My first Adventure race....Anaconda in Lorne

1.9km Ocean Swim
13km Ocean Kayak
11.2km Trail Run
23 km Mountainbike
2.8km Beach Run
= > 6 hours of pain


It was going to be a " just for fun experience" at the end of the year after a long year of successful Mountainbike racing.
The swim was uncomfortable to start with: I was wedged in a tide wetsuit and could barely move my arms.
After overcoming the first panic finding myself in the midst of hundreds of moving legs and arms, my own legs started to cramp one after another and my lower back started to ache. Boy, was I happy when I saw the beach coming closer and closer...
After a 500m beach run to get to the kayak transition, we had to take the wetsuit off, take the kayak and paddle through the braking waves into the ocean... something I had never done before... except of a 20 min crash lesson with Liam the day before(thanks!), which assured me that I will be able to make it somehow. And here you go, I only fell in once but it took me around 45-60 minutes longer than most of the other competitors.
Finally I could put my feet on land! And I love running in the bush. But I wasn't used to jumping big rocks climbing up boulders and swimming across rivers... Overall my most preferred leg(at least before the rock section). I tried to avoid getting wet over and over again, being aware that I wasn't over my cold quiet yet, but here and there we had to swim underneath a bridge or jump into a river...crazy Adventure racers!

By the time I finally jumped on my Mountainbike, the first woman finisher got announced through the loud speaker ... it didn't bother me - I took my time in transition and wasn't worried about the fact that I was probably one of the last to leave for the last but not least leg.
I was a little bit tired by now and it started to rain, which made the tracks quiet sticky and slippery and my clothes wet again!... I was happy to pass a couple of other competitors, but the course offered a lack of excitement.
After a bit more than 6 hours(mostly in wet clothes) I was looking forward to finish with the final beach run. Over all it was a nice weekend with great people and good food and lot lots of sun and water.... I don't know if I 'd like to do it again, I should probably practice the kayak a little bit more...
Now I am very, very sore in every part of my body and have trouble walking stairs .......

A good finish off to my Mountainbike racing season 2007