Racer enjoys break from reality
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Overcoming sleep deprivation and being able to navigate in dense native bush in pitch black darkness proved crucial for Shaun Palmer’s Ataraxia Macpac team in the recent GODZone Pure adventure race through the central North Island.
Palmer, from New Plymouth, and team-mates Tom Reynolds, Matt Jeans and Hannah Lowe averaged three hours’ sleep a day as they covered more than 650 kilometres in just under six days.
They took fourth place in last week’s event, coming in 17 hours behind Nathan Fa’ave’s Avaya team, which crossed after four days and 23 hours, eight hours ahead of Richie McCaw’s second placed isport team.
The event had competitors on the 666-kilometre Chapter 9 course mountainbike, packraft, trek, rogaine and kayak from Rotorua to Turangi and back via the Whirinaki State Forest, Kaimanana Range and Lake Taupo¯ . ‘‘It was an epic route and one of the tougher events I have done, with all the sections generally very interesting,’’ Palmer, a mechanical engineer, said.
The fourth placing was far higher than the team were expecting.
It was creditable performance with the team members, who all had experience in previous GODZone races, never having raced as a team before.
The team laid the platform for a high placing after the fourth stage when they came from eighth to finish third in the 21km rogaine section through the Whirinaki State Forest.
The nighttime section, from 9pm to 9am, saw the team make its biggest move as the members’
navigational skills outlasted those of more experienced teams.
Following that section was a ‘‘long and punishing’’ trek through the Kaimanawa Range, Palmer said.
‘‘We arrived at the hut at 2am to find all bunks and floor space had been taken, so we settled to sleep outside on the veranda.’’
Lack of sleep was a challenge, with the team managing to grab a maximum of 15 hours of shut eye for the entire event, he said.
‘‘It was also very cold at times but you just put on your clothes and kept moving.’’
Palmer said he would take a few weeks off before thinking about his next event, possibly overseas once the Covid threat lessened.
‘‘These endurance events are enough of a break from reality as you can get and see how far you can push yourself.
‘‘There is nothing else I know of that will do that.’’