Salute to the Final Four

Adam Rose / 20.05.2017

The final day of Expedition Africa 2017 is here. Teams have until 12:00 midday to cross the line, or be unranked. Four teams remain out on the course. In order of likely arrival, Pure Adventures (#22), Three Dutchman and a Lady (#32), Thrash Pigs (#27), and team Fluid (#18).

They have been out on the course for 146 hours. The winning team did it in 82hrs 11 min, so almost double the time. That is a long haul by any stretch. When Skylotec Adventure finished, they spoke of their respect for those in the back of the field, for the grit and determination to persevere, and how it was easier, in a sense, to race at high speed. Less sleep while on the course, maybe, but far less impact, less wear and tear, less mental fatigue.

This is not to say these tail enders have been having a grim time. Far from it. We saw Pure Adventures last night, as they were approaching the dune field. They’d stopped in Oyster Bay at a small store to stock up on necessities – coke, firelighters, ice cream. Their plan was to overnight in the dunes, make a fire and pull out the goodies. Many teams who trekked through by night exclaimed how beautiful it was. The soaring sand, the full moon, a blaze of stars, almost as if walking on a lunar surface. Merrell Mentors turned off their headlights and hiked in the moonlight. Philippe Chod of Running Shade, a keen alpinist and skier, said he felt he was back in the alps, cross country skiing over endless snow, a fabulous experience.

Pure Adventures stopped after finding CP49, for four hours, a good choice, since they knew exactly where they were, and it would simply be a trek to the finish afterwards, a relatively straight forward task.

Thrash Pigs elected to bed down in Oyster Bay for seven hours, stopping at around 23:00, then entered the dunes at dawn. A wise choice, because a thick sea fog rolled in overnight, which is slowly rising now with the sun. One of their team is Jewish, and as today is the Sabbath, he has withdrawn from the race, so they are whittled down to two, having started the race as the only trio. At the last minute, one of their original team had been unable to come to South Africa, but the rest have done a sterling job, especially with paddling as a trio. They lashed the kayaks together to make it easier, the two men doing the grunt work at the front. Carrying the kayaks uphill at the end of stage two must have been a beast!

Three Dutchman and a Lady have been travelling with Thrash Pigs, stopping in Oyster Bay together and leaving together this morning. They have managed to pull ahead, so currently sit behind Pure Adventures.

Their journey has not been without the odd hiccup. Around midnight on Wednesday, at the end of the final kayak leg into TA9, Sue, a volunteer, was down at the river mouth, looking for two of the Brazilian team, On the Rocks. The team had accidentally split up, and one pair had arrived at the TA in tears, unable to locate their teammates, then promptly fell asleep in front of the roaring fire.

Sue was searching when she saw headlights coming over the dunes. Thinking it was the Brazilian pair, she called them over, only to discover 3 Dutchmen and a Lady trekking over the sand dune, kayakless, looking for the TA. If you look on the tracker, you’ll see their frustration, even after heading back to the river junction. Had either team been down at the mouth when the tide was in full ebb, it wouldn’t have been fun trying to avoid an ocean paddle in the dark.

Right at the rear lie team Fluid. They have been the lantern rouge for a long time, since the long bike stage down from the mountains. They haven’t skipped any CPs, so they will still be fully ranked. On their team is a local TV celebrity, Ivan Zimmerman, a novice at expedition racing, with the three members being similarly inexperienced. Looking through the photographs of the last kayak leg, you’ll see him sitting back, essentially feet up, while the rest of the team are taking the strain.

The immediate assumption is that he was being lazy, a heresy in adventure racing circles, where everyone has to do their utmost otherwise the team suffers.

He couldn’t see the knuckles on his right hand. His entire lower arm was so swollen from the strain of the race, he was unable to open food packets, and when he brushed his teeth in transition, he held the brush still and moved his head side to side. The team had decided he wouldn’t paddle, in the hope that he would recover enough to hold the handle bars on the last bike leg. So those pictures actually capture an essential element of adventure racing: the team supporting and helping their team mate to the finish.

Their bike leg was strong, the team joking and in good spirits. When they finally cross the line, they are sure to get a raucous reception, not only for being the last team to finish, but for capturing the true spirit of this incredible sport.

Follow the action live at www.expafrica.live

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