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DEVON - 11 & 12 SEPTEMBER 2004
Race Report - by Pippa MacDougall The Devon Coast to Coast Adventure Race was a very different format to our usual events and we were very pleased to find such a beautiful area of the West Country that suited our needs so well. Even though the forecasters had warned of pretty awful weather, and for once they didn’t disappoint, there was still enough blue sky at times for all our teams to capture the beauty of the area they were navigating. With the exception of 1 or 2 people, the competitors arrived on Friday evening in the sea-side resort of Dawlish Warren on the South Devon Coast where they camped overnight. Bright and Early Saturday morning, they left their cars and were transported across the peninsular to the beautiful Fremington Quay near Barnstaple on the North Devon coast where the race was to begin. The course was designed with a series of compulsory check points as well as bonus points. Any compulsory points missed resulted in penalties being given. This first leg of the race was the mountain bike stage and took them to our transition point at Chulmleigh. If the teams only went via the compulsory check points they would have covered 27 miles of extremely hilly countryside to get to the transition point, however, many teams decided to take some bonus points as well, making this first leg even longer and more difficult. Having reached Chulmleigh, the teams had time for a brief respite and change of shoes before heading off for their running stage to a lovely campsite at West Middlewick Farm, in Nomansland near Tiverton. This stretch of the race was a 12 ½ mile run if the most direct route was chosen. Again, many teams decided to try and reach some extra bonus points which proved a wise move for some, and just a little too far for others who ended up receiving penalties by coming in over their allotted time of 7hrs for Novices and 8hrs for the Masters. The campsite was a very welcome site for all concerned, who by this stage were soaked to the skin and many were hoping to find a replacement set of legs before the morning! Most teams managed to get into the campsite just in time to get their tents up and sorted before the heavens opened for yet another heavy shower! Many of whom were looking longingly at the ‘No Threat’ Team who had their own enormous all singing and dancing live in truck to sleep in, complete with shower and garage! No time for a lie in on Sunday morning, by 0745 all teams were packed up and ready to move on again to the next stage – all bar one competitor who shall remain nameless, but who did have a little bit of a lie in and didn’t get his tent down and packed until 0900! The first stage on Sunday was another mountain bike route of 21miles, again there were many bonus points to be had which could have made the route a lot longer, although many teams were a little more cautious having received penalties from the previous day for coming in too late. The bike stage was to take them as far as Exeter Quay where they switched their 2 wheels for a set of paddles and headed off down the Exeter Canal and back. This stretch of paddling was about 5km long if both check points were reached. From arriving back at Exeter Quay, teams then ran the final leg along side the Exe Estuary towards Dawlish Warren. This stretch was 11 ½ miles in length, but even after such a long race, many teams still had enough energy to go in search of many of the bonus check points laid out for this final run. This last run not only took them along side the beautiful estuary but also straight past the wonderful Powderham Castle. On finally arriving at Dawlish Warren, teams were directed to the beach for the finale. They had the option of gaining a 100 point bonus by at least one team member completing a 200m swim in the sea. Although the skies were grey, the wind was high and the sea was pretty chilly most teams completed this last challenge and strangely seemed to rather enjoy it pulling a large crowd of passers by, impressed to see so many people swimming on such an unsettled day. Once they found their dry warm clothes it was off to the shower followed by our scores and presentation in the very cosy pub, the Mount Pleasant Inn. This was the first of what we plan to be an annual event of crossing the South West Peninsular taking place in September, so watch out for it on our list of events for next year. Congratulations to all participants and especially to the following category winners:
After results of race 5 have been added into the overall Questars series an interesting contest is emerging at the top of the series scoreboard:
Remember it’s a team’s best five race scores that count. There are series prizes in each of the Masters categories, as well as an overall series prize of £400 plus £200 for second and £100 for third overall. The next race is in Surrey on 16th October – Book now to guarantee a place!
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