ACE Races Swinley
Date: 23rd July 2006
Race Type: Adventure Race
Disciplines: Mountain Biking Trail running, Navigation.
Team: Keith, Keith & Steve
Location: Swinley Forest, Bracknell
www.aceraces.com
Our first challenge started even before the race was underway. With just myself (Steve) and Keith (KJ) interested, we needed to find another team member. Enter Keith Fair - our very own Scottish Head Huncho Courier at work. We'd dragged him to Coed-y-Brenin last year, where he'd out climbed us all weekend so we knew he'd be up to the job (what about Keith J and myself though!).
Once at ACE base camp, our new recruit decided to tuck into a Bacon sarnie - KJ was not amused. Even after two bananas the smell of greasy pig was too much for me and I was soon walking back to transition with a Bacon sarnie as well - KJ buried his head in his hands!
Eleven O'clock and we were off! A mystery run was first on the agenda with the sun beating on our backs. Here Keith F made his introductions to the sandy/gravelly short sharp hills of Swinley Forest, myself and KJ experiencing this last year. Once at the race map collection point we quickly orientated ourselves and I picked a southerly trail that the majority of teams were ignoring. We we on the heals of one team for a few minutes before they turned right (in the wrong direction according to my navigation); we soon made our left turn and rejoined the majority of the field, slightly ahead (we hoped) of where we would have been.
We were soon back at transition and onto the bikes. The format of this race was to pick up the first five checkpoints on bike then on to T2 at the infamous Lower Star Post - a navigation nightmare with seven identical looking trails radiating from it's centre. From here the Challenge Masters would point us to one of four challenges. After the challenge it would be back to T2 for the next challenge.
Next we had to tie our legs to each other , march up to the other end of the clearing, remember two Gaelic words, march back and recite them back to the marshals. To us this seemed the most straight forward challenge, but a team of girls present seemed to be having immense difficulty walking along.
After a visit to T2 we had to pick up checkpoints 6, 7 and 8 - just as the heavens opened to an almighty downpour. The dry sandy trails quickly turned into gushing rivers and we were quickly soaked to the skin. This was a relief after the early heatwave!
We were soon heading back for our third and fourth challenges. Challenge B involved one of us (me) being blindfolded with the ubiquitous ACE race Buff and lead or dragged round a course down a river bank, along the edge of the water, over logs, under some more and back up the bank. Finally we came to our favourite challenge - the singletrack section. As a group of mountain bikers - this was definitely a pleasure rather than a chore (well once we'd got past the nervous team in front of us).
There was just one biking CP left, just past the Reservoir that we'd passed about ten times already that was next to the hill we'd gone up too mang times! Back at transition we were off the bikes and onto Challenge E - we had to find either one spider or an ant each and bring them back alive to the marshall. A quick dash into the trees and a log pulled up revealed an ants nest - sorted.
The first CP of the last running section was in easy reach of ACE base. We then took a decision not to bother with the last time. In retrospect we should of got at least one more! We came 42nd overall (out of 94) and 2/6 in our category (three man teams).
