Plett adventurers show their mettle
PLETTENBERG BAY - Plett's intrepid adventurers, Plett Adventure Racing, kept the Bitou flag flying high during the Adventure Racing World Championships, not only completing a gruelling challenge, but also overcoming great adversity in their stride.
The Plett Adventure Racing team took on the epic world championships of the Adventure Racing World Series in the Eastern Cape recently, completing the 800km challenge g alongside g the best teams from around the world.
Huge challenges
Team member Jeanette Wylie said the Adventure Racing World Champs which started in Cape St Francis did not disappoint. "It threw all sorts of obstacles at the team." Firstly, they lost their team captain and backbone, Petrus Maree, just two weeks before the race, but they were lucky to find a replacement in Pax Mostert.
"Another blow was struck when we lost our team navigator, Drew Scott, just two days before this important event – and you can imagine how important the navigator is to this sport! Fate intervened again, as Pax's son,
Scott – without any adventure racing experience – bravely decided to give the race a go and joined the team."
Wylie said Scott did a fantastic job on the first hike of the race with navigation, but withdrew from the race on the following leg after realising that he was not prepared for the enormity of the task due to a lack of training. From there on, only Mostert, Wylie and Andrew van Rensburg remained for the rest of the nine-day race, dubbing themselves the "Three Musketeers".
This included a 56km trek across sand and pebbles, followed by a 181km bike ride and another 90km trek with abseiling in freezing winds. The trio said one of the highlights of the race was a 65km paddle. p "This was the best fun ever. There were rapids, swims and laughter with an added challenge of a hole in the boat. We fixed this on the muddy river bank by making a fire and melting a plastic spoon over the hole."
This was followed by a 224km bike ride and another 65km trek across the Baviaanskloof area before they tackled another 124km bike ride.
Their trials and tribulations ended with a 32km trek and they experienced mixed feelings of disbelief, happiness and sadness after it was over.
Even with a team member down, the Plett Adventure Racing team managed to secure spot number 73 out of 109 participating teams.
Overcomers
"For Team Plett Adventure, this event was a tribute to rising up against adversity. We unfortunately had two team members fall out due to illness just before the event started, but we overcame the chaos and managed to start the event with a full contingent," Van Rensburg said.
"The severity y of the cold and heat, and long trek and bike legs all provided challenges that - as a team - we overcame… I am very proud of this fact: that we stuck to it and got it done."
She said adventure racing is something that one cannot compare to any other sport.
"It is a life choice, it captivates some and others not. It peels off the layers that we build around us, it's dependent on the support of family and friends, and one has to be a jack of all trades as any activity can be thrown at you. It has no boundaries, it makes you cry and laugh at the same time and shows you beautiful places that not many see. It makes you humble, it forms bonds with teammates that never break - it's simply beautiful."