Lost On An Island

Carrick Armer / 11.06.2017

Here at basecamp, the 24hr teams on the Red Fox Adventure Race teams keep trickling back in, steadily. The shorter course on the event has still featured some hairy sections, including a 60km bike leg, a long kayak stage, and some thrill ride CPs including an 8m cliff jump and swim, just to test the imits of the participants. There seem to be a lot of relieved smiles coming over the finish line so far.

The ARES race teams, however, are noticeably absent. With basecamp featuring as the final transition as well as the finish, we are expecting to see them gratefully drop off their kayaks and climb onto their bikes for the final fling. We know that those still racing are all into the long kayak leg, 86km of flatwater in total around the inlets, straits and islands of Lake Ladoga. There is also a trekking, coasteering and ropework section on and around the edges of one of the islands before they can head back to base and back to their bikes.

And therein lies the problem. The leading 4 teams all appear to be lost on that one small island. Team Sweden were expected back here at camp first at 6am, then 8am. Now as I write it's gone 10am and they still haven't left the island yet. They're in good company though, as Seiklushunt, MDK Russia and now Porkkala Swimrun are also going roing in circles on the same island. Maybe it's a bit like The Prisoner, although I can't imagine a Race Director hiring a giant guard balloon to man the beaches (and safety pins are normally mandatory equipment...). The course planner believes they're missing one of the checkpoints, but there is no easy way to get to it from above, only to go back to the start of the coasteering and try again. At the last count we believe Team Sweden were on their third go.

There are a couple of ARES race teams back at base, unfortunately. One of the Czech teams (we think CZZAR but haven't had confirmation) and one of the Red Fox sponsored Russian teams both withdrew on the first night due to injury and illness, and Team Outdoor Roedovre withdrew last night due to a shoulder injury to one of their team members. Jonas Schwartz had apparently crashed during one of the bike sections, but was struggling to paddle without pain on the boards or in the boats. 

We'll have more news as and when we get it. For now, we wait with bated breath on anyone escaping the island...

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