Pain overcome by desire to participate
AFTER nine months of training, Ignacio Sande was most annoyed when he pulled a muscle in his back during training just a few days before the Maxis Projects 6+6 Adventure Race.
However, he is not one to give up. The Invercargill man waited at the transition site at Flat Hill Wind Farm on Saturday, about 3km from Bluff, for his team of three to arrive before he took over on the second activity — a 30km cycle to Teretonga Raceway.
‘‘I was very annoyed when I hurt my back because I was really looking forward to this but it would have been impossible to run.’’
Despite the setback, he was just happy to be taking part with hundreds of other keen athletes who ‘‘love Southland and love to be outdoors’’.
The twoday adventure race consisted of mountain biking, orienteering, trekking and kayaking with a twist — all the locations were kept secret from participants until the day of the race.
On the day, each person was given a map to study.
‘‘We competed in 2018 and loved it, so we really wanted to come back again this year,’’ Mr Sande said.
Run by the Southland Triathalon and Multisport Club, the range of activities was squeezed into two sixhour stages on Saturday and Sunday, and people from all over the country took part.
The fastest teams were to complete each stage in 45 hours, while all teams had six hours to finish. To increase the challenge, the circuit also included two periods of racing in the dark.
Hundreds of tents and vehicles were parked at Teretonga on Saturday where competitors and their supporters camped ahead of the 7am start on Sunday morning.