Nik Haynes and I entered the South Downs endurance adventure race as a team of two, both keen to have our first play at an adventure race (www.dynamicadventureracing.co.uk).

We had a lucky break in the weather. Lots of rain leading up to race day guaranteed a very muddy experience but the wind and rain backed off for us as a perfect window before gale force winds and rain were to arrive the following morning.

We turned up nice and early, registered in the village hall and picked up our race map and race numbers.

Both Nik and I as complete adventure race novices immediately started to learn about things that adventure racers do and the kit they have. Many competitors had a clip board attached to their handlebars for easy viewing of the map. It is amazing how much time we would end up wasting by messing around with our maps, tucking them away, getting them out again…

We sat down at one of the many tables  to study our map and work out what we were about to do. The map had marked on it 18 check points each for the bike and the run (at each unmanned check point location a little patterned hole punch was to be found and used to mark the appropriate place on our score card). There was no obligation to get all the check points but any time taken over 8hrs was subject to heavy penalty points. Everyone else seemed to be studying intensely and noting down planned race routes with distances and direction notes. We were not sure what to do but thought we would be ok making it up as we went along, it didn’t seem too tough and we judged we could cover all the check points on the map reasonably comfortably in the apparently generous 8hrs. A few minutes later Nik flipped the map over to discover the second side of the map. Ah, no, we can’t cover all THAT in 8hrs. Oops!

We spotted fellow Ful-On Tri member David Pattison and team-mate studying their map, went over to say hi and maybe get some clues as to what we were supposed to be doing to prepare. They seemed to only have a little more idea than us but now we had a little bit of intra club rivalry to spur us on!

The start made us smile. We were set off in bunches of around 8 competitors at 1 minute intervals but there was no rush, just a gentle diffusion with competitors electing to go off in different directions, most choosing to bike first and a few to start on foot. The bike/run order was your choice but a key factor was that it was going to be dark for the last couple of hours of the second stint. Insufficient bike lights and our thinking that we could navigate better in the dark when going more slowly on foot made us decide to bike first. As we set off competitors were handed the last key bit of information, a little card with a one line description of where to find each of the coded hole punches at the check points and how many points each was worth. A few were worth only 10 points (no point taking any time out to collect those) and a few were rated as highly as 55. We immediately spotted the surprising fact that some of the most distance check points were 10 pointers. We changed our rough route plan immediately to miss those out. Then we spotted that one point out on a limb which we were keen to miss out was a 55 pointer so that was back in our plans.

In general we had a sensibly paced muddy bike ride in the sun with a short break every few km to punch our score card and take a bite to eat. No punctures and no significant crashes. After a lazy start we seemed to be scything through the field and after the first few check points we started to see much less of the other competitors as the field spread out and people selected different routes. Nik took control of the map reading and did a great job as I guessed he should, being a geography teacher. In fact we only made one navigational error all day. Along with several other teams, we were running  around in all directions near the top of a hill, scratching our heads and wondering where the check point was. Then we cracked it! We were not where we thought we were having missed a turn at the foot of the hill (tired legs were not pleased to learn that the 10min grind up the hill was completely unnecessary). We shot off down across a field and found the check point within seconds. The other competitors must have wondered what on earth we were up to as we disappeared over the horizon.

The rest of the bike route went reasonably smoothly until what was to be the last easy dash to base camp. Some nice helpful chap informed us that the smooth tarmac road through a posh private school was out of bounds to bikes so having considered being rebels we set off instead on an undulating, muddy, tortuously long route around the edge of the school grounds. Then we got our last disappointing realisation on the bike leg. The easy, close to base check point we thought we would quickly pick up on the way back did actually require a detour up a 120m climb. We decided to get it anyway and got back to the village hall base for a transition in around 3hr 45m. A quick bite to eat, a change into running gear and we were heading out on our run with 4hrs left and no real route plan. 15mins of running and I went to fish out the check-point description card. Gone! Not in my back pockets or back-pack. We had to go back and find it (lots of swearing and gnashing of teeth, I think Nik might have wanted to kill me). Heading back we spotted it just 30m back on our path (it had clearly fallen out as I had tried to get it from my back pocket). Phew, just 5 minutes wasted. But no, the next disaster was that the early enthusiastic running had rubbed the card in the sweat from my back and half of the check point value information was obliterated. Still maybe that wouldn’t matter (or maybe it would!)

With Nik once more in command of the map reading and navigation we were 1hr into the run and picking up check points nicely in the fading light. The freedom of being on foot allowed us to make short cuts off the main paths and tracks. But with 3 hrs to go my legs were starting to grind to a halt. I had no idea how I might be able to keep going for 3 more hours. However, Nik was bouncing along clearly frustrated with my lack of pace (my suggestion that he might have to carry me if we went much further and faster was turned down, where was his sense of teamwork!). We were pushing on in a determined effort to bag the two highest value check points (worth 55 each). 1hr40mins to go and we were at our furthest from base and still going away. Now the sun had gone down but clear skies and a full moon meant that we could still see clearly without our head torches. We got one 55 pointer and then got going again for a few km to reach a key junction and decision time. Do we take a hefty detour to try and get the other 55 pointer? It was clear that if we did then the only chance we would have of getting back in 8hrs would be to go directly and miss out on picking up 60+ easier points close to base. We made the right decision to skip it and instead to head towards base and try and pick-up 4 check-points that were roughly on the way. I knew that three of them were worth 25+ points each, the fourth I could not read on my mashed up card but we went for it anyway. A tough 3km out and back slog across a field and up a track in the dark (Nik leaving me behind again). I could see his light bobbing around up the way. He found it! We had the points (how many points was a mystery to us). Now we had to run like crazy to try and get back in time and pick up the 3 check points closest to the finish. Being forced to push the pace because of an impending deadline is not what you want after 4hrs of running. Pain, pain, pain… easy check-point, just 2 to go… more running way faster than our legs wanted to go…cramping legs... 15mins left and another junction and decision point. Do we run out and back 2km for a 30 point check point or skip it and just pick up the last easy one on the way back. Tired and under pressure we made the wrong choice. We went for it! Nik did another brilliant job to get the 30 points with me unable to match his pace. Now we were in a frenzy because 8hrs was already up and the finish point was just a distant lighted building across several dark muddy fields. We set-off on a steep, muddy track, legs cramping and sliding around… Nik’s phone ringing with the organisers wanting to know we were safe…yes, safe but running a bit late… a grim run up a path that seemed to go on for ever, desperately trying to keep up with Nik but not having the legs to do it… where is the last check point… it is by a style around here somewhere… …further up the road…got it!  Now just 500m to sprint for the finish (well shuffle enthusiastically anyway). We staggered to a warm welcome from the finishing marshals with Nik joking that 8hrs was a bit short for us so we just wanted to run around for a bit longer. We hobbled in to join the tired muddy rabble in the village hall and learnt that we had earned ourselves a 55 penalty points for being late. Our last decision to go for the last 30 point detour had cost us 55 points!! But then finding an intact points card we learnt the really tragic news that the 3km slog for the 4^th from last mystery check point was in fact worth just 10 points!!

Still we were chuffed with picking up 4^th in category in our first ever adventure race. And I picked up a PB too, that is the muddiest I have ever been!

I had imagined that it was going to be 8hrs of messing about in the country rather than 4hrs of cycling followed by 4hrs of running. Especially as I do not do long, an Olympic distance tri is enough for me! 8 hours of eating energy bars and gels is just not sensible.

We really enjoyed the event though which was relaxed and smooth running. If some of the fast guys in the club can read a map then they would be well placed to pick up the prizes. In fact if a pair of tri ladies had entered then I am sure they would have won their category. Highly recommended!