June 2010
| Andrea's report from the Bristol Rat Race June 2010 | |
| 5-6 June 2010 "Average Joes in the Buff" – the naked truth of Bristol Rat Race! Now under their 2nd year of sponsorship from Buff, team "Average Joes in the Buff" kicked off its Rat Race Weekender season over the 5th-6th June in Bristol. The mixed team comprised of one of the original "Joes", Ivan Park of CCAR (who was male Team winner at Galway Rat Race last year along with Paul McArthur); fellow CCAR team mate Steve Curry and Andrea Harrower of the Bikedock Belles and Dromara CC, (two-time Female Pair winner with Jen Watson at the Belfast Rat race 2008 & 2009 events). Unfortunately there are no Rat Races in Ireland this year, but "Average Joes in the Buff" will be competing in the 3 Weekender events that are being held in 2010 – Bristol, Edinburgh and London. When asked to be part of the team a few months ago, Andrea was honoured – but before accepting the place wanted to make sure that the team name had not been determined by previous incidents in adventure races with the boys last year, when circumstances beyond her control meant there could have been protests about indecent exposure! She has been the butt (excuse the pun!) of various innuendos since! Ivan said that this was not the case with the team name, but did advise that exposure may well feature in Bristol given that one of the mandatory kit items to be carried/not worn for the Saturday evening "Mean Streets" section was – easy change swim wear. Attempts at sneaky changing were made long before the Mean Streets in Bristol however, given that a delayed flight from Belfast on Saturday morning required the team to change out of their day clothes, into their race kit, in the middle of the event village. This was the second potential arrest situation of the day, with the team managing to get away with mere security interrogation when found to be trying to smuggle CO2 canisters onto the flight from Belfast to Bristol. A smooth trip over, once the team actually got air borne, saw them arrive just in time for the race briefing at 3pm on Saturday. After the briefing, maps and checkpoint (CP) descriptions were issued for the Mean Streets race that evening, only leaving an hour to mark up the course on the map and determine the best way to tackle the race. The Mean Streets lasts from 5pm to 7:30pm and involves checkpoint hunting in the city centre. The course is entirely up to you – navigating your way around as many checkpoints in the 2½ hour window. Each checkpoint has a different points value, which you only find out after the starting hooter sounded at 5pm. In Bristol there were 25 CPs, of which 15 required completing a task rather than just "dib" (just pushing your electronic timing chip into the CP box) and go. MEAN STREETS The Joes headed off East from the start line on Saturday, deciding on an anti clockwise route north of the river, with their first chosen CP requiring reps of three different circuit-style exercises in an "Urban Gym" fashion. Easy! Their second CP task wasn't quite so easy. On arrival in Castle Park, a marshal informed us that one person had to put on a sumo suit and the other two had to roll their team mate up a steep bank. Being the least sumo-like naturally of the three!, Andrea went into the sumo suit and relished the fact that she could lie down on the job! Last laugh on her! How dizzy do you get being rolled around and around in a baking hot fancy dress costume on a muggy day in the city centre?! On being rescued from the suit at the end, it took some minutes before she could actually walk in a straight line – for which, true to form, she tried to blag bonus points for an Oscar-winning imitation of a drunk. All in the name of points of course – because points mean prizes! The swaggering stopped soon into the run to the next CP, which was located inside a modern shopping centre, reminiscent of Victoria Square in Belfast. The task at this CP was crazy golf and was failable. If one person on the team did not sink their ball at two holes, with three shots per hole, then the CP could not be dibbed and therefore no points would be awarded. Andrea went first and hockey skills came to the fore, with her sinking them both quickly in 2 shots. The 4th CP exposed our weakness however – singing! In order to bag the points we had to do Karaoke to "I can’t get no satisfaction". Fortunately the marshal was satisfied! From weakness to strength then with the 5th CP, which saw Ivan step up for the challenge. It was one that requires a huge amount of skill and years of experience – downing a pint of beer in a local brewery! (NB it was only a half-pint, but Steve said to say it was a pint because it sounds much more manly!) Anyway, by this stage the team had run at a fast pace for 30 minutes, in blistering heat, and as a result of the brewery task, Ivan usurped Andrea as the champion drunk impersonator! A huge quantity of water and more fast-paced running soon redressed the alcohol levels in the blood, with the heady effects truly kicked into touch by then next CP task. In a local sports centre each team member had to perform a mini tri in the gym – 2 minutes running (some at a greater pace than others!), 2 minutes cycling and 2 minutes rowing. From here it was a 1.5 km run out to the next CP, which was a dib and go, and then 1 km back for another dib and go. There is no let up in speed, with the Mean Streets requiring you to do everything – the running and the tasks – at a blistering pace if you want to rank highly up the field at the end of the evening. Add to that the sultry temperatures at the weekend, and you have a demanding work out! Therefore the next CP, number 9 for the Joes, was a welcome relief. This was the location for easy access swim wear – with racers having to quickly change, jump in a 25m swimming pool, and swim 2 lengths in order to collect the points. Who says that girls take ages to change?! Not this girl! She had almost completed the 2 lengths by the time the boys emerged in their fresh?! swim wear. The next 3 CPs were all dib and go, and took the team back to the river to locate their 13th CP of the evening, which they knew would involve following a marshal's instructions. Nearing the marshal, she immediately looked sheepish, and this quickly turned to apologetic when she said that she didn't have the CP itself – only a picture of it! We had to study the picture, determine where the photo showed the CP to be, and then run on to get it. It has to be said that the location was staring us in the face – but that's because we were at an Observatory and could see the lamp post to which the CP was attached - grrrrrrrrrrrrrr – 1km away at the other side of the very imposing bridge! Talk about sadism in course planners! En route to get the CP, the Joes took in another CP, which again had a task attached to it. Luckily Andrea had been on scrambling and rock climbing event with world renowned Leo Houlding two weeks ago, and felt no fear or doubts in tackling this failable CP. One member of the team had to be nominated to attempt a traverse across rocks, and if that member fell off, or if even one foot touched the ground, then the team failed and got no points. With relative ease the task was complete. Spiderman eat your heart out! So, off for the out-and-back run across the bridge for their 14th CP. By this stage the Joes had been running full pelt for over 90 minutes, so the last thing they needed after an out-and-back was a down-and-up for their 15th CP. But it was! From here it was a gentle run downhill to the river, collecting their 16th CP on the way to number 17, which was entitled "Stepping Stones". On arrival at the river, a marshal told all team members to don a buoyancy aid and head across to a pontoon. In between the pontoon and the river's edge there were 5 upside-down rowing boats that the team had to get back across to get the CP. Steve bravely said he'd go first and his display of athleticism and technique suggested that he's a closet-watcher of Total Wipeout! In contrast to Andrea's thoughts that Steve was also being considerate by going first because he'd be showing Andrea and Ivan how to do it (or potentially not do it!), Ivan suggested that Steve only went first because the water and the boats are then moving about for the following two team members and making it more tricky! Only Steve truly knows his motives! With about 30 minutes left until the Joes had to be back at the event village for the 730pm deadline, it was full throttle again (or as full as possible after 2 hours running in heat!) to try and get as many of the remaining CPs as possible. The route took us to two more CPs to dib and go, then onto a CP with a task called "White Men Can't Jump". This was a failable task. Each team member had 3 shots each at a basketball hoop, with the CP awarded only when (or if!) 1 basket and 2 rim hits were scored out of the cumulative 9 shots. Ivan scored the basket – white men (even translucent ones!) can jump! There were now 20 minutes left until the finish time and we were about 2km away from it. There was much discussion (as we were running of course!) as to whether risk going for 2 more CPs, or just settle for 1 more. A quick look at the description for the potential 2nd CP showed that there was a time limit on it, so we binned the idea, collected 1 more CP and headed home. We had collected 21 of the 25 CPs and by doing so had scored 365 of a total 450 points. The nature of a Rat Race means you don’t really have a clue how well you have done until the results are issued. However we did know soon after we had finished that the top scoring team for the evening had collected 405 points. It boded well for the Joes. The full results were issued 90 minutes after the finishing time and the Joes were delighted to find they had been 5th Mixed team and 8th overall out of a field of 125 teams for the Mean Streets, of which 91 were doing the Sunday race to make up the Weekender event. The entrants list for Bristol featured some well-known athletes and high calibre teams, with those dealing with generous sponsors Buff saying that a top 10 finish for the Joes would be a great result. WEEKENDER So, part one complete. Now the transition to part two. Having been delayed on the flight over, Average Joes in the Buff had not checked into their hotel before the race, instead leaving all their kit, luggage and bike bags in the event village and building their bikes on location. So, after the Mean Streets the team gathered up bits and pieces from the disorganised bags – just taking necessities for their race kit the following day to the hotel and enough to see them through the night. Or so they (or one team member!) thought. You know that inference in the team name?! Well, having showered, it was discovered that some vital garments hadn't been brought to the hotel! Oh well, if you can race commando, you can socialise commando! It had been a busy day and with all the post-race busyness, it was 10pm before the team were eating that night. Having refuelled it was back to the hotel for some shut eye, with the team needing a 630am alarm on Sunday to ensure they were back at the event village 7:30am to receive their route books for the long race ahead. Steve was a bit worried about not getting sufficient sleep, so welcomed Andrea's luxury packing of a spray bottle of Champneys Perfect Sleep lavender pillow mist! Mandatory kit you know! 9 To 5 Rat Race Weekender comprises of Mean Streets on Saturday evening by foot and then "9 to 5" on Sunday by bike. However the final race details issued last week said that due to a bigger distance being covered in the Bristol Rat Race than previously, the course director had decided to extend the Sunday event by an hour and for the first time ever have a Rat race "9 to 6". Having had a good start in the Mean Streets, and having slept from midnight until 6:30am, the Joes were feeling relatively fresh for the long day ahead. However by the time you get the route book and mark up the map, you already feel like you've done a day's work – and it's only 8:45am! Traditionally a "9 to 5" has involved a total of around 65km biking around various activities, on-road and off-road. You can expect to be running, kayaking and abseiling for short spells during the day too. Bristol ended up being a course of over 110 km, with the greater distance of the race not bringing with it a greater number of activities. There were 11 CPs to race through. So, long hours in the saddle were expected. At the 9am start, in a bid to avoid a pile-up in the bike compound, a special task was set and achieved the desired result of splitting up the field of 91 teams. Competitors had to chase a rat (fab costume!) around the local square, before returning to the start to memorise a map of 4 points, then run to those 4 points and find a letter to make up a 4-letter word. Only if you said the correct word to marshals at the bike compound would you be allowed to get your bikes. The Joes were on their bikes within 10 minutes, and with probably 10 teams ahead of them. Ivan and Steve had highlighted that it is of the utmost importance to really race the first hour or two, otherwise you risk heavy queuing at activities that must be done around the course. The team pedalled at a fast pace along the National Cycle Network 41 route, which was to be the backbone of the course all day, and within 30 minutes had moved up to 4th/5th place. The first CP was a dib and go, with the 2nd one being an activity – 2 laps of a local BMX track, full of thrills and spills! The 3rd CP was reached an hour after the 9am start and was a foot orienteering section. The terrain was hilly and heavily wooded, and with one navigation error and being up against a couple of teams with local knowledge, the Joes slipped a couple of places during this activity. However, it was soon clear that the team was strong on the bikes early on, catching a couple of teams back again within a short space of time. It was a long cycle to the 4th CP, which was located at Severn Beach and a marshal that told competitors to put muddy sand on their faces as war paint because the route then took you across the extremely long Severn Bridge from England into Wales. The thought struck the Joes that by the time they flew home on Sunday night they would have done three countries in 12 hours! After about three hours at a fast pace, the Joes reached the 5th CP. This was located in Chepstow castle and the team had to impress marshals with playacting as knights with swords. Not sure we were particularly impressive, but we got the points anyway! From here it was another long ride to the 5th CP, which unfortunately heralded the start of a few navigation errors that ended up seeing the team slip back in the field of finishers. By the time we got to the National Diving and Activity Centre, three teams that had been behind us were now in front of us. However, there was still a long day ahead and optimism remained high – with the mood still buoyant given the beautiful location we found ourselves in. Looking like a quarry from the car park and bike drop, a short wooded trail brought you out on a cliff edge looking 200 feet down into the strikingly blue water of the UK's deepest inland dive site. Andrea had elected to abseil down the cliff (CP 6), the longest abseil yet in Rat Race history, and meanwhile Ivan and Steve were kayaking (CP 7). They paddled from the other side of the lake, collected Andrea from the bottom of her abseil, then paddled her back to their starting point. The "trim" of the kayak was far from impressive! And more to the point, triggered an onset of leg cramp in Ivan, which was to dog him for the rest of the day – and it was only 1pm! The longest section of unbroken cycling followed (well, apart from stopping with a few navigation errors!), back across the Severn Bridge and through various villages and collecting only one CP to Bradley Stoke for CP 9. While there were no massive climbs to do, the countryside was undulating and relentless, particularly given the heat. CP 10 was located in the University of Western England campus and was a failable task – Frisbee Golf. Each team member had 3 attempts to hit a target with a frisbee, but none of the Joes managed to do so. Thankfully the task was only worth 5 points – but as it turned out it mattered by about 2 places in the final results! CP 11, which turned out was about an hour from our finish line, was a river crossing and posed no problems to the Joes. Another navigation error on the way to CP 12 cost the team further time, but the spiral abseil was completed in no time at all down the side of a multi story car park by the team members that had not abseiled earlier. From there, it was a short distance back to the event village, but one that was filled with detailed route instructions and again cost the Joes time. However the team reached the finish at about 3:50pm, having completed the entire course and dropped only 5 points out of a maximum 1000 points, and only one challenge was left before finally dibbing out. In the middle of the event village was the finish line, but to reach it all three team members and their kit had to make it up a greased, watered steep wall. Ivan and Steve had perfected this technique in previous years, with Ivan standing with his back to the wall, Steve climbing up him by putting one foot on Ivan's knees, then his other foot on Ivan's shoulders, then grabbing the top to haul himself up. Andrea then did the same, with Steve's help from above, which left Ivan to make a jump to grab the hands above and be hauled up. Admittedly, Steve does most of the hauling! Which also left the 2 boys wondering what efforts Andrea would make, if either one of them fell over a cliff edge! Average Joes in the Buff cleared the "9 to 6" by 3:50pm and scored 995 points out of 1,000 points. On the day, the performance was good but could have been better. However, we still had to wait for the results to see what the final standings for the entire weekend were. In the meantime, the Joes had to dismantle their bikes, pack everything up, get changed (again in the public eye at the event village – and there was a clear case of nudity then!) and get to the airport. Avid fans informed the team of the final results as they were waiting for their flight from Bristol. In the Weekender, out of 91 teams, Average Joes in the Buff finished 5th Mixed team and 8th overall – maintaining the positions they had held at the end of Mean Streets. Always chasing a title however, the team can claim to be the top ranked team from Ireland! This was an impressive performance from the Buff sponsored team, despite their admitted navigation slip-ups, in their first foray into mainland Rat Races together. With a little more attention to detail, a little less tiredness, and a little more communication there is no doubt that Ivan, Steve and Andrea can take podium places in the Mixed category. Rat's all folks! Click here to view "weekender" results in PDF format Click here to view the Rat Race website |       |