Last weekend Team Facewest took part in the Lake District leg of the Helly Hansen Adventure Challenge Series. This was a multisport race or short adventure race whatever you want to call it. The race consisted of a 2.5 mile fell run, 20km mountain bike, short canoe section and a final 1.5 mile run with a couple of ‘challenges’ thrown in.
Team Facewest at the start of the canoe.
The race very popular with about 300 teams of 3. The intensity was pitched so that the event was challenging but not so hard as to put people off. To the same end there was no navigation required apart from following the big arrows on the course. That said the first run had a good lump of a hill in it and the mountain bike had some difficult technical sections (wet muddy tree roots) and some good single track as well as some full speed fire roads. The canoe was pretty difficult for most people, us included, as there weren’t too many good paddlers around but was mercifully short. The final run was fine but the challenges were a bit of something and nothing with a co-ordination exercise involving a 3 man plank walk and a short wall to climb leading to the finish. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves so I guess the format was just about right.
The Facewest team finished 15th overall which we were very pleased with, especially considering there were about 10 sponsored adventure race teams fighting it out for the top places.
Thanks to Helly Hansen for giving us the entry to their race.