Whilst the camels are used to the heat having completed their training in over 50 degree heat in Abu Dhabi, the sheer strength and physical exhaustion the race takes on competitors is something you simply can't train for. Charlie met the team at checkpoint 7 (145 miles into the race, 58 hours into it) and they were pretty tired and had been experiencing hallucinations due to the immense heat (which is averaging about 36 degrees) and exhaustion, thinking that there was another person in the boat with them. Competitors in previous years had warned of this as the race its takes toll on competitors physical and mental strength and the abnormally high heat this year has not helped when competitors are in the full sun for 3 or 4 days straight.
Charlie was fantastic and made sure the boys had a rest in the shade, drank lots of cold water and had some food. This obviously did the trick as she has kept a close on them and has just seen them over halfway to the next checkpoint, all looking and sounding much happier and they have increased their speed also.
Amazingly some teams have started making their way into seadrift and finishing the race, a fantastic achievement given this years race conditions. Most of the early finishers are local race veterans and all are interested in the Camels progress.
You can still donate online to help the team achieve their fundraising targets by logging onto www.justgiving.co.uk/abudhabicamels
Come on Camels, stick in there, not much longer now!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Checkpoint 6 completed - almost half way now!
The team have done an absolutely amazing job and checked into station 6 about 20 minutes ago, outperforming expected times and even beating Charlie and her cousin in the support vehicle to the checkpoint! This station is located at the 123 mile mark and marks the "almost half way point" of the race and means the team have completed one of the largest single journeys.
The team are in excellent spirits and decidedly determined; James especially is overjoyed as it means he has passed the mark where he collapsed had to pull out in 2007. Charlie was able to check into a hotel with her cousin Sophie for a few hours and the girls headed straight for the pool, a shower and well deserved nap before meeting up with the boys.
The boys had a harder night with the boat flipping during the night and a life jacket being lost which was rather scary shall we say, however at this checkpoint Charlie was able to purchase a new life jacket for the team (with a penalty of a 15 minute time delay, not that the team care). The boys managed to get a little bit of sleep and are in fantastic spirits and so excited to be at the halfway mark, almost 48 hours into the race.
They loved the messages from everyone so please keep them coming as this really made them smile and is so important in motivating them to go forward!
Full steam ahead!
The team are in excellent spirits and decidedly determined; James especially is overjoyed as it means he has passed the mark where he collapsed had to pull out in 2007. Charlie was able to check into a hotel with her cousin Sophie for a few hours and the girls headed straight for the pool, a shower and well deserved nap before meeting up with the boys.
The boys had a harder night with the boat flipping during the night and a life jacket being lost which was rather scary shall we say, however at this checkpoint Charlie was able to purchase a new life jacket for the team (with a penalty of a 15 minute time delay, not that the team care). The boys managed to get a little bit of sleep and are in fantastic spirits and so excited to be at the halfway mark, almost 48 hours into the race.
They loved the messages from everyone so please keep them coming as this really made them smile and is so important in motivating them to go forward!
Full steam ahead!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Checkpoint 5: It's all about 1/3's
The camels paddled into checkpoint 5, the 83 mile mark and had a short break catching up with messages from back home that Charlie read out to them which made a huge difference to the boy's morale to know that people back home were thinking of them and following their progress.
This checkpoint means the team have completed 32% of the race, or almost a third down and two thirds to go. At this point there only 67 boats left in the race with over a third of the starters dropping out or being eliminated as they missed deadlines at checkpoints, but the camels are paddling strong (even with a suspected broken toe and bleeding nipple???)!
The next leg of the race is the longest between checkpoints, so the camels stocked up on lots of water, ditched "unnecessary supplies" and headed out into the wilderness of the San Marcos River fiercely determined and extremely positive. Charlie headed to a nearby hotel for a much needed shower and a quick power nap.
The team really do love to hear that people back home are thinking of them and interested and messages can be passed on at different checkpoints, therefore if you would like to tell them you're thinking of them please do post a comment to the bottom of this post and Charlie will pass the message on.
Roll on checkpoint 6, keep paddling boys!
This checkpoint means the team have completed 32% of the race, or almost a third down and two thirds to go. At this point there only 67 boats left in the race with over a third of the starters dropping out or being eliminated as they missed deadlines at checkpoints, but the camels are paddling strong (even with a suspected broken toe and bleeding nipple???)!
The next leg of the race is the longest between checkpoints, so the camels stocked up on lots of water, ditched "unnecessary supplies" and headed out into the wilderness of the San Marcos River fiercely determined and extremely positive. Charlie headed to a nearby hotel for a much needed shower and a quick power nap.
The team really do love to hear that people back home are thinking of them and interested and messages can be passed on at different checkpoints, therefore if you would like to tell them you're thinking of them please do post a comment to the bottom of this post and Charlie will pass the message on.
Roll on checkpoint 6, keep paddling boys!
The AD Camels Awe Austin: View our TV interview with News 8
There has been tremendous interest from spectators and competitors alike in the team from the UAE who have traversed continents to compete in "The World's Toughest Boat Race".
Check out yesterday's local news in Texas where News 8's Russell Wilde interviews the team : http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/video_pop.asp?destlist=67333
Check out yesterday's local news in Texas where News 8's Russell Wilde interviews the team : http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/video_pop.asp?destlist=67333
60 miles in, 200 to go.....
24 hours in and the team are still going strong, despite 23 out of the 100 or so other teams having to drop out - a true testament to the difficulty competitors face this year. The President of the Texas Water Safari remarked at the pre-event race briefing teams "would get a run for their money as this was possibly the toughest race in the event's 45 year history".
The race started at 9am on a bright and sunny Texan day and as out of towners, we were given a position in the starting row of the 100 or so entrants. The first part of the race is renowned for being technically challenging, made even worse by the low river conditions this year. Whilst the bottom of the boat suffered a few scrapes, we were well prepared and negotiated the river and all of its "wildlife" including lots of deadly water moccasins, fire ants and an endless supply of turtles. A lot of time was spent out of the boat as well negotiating what seems like an endless number of log jams! The team gratefully met team captain Charlie and topped up their water supplies (not to mention spirits), passing through checkpoints 1 and 2 slightly behind their anticipated time due to the log jams but well within the allocated deadlines. Some painkillers the team are required to carry on their boat were required at checkpoint 2, however the boys are battling through and doing an amazing job.
The sheer strength needed to portage (carry the boat on the side of the river) isn't to be underestimated. When Charlie and her cousin attempted to lift the boat before the race, they were simply unable to lift, so how the boys are managing to carry it for hours at a time is sheer testament to their grit and determination.
The fearful adventurers continued paddling / portaging through the night as darkness encroached, encountering some huge log jams and loads of dangerous snakes along their way. This resulted in a small time delay to their anticipated arrival time however the weary paddlers had a sleep for an hour on the side of the riverbank and paddled into checkpoint 4 (60 mile mark) in excellent spirits at 5am this morning and have their sights set on the finish line.
The team have generated a huge amount of interest and supporters and fellow competitors keep coming up to the "media darlings" telling them they saw them on television and providing much needed support and enthusiasm. The team also managed to make two of the local papers yesterday (links to the stories below):
http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/breakingnews/local_story_164143001.html
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=243213
Race times for each checkpoint are also updated at the Texas Water Safari website www.texaswatersafari.org/results
The race started at 9am on a bright and sunny Texan day and as out of towners, we were given a position in the starting row of the 100 or so entrants. The first part of the race is renowned for being technically challenging, made even worse by the low river conditions this year. Whilst the bottom of the boat suffered a few scrapes, we were well prepared and negotiated the river and all of its "wildlife" including lots of deadly water moccasins, fire ants and an endless supply of turtles. A lot of time was spent out of the boat as well negotiating what seems like an endless number of log jams! The team gratefully met team captain Charlie and topped up their water supplies (not to mention spirits), passing through checkpoints 1 and 2 slightly behind their anticipated time due to the log jams but well within the allocated deadlines. Some painkillers the team are required to carry on their boat were required at checkpoint 2, however the boys are battling through and doing an amazing job.
The sheer strength needed to portage (carry the boat on the side of the river) isn't to be underestimated. When Charlie and her cousin attempted to lift the boat before the race, they were simply unable to lift, so how the boys are managing to carry it for hours at a time is sheer testament to their grit and determination.
The fearful adventurers continued paddling / portaging through the night as darkness encroached, encountering some huge log jams and loads of dangerous snakes along their way. This resulted in a small time delay to their anticipated arrival time however the weary paddlers had a sleep for an hour on the side of the riverbank and paddled into checkpoint 4 (60 mile mark) in excellent spirits at 5am this morning and have their sights set on the finish line.
The team have generated a huge amount of interest and supporters and fellow competitors keep coming up to the "media darlings" telling them they saw them on television and providing much needed support and enthusiasm. The team also managed to make two of the local papers yesterday (links to the stories below):
http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/breakingnews/local_story_164143001.html
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=243213
Race times for each checkpoint are also updated at the Texas Water Safari website www.texaswatersafari.org/results
24 hours and 60 miles in, the race continues and more updates to follow! Wish us luck, think we're going to need it!
Friday, June 12, 2009
In addition to JM's post thought I'd add in some photos as well taken at the pre-race prep sessions. (above) Some interesting names for our competitors boats
Plaque at the start - we didn't need reminding of the toughness
Pic of the pensive team - framed by our Captain
Here she is, the honed, prepared and ready to go - the "Dauman cage" innovation can be seen in front of the rear seat!
Registration and Orientation
Final day before the start which meant official registration and orientation to the race. The Texas State University Aquarena was a hive of activity as teams from the 100 boats entered into the race were busy making final preparations and registering their boats with race officials. Boats varied in size from small15ft. solos to 40ft. six man canoes. James' obsessive compulsions this past week had paid off, or at least he seemed to be in good company. The level of detail which other entrants had gone to in preparing their canoes was astounding. There was an immense sense of pride amongst our team as onlookers complimented us on the "cleanliness" of our canoe, a term indicative of the high-level of space-efficiency and practicality that had gone into setting out all our kit within the vessel. The "Dauman bike bottle holder" was amongst the innovations to the sport that James could be credited with.
Conversations with veterans and novices alike seemed to revolve around a common theme - water, or rather a distinct lack of it. As confirmed by race officials during the late afternoon official welcome and orientation speech, this year is decidedly looking to be the toughest in the race's history. Record breaking low-water levels, abnormally high ambient temperatures and log-jams of epic proportions had combined to make what race veterans and officials called "the worst conditions ever for the Texas Water Safari". Talk of low-water levels concentrating all obstacles (fallen trees, aligators and other potentially unpleasant river creatures) and portages stretching for over a mile did little to calm our pre-race nerves. We also felt that our participation in the race was being followed closely by some of the other racers, as well as by the officials and even the local TV news channel (James and JM made another TV appearance, this time on local TV Channel 8 - footage to follow), so it is with an immense sense of pride not to mention purpose, that we continue our adventure thousand of miles away from home, hoping to return victorious and in one piece.
We look forward to final, final preparations tonight back at the hotel, having left our canoe wrapped in selofane and almost fully kitted out, in the park next to the start line. We will enjoy a final carb-loading meal hosted by the hotel's owners, who have also been caught up in the buzz of a team from Abu Dhabi flying to Texas to endure the challenges and hardships of the toughest boat race in the world, in the toughest year of the race's history.
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