Proceed with Speed: Brad Pennington picks the most expeditious route across a Murchison River streambed (Don Wahl)
Even as the teams sprinted off the starting line for the 23-mile bike ride through the heart of Kalbarri National Park, our designs on the Raid World Championship essentially evaporated. Having entered the race aware that only two teams ahead of us in our zone (comprised of North and South America) had made the trip to Kalbarri, the unexpected appearance of a third rival, Team Salomon Argentina, had mathematically eliminated us from contention. Yet, far from being discouraged by this turn of events, my teammates wheeled into the first transition in high spirits.
Section two of the race, which was broken into a series of nine discipline-specific sections, consisted of a technical 14-mile run along the Murchison River from Ross Graham Lookout to the Z-Bend Gorge. Our team’s misfortune continued, however, when I rolled my ankle on a river crossing early in the section. The injury was serious, but any time spent on damage inspection increased the risk of missing the cutoff for the next section (for which substantial time penalties are imposed). The only choice was to continue running.
The magnificent scenery of the Tumblagooda sandstone gorges (and Don’s ibuprofen) did much to alleviate the jackhammer sensation in my ankle. The horizontal bands of cream- and rust-colored sediment were formed 400 million years ago on the tidal flats of an ancient sea. An abundance of acacia thickets and river red gum trees (referred to as “ghost gums” by fellow Aussie racers) lined the canyon, providing a striking contrast to this setting of solid rock.
Despite the improbability of getting lost in the canyon, route choice was paramount. The escarpment intermittently shifted banks in concert with bends in the river, necessitating frequent crossings to avoid running out of negotiable real estate. On more than one occasion, we failed to take the most expeditious path, and “cliffed out” on the steep side of the river. Unable to continue forward, we opted to dive into one of the deep pools below rather than retreat to the nearest shallows, losing time as we swam to more traversable terrain.
To the Wire: Dimitri Kieffer on a flying fox across the Z-Bend
gorge in Kalbarri National Park (Michelle Maislen)
Don retired for his first break when the canyon run ended at the Z-Bend, with Michelle joining Dimitri and myself for the one-mile ropes progression portion of the race. This included a 60-meter flying fox over the gorge, followed by a via ferrata ascent of the canyon and then a 50-meter abseil off the middle third of the cliff wall. When we reached this vertiginous portion of the race, a curious throng of tourists and media watched from the observation deck that overlooks the gorge. Team Sybelles ESF of France, the eventual race winners, clocked a staggering 13 minutes on this section.
The ensuing 10.5-mile downriver canoe ride serves to illustrate the zeal with which “raiders” pursue their sport. Sandra Limouzin of French team EAFIT.com arrived in Kalbarri with a fractured wrist. During a peloton crash in the opening bike leg, she fractured her other wrist, rendering her unable to paddle. Rather than slow her teammates by weighing down the canoe, she opted to run the riverbank alongside her teammates, assisting with frequent portages over the shallows. This esprit de corps was rewarded, as her team would ultimately place sixth in Kalbarri, high enough to qualify her team for the Raid showdown in Argentina (from November 29 to December 5). The Outback inflicted multiple bone fractures and ligament tears to ankles and wrists to the racers pounding her soil; not a single injured athlete abandoned the race.
A 20-mile cross-country run over Kalbarri’s sandy plains concluded the first day of racing. Aside from an aberrant and unremitting downpour, the plateau was most noteworthy for its lush scenery. Kalbarri is famous for its abundance and variety of wildflowers (8,000 species) and wildlife. As dusk descended, a cacophony of songbirds, pobblebonk frogs, and other nocturnal troubadours accompanied the 24 teams scattered across the heath en route to the first and only stoppage point in the race.
