As we start our 4th week at sea ........

Despite being on a boat 45ft long and a rigid pattern of rowing or not rowing every 2 hours it is incredibly hard to sum up 3 weeks out in the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. There has been a definite increase in on board battering and trading mostly involving chocolate bars which have become "hot currency" and are the pinnacle for trading and bet making for the trip and more importantly the 6 Nations' results..

Now Tim isn't a fan of Snickers so in his wisdom he was putting his all left overs from each day's ration pack including his Snickers into the “spares (or left overs) bag”. Pete spotted an opportunity when sifting through the spares bag, and took the Snickers and munched them, which Tim noticed. One day Tim said that as Pete had been eating his Snickers he owed him a Double Decker! Pete was shocked by this and although he went through begrudgingly with this deal was a little upset as he thought “the spares” were fair game; and to ensure any further raids on his rations by Tim (or the other crew members) munched his way through all the remaining goodies in his ration pack over the next 5 minutes ;-)

There have been many special moments – when we passed the halfway mark between Barbados and Porto Mogan, witnessed shooting stars and caught, but didn't land, our first Dorado. We have coped with rogue waves and issues with our power and have been on water rations ever since.

From a rowing perspective the 3rd week meant we hadn't got as far, or as fast, as we hoped due to broken daggerboards, bad currents, low winds and a natural spectacle of a lightening storm. This was particularly impressive although thoughts of what was higher than an ocean rowing boat in the middle of the ocean with nothing else around did get us thinking about the odds of a direct hit by lightening. Fortunately the storm tracked away from us and we were just left watching the all night light show of forks of lightening came down.

All that is left is more rowing, eating, sleeping and now a new addition more time is being spent by everyone looking after sore bums and other aches and pains

Expect the Unexpected – and please Support the RNLI

One of the lessons I have learnt from this trip when dealing with oceans is that the unexpected does, and will, happen. We have experienced equipment failures, electrical problems, water shortages, attacks from wildlife and the weather and currents have been much worse than we had hoped and anticipated. A lot of these problems have been overcome by being well prepared, thinking of back up solutions or working round the problem. In our most recent, our spare daggerboard broke and although we are a bit less stable, and a bit more rocky on board, our speedhas not been as adversely affected as I expected. We only have 940 miles to go before we reach Barbados.

The RNLI respond to calls all year round to problems like the ones we have experienced, and in all conditions. People dont go to sea expecting problems and although they can prepare as best they can, sometimes its just not enough. Equally when the RNLI are called into flooded areas around the UK, the problem scenarios can happen very quickly before people and communities have time to react and prepare for the worst. So please show your support and donate to the RNLI via the link on my blog (http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BennoRawlinson) or Google “benno rawlinson virgin fundraising” or if all else fails just go straight to the RNLI website and make a donation as each donation will make a difference and help save lives in the UK and abroad

Attack of the flying fish

There have been slight technical problems as I thought I was sending updates to my blog but they haven’ t arrived so… I have a lot of catching up to do after this update; possibly going to be a bit of a catch up session on everything that has happened so far, will see how it pans out. So before heading out I heard from a lot of people that flying fish manage to get everywhere and will find the smallest of crevasses to hide in till you find their smelly remains. At the time I didnt really appreciate how true this would be till the other night. Now, regardless of conditions outside, the cabin has become a cosy, warm and safe haven from the elements and there are some things you just don’t expect. This is definitely one of them.

I had finished my second shift of the night and was curled up in bed in the front cabin fast asleep when I was woken up at about 2.30 by a wet slap on my bac! I momentarily disregarded it as I wanted to go back to sleep. This was only brief as I then heard what has become a common sound of flapping around and realised there was a flying fish in the cabin! Whilst trying to process this fact, I jumpedup onto to my knees and started trying to grab the wet, smelly, flappy thing with both hands whilst it squirmed around my bed and ultimately “snuggled“ under my pillow and where I managed to grab it and throw it out of the cabin roof hatch which was open. Meanwhile 2 other crew members had overheard the commotion and were curled up with laughter watching the scene unfold – as a naked man fumbled ed round a small enclosed space on hands and knees after a sliipery invader. What makes the whole thing so amazing is that this fish had to fly out of the sea, above our cabin and either drop perfectly down through the hole of the cabin roof hatch which is only 2ft by 1ft or bounce off the cover and in through this hole. It still makes the crew crack up when they hear the story. I seem to have become a flying fish magnet as on my next shift a number flew over our heads and one bounced off the rear cabin just missed me and landed by my feet!

Avalon Sea Trials

Yesterday was the first sea trials in Avalon in Gran Canaria and what an experience it was. The morning started earlier than recently meeting at the marina for 8 am as we had been informed that our boat was to be moved by this huge crane.

Sunrise in Gran Canaria
Sunrise in Gran Canaria

Couple of issues with this. Firstly there was another boat and a car in the way and the other problem was that the man due to move it wasn't there. We managed to solve the first after lots of discussion in mixed Spanish and English. The later was more interesting and the pace was purely dictated by island life or the length of time it took for his cigarette to be finished. Even with the boat in mid air he stopped to take a phone call while we were all precariously standing on the boat waiting for it to be lowered into the water. It all happened though without a hitch. As we rowed to our berth in the marina we were only interrupted by our apartment landlady to kindly inform us that she wasn't happy as we were late leaving our apartment and could the other team members get over there now. As soon as we were tied up we were over there to the apartment and literally throwing stuff out of the door to give it a clean down as the previous one we had been told was not clean enough. It took a wee bit of pleading and charm by our ozy crew member Tim to secure the 2nd apartment. According to the cleaner who inspected it, this one was cleaner than we had received it in. This made the landlady a bit happier and kindly helped us find a 3rd apartment.

Next stop the boat for the actual sea trials. Myself at stroke, then James, Peter and Calum were up first on the row. A nice gentle hour with the odd burst to see how she felt at a higher speed. The boat was rising and falling on some small waves, the sun was shining and the occasional wind blew on our faces. What could be better. Next up Tim at stroke, Jan, Livar and captain Leven. The rest of us chilled in the boat and checked out the beds otherwise know as a coffin, tube or pilot berth depending on who you speak to. They are quite wee and certainly a bit of a squeeze. The aim of the session was to see how she performed, calibrate and test some of the systems as well as do a man overboard scenario (a fender kindly offered it services).

The Fender of Choice
The Fender of Choice

The boat performed extremely well with it achieving good speeds in the conditions. More importantly the crew was delighted to be out on the water, despite a bit of tweaking being required she is looking in great shape for a fast crossing.

Avalon in the Water
Avalon in the Water

Next stage fixing the tweaks, some more rowing trials and then chasing down and overtaking team Titan who left this morning.

Final Preparations in Gran Canaria

Last weekend I left the wet and windy shores of scotland bound for Gran Canaria ahead of the start of the Atlantic Row 2013 campaign. I was very fortunate and managed to get extra leg room, a bit of a blessing on a 4 hour flight! I was sat next to a couple who were reading the same book as me and we ended up discussing ocean rowing and other adventures for the duration of the flight. After a quick flight over the speakers came the usual chime to signal that we had landed safely and on time.

I had to wait in the airport for one of my other team mates to arrive, James, who was arriving not long after myself. After meeting up and managing to find the bus stop we were quickly ushered onto a bus and could only hope that it was the right one and that the point where we needed to change would be obvious. It wasn't and we soon found ourselves at the end of the line and the bus driver scratching his head. We opted for a taxi ride instead to get us to Porto Mogan.

Since then we have met up with the rest of the team, the boat has arrived and now the majority of the work has been done on it. Including many hours spent putting on all the vinyls from the various sponsors that have been accumulated by the team members.

We are now waiting for the all important weather window which is currently looking like early next week. In the meantime there's some more jobs on the boat to finish up and catching as much sleep as possible a head of our 2 hours on and 2 hours off for 30 days.

20130113-095437.jpg
20130113-095437.jpg

The Journey ahead

I thought it would be poignant to combine these two articles, partly because I ran out of time to do my other idea and also I think they go together quite well.Over the summer the Olympic Torch went on a 70 day journey from Greece and round the UK, over which time 8000 inspiring people carried it. Myself and the rest of crew tiger were selected to be part of the penultimate section of the journey rowing with it along the Thames behind the Gloriana in our boat Tiger from Hampton Court to Putney before it continued its journey to Tower Bridge. IMG_0346

It is safe to say that the day was a spectacular experience going along the Thames with people crowding the banks for the entire route. We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Like the flame coming to the end of my journey with Atlantic Rowing, many hours of training and preparation has gone into it. I have been thinking about it for years, similar to the athletes I expect. Now all that is left is a wee bit of preparation, waiting for the right weather window and then some hard work off to break the world record by rowing it in less than 30 days.

IMG_2772

The prospects of the challenge a head are incredibly exciting and it has come round very fast. Thank you to all of those people who have helped in various ways from sponsorship, to training, preparation, advice and of course my friends and family.

Will hopefully be able to provide some updates whilst preparing but in case I can’t I hope you all have a fantastic start to the New Year. See you when I get back!

You can follow our progress on:

www.oceanrowevents.com

Twitter @bennorawlinson

In case you want to read more about the journey with the flame its below

Arriving in Hampton Court we were welcomed to a huge number of people, far more than any of us expected at 7am on a weekday, all the way from paddling knee deep on the water’s edge, right up the bank and up round onto the bridge. We could see the Gloriana lying up waiting for the torch procession to bring it down and pass the flame on for the journey a head.

As we waited for the start to be announced the boats slowly drifted on the currents. Despite trying to stay a decent distance from one another and from the Gloriana, we soon found all the boats congregating in the same space. At which point oars started to get entwined and it was like playing twister with boats. The time finally arrived and we could see it being brought down to the boat before the signal was given for us all to depart and the row began.

It was certainly very different compared to the usual row along the Thames; people were crammed along many parts of the course particularly in Richmond and Kingston where it was several rows deep. We opted for soaking up the atmosphere as we rowed along the Thames and waving to the people that had decided to make the journey out to the river. It was the longest row we had done together as a team and it felt easy as our minds were taken to checking out the throngs of people who had come down. This included the people who had tried to sneak onto the rowing processions and making some good progress including a few punters and a half naked kayaker. This was shortly before some police pulled them off.

We arrived at Teddington locks at which point all the boats finally came together again while we waited for the gates to open. They opened and the Gloriana put her foot down quite literally. She was off. Due to being behind schedule they needed get a move on, we tried to keep up but the motor was certainly more powerful than any of the rowers of the river. We made our way along the river arriving in Putney shortly after they had passed through and pulled up on the beach outside the boat houses. After several hours rowing it was good to reach the pub and have a well-deserved pint and food with the team and some friends while we waited for the tides to change and make the row back.

The Benefits of a Christmas Diet

Following on from my last blog about meeting my nutritionist who made a number of suggestions on how I can increase my weight but in a way that wasn’t just in extra squidgy bits. I took to following her advice as much as possible. Apart from the idea of eating something like tofu which I just couldn't bring myself to do. scales

It was quite strange to start with noting everything I ate and drank, it certainly helped re-enforce the aim to the point where I didn’t need to write it down so much as I mentally noting what was going in.

The idea was pretty straight forward stage 1 would involve reducing my fat intake from the likes of whole milk and yoghurts and increasing my carbohydrates through the likes of pastas, rice and potatoes that kind of thing. The rest of my diet was in pretty good shape apart from the odd tweak. I did have to ensure that I was still consuming in excess of 4000 calories on a day of normal exercise and then 5 – 6000 calories if it had been longer in distance.

The results from this I had checked a couple of months ago around mid-September; the results showed good progress. My weight had increased in a stead manor and the skin calliper test showed that my fat percentage had also dropped. The slight downside was I was still occasionally losing weight and short of my target weight of 95kg.

I had watched my brother struggle with the weight gain process a couple of years ago and as easy as it sounds, it reaches a point where whilst doing exercise and everything else you do in a day it’s a struggle to get in all the calories in a healthy and sustainable way.

That is where stage 2 came in, the decision from the results was to give it another month to about mid-October and if the weight was not increasing enough to give it a boost with more calories. I think my work colleagues noticed the increase in the size of lunch that I was bringing in each day added with the daily litre of milk. It had become less important about where it’s coming from and more about the sheer quantity.

The timing of Christmas and the start of the Atlantic row has been very fortunate with the huge quantities of food and possibly a spot of drink that has been on offer over this festive period. It has certainly helped towards the last minute body stores.

The weight is now there or there about at 94kg, I’ve managed to put on about 10 – 12 kg since February, and now intend to lose most of that and potentially more with the row.

Avalon on the Move

The other day was the start of Avalon's journey from the UK to her starting place in Gran Canaria before we row her across to Barbados. There is still a wee bit of work to be done on her when we arrive but we are almost there. This is all part of the process and will give us time to get used thee boat even more. Lifting Avalon Out

The excitement is certainly building and I cant wait to reach the start line.

Away she Goes next Stop Gran Canaria

I will be starting my own journey down to the start point on the 5th of January.

Avalon's Inversion Test

A few weeks ago our boat Avalon under went an inversion test to ensure that she would self upright in the event of a capsize. It is something that every boat undergoes to see how they will deal with extreme weather situations or rogue waves, it certainly  builds up confidence in her abilities when you see how quickly she pops back up. She passed with flying colours! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHXt3Xi7no4]

Putting the Pounds on for an Ocean Rower

Initial Testing As a bit of background up till this year I haven’t ever followed any sort of diet and don’t really believe in the idea of following some of the strict diets that are advertised as I’m not sure how sustainable they are for a person.

However in my quest to be at the peak of my game for the start of this ocean row I knew my understanding and ideas needed to be developed. Back in February this year I realised that at 82kg I was too light and lean for an ocean row. Now I wouldn’t say I was particularly ripped or anything along those lines but given the fact that they can lose as much as 20 kg (3 stone) this can represent a huge loss in power output. Over 3000 miles that can make all the difference between a record and no record.

So I hit the gym to no avail.

I then saw a friend of mine Rin, who’s a nutritionist (a massive thank you for your help!) who got me taking a food diary before analysing it and then having me up to do a skin calliper assessment to check my body fat percentage. Both of these were experiences in themselves monitoring everything I ate and drank was a change from not paying too much attention. It was great as it really made me think about what I was taking in and trying to understand what affect it would have.

The Skin calliper test was a totally different kettle of fish, armed with this strange looking device she measured chunks of flesh as I watched the dial spinning round in various directions trying to work out what the numbers meant.

Skin callipers an interesting look device!

Going through all the data afterwards was hugely helpful having it all broken down in food categories and estimating the number of calories i was taking in, it was a brief insight into what was to be the focus for the coming months. The results were that I was consuming around 3000 calories on a weekday and 3.5K to 4K at the weekend. This I was told was not enough. Awesome! Not so good was the balance which was slightly protein and fat heavy.

I was quickly learning that it wasn’t just to be quantity but quality too in order to get the best results.

The aim of the game was at least 4000 calories a day during the week and as much as 5000 to 6000 at the weekends depending on how active they were. This was going to be a challenge in itself especially given the normal recommended daily amount is about 2000.

Would be great to hear other peoples experience with diets and what they were. From a diet for a particular sport to a summer holiday.

Atlantic Rowing Sea Trials

The day had finally come about. I was just going about my normal day when an email came through letting us know that our 1st sea trials were happening that weekend. My plans quickly changed from the original of cycling and rowing ergs to being out at sea and quickly organising some travel between 2 of us before the early start on Saturday morning. Saturday morning came round pretty quickly. Myself and Jan another crew member, who I’ve rowed with in London, started the 3 hour drive down to Rossiters (our boat builders) in Christchurch on the south coast. By the time we had finished catching up with all that was going on we were there and searching round the boat yard for our captain as well as finding a whole array of ocean rowing boats. This included the resting place for a boat that tried crossing the Pacific Ocean and sadly the occupier was not quite so lucky. A rather sobering point.

We soon found the rest of the crew and after checking out the progress of the boat, made our way to a local breakfast house for some food. Having a 2nd breakfast before 11am was certainly a good start to the day and building our energy a head of the day’s activities. I have well and truly got into the diet required with all the training but will be talking about that later.

The plan was pretty straight forward; leave Rossiter boat yard just before it had reached high tide then out east along the coast towards the Isle of Wight and see where we end up. Then after dark start our journey back to the boat yard on the incoming tide before a debriefing at a local pub. Simple.

Part of the day’s activities was testing out the boat for another rower and his voyage as it had been modified since its previous expedition. First job was to get the boat ready which included putting all our equipment and food for the day onboard, filling the boat up with some ballast and working out which was the keel and which was the rudder as they looked almost identical.

First slight issue came in the form of the ballast tanks leaking into the adjoining compartments, not a problem it turned out as we starting stuffing epoxy resin, supposedly waterproof and highly sticky playdough, into the holes. Turned out not to be so stick but did the job.

The next was a little tougher. It turned out that the keel and the rudder were the wrong way round however we only noticed this at the point at which the supposed keel was stuck in the boat and obstructing the rowing position. I wish I had got some photos and footage of first trying to get it in and then an even tougher job of getting it out. But sadly we were too engrossed in the problem. Trying desperately not to damage the boat we tried everything from levering it out to giving it a smack with a mallet. We manage to wriggle it out of the hole at which point we all decided a keel wasn’t so important. They do however make a big difference it your ability to stay a course and turn which we were to discover later.

The row out was fantastic, passing a solo rower also out testing their boat, winding along the river mouth past various on lookers of this strange looking rowing boat with 5 guys in it. It was amazing being out there on the water after so much dreaming, talking, planning and hours of training.

It was the time that Jan and I had been waiting for, to get behind the oars and get some power through them. It was a strange sensation having done most of my rowing recently on the relative calm of the Thames on a fixed seat boat to then go on a boat with a moving seat and throw in a few small wavelets (it was a pretty calm day!) all made a real difference. However after changing seats on the second session we were soon finding our groove especially thanks to a mixture of Leven and Tim our rowing coaches who were providing advice for us.

Making it round towards the needles off the Isle of Wight we started relaxing between rows with a mixture of munching some food whilst curled up in the front or rear cabins or admiring the various quotes written on the inside of the rear cabin. Im pretty sure one of them went:

“Row, row, row your boat

Gentle down the....”

As my brother has already made a joke about this it made me laugh, I certainly don’t think that Atlantic Ocean really fits after the gently bit. But we will soon see.

It was fast approaching what was for me to be one of the highlights of the day and I think it could be each day of the row too. Sunset. Despite being just off the coast of the UK it did not disappoint and for an hour or so we admired the colours change across the sky from pale blues to burning red before darkness set in. There is however something very peaceful about rowing in the dark whether I feel that way later we will have to wait and see but all there is, is total darkness apart from the boats red and green marker lights and your team mates back in front of you moving up and down the slider.

Turning the boat around Jan and I took up the oars, already there was an element of competition between the teams of rowers. This maybe a slight understatement. However we wanted to go faster than them so decided to up the rate and see where we could get to. Admittedly come January it is going to be all about distance covered but still in the meantime we can have some fun. Although I can’t remember the exact result I’m going to say that we won and I hope they would say the opposite in case one of them is reading this.

The journey back in was certainly an interesting one, navigating towards a light between mud banks as we had beaten the tide back too. We could make out on one side the breaking of some waves and on the other slick mud and gravel. This was until it got a tad too shallow to row, the water however was rising quickly and we were soon paddling on into the darkness trying desperately to make out the unlit buoys. It was slow progress and without the keel sharp turns were impossible, the only saving grace was the tide was still against us preventing us from flying up the channel. Finally coming into the yard we found ourselves several feet below where we had left it. Without a motor to ease us into the mooring we took a bit of a run up before I jumped up and onto the bank armed with the rope to tie us on. We were safe and sound to row another day.

Next stop pub debrief and a quick and an uneventful drive back to London.

Insight into Ocean Rowing

Following our recent sea trials Tim one of our crew members put together a short video of the day. It gives a brief but very exciting insight into what is to come on our Atlantic Row. I expect it’s going to be a lot warmer than off the coast of the UK! Check out the video and let me know if you have any questions about how it will all work.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0GMbVkVySU&feature=youtu.be]

 

Atlantic Row 2013

During the training for the Marathon des Sables, at the event and since I have met a number of people that have inspired me and given me ideas on everything from lifestyle choices to what my next challenge might be. Once I passed that finish line I wanted to find and choose what it might be so I could continue the journey so to speak as well as to have something to aim and train for.

It wasn’t until I met a multiple world record breaking and highly experienced ocean rower Leven Brown back in February that it really cemented an ambition that I have now had for a number of years. To row an ocean.

More specifically the Atlantic Ocean. January 2013 will see myself and 7 other crew members taking on the challenge of breaking the 30 day barrier for rowing all 3000 miles across it in shifts; rowing for 2 hours then off for 2 hours constantly from start to finish.

Much more details to come...

But for a bit of insight here was a snippet from the weekends action.

Britains Big Spectacle

I am writing this after an incredible day for sporting achievements. We had the British open in golf which turned out to be a roller coaster ride to all the top players including our home grown talents. There was the German grand prix, ok not in the UK but Jenson did make it onto  the podium and the Tour de France where Cavendish had an incredible stage win and Wiggins took the overall win with the yellow jersey. The first Brit to do so in years.

It’s safe to say we are now on the final straight to the huge spectacle hitting our shores this summer. The Olympics have finally come after years of preparation, everyone from the organisers, the athletes and most importantly the supporters and fans.

We have had the odd spate of press on the odd problem but like all big events there always some ironing out. But now most of them are being resolved and as soon as the curtains rise on the first night of the opening ceremony all of that will be forgotten.

Now all we have to wait for is to see how our athletes perform and almost more importantly who and what they inspire other people to do.

I hope you all enjoy the Olympics.

Killer Chilli Chicken

Ever bitten into something super hot by mistake? Or maybe by choice? Got any pictures of the experience? It was Friday night and my housemates had invited a group of us to the local pub the Duchess of Cambridge. Whilst chatting to one of them I was quickly distracted by a sign advertising "American Suicide Wings", a challenge to eat 6 wings and get them free and a bottle of chilli beer free or the "Eternal shame" of failure.

I couldn’t resist.

First up was a waiver declaring some semblance of sanity and an understanding of what was to come. Slightly off putting especially when I heard the last person to eat them claimed they suffered from deafness as a result of eating them.

I don’t know much about chillies but the guy mentioned that these were super hot; normal jalapenos rank about 5000 on the Scoville scale (which I found out is a measure of spice). This had some extract from a bottle ranked at 3,000,000 scovilles equivalent to law enforcement pepper spray I have found out. This was a bit more putting off.

A beautiful heap of them arrived and you could smell the heat oozing off them! With a couple of photos for a bit of a before and after shot, I started to munch. So far so good, halfway through the first of 6 wings.

Then it hit like a freight train and it is fair to say my mouth was on fire, the sweat started pouring and my eyes watering uncontrollably. I wanted to keep going though and was quickly making my way through the napkins provided until I managed to get some chilli in my eye which certainly added to the experience. The waitress did mention not to touch anything...

With no dairy refreshment allowed all that was left was for some beer and water which didn’t really help the situation of an ever increasing numbing and burning sensation in my mouth. I ploughed on through as if it was the wall in a marathon, it certainly felt like a huge wall.

Finishing the last one was a very different experience than a race as I realised what a state I was in with blood shot eyes and a serious burning sensation in my stomach. All I can say is what a way to start a weekend.

Questar - Isle of Purbeck Adventure Race

I am massively behind on writing this up but quite a few weekends ago a friend of mine that I met in the Marathon des Sables and I headed for the Isle of Purbeck to compete in an adventure race. I was certainly looking forward to it and hoped that I could make up for my previous attempt at doing one and getting horribly lost. It all began with a very early start for a Saturday, luckily meeting at my house, for bacon baps and large mugs of coffee before making up for lost time shooting off down the motorway to the south coast. We were leaving London early in the morning and according to the thermometer in my car it was already reaching 20°C. It was certainly going to be a hot day and as we drove down catching up over what had been happening over the last wee while the car was heating up considerably.  Just towards the end my gps decided to stop working completely and we were left following a car in front hat was kitted out with some good mountain bikes and a load of kit in the boot, we could only assume they were heading to the same place. Luckily they were and we were soon at the start area getting ready and making sure we had plenty of sun cream.

The race was to be a slightly different format to usual with us carrying all the kit we needed for the day and switching between foot and bike at various stages depending on each teams strategy. It was a bit disappointing this as our mid race plan of stuffing our faces with pasta salad and other goodies were quickly stopped. Instead we had a pre-race munch.

Our strategy was pretty simple cycle to the nearest running section, get that done and dusted before picking up a load of cycling points with the aim of making it to the coast for the second run. Then all that would be left is a quick sprint back. Easy.

With all our kit we headed for the start point, we had the map ready and were soon going to be told which points were worth what and which didn’t exist. We dibbed in our electronic tag and were off. First part of any adventure race is route planning, we sat down and worked out where we wanted to go. This is almost the hardest part as every part of you just wants to get started but without a decent plan you are stuffed before you even start.

Onto the bikes and we were soon on our way to the 1st checkpoint and the transition to the running stage. We made it without a hiccup and dumped all our kit as we didn’t think we would be out long enough to need water or anything else. Picking up the first couple of checkpoints easily enough was a great start to the race. It took us through a village and past many onlookers who were enjoying the sun by a river and slightly shocked as runners came past in varying degrees of sweatiness and lycra covered athletes. The second section of it took us round a lake before heading towards the transition zone again. It started with almost overshooting a checkpoint before a good mile or so run along the riverside with thigh high stinging nettles and an ever increasing feeling that my legs and knees were covered in a new version of prickly deep heat. The day was certainly heating up and we both wanted a big drink as we ran it in back to the transition trying hard not to think of our thirst or stinging legs.

We were soon on our bikes and flying along the country roads and tracks. We could make out in the distance the ridge that we had to climb and could make out a huge set of ruins that resembled a church or similar. Now the interesting thing with some adventure races is that you can never tell how you are doing till the end of the race as you constantly pass people heading in the same and opposite directions, even at the same checkpoint you can head separate ways as your strategy, physical fitness and ability to map read can all vary greatly. It is still slightly disconcerting as you pass people travelling in the opposite direction to you. We were now on a mixture of farm tracks and single bike tracks some of which were impossible climbs. It was just lucky that the weather was good otherwise it could have been much harder.

We had been going for a few hours and our legs were beginning to feel it. My water was almost out and we came squealing into a village as my disc brakes needed some work doing to them. A pub with 2 other races topping up with water was a tempting stop but we kept going. Chasing down some cyclists in front and heading up towards the where the coast would be and our next transition.

It was here that the mountain biking got very interesting we were coming along a ridge with beautiful views of the coastline and the sea beyond. We were picking up speed on the downhill sections which felt great but soon it became incredibly steep. Our arms, teeth, bodies and bikes were all being shaken over the hard rocky ground. My bike at this point started to sound incredibly bad but I assumed this was down to the terrain. At the bottom was our next checkpoint and I checked my front wheel which swayed from side to side. Not great at all but explained a lot! It turned out it had shaken itself loose.

We had a quick stop for some food and water before the run as again we wanted to travel light as possible. We headed to the closest checkpoint which turned out to be a bit of a tactical error as it was down a steep hill and the next was to be back up and along form where we had just come. But never mind it was great being back on our feet. Making our way along a ridge into a military zone open at weekends with an entire cove opening up beneath us was a fantastic sight. The water looked a cool blue colour and small boats and sea kayaks dotted its surface. It is certainly a place to go back to.

Heading down to the coast and we were soon at the sea front smelling the salty air and passing an ice-cream van wishing we carried some change for an ice lolly.  Our final checkpoint on the run was at the end of the beach and we hoped it wasn’t up the small but steeply stepped hill that was there too. It turned out that it was and after a quick look round its bas ewe had no option but to head to the top where we picked it up. Running back to the transition and I could tell my legs had done enough running; I was glad that all that was left was a good hard cycle back.

Some more food including a recent addition to my race pack of jelly cubes and we were ready to go. We knew there would be a hard climb but looking at the map after that it would be pretty much all downhill to the finish. We weren’t wrong, after a good climb before deciding we could get some more points and a bit more of a climb we started making our way back down. We absolutely flew down a road trying not to touch the brakes too much and just letting the bike go. Adrian on his slick commuter style tyres was flying a long easily and my knobbly wheeled bike couldn’t really keep up without putting in some extra leg work too. The steep section was all over so quickly and at a cross roads we found ourselves standing in front of a path leading down to what looked like Bruce Waynes house from Batman. After a couple of pictures we were off again, it was looking pretty tight so we really started picked up the pace and drafting off one another like something out of the tour de france.

We made it with loads of time to spare (5 mins or so) and could final get a decent lunch in. After almost 5 hours running and riding we could shower and relax with a bbq before the prize giving. We caught up with some friends and it turned out we had done really well coming a very respectable 4th in our category. All that was left was to head to an awesome pub called the Square and Compass looking out over the coast with a pint of lemonade and a pasty.

The journey back was slightly unusual after placing our full confidence in my GPS system which decided to take us on a route that included a ferry crossing to Bournemouth whilst listening to the euros.

Inspiring Others With Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite

Continuing a theme from the New Year (I know it is now some time ago) of finding out about the stories of some inspiring people I finally got round to sorting out the next person. Recently I have been following the progress of a couple of expeditions and journeys including one by Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite. I first heard about him a while back partly due to his different take on travel and expeditions with the “1000mile Project” which is to complete 25 separate journeys on different non-motorised forms of transport.  To find out more check his website out:

http://davecornthwaite.com/

He recently completed his 6th journey cycling Paul Everitts bike car called Priscilla from Vicksburg Mississippi to Miami. He has had to overcome adversity along the way but as he will describe this one was to bring its own unique challenges including a car crash. So I thought it would be great to get a few quick thoughts on it and adventuring.

How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

I do things. It's that simple!

How did you decide to take on this life changing route and why 25 challenges?

Once upon a time I had a well-paid job as a graphic designer, my own house, cat, long-term partner, and depression! I decided at the age of 25 that I had to start making a living doing something I was passionate about, so decided to travel with a purpose. Expedition1000 and its 25 journeys give me a long-term focus that keeps my motivation on track and ensures I have enough variety and scope to keep doing what I love without getting bored or trapped.

You have recently finished your 6th 1000 mile journey what was the most challenging part of the trip?

Without doubt peddling a 2 metre-wide 4-wheeled Bikecar at the same time as sharing the road with other vehicles made this the most challenging and dangerous expedition I've done to date. More than ever I'm in touch with my own mortality now.

What will you always remember from it?

In between the craziness of keeping moving and dodging cars, now and then there were beautifully peaceful moments, like riding a 40-mile bicycle path and chilling out with this tortoise or swimming with Manatees in Crystal River.

Whats the next challenge on the Horizon?

In August and September I'm swimming 1000 miles down the Lower Missouri River, USA.

Can people get involved?

I have now selected a team to join me on this adventure, and I'll have a documentary crew following along. We'll be creating an interactive, fun and informative social media campaign around the journey so people can follow on Twitter (@DaveCorn), Facebook (Expedition1000) or Youtube (davecornthwaite)

What or who inspires you to keep going?

I do what I love day in day out. Beat that for motivation. Work and life are intertwined...

Any advice for the wannabe adventurer?

Stop talking, stop making excuses, just do it. The next one will be easier to start. And then the next. And so on.

What do you do when you have rest time?

I honestly don't rest much at all. I'll go and spend time with friends, have a meal, have a drink, but somewhere in there my mind is still whirring with things I need to work on and new projects to go for.

Favourite food?

Passion Fruit. Eggs. Meat. Nutella. Not all on the same plate.

Favourite music?

I have a super eclectic taste. From Counting Crows to Shawn Mullins to Jessie J, I need about 10,000 songs on my iPod to combat 1000's of miles!

Check out what Dave is up to below:

www.davecornthwaite.com

www.twitter.com/davecorn

www.facebook.com/expedition1000

What Happened on Your Jubilee Week?

What have you done over the last week? Travelled anywhere special or did you soak up the parties around the UK or further a field? Well the last week has flown by, I was up in Scotland last weekend meeting up with The Captain Leven Brown commodore of Ocean Row Events (just added the commodore bit to go with the sea theme) which was inspiring as expected and I came away with many plans and ideas but more on that later.  The rest of the weekend was spent soaking up the rare but incredible Scottish sun on the beach at St Andrews with our good friends from the Blown Away team. They took myself and my brother out on the Zap cats check out the video below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU5lRBTRiOk&list=UUEBSzFdgbVc-a4ZpzIZluoA&index=2&feature=plcp]

I am pretty sure they said I could drive it next time too...

Check them out at:

http://blown-away.co.uk/

And of course checking out what was happening at the Jubilee weekend back in London where some of the team I row with each week were out on the river paddling in front of the Queen. I believe the TV didn’t do it justice and that being in the middle of it especially with the lashing rain was certainly an experience.

I managed to have with a segway experience with the family before shooting back down to London for the remainder of the week.

To top it off was a pretty speedy bike ride to Windsor with Ful-on tri and some great headwinds to battle, where we stopped off at the Chocolate Theatre for another fantastic hot chocolate and slice of carrot cake. Both were devoured pretty sharpish before a slightly more casual pace on the way back pushed along by our nemesis of the winds from our outward journey. Followed by a spot of rowing down in Richmond today. All in all a pretty awesome week!