Day 5: Hobart
Last day of the Mark Webber Challenge 2012. Feels like we have been racing for an eternity. After several days spent in the wilderness and a gorgeous day 4 around binalong bay, we are now back in the civilisation. Our team, Rexona No Quit, is back in third position by not much. Today will be the decider. Crossing all our fingers and toes.
The day starts at the top of Mt Wellington, where competitors will have to run around the car park, before jumping on their bikes and ride down in a very short and fast bike leg. The temperature at the top is just freezing. Gave my gloves to Eric and for a second time warmed up Glenn getting changed outside and freezing.
Bruce and I are then off to the TA where the team will be transitioning to an orienteering run. I will be ready to go at each TA in case Eric or Glenn needs a break. Eric arrives quite quickly but Glenn is taking a while. Then he arrives after having had a flat. Team Qantas is already gone. While the guys are running, I get our bikes checked by McBain which is lucky as apparently Eric’s derailleur was dangerously bent.
Qantas arrives at the TA and the team has a massive panic attack. The girl in the team is nowhere to be found and then when she is back, the guy who needs to get on the bike leg with her cannot find his bike shoes. They are running around screaming. Feel a bit bad for them but that is good for us. Our team arrives 30 minutes later with a massive smile. They are really happy with their orienteering leg and have gotten all the optional checkpoints. Sweet. Next is the best bike leg according to everyone for Eric and Glenn, going down to Hobart.
At the next TA, they both arrive grinning again, after a great bike leg. When I ask them how they feel, Glenn responds: “Feels like I haven’t started the race”. Great! These two are champions. Looks like we are still cut to cut with Qantas, it will all depend on the optional checkpoints. Off to a quick run leg and Glenn and I will be kayaking to the finish line.
Final leg, Glenn and Eric arrive running, Glenn and I jump into the kayak and we are off paddling like crazy to the finish. After a right turn, getting into the harbour there is now a last straight line before getting off the kayak. Both Glenn and I paddle like crazy. Like Ken during Ben Lomonds, I just concentrate on the tip of the kayak not even looking ahead and paddling as hard as I can. We get to the jetty and Eric and the kayak guys pull me off the kayak, Eric tells us: “We have only one minute to cross the finish line otherwise Qantas is third”. BOOM! We start running like there is no tomorrow. The finish line is 100 meters away. We run so fast to cross the finish line, we make the picture of the day on the Webber Challenge Facebook page:
So happy to be finished, we congratulate each other, completely out of breath, we get our finisher medals and get some food and drinks. I cannot wait. I go to the tent where the officials are and ask where we stand. After five days of racing and nearly 400 kms, we are nine minutes… in front of Qantas.
I cannot contain my joy, I am jumping everywhere and go tell Eric and Glenn, we are jumping up and down and over the moon. Third place in our category behind two teams of pro-athletes including legends like Caine Eckstein, Courtney Atkinson and Ken Wallace. Unbelievable. Dream come true. From the moment we won the competition, I asked the team to dream big and we just did it. Time for pictures with Mark Webber who congratulates us and wants the photographers to capture the wound. Such a nice guy.
Really nice as well to unwind
and chat with all the other competitors (many of them sport and
adventure racing legends), congratulating each other, sharing moments
and feedback on the race.
Video highlights of the Mark Webber Challenge Day 5:
Rexona No Quit Top Tips:
Last day of the Mark Webber Challenge 2012. Feels like we have been racing for an eternity. After several days spent in the wilderness and a gorgeous day 4 around binalong bay, we are now back in the civilisation. Our team, Rexona No Quit, is back in third position by not much. Today will be the decider. Crossing all our fingers and toes.
The day starts at the top of Mt Wellington, where competitors will have to run around the car park, before jumping on their bikes and ride down in a very short and fast bike leg. The temperature at the top is just freezing. Gave my gloves to Eric and for a second time warmed up Glenn getting changed outside and freezing.
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Qantas arrives at the TA and the team has a massive panic attack. The girl in the team is nowhere to be found and then when she is back, the guy who needs to get on the bike leg with her cannot find his bike shoes. They are running around screaming. Feel a bit bad for them but that is good for us. Our team arrives 30 minutes later with a massive smile. They are really happy with their orienteering leg and have gotten all the optional checkpoints. Sweet. Next is the best bike leg according to everyone for Eric and Glenn, going down to Hobart.
 |  |
Final leg, Glenn and Eric arrive running, Glenn and I jump into the kayak and we are off paddling like crazy to the finish. After a right turn, getting into the harbour there is now a last straight line before getting off the kayak. Both Glenn and I paddle like crazy. Like Ken during Ben Lomonds, I just concentrate on the tip of the kayak not even looking ahead and paddling as hard as I can. We get to the jetty and Eric and the kayak guys pull me off the kayak, Eric tells us: “We have only one minute to cross the finish line otherwise Qantas is third”. BOOM! We start running like there is no tomorrow. The finish line is 100 meters away. We run so fast to cross the finish line, we make the picture of the day on the Webber Challenge Facebook page:
So happy to be finished, we congratulate each other, completely out of breath, we get our finisher medals and get some food and drinks. I cannot wait. I go to the tent where the officials are and ask where we stand. After five days of racing and nearly 400 kms, we are nine minutes… in front of Qantas.
We are third. PODIUM!
I cannot contain my joy, I am jumping everywhere and go tell Eric and Glenn, we are jumping up and down and over the moon. Third place in our category behind two teams of pro-athletes including legends like Caine Eckstein, Courtney Atkinson and Ken Wallace. Unbelievable. Dream come true. From the moment we won the competition, I asked the team to dream big and we just did it. Time for pictures with Mark Webber who congratulates us and wants the photographers to capture the wound. Such a nice guy.
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| Mark Webber makes sure the cameras get the wound |
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| Team Rexona No Quit with Adventure Race Word-champions Mimi and Jacky |
Rexona No Quit Top Tips:
- Start warm and stay warm until the race starts.
- Don’t quit (mentally). The race is not over until it is over. Had we not hold on mentally, we would have dropped (physically) and not finished third.
- Try not to change clothes at transitions. For the last kayak leg Glenn wanted to change his shoes for sandals (not to bring back wet shoes in his suitcase). That was a bad call, especially the last leg of the last day. We had only nine minutes over Qantas. That’s nothing. Another flat tyre and we were fourth. Small things add up.
