European Adventure Race Finals
On the Streets of Waterford City
Rob Howard / 30.07.2015
After the opening trail run the teams arrived at the river Suir for the opening paddling stage of the race, a quick downstream trip into the heart of Waterford City. It wasn’t easy to get started though as the descent down the steep river bank into the tidal water was through thick, very sticky, grey mud. They’d been warned by Ivan Park that the put in wasn’t the greatest ... but it was the best available and so the teams set off coated in mud from the knees down!
The well established elite teams quickly made their way to the front and it was adidas TERREX who arrived first at the Marina pontoons on the quayside at Waterford, with Halti Adventure just a paddle length behind them. SWECO followed with Get No Sleep, AR Team Polska and Fenix Multisport – adidas making up the international lead group of a race which was already quite spread out.
The teams had to haul their kayaks onto the pontoon boardwalk and then up a ramp to leave them at the side of a waterfront plaza, then run along the front to collect their orienteering map for the 5km run around Ireland’s oldest city. (This was the only map not issued to them at the briefing.)
The run was mostly contained within the old city (the Viking Triangle) and began with an uphill haul to round tower before making a circuit back to the waterfront, passing by the famous Waterford Crystal centre. Those going about their business or visiting the town were bemused by the white bibbed and mucky runners trotting past them, and had to watch out for clumps of thick mud which had fallen off the runners shoes onto the pavement!
One man I spoke to on the waterfront was busy watching all the kayaks come by and said, “I’ve never seen so many – there must be a hundred of them! What are they doing?” When I told him he was even more amazed.
At least one team cut this stage short, just going to the 3rd and final checkpoint to stretch their legs, but the majority ran through the city before getting back into their kayaks for the longer paddle, out into the river mouth to get to Dunmore East.
This stage is 31km, taking teams into the ocean of Waterford Harbour where they will visit two checkpoints on the Eastern shore before crossing the mouth of the harbour to Dunmore East. The leaders are expected to complete the stage in mid-afternoon and those who are later will have the tide turning against them.
SleepMonsters
