Yeti Adventure Challenge Silkeborg
Fast and Furious, Fighters and Challengers
Rob Howard / 18.08.2018
The Yeti Adventure Challenge Silkeborg 2018 changed pace today with the inclusion of the shorter Challenge and Fighter races into the programme.
Since the event came to Silkeborg 4 years ago there has been a combination of different length races included, to encourage more people to try adventure racing and allow those who have gained some experience to move up to longer events.
Combined with the idea of basing much of the activity within the city it’s been a great success and the fast, fun , challenge based stages around the town have drawn in the crowds.
So while teams in the new, expedition length Masters category were approaching Silkeborg (passing through on the penultimate canoe stage) over 80 fresh and excited teams 0f 3 were registering at the Radisson Hotel for their own one day adventure.
The Challenge race set off first at 10.00 and the teams set off in all directions after being issued a busy street ‘O’ map, and also a set of photos to match up to the CP’s, and when this was complete another shorter ‘O’ section was need to find numbers to solve a Sudoku. There was some brain power required to even get going in this race! And you had to get wet early as well as one of the first CP’s was in the middle of the fast flowing river.
A bike ‘O stage followed, which was part bike -push in some rough country, and part bike-swim if you wanted to take the shortest route between CP’s 18 and 19. There was also a short crossing with the bikes in canoes, and some interesting navigational choices as well.
The following stage was a bike/run/skate route, so teams had to work out the best strategy between the 3 of them. There was a swim-run stage to follow with multiple crossings of the main river and some small lakes, before making it back to the finish line. Even here there was another option as teams could abseil off the front of the Radisson Blu Hotel once their time had been taken.
It was a full-on course which offered plenty of challenge and took the fastest team (Team Ya-hat) 7.28.00 to get around. The first mixed team was Argh-Salomon in 8.48.14 and at the time of writing, which is after nightfall, we are still waiting for first all female team to get round.
The Fighter race is the shorter option (4 to 7 hours) and started in a similar way to the Challenge race, but teams were then sent out on different loops from the race hub. This was set up in the footings of some long forgotten ruins on a small island near the start and teams were in and out of this hub 6 times.
They set off on bike and foot ‘O’, to a rafting stage, and even to one stage of tree climbing. There was also an abseil off a nearby road bridge ... where the rope was left too short. It was a bridge over the river and the drop into the water was only a couple of metres.
Quickest on the course were Enndum Fighters in 4.24.40 and not far behind were the imaginatively named mixed team ‘Bad Decisions Make Good Stories’ who got round in 4.49.54.
It was a full on day of racing today, with something for all abilities and some imaginative courses and fun challenges. It was enjoyed by the crowds in the town too, and who knows whether some of those watching might decided to have a go themselves. Maybe some of those who took part will move up to a longer race next time as well.
You can see the full results at www.yacs.dk
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