Qualifier for the British Adventure Race Championships
May - Devon

^{This first weekend in May saw the third event in the Quest Adventure Race Series 2003 held in the Dartmoor/Roadford Lake area of Devon. This was the first 2 day event of the Series and also the Qualifier for the British Adventure Race Championships to be held towards the end of the year therefore attracting some of the country’s top Adventure Race teams who we were delighted to welcome to a Questars event.}

^{Having had possibly the driest 2 months in years up until about a week before the race, it then began to rain incessantly just in time for the event to make sure that all the competitors would be carrying a good cover of mud by the end!}

^{The start of the race was from Okehampton Army Camp on Dartmoor and with grey skies and very strong winds for the first day, Dartmoor was it’s usual harsh environment making it a tough challenge for all involved. This first leg of the race was a straight 6 hr race of running or mountain biking. To add a bit of a twist to the running stage, teams could choose to visit two extra check points, one with an abseil challenge and one with a Tyrolean traverse challenge. Only one member of each team was required to complete the abseil or the crossing and teams would only receive points once the challenge was completed, not just for finding the right spot.}

^{This stage was certainly a high point for mixed Team Thomas Cook and for Veteran team The Dark Horses who both scored 455 Questars out of a possible 500.}

^{The biking stage covered a large area right across North Dartmoor from Bridestowe to Gidleigh. Despite gaining a twisted chain early on in this stage, after a quick fix and chain repair, novice team Mamba still managed to achieve 245 Questars. It was a particularly good section for Stephen Price’s team No 465 who scored an excellent 400 Questars.}

^{Most teams arrived back at base by 1600hrs which gave them a few hours to recover, sort their kit and arrive at the starting point for the night navigation exercise. This was a straight 2 hr race on foot in the woods around Drewsteignton starting from Fingle Bridge - a particularly hilly part of the countryside. The hills didn’t seem to deter men’s team Have A Go Heroes who scored 290 Questars out of a possible 350 or Sealskinz High 5 and Team Thomas Cook who both scored 305 Questars.}

^{As well as getting through the course the teams also had to face being filmed and photographed at every opportunity, very often when they were falling over and returning looking pretty shattered! The camera crews were even stalking the teams in the woods during the night navigation to ensure some interesting footage!}

^{The second day of this event was held from Roadford Lake at Lewdown. This is the perfect venue with the running, biking and canoeing all starting from the same spot. The weather had improved as far as the sunshine was concerned and we had no rain until after the last team had arrived home, however the wind didn’t seem to let up at all which made for some interesting scenes on the lake especially in the afternoon when the water was particularly choppy forcing one team to take to the shore and walk back having been dumped unceremoniously in the drink! Many teams in fact decided only to visit 1 check point during this stage rather than face the winds and the waves. The Supper Stars however managed to gain full marks for the canoe stage with 200 Questars along with Bugaboo, The Bristol Bike Workshop, Charlton and the Wheelers - who had an exceptional support team looking after them every step of the way!, Captain Caveman, Aztec Multipower, The Dark Horses, Springhealth, Saab Salomon, Sacha Course Ltd, Salomon XA, Team One, Sealskinz High 5 and team Thomas Cook.}

^{The running stage on this second day was just a straight course without any extra disciplines, and Aztec Multipower, The Dark Horses, Bear Behind, Where’s Neil? And team Thomas Cook all scored an excellent 330 Questars out of a possible 400. The biking stage was dominated by Team One who scored 275 Questars despite all the mud.}  

^{The race however, really belonged to the Overall and Mixed winners - Saab Salomon GB who were Steve Birkinshaw, Pete James, Tom Gibbs and Nicola Davies who now have a guaranteed place in the British championships.}

^{We would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to email us since the event to thank us and let us know how much fun you had - despite the weather! Hopefully see you all again soon.}

^{Race Scores and Winners}

^{Overall & Mixed - Saab Salomon - 1625 Questars
Men's - Have A Go Heroes - 1265 Questars
Ladies' - Team Western - 1015 Questars
Veterans - The Dark Horses - 1425 Questars
Men’s Solo - Matt Leathwood - 1430 Questars
Novices - Nuggets - 1085 Questars
Mixed 2nd place Team Thomas Cook 1570 QuestarsMixed 3rd place Sealskinz High 5 1520 Questars
Mixed 4th place Team One 1455 Questars
Men’s 2nd place Supper Stars 1175 Questars
Men’s Solo 2nd place Captain Caveman 935 Questars
Veterans 2nd place SWART 1240 Questars
Novices 2nd place Mountain Bikers on Skis 1010 Questars}