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Swaledale Outdoor Club |
| > Home > Newsletter > Miscellaneous > Adrenaline Rush - Europe's Toughest Adventure Race |
Adrenaline Rush - Europe's Toughest Adventure RaceThis event was held in Stirling in July and was 250 miles long. The disciplines involved were kayaking, climbing, horse riding, trekking and mountain biking. Andy Scaife, Graham Fairweather, Martin Barratt and myself were on the start line, only 14 finished and we were the 14th! It took us five and a half days with only 8 hours sleep but we finished! The equipment that we had to carry was unreal. I was carrying the same weight as the men which was OK until I started to slow down - my 8 1/2 stone frame diminishing rapidly as well. Once we re-distributed the gear and my pack was lighter, we soon cracked on. "Typical woman" I hear you say! Thanks to Pete Bell, Paul Figg, Kate Wilson and Colin Binks for lending us a load of climbing gear, not to mention the advice that they gave us, and a big thanks to Paul Brooks and co who were brilliant about lending me their caving equipment at the last minute after Steve Verity kindly arranged it. Adventure racing is exciting, tiring and extremely demanding, both physically and mentally and careful, specific preparation is a must. But like everything, you get out what you put in. Team dynamics play a large part as you can imagine. After spending a week in close quarters with 3 men, I am quite convinced that they come from another planet! Helen Young |