Anaconda hits Forster NSW
Starting with a 3km team run, mostly uphill to accelerate the warm up and get the sweat pouring for those doing the run in their wetsuits, swimmers then headed off in the clear turquoise waters on quite a long and rugged ZOOT swim leg below the cliffs from 1 Mile Beach to Main Beach. Team Epic Kayaks, back to defend their round one win were again impressive with Nick Cuthbert leading into transition 1 min and 13 seconds ahead of former ironman Guy Andrews. Closely followed by notable swimmer Ben Allen. Jarad Kohlar, who demonstrated his good form on the Gold Coast by beating all the people in today’s field when he came second behind Richard Ussher came out 8 minutes and 40 seconds behind, appearing to have given too much lead to take the win today. The top women all exited the water within striking distance of each other, lead by Wendy Wilson from Torquay, Victoria. Wilson, still gaining fitness after having her first child a year ago was aiming to improve on her 5th place in round with that hit out appearing to show benefit in reminding her body how to race.
Andrews continued to have a cracker of a race, extending his lead to 3 minutes over Ben Allen and 9 minutes back to Kohlar with Glenn Kirby, Michael Snell and Simon Manson separating them. Wilson too extended her lead with Christie Sym holding on to second close behind. Sym, 2007 Series winner was forced to pull out of the first round on the Gold Coast because of a minor heart operation that she had in late July. Given the green light to compete this weekend after surgery to abate the potentially dangerous ventricular tachycardia, Sym was attempting to be conservative in her effort level.
Allen and Andrews continued their battle with Allen picking up a couple of minutes to enter the transition after the mountain bike leg at the same time. Meanwhile in the women, early in the mountain bike leg Sym’s derailer broke and after attempts to repair it and even trying to run with and carry her bike she was about to give up all hope when an angel called Simon Manson appeared. Sacrificing his race he gave her his bike and she continued, now in third place after Deanna Blegg who was comfortably back on land where she performs best.
The final 11km KEEN run leg was where all the moves were made. Kohlar had made a massive 7 minute improvement on the leaders in the bike leg and was within striking distance in the final discipline, and his favourite. A very well paced race by him he managed to steam past a fading Allen and Andrews who also managed a wrong turn, a potentially costly error, with Kohlar taking the day one top spot in 4 hours and 1 minute. Andrews, only a minute behind managed a smile with Allen grimacing due to a rolled ankle crossing 3 minutes later. Kohlar admitted to conserving some energy in the paddle in order to finish hard in the ride and run and declared that he had plenty of energy left to do it all again tomorrow.
Blegg also finished extremely strongly, storming past Wilson in the run leg to take the women’s race. Sym, angry after the bike issue left conservatism behind and came in second only a minute behind with Wilson a further minute and a half back. Blegg, mother of two, was elated with her day one results and positive about the Sunday event claiming that she owed the win to the work she’s been doing on her paddling which paid off by keeping her within striking distance of the lead girls.
Team Epic Kayaks (Dane Sloss, Steve Burns, Nathan Mcovery & Nick Cuthbert) were daylight ahead of the entire field from the outset of the ZOOT swim leg and even took the organisers by surprise with their speed to the finish line that was barely set up in time for them to run through the Anaconda arch.
DAY 2
Wind and rain greeted competitors 20km south of Forster, NSW for the race start at Seal Rocks for day two of the Anaconda Adventure Race National Series. A normally idyllic beach today was rough and had a challenging side chop for swimmers to plough through. With brave faces and a supportive crowd of spectators they set off on the 1.9km ZOOT swim around the rocky headland. This day two, would decide the overall winner for the weekend with the lowest cumulative time determining the place getters. The regions national parks, crystal clear water and sand dunes were showcased as individuals and teams competed for a share of the $30,000 in cash and prizes during the two day 100km off-road challenge.
The Forster race is the second round in the Series with Dunsborough, WA next on November 2nd, followed the final event at Lorne, Victoria on December 7th where competitor numbers are expected to reach 1500 each – making them the biggest adventure races in the world. Each race comprises a 1.9km ocean swim, 13km ocean ski paddle, 12km trail run, 20km mountain bike and 3km team beach run to finish, with the Forster race the exception repeating the course over two days. Races can be completed as an individual and for those less hard core as part of a team doing one or two legs only.
Predictably, Team Epic Kayaks (Dane Sloss, Steve Burns, Nathan Mcovery & Nick Cuthbert - swimmer) opened a generous lead in the ZOOT swim leg with individuals Ben Allen, Guy Andrews and Boyd Conrick exiting a couple of minutes behind. The clock then started for Jarad Kohlar to see how much time he would lose and whether he could maintain a reasonable margin in which to peg them back.
Seven minutes later he appeared from the swirling seas at about the same time as the lead women, Deanna Blegg and Wendy Wilson. Christie Sym, in a similar predicament to Kohlar also allowed the other girls a couple of minutes head start. Sym went into today’s race desperate to avoid the equipment malfunctions she had on day 1 but with extra confidence that her body would cope after heart surgery on her ventricular tachycardia only a month ago having pulled up fine from Saturday.
In the next leg, the 17km KEEN trail run Kohlar had scary determination already making up minutes on a waning Guy Andrews who he managed to pass at the 14km mark. Andrews could be forgiven for looking fatigued and confirmed he was a mere mortal with the sand dunes proving taxing, as it was also for the 150 runners behind him. Heading into his weakest leg, Allen with Conrick in tow still looked relatively comfortable with a few minutes lead. Clayton Smith and John Kent were both having a good day and were still in contention. While rain fell, an enthusiastic crowd formed at transition supporting the competitors, particularly first female, Blegg who still held a healthy lead over Sym, with Wilson falling behind.
Meanwhile, the mountain bike tracks were becoming very muddy from the rain were increasing in difficulty. Along with the rocky trails, riders were challenged by the mud flicking up in their eyes, appearing at the end of a 29km ride through Wallingat National Park virtually unrecognisable under all the dirt. Kohlar continued his forward progress to take the lead while Sym closed in on Blegg.
Exhausted both physically and emotionally from the concentration required in a technical mountain bike leg competitors then paddled 13km across the Wallis Lake towards their final Great Lakes Tourism 3km run leg to the finish. Team Epic Kayaks were extremely impressive with a half hour win over all other individuals and teams, with each of their individual splits the fastest in the field. Kohlar didn’t look back and crossed the line in first place again, making it two out of two for the weekend and giving him the overall round 2 win. Pleased with his race tactics after learning the hard way last year, he aimed to work hard to get in front of Andrews and then just conserve energy for the last paddle where he blew up in 2007.
His race plan was almost ruined when he got a flat tyre in the bike leg and forfeited a couple of minutes repairing it. Acknowledging that you have to expect things like that in adventure racing he pressed on to the finish, victorious. A race was on behind him with Andrews finding his form and gradually passing everyone to come in second again today and taking the silver overall. Smith finished strongly in third place but because of his seventh yesterday was relegated to fourth overall with Ben Allen making the podium in third place.
Superwoman Sym passed Blegg in the paddle but to Blegg’s credit she hung on producing her best paddle split ever to remain in close contention for the overall cumulative weekend win. An emotional Sym threw her hands up at the finish as she ran through the Anaconda finish arch and then the tears of relief started streaming. The clock was closely watched as Blegg made her way up the beach. As it ticked over a minute after her finish, Sym relaxed and celebrated her overall victory acknowledging that she, “put her heart and soul into her racing today” and perhaps, “raced way too hard yesterday”, not leaving too much in the tank for today. Always cheery Blegg was pleased with her race and the improvements in her paddling.
