Adventure Magazine 226

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SOAKED IN ADVENTURE
It was a brisk morning as we stood in the paddock listening
to the final safety briefing before the start of the Soaked in
Adventure race held in Whakatane in late May. Although the
event has been running for the past few years, it is the first
time Team Mis-Adventure had taken part. The idea of another
weekend away with our adventure friends was the main
incentive, but we also liked the idea of a new challenge. A
weather bomb was predicted to hit the east coast the following
day and we just hoped that the weather would hold until then.
The Soaked in Adventure Race is a team sport which involves
running or trekking and mountain biking. Check points are
collected along the way and you complete some exciting
mystery activities. You find out where the start and finish line
is the week before the race and will not see the course maps
until the morning of the race. Once you receive your maps you
can plan and strategise your course route and you must stick
together and complete the race as a team.
The race began in the paddock of a farm out the back of
Whakatane, in Taneatua and was split into two sections,
trekking and mountain biking with some mystery activities
thrown in for good measure. We set off first on the trek section,
with around 28 checkpoints to find. The terrain began on
typical NZ farmland; wide open space with plenty of uphill’s
before heading through a muddy swamp and into some
native bush. The first few checkpoints were fairly easy to find,
however checkpoint 8 proved a bit of a challenge.
By now we were in fairly dense bush and after scrambling over
fallen trees and down a very steep slope, we found we were
completely alone. We had started the race with over 85 teams,
but there was now not another person to be seen or heard. To
be honest, this is the part I love about adventure racing, the
feeling of being completely alone and having to rely purely on
your own navigation and sense of direction. This is something
usually reserved only for the teams either out the very front,
forging their own paths, or for those who go in the wrong
direction, like we did. Luckily we had not strayed too far from
the "path" and so decided to turn back. As we were navigating
our way down a stream, there was a loud noise beside us, it
seemed we had startled a lone deer, which then darted out
from behind a bush and disappeared up the bank on the other
side. It was super cool and worth getting lost for.
Once back on track we continued the trekking section (approx.
10-15km) and the first mystery activities before picking up our
bikes and heading out for the final section of the race (approx.
25km mountain biking). The scenery continued to surprise,
with stops at the most beautiful river for one of the mystery
activities. The freezing cold water on our feet was a nice way
to ease some of the aches and pains and also wash off the
animal poop that had collected during the walk.
For most of the ride we appreciated the scenery and enjoyed
nearly every km, except for the 500m vertical hill that we had
to push our bikes up. Our quads and calves were burning and
unless you had your hand on the breaks when you stopped to
catch your breath your bike would have tumbled back down
to the bottom again. Although I hated every single step, I
did get to witness some real teamwork. Those who found it
a little easier, dropped their bikes at the top and went back
down to help team mates who were struggling, and this is
what adventure racing is all about. The downhill section that
followed almost made up for it… but not quite!
We crossed the finish line 5 hours 48minutes after we started,
our aches and pains almost forgotten in the euphoria of having
pushed ourselves to our limits once again.
Soaked in Adventure runs three events through the year:
Soaked in Adventure Whakatane: May 22nd 2021
Soaked in Adventure Cambridge: July 3rd 2021
Wander Woman Russell: November 13th 2021
For more information or to enter checkout: www.soakedinadventure.co.nz
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ 85