the starting line at 1 pm on a Saturday afternoon with a very limited number of saddle hours behind us and one or two paddling sessions that mainly involved failing out of our canoes in the middle of Rietvlei dam. On starting we had to carefully manage our pace so as not to burn out right in the beginning, we were doing well, slowly getting into a rhythm for the 50km cycle ahead of us. The first cycle was relatively easy riding along the train tracks on smooth dirt roads; our average speed for the first cycle was around 30km/h. On raising the last crest of our first cycle we saw the dam where our paddling leg was to take place.

Into transition we went, taking more time than was necessary, we lost two places in transition.

Our paddle leg was very good, we overtook two teams on the water and furthered our lead on them in our portaging leg where we chose to carry our canoes over land while the others chose to paddle, and in doing this we maintained our position. After the paddle we were into our first trekking leg which took us through cattle lands adjacent to the dam. The first trekking leg was easy walking but mental staying power was coming into the race for the first time, we had to keep on moving forward and we had to try and retain our position. On this trekking leg one of our teammates started cramping which we told him to run off, luckily and courageously he did just that and all was good in no time.

In the final kilometer of running to our bicycles we strategized as to how we could achieve the fastest transition time possible and this we did, we came in fourth and left fourth overall. We were doing really well.

The second cycling leg proved to be a lot more challenging than the first due to cramping muscles, fading light and increased pressure from teams behind us. It was in this leg that the tow rope came out, Greg and I took turns towing the other two who were starting to take strain, this is what made us work well together- teamwork.

We joined up with a smallish peloton and stayed with them for the duration of the cycle until we had a lucky break where we were a bit more daring and ventured onwards to look for a checkpoint that everyone thought was behind us. We had a decent lead on them which we kept through all our cramping, towing and motivating of each other, this we did up to the last 3km where we encountered the HILL.

This was no ordinary hill, at least not to us for we had been going for roughly 8 hours and were starting to get rather tired. This hill was in most of our cases the biggest tester yet and we knew that just over the rise lay the next transition point with its promise of food, water and something other than a saddle to sit on. Up and up we pushed the top so tantalizingly close yet so far. This was the biggest tester of mental staying power yet. I was determined to conquer this hill and show it who was boss. I was the first of my team to reach the top and in doing so cheered my mates on; just climbing that hill without stopping was an achievement in itself. Unfortunately we were passed by two or three teams about 100m from the transition point as the hill had had negative effects on some of our team mates.

On reaching transition we dropped our bikes and found the nearest chair where we promptly set about stuffing as much food and liquid as we could down our throats, this not being the most sensible thing to do but it felt right at the time. We were knackered, almost at the point of breaking and yet we had one more leg head of us. We finally left transition in a somewhat uncaring mood; we were just so tired that concentrating on putting one foot in front of another was enough effort.

Joining up with another team we decided to tackle the hike together until we take different routes due to different navigation options. The last trekking leg took us a lot longer than it should have due to several nav errors and fatigue setting in. After collecting the final CP we were on our way home and a new sense of energy and urgency seemed to enter us. We had one more rather tricky obstacle to tackle, a rather hairy descent down a steep slope. Overtaking a team in what must have been the last 100m of the race felt good and we all joined up and sprinted the final 15m over the finish line, we had done it at last. Sitting down on a chair sipping champagne and getting our breaths back was one of the most heavenly things we had experienced that day. After that if was off to the tents and then into slumber land, finally we could rest.

The race was a huge success with us coming in 3rd for the men’s category and 7th overall. We learnt a huge amount on the race and grew immensely as a team. Our awesome backpacks and hats sponsored to us by Columbia worked like a dream making the racing easier and more pleasurable. Thanks to our main sponsors PS. Hawkstone who made a massive contribution to getting us started. And also without Alec Avierinos us boys wouldn’t have been able to complete what we had, all the motivation and advice we received from him was priceless.

In the end we had done 102km of cycling, plus minus 16km of trekking and 10km of paddling in just under 12 hours – all of this done by four boys who are 17 years old, not bad hey! You old toppies must watch out, there is some trouble on the way it’s called CUL8R.

Author: Daniel Patrick | Team CUL8R | Kinetic Full Moon