By Bev Mortimer…
Just amazing!! Just like that… ARWC in Africa is almost over!! After all the planning, all the time over the past year – such an awesome race!
But what makes these athletes participate in such a gruelling race? We have tried to answer this question…
The St Francis community have been full of praise of the most wonderfully organised race and they have said: “Kudos to the ARWC directors, Heidi and Stephan Muller, and all their organising teams, all their partners, including St Francis Tourism and volunteers and the media, some of whom who volunteered as well to publicise the race’.
At this time of publishing this article, the final two teams were really struggling with sheer exhaustion on the 9th race day to get to the Cape St Francis Resort in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, for the grand finale.
We salute you and every single athlete who bravely and excitedly set out on the 19 October in an unknown area for an adventure of a lifetime over the most rugged and gruelling terrain.
As the early war stories circulate there are tears and joy… Joy to have finished and tears for those who didn’t…
Some unverified, simply and seemingly incredible stories, have emerged on social media. Such as two especially. Of navigating in the dark at night with little light, holding maps upside down! Or warming themselves in a huge warming oven!
But for both those who finished and those who could not, you are all courageous souls. We salute you all! Huge respect!
Several teams dropped out early over the first few days, owing to the impact from sleep deprivation, dehydration, blisters, sore feet, cramps, tummy upsets and more…
It was never going to be an easy race, even for the top teams as the long distance of 800+kms and arduous terrain in all kinds of extreme weather conditions from heat, to fierce winds to rain, mist and mud, to icy cold in the mountains, made the trek even more formidable and extremely difficult to complete.
There were early reports of some teams, even top ones, dropping like flies, getting lost, cycle crashes or falling off bikes. But the overall sheer determination of all race athletes was without a doubt one of utmost courage and determination to try… just to finish!
Every single one athlete who entered has earned respect just for their courage and efforts…
Athletes entered the race for these individual or collective reasons and others:
The main ones are… the love of adventure, the sense of self-worth, fun, courage, determination, unknown experiences, not knowing if the race could be completed, having the courage to push on, to remain positive and full of hope, and absolute tenacity – in spite of pain, extreme fatigue, serious weakening of their bodies after +30 hours or so without sleep.
These personal traits all showed the inner strength of “what they are made of” (Redfield, 2003). ‘It is a sport in which physical training is important, but the fittest individuals do not necessarily win’.
An adventure race has been described as an ‘endurance test’ as they canoe, cycle or trek, climb, for miles under extremely harsh conditions.
The top 10 teams at the AR World Champs had crossed the line before the 7th night of racing and included racers from 15 different countries!
Some teams were still due to come in this am. Participating in extreme adventure races like the ARWC 2023, involves a complex mix of motivations. And for bystanders and fans dot-watching or at transitions or at the final finishing arch at Cape St Francis Resort, they were amazed and in wonderment what drives these athletes to continue racing and pushing their bodies to such extreme limits…
From asking teams and to research, here are some reasons why they do it…
Adventure racers often have a strong sense of wanderlust and a desire to explore new places. These races take them to remote and beautiful new places they have not seen before.
They see these races as an opportunity to test themselves and discover what they are capable of. They get a sense of achievement.
Completing an 800 km race is a monumental accomplishment so finishing brings personal pride.
Some racers, who do not set out to win but just to enjoy the race and have fun, say they are not competing against others, but with themselves – they are striving to improve their own records and test their own limits…
Some race to escape the boredom of routine in normal life. There is the thrill and excitement associated with navigating challenging terrain, facing adverse weather conditions, and overcoming obstacles. “The adrenaline rush can be addicting,” some say.
The health and fitness athletes love staying in shape and improving their physical well-being.
Yet each individual racer has his or her own motivations comprising some or all of the above, and others. But these goals keep them coming back to new races, despite the physical and mental toll.
It is said by experienced racers that sometimes as many as 30% of participants drop out because of exhaustion or injury or tiredness and dehydration, or because other team members suffered ailments.
And for some of those who had to quit, one can only imagine the heart sore and feelings of loss, even self-doubt. Having a sense of non-completion can be emotionally challenging and an agonising experience.
Some spoke on having let their team mates down. But to their audiences, their families and friends they are all brave warriors!
However, non-completion, some experienced racers say, leads to re-evaluation of goals and the inspiration to try harder and different tactics next time. These racers, along with the winners and finishers, deserve applause encouragement, support and great respect for the effort they put into preparing and attempting such a challenging event.
And their participation enables them to still contribute, support others, and set new goals.
Not finishing this particular race doesn’t define their entire athletic journey. Experts say facing challenges and falling short is an inherent part of participating in such demanding events.
Indeed, the St Francis community members in the Eastern Cape say they are in awe of these athletes attempting such difficult tasks and in huge admiration of their courage and bravery in taking on the challenge in the first place.
And not least, individual athletes participated in a team. The camaraderie and teamwork is a strong motivator as racers form strong bonds with their teammates, and share incredible, hilarious, difficult and great experiences.
L astly, and to repeat, to their audiences, their families and friends they are all heroes!
And as they pack up and leave the Cape St Francis shoreline, they as Team Songlines put it so aptly online, “will now rest and recover, reminisce and return to real life for a while…”
Watch these videos by the French Media team covering the race . Their videos show how tough adventure racing is… Not for the faint-hearted! These are true warriors!
The ARWC video highlights:
The Top 10 ARWC 2023 Teams: follow link , below:
https://arworldseries.com/news_articles/an-international-top-ten-at-the-adventure-racing-world-championship?fbclid=IwAR3td2N1r2IxUQa04Vr9xeJoyBHQS6fUKBuTm-Sz_yQaaObNTl-PYWmvM34
