AR World Championship - Hard Day on the Water

David Ogden
International Adventurers

The 65K paddle to the mainland via the island of Eigg started later than intendedat 0820 by the time they passed the second of two checkpoints Orion Health had taken an early lead powering along at 5knots . Balance Bar Vector and Team Sole were fighting for second place travelling around 4.k knots, while Nike were in 7th Place travelling at 3 knots Team Halti were further back but catching up at 6knots.

It appears there were 2 early casualties team Sleepmonster/Inov6 capsised and recovered and Team North Face had a collision prior to the startwhich put a hole in their boat had to paddle hard to catch up.

Around Midday Orion Health reached the main land and turned North into the wind to head up to Lock Morah Narrows, Team Balance Vector were in close attentance with Wilsa Helly
Hansen, burfords Adventure racing and Sole not far behind.

Team Buff/Lake district outdoors had a structural problemin one of thier kayaks a and were picked up by rescue boat and transported to the mainland and continue unranked after the five lead teams had passed.

Teams at the back of the race were forced south by winds and current and Team Cancer Research were help back on course to join the North Face as tail end Charlie. During the night
some teams took to the beach to head up to Morar it being a very long and tiring time for the back markers. Team inov-8/intellident capsized in Loch Morar and went to a local farmhouse for help as one team member had damaged fingers from the prologue.

The Micro Navigation section (CP3) during the portage into Loch Nevis saw Balance Vector snatch the lead Meanwhile Orion Health and Balance Vector and the leading teams had to serve their time penalties at the end of the micronavigation course, this allowed a new leader to emerge Wilsa Helly Hansen.

Once accross Loch Ness the teams began the long trek twisting and undulating to the tip of Loch Horn, which started by heading SE to tip of loch Nevis where
all but Wilsa Helly Hansen had navigational promlems. Aberdeen Asset Management actually heading down to the Loch side. Team Balance Vector moved fast after correcting their
error to chase down the leaders.teams are not expect to reach Transition 2 until tomorrow morning.

A Harsh day on Rhum

Yesterday, The teams competing in the AR World Championship were given a taste both of the terrain that they will be racing over and the way in which the race will be conducted. The 700m cold swim followed by 25 K orienteering and an anticlockwise route along the summits of the island. The leading group of 5 teams all finished in five and half hours First to finish was Orion Health followed by Lundhags, Buff Coolmax, Balance Vector and Nike.

The Marshals then stepped in at this stage and checked the compulsory equipment, and the leaders Orion Health and Balance Vector where penalised 2 hours for missing equipment. as other teams arrived protests were lodged and Nike was penalised for breaking the 100 metre rule(all team members must be within 100metres of one another) then to cap it all Lundhags, Buff Coolmax, SOLE, Salomon Crested Butte and McCain Adventure Addicts were all reported for taking a shortcut and lost 2 hours. So the question is how will this affect the race.

A number of injuries occurred from falls and at least two competitors have damaged fingers which will make the paddling extra difficult

The teams were introduced to the Scottish midge which seems to eat you alive, as they camped below the castle getting their last full nights sleep until the end of the competition

Today 100 kayaks will make their way past the Island of Eigg to the mainland before the teams take on the wilds of Knoydart. Somewhere along this route the results of the prologue will come into play as all teams apart from the prologue winner, will be held at an unspecified checkpoint to serve time penalties based on their times during the prologue

The Course Revealed for AR World Championship 2007

The AR world Championship is about to start, Yesterday the teams were given the course and a big surprise they will be transported to the island of Rhum and will undertake a prologue on the island and camp overnight before a kayak start the following morning to take via the island of Egg them back to the mainland where they kayak northwards past the white sands of Morar to a portage at Morar narrows as the currents into the sea loch can be fierce. This will be the first test for some who have either brought new sea kayaks or borrowed from the organisers, I have sailed in these waters and it can be unforgiving. There is another portage and they eventually reach the first transition at Inverie and commence a trek into the Knoydart. Transition 2 is the commencement of a 125k mountain bike leg where there is a cut off prior to a rope section and a jump down a huge waterfall, thank fully not from the top as its 130 ft high!

A swim in Loch Ness is on the agenda, teams were pleased to know that they have been insured against the possible intervention of the Loch Ness Monster. Another monster does face them however and that is Scotland’s highest mountain Ben Nevis, when last attempted the weather thwarted the race plans.

Before they get to the mountains they will be kayaking upstream and portaging their kayaks accross Rannoch more between lochs

The weather of course will play a major part and the latest high tech protection against the elements will be tested to destruction, Gore-Tex socks are no match for Scottish bogs.

2007 AR World Championship Starts in Rhum

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The 2007 AR World Cahmpionship will start on the tiny island Of Rhum some 2 hours from the the Scottish mainland. There will be a prologue Prior to the actual start more details will follow tomorrow

David Ogden - International Adventurers