Conquering Ombrophobia

Adventure racing is described as a multi-discipline endurance sport, where teams navigate from control point to control point using maps and landmarks in harsh remote environments and all weather conditions. This is a very accurate description of what we had to endure on this particular morning.

At 7 a.m. we dropped of our paddling gear, collected the maps, and started planning our route for the 8 a.m. start. Teams are expected to plan routes within a limited time and no information regarding the route is available prior to starting the event. I glanced over to my teammate, Caitlin de Wet, a retired pro mountain biker and first timer to adventure racing, and said, "This looks fairly simple. We should be back before dark!" I just got a nervous smile in return.

As the heavens opened up with buckets full of rain, I donned a final layer of Inov-8 waterproof apparel and off we went. Leg one was a 20 km hike that included abseiling to get the blood pumping. Checkpoints (CP) 1 and 2 were smooth sailing and all looked good for a sunset finish. However, from there, navigation became exceptionally tough and a true test of skill. Endless tracks and roads that did not appear on our map made for a real confusing situation, and CP 3 eluded us for a long time. The up side to all of this is that whenever there was a break in the clouds, we had a splendid view from the Klein Boschkop Mountains.

We were not alone because all around us, teams were scratching their heads and looking dumbfounded by all the roads surrounding us. As maps are, in most cases, very old, there are always tracks on the map that no longer exist, as well as tracks on the ground that don't appear on the map. This is where the best navigators shine and make huge time on even the fittest teams. Choosing a more straight and adventurous route between the CPs resulted in a really fun but challenging hike. We soon found ourselves at the second last CP, at the top of the abseil, and something I always look forward to! Unfortunately, with safety top of mind, WCAD's Race Director, Grant Ross, decided to cancel the abseil due to the flooding river. A short hike around followed and we were at the bottom of the once small mountain stream that had transformed into a massive and pristine waterfall. The lure of adventure racing is finding these magical places in nature.

The hike leg tested mind and body, just as Grant Ross had planned. The WCAD Series is set out as an introduction for first timers and to lift the skill of seasoned racers all at the same time.

Coming into the transition, we were greeted with smiles from the organisers, then had a quick Enduren bar and were out on the mountain bikes for the second leg, a ±70 km ride split up with a short paddle leg. Caitlin seemed much happier once on the mountain bike and I thought from here it could only be easy to the finish. Little did I know.