The Star: August 23, 2018

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Thursday August 23 2018
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Paddling 1609km in six days, 14hr 55min
Fire rages, homes at risk
•From page 14
They were following us down a
tricky section called the ‘30 mile’
until they got stuck on a sandbar.
We didn’t see them again until
we welcomed them over the
finish line. We had a great time
catching up at the Yukon River
Camp and later at Fairbanks
with the other crews after they
finished. For the remainder of
the race we did not see anyone,
except for a brief stop at the
Alaskan border village of Eagle.
How were the bears and bugs?
We saw one brown bear
(grizzly) just downstream of
Dawson City early on our fourth
day. The bear was very shy and
was on an island in the river;
he headed back into the forest
when he saw us paddle by. Other
animal highlights included
seeing a lynx, lots of beaver and
many moose with their calves as
well as a rare wolverine on the
last day. The bugs were largely
insignificant, we were up too
early and making camp too late
for them to bother us.
Do you get sore arms/hands –
where did it hurt?
We hadn’t recovered from
racing the Yukon River Quest
three weeks before. This had the
unpleasant effect of our injuries
from the earlier race resurfacing
on days one and two, such as
blisters on our hands. Inflamed
tendon attachments, particularly
in the hamstring area, were
a real problem. We didn’t
take any anti-inflammatory
medications as our previous
experience had proven these to
be sleep-inducing. I think over
the course of the race, Ian and I
took two Panadol tablets each for
pain relief. We used antiseptic,
antibacterial, anti-fungal creams
and barrier creams to keep
general infections and trench
foot at bay. At times we were in
agony, but we were always able to
change something, like swapping
seat cushions, back rests, or foot
rests to find a way of reducing
or eliminating the cause of the
injury.
OVERNIGHT: Wendy Riach and Ian Huntsman make their last camp 200km from the
finish in Alaska at 11.30pm.
We also carried a variety of
wrist braces which we used when
our arms became fatigued. Ian
also downsized his paddle blade
to protect his wrists.
Were there any ‘OMG!’
moments?
On day five, we spent two
and a half hours paddling with
less than 10m visibility due
to wildfire smoke. There was
very little wind in the river at
that point, we had seen the fire
burning on the banks of the river
but the smoke lay thick on the
water for a lot further than we
anticipated.
It was rather frightening, as
the smoke was thick and acrid
and it seemed to go on forever.
Eventually a strong wind came
up and blew the smoke away and
we popped out the other side.
I think it was compulsory
to stop and sleep for six
hours – would you just pull
up at a likely looking spot
on the riverbank?
We always looked forward to
camping for the night, the sky
would soften to a golden colour,
the air temperature cooled down
a bit and the wind was generally
a bit calmer. It was a great time
of the day. We would choose a
spot (often on a small island)
on sand or gravel at least 10m
distant from any bush from
which a bear might appear.
We checked for animal
tracks and scat as soon as we
got ashore. We didn’t find
fresh bear prints at any of our
campsites and always had a
good night sleep. We didn’t
light any fires and went to sleep
as soon as possible. We had a
roomy lightweight tent that was
completely bug-proof and had
bear-spray cans in the tent with
us as well as wearing bear bells
when on land.
The two of you must get along
pretty well. What’s the secret?
It takes a lot of energy to
win an expedition race such as
this one. We both had really
low points due to injuries
(luckily at different times)
which recurred and sleepiness
as a result of pain. Empathy
and consideration are key
elements coupled with absolute
determination to win. Without
that determination, it would
be too easy to give in to the
pain and discomfort. You also
need almost flawless paddling
technique to keep the paddle
strokes ticking over at maximum
efficiency without irreversibly
damaging tendons and muscles.
How did you celebrate the
win?
We hung out with the race
organisers, Jon and Harry,
at the Dalton Bridge and
welcomed the next three kayaks
and canoes across the finish
line. We all stayed together
and talked for days about our
shared experiences. All are
incredibly talented people
and we have forged strong
friendships through our shared
experiences. I can’t think of a
better way to celebrate.
Can you describe your
preparation?
Planning and preparation
took about nine months. Most
of it was boring stuff such as
booking leave from work, flights,
accommodation, transfers
etc. We hired our kayak many
months in advance and fitted it
out three days before the race
with refurbished seats, footrests
and backrests, most of which we
had brought from New Zealand.
Without our custom fit-out of
the kayak, we simply would not
have been able to finish the race.
We took all our dehydrated
meals from New Zealand as we
believe Backcountry is the best.
We took much more warm gear
this time, as four years ago I
suffered badly from extreme cold
in the later stages of the race.
That didn’t happen this year.
We also packed more calories in
our 18-hour race bags which we
sourced from supermarkets in
the Yukon. We ate about 4000
calories per day each.
I guess all your equipment is
vital but was there any gear you
couldn’t do without?
Inflatable seat pads are the big
winner. The seat pads protect
your hamstrings and without
these we would have been out of
the race on day two.
How did you get into these
long-distance races?
A race called the Wild
Descent, which occurred in
2013 and 2104, it was four days
long and we raced the length
of the Clutha River in double
kayaks from Wanaka to the
Catlins.
What’s your next adventure?
We are team kayakers for a
multisport race at Queenstown
this weekend called the Peak
To Peak. Luckily the kayaking
section is only about 7km long so
we might just manage it.
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