Adventure Racing World Championships 2015 Brazil

shotgunmcos

Kicks off in a few days and a tracker will go live as usual...


Meanwhile, one of the favourites Team Adidas have rebranded to Team Godzone http://www.teamgodzone.com/news-2/


QUICK FACTS:

NAME: AR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BRAZIL
WEBSITE: http://arwcpantanal.com / FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ARWSBrasil
DATES: 11 - 21 November 2015
COUNTRY: Brazil
REGION: Pantanal
DISCIPLINES: Mountain Bike, Trail Run/ trek, River Kayak, Pack Rafting, Local Canoe, Navigation
DISTANCE: 500 km
WINNING TIME: 4 days (96 hours)
COURSE OPEN: 7 days (168 hours)
CATEGORIES: ARWS Mixed Teams 4
TEAM LIMIT: 60 Teams through Qualification
LOGISTICS: Unsupported
WATERCRAFT: Kayaks provided
MANDATORY EQUIPMENT: YES - uses the ARWS standard list
RULES: YES - uses the ARWS standard rules
PRIZE MONEY: $75,000 USD
OTHER PRIZES: Sponsor products
ENTRY FEE: $6,000 USD.

*NOTE: This information has been provided by the race organiser, please check their website for any updated information.

sconhome

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Meanwhile, one of the favourites Team Adidas have rebranded to Team Godzone http://www.teamgodzone.com/news-2/

Wonder if they'd like any Irish partners

dapope

Race starts tomorrow. No Irish involvement unfortunately but here's a short video to set the mood for the week ahead.https://vimeo.com/112945245

Its a very small field racing the World Champs this year at 32 teams due to a combination of factors. One being the remoteness of the event which is going to make following it a challenge. Sleepmonsters have already done a piece outlining the challenges faced by reporters. The best means of following may be the live tracking site alone as any media updates are likely to be significantly delayed at which point the race could have completely changed.

Live Tracking: http://www.arearaider.com/live-coverage-pantanal-arwc/

There is usually some lively debate over on Attackpoint so its worth following:
https://ar.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_1112044

AR Fantasy League for the event:
http://arwcpantanal.com/fantasy-league/

Expect the usual teams to challenge for the win: Seagate, Columbia Oncosec, Haglöfs Silva (due some luck) etc. followed by Merrell, GODZone, Tecnu, Quasarlontra - Kailash in any order. After that its a bit of a lottery. Interested to see how Czech team "Fenix Multisport - Adidas" get on.

Enduro

Let the dot watching begin!

shotgunmcos

Its bloody EPIC! And thats just reading through the stage descriptions :eek:

Foot Care is going to cause some havoc for the first few days and the navigation across those vast flat flooded farmlands, where trails appear and disappear depending on weather, is more :eek:

I love how the first MTB, a mere 150km :rolleyes:, after 8 paddling and trekking stages, has 3 loose route choices. Long and dry, medium and sandy or shorter and wet!

Alligators, Sting Rays and Jaguars!

Let the dot watching begin

shotgunmcos

dapope wrote: »

There is usually some lively debate over on Attackpoint so its worth following:
https://ar.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_1112044
.

So thats where the nutters hang out Training logs and debate for the hardcore!

Sample post from a poster called Bash on the wildlife on this 715km course....

Last update for now. Wow, this is an interesting place!

Wildlife Notes from Newsletters:

With some animals the encounters will be frequent, like with capybaras, alligators, tuiuiús, monkeys and macaws. But the jaguars, tapirs and otters will only be seen by a few lucky ones.

1) Bees - We can say that this is our biggest concern... There are several types of bees, non-aggressive and very aggressive. Aggressive behavior of Africanized bees has, as a source, noise or very close drive from the hive. Sound of children playing, outboard motor, chain saw, dark colors, mammals‟ odors - including human sweat [yikes!!], rough texture and sudden movements, are examples of what can trigger the attack...

It was strongly advised by bee specialists that the best way of protection against a hive attack is to have a garbage plastic bag of 100 liters at hand. One bag per athlete! In case of an attack, it is recommended to bag yourself and stay quiet. Don’t try to fight them.

2) Piranhas - For them, the danger arises when the water level is low, the prey is scarce or river bathing disrupts their spawning. Basically, only when the fish feel really threatened or very hungry, they become more aggressive. In the Pantanal, this situation of extreme food shortages are rare but can happen in the dry season, when some becomes trapped in small wells and the food just before the flood. To protect yourself, pay attention to small wells and creeks if our November drought is very dry.

As we’ve said on the first info pack, they don’t attack! But they do like blood! My advice here is to make a good wound dressing. In case you have a big bruise, open, bleeding wound and has to go into the water, either to cross a corixo, a river or even paddle, you must take care of the injury and make a nice dressing. I suggest you that have a good waterproof tape (sports tape), waterproof band-aids and gauze. Do not pack light on this item...

3) Ariranha - Also known as Giant Otter... In Brazil, we find these animals
in large quantities in the Mato Grosso Pantanal region and in the Amazon River basin. The ariranhas are very noisy, so our advice is to leave the water when possible (where they are faster) and always head to the opposite direction of their noise.

4) Catetos - Peccaries - These are wild pigs with a narrow snout and mobile head. Their coat is a dark brown, almost black, flecked with white. They inhabit forests and can be viewed during the day, especially in the late afternoon. They cross rivers and lakes, even though they are not that good swimmers, they do swim. They are also able to cross vines and bamboo groves with great ease.

There is no standard procedure, but based on the morphology of the animals, they do not have great skills to jump, climb trees or swim. So these are the safest places to protect yourself. But before that, they are very noisy and are easy to detect at a certain distance, then it is relatively easy to avoid an encounter taking a detour off the course where they are, or even stand still watching they pass through.

5) Pantanal Alligator: As its name implies, it is a species frequently found in the Pantanal, measuring 2-3 meters at their adult stage and has the nickname of piranha-alligator, to have very sharp teeth. They live in rivers, bays or lagoons, always looking for water...

Despite the appearance somewhat scary, Pantanal Alligators are not aggressive and females turn out to be protective mothers. To make the nest, they look for hard to reach places, near wasp nests or between branches. They dig a hole in the ground and use sticks, leaves and sand to cover it. Another interesting aspect is that the nests are reused from one year to the next. So stay tuned if you are, do not destroy an abandoned nest of alligators!

Alligators are smiling friends and are afraid of us. They only bite when attacked. So even more attention! Do not step on the heads of alligators. [A good rule to live by!!]

6) Stingrays: The most dangerous animal of the Pantanal is hidden in the sand and attacks (more defense than attack) usually in the shallows - the freshwater stingrays. Of ten Pantanal fishermen, two have been stung by stings rays. The wound may take months to heal.

The locals say to enter the rivers in the Pantanal, ideally using a stick, stirring the bottom of the river because they have a hidden stingray, it scares and leaves, or walk dragging your feet, so that the movement chases away the stingrays. Although the stingrays are not aggressive, it is common that they defend themselves against the "stomps" of fishermen, locals and distracted bathers, lashing with its tail against the hurt.

The stingray sting is in a dangerous toxin and when the person is stung usually in the ankle, will feel a very sharp pain that may be followed by vomiting and increased heart rate. The first step after a stingray attack must be submerge in hot water, as the fish poison has thermo labile characteristics - the heat can degenerate the poison and lessen the pain, although it is unable to prevent necrosis. The victim should then seek medical attention for xray the affected part and receive medication with antibiotics. Until today it was not developed a serum for the sting of stingrays. The production is not justified by the small number of reported accidents (though not know the real scale of the problem) and the fact poison not be lethal, such as some snakes.

Therefore, stingrays only attack to defend itself, but as you will be walking in various regions flooded, creeks and ponds, on a trekking in particular, the use of trekking pole is required, all athletes must have and use while walking anywhere waterlogged. They should be used to poke the ground before stepping forward, so they can get out of the way. Have to be very careful as several sighted in course survey. They are camouflaged in the sand and even in the shallows is difficult to see them.

7) Jaguar - the largest feline in the Americas, reaching 135 kg. It is a robust
animal with great muscular force, and the power of its bite considered to be the greatest among felines throughout the world. Their natural prey are wild animals like peccaries, capybaras, alligators, deer and armadillos....

In Brazil, after the Amazon, the Pantanal is the largest continuous refuge for
jaguars and their prey... We've done several survey trips and the first one was lucky enough to see one jaguar.

Jaguars don't attack. The risk of a jaguar attack exists only when it is with a cub or carrion. Or when the man is after her, usually in order to hunt / kill. There are thousands of people living in the region, farms, ranches, river banks and coexist
with the big animal. The cases of attacks are very few and are always related to hunting or baiting (the habit of giving food to the animal in the same place in order to attract the predator so that it is often seen by tourists)...

But these rural residents return to their homes, shacks, or camp overnight. Although all researchers assert that the jaguar can pass within a meter of us sleeping, smell us because of it is curious and go away, we do not even want a sniff, do we? Spending the night in a house is not feasible for athletes, so I have been researching all the "rules" and security measures so that they can sleep in the bushes smoothly.

Among the research with Pantanal farmers, riverside locals, biologists, researchers and internet, we‟ve come to a good solution. The White waterproof strobes!
Flashing lights have been used in several rural areas to scare jaguars of livestock attacks. What convinced me was the story of a boy, Richard Turere from Kenya who lives next to the Nairobi National Park and was even on a panel at TED talks.
He created a system of flashing lights to protect the livestock of his family of lions, too numerous for being there next to the National Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAoo--SeUIk&featur...

Therefore, the white strobe, with the specifications listed in the mandatory equipment list will be mandatory at all times and in all disciplines. When going to sleep, you should leave connected at least two strobes, blinking at different times, with a distance between the two. Have enough batteries for the whole race.

In case of an inland meeting, stay together in order to appear bigger, don't turn your back on the jaguar and leave slowly avoiding sudden movements.

__________________________________

The wildlife is so rich that the race newsletters don't even mention snakes - but hey, it's Brazil. Maybe they are less active at this time of year? From another source on the Pantanal:

Among reptiles, there are more than 30 species of snake. The yellow-anaconda Eunectes notaeus is very common on the plains and is small in size compared to the other species, the green anaconda E. murinus that lives at the edge of the Pantanal and may reach 5 m in size, some observations reporting a size of 6-8 m...

There are four species of poisonous snakes in the Pantanal: the Brazilian-lancehead Bothrops moojeni, the Neuwid'lancehead B. neuwiedi, the neotropical-rattlesnake Crotalus durissus and the Pantanal-coral-snake Micrurus tricolor.

shotgunmcos

Trackers stuck or Seagate sunbathing?! Can't believe its a 49km UPRIVER paddle.. sadistic from the start

Edit: Updated now. Where they aught to be and smashing it

Enduro

Just had a scan through the race reports etc.... Wow! That's one adventurous AR. Must be amazing out there.

Neady83

From Merrell Adventure Addicts

"Three hours after seeing them beach, Seagate came stumbling up to us, looking thoroughly exhausted. Nothing to do with the CP, they had followed the natural line of the ridge and found it almost by bumping into it, but they said they had paddled long and hard into a headwind and then struggled in the heat all the way up. Their captain, Nathan Fa’ave, often considered the best, and certainly one of the most experienced adventure racers in the world, said he rates a race according to how much he enjoys it. And he wasn’t enjoying this one, he said. The heat and humidity is just interminable"

Someone turn the temperature down so they can enjoy it more

shotgunmcos

Following the flags, the lines, sleepmonsters, and this link home of AR nutters :P

Enduro

Seagate starting to dominate again! Unsurprisingly the jungle seems to be swallowing up a few teams for long periods before they manage to escape. Good to see Hagloffs Silva make it this far in a great position without breaking any limbs (yet). They deserve all the luck they can get. Someone must be sick on Godzone... they really slowed up on the trekking which should be a strenght for them.

I'd say there won't be many teams completing the full course. Sounds tough tough tough (Not sure whether to be glad or sorry that I'm not out there! )

shotgunmcos

(Paddle/Trek) X4 before you see your bike! I'm always wishing I was there tracking these things but this time, nope! The feet and hands will be in ribbons.

The fanatasy league is in interesting addition to the tracking. Anyone enter it?

Seagate did the damage on the 2nd paddle, they were 3-6 hours faster than teh resy of the top 10. Estonia are having a great race. 2 Rogaining World Champions on the team. Will they still be in the hunt when they get their bikes?

The French Team Raidlight look to be having a tough time in that jungle overnight

Team Godzone finally on the move again

sconhome

Its a ridiculous course! We thought Mr. Parks was a bit of a sadistic course plotter!! Seems like they really upped the notches on the difficulty belt with this course. Heat & humidity seems to be a huge factor too.

All this for a t-shirt and a banana at the finish line

I put a team in for the fantasy league.

career move

I'd love to see a jaguar. Wouldn't be too gone on the heat or the mosquitos or the snakes or the piranhas .... rainy old Ireland doesn't seem to bad!!!

sconhome

Read one of the teams got swarmed with fire ants THAT has got to hurt!

shotgunmcos

AKW wrote: »

Read one of the teams got swarmed with fire ants THAT has got to hurt!

Yeah Godzone. Like something out of the Hunger Games!

They are on the water now with Merrell and SAFAT, who had the fastest TA. Good battle there for 5-7th place at the moment. Tencu and Raidlight are in TA now and if they get on the water quickly could spice that battle up.

The other Swedes Haglof are catching the Columbians on the water. Seagate don't seem to be having too much trouble on the flat trek. Seriously, what is the magic that makes them so fast?

I have East Wind on my fantasy team but they are making painfully slow progress along that ridge. The gang a few kms behind them 11-15th place are moving better in the daylight now

So who are you on the fantasy picks? I'm MCOS on 38th overall after day 2

sconhome

shotgunmcos wrote: »

So who are you on the fantasy picks? I'm MCOS on 38th overall after day 2

You know me, takes a few days to get warmed up so languishing at the bottom.

One or two of my teams are unranked so swapped them out. I'll be moving swiftly through the field now

dapope

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Seriously, what is the magic that makes them so fast?

There are many reasons but 3 of the main ones would be:

1. DNA - they're from New Zealand so they're pretty much born into it.
2. Experience - these guys have done more adventure races between them than any other team I know and the core of the team has been settled for the last few years.
3. Navigation - Chris Forne is an uber geek when it comes to maps. He's got good secondary nav support in Stuart and Nathan also.

This sets them apart from most other teams. To a lesser extent, but not much, they have the mentality. They expect to win and they're all on the same page when it comes to expectations of each other. That said they're not invincible, Thule and Haglofs Silva have beaten them in the past. The odd time they slip up in races where tactics have come more to the fore.

shotgunmcos

Cheers. "Fast" being relative of course! Most teams can go fast but AR is about who slows down the least!

Some of the stories coming through about sucking on sweat bands or wet clothes, adding water to urine to dilute the taste etc.. all to stay somewhat hydrated in that heat. Most of the top teams took 30-35hrs to complete that trek!

East Wind finally got to the CP on the ridge so hopefully they will make TA4 before dark. They are currently 10th. Very hard to see anyone still on that ridge after dark tonight not being short coursed or unranked.

shotgunmcos

From ARWS Facebook:

Update - 5th to 10th at CP13/TA5 at the end of the Stage 4 Trek.

ZAF MERRELL - "It was a tough trek with jagged rocks the whole way but the main problem was the relentless heat. There was a small window of cool in the middle of the night as the breeze came up" said Robyn. As they descended from cp 12 they couldn't find the trail and had to swim and hike down the creek to the TA. "All we wanted to do was get out and it was so slow. DEET was mouth wash for the Mosquitos" said Hanno. The team looks like they are in reasonable condition with only a few blisters. They slept for 1 hour on the mountain and are planning to get onto the water and 'Activate their kayak sleep plan' which involves one person paddling and the other sleeping.

GBR GODZone - This team who started the trek in second was slowed due to the heat. "We were forced to stop for 5 to 6 hours as we just weren't moving anywhere" said Warren. In spite of this they only managed to get only 2 hours of descent sleep. Even then they woke to find the industrious leaf cutter ants had been slicing up and carrying away parts of their back packs while they slept. The lid of Warren's pack is now a patchwork of holes. They were full of praise for their navigator. Sarah noted "Gui is the only reason we are here. He is on fire with route finding and navigation". Warren sought some medical attention for blisters on his hands which presented with some blisters and swelling. There was some debate by the medics about his wedding ring which may need to be cut off at the next TA. Warren was philosophical, "I haven't been able to get it off for years, I think I have put on weight since my wedding".

SWE SAFAT - This team entered the TA very quietly and methodically went to work getting ready to leave the TA. This team also missed the track and followed the creek to the TA but found the going better than they expected. The teams most interesting moment was seeing a jaguar on the track about 150m in front of them before they ascended into the mountains. The jaguar stood and watched them dancing around yelling and clapping for about a minute before fading back into the jungle. Malin sought some medical attention for a nasty heat rash on her back and it is unlikely she will be able to carry a backpack for the remainder of the race.

USA TECNU - Tecnu entered the TA just as the 3 other teams were leaving. They were more concerned about their placing than anything else and were very glad to be back in the race. Kyle did say "It was very slow with rocks hidden in the grass. It was a good challenge to cross the mountains of the Pantanal. It was very steep on the way down and there was a lot of sliding on your backside. It wasn't dangerous as there was a lot of jungle vegetation to hold onto to slow yourself down". They also said the hardest part of the leg were the ants as they made sleeping difficult. Mary went straight to the shower when arriving while Jason who has blistered hands sought medical help to ensure he could keep on paddling.

FRA Raidlight-Naturex - Arrived not long after USA Tecnu. They had one of the fastest times over the top of the mountain and were in 2nd place at CP12. They lost all of this by not being able to find the trail at the bottom. The team followed the creek line and tried on several occasions to use their machete to beat down a path and get to the road. They finally gave up, had a short sleep and hiked out along the creek. Nicholas said "We are very disappointed as we trekked well when up high. I am very proud of my team though as we managed to work together to get out of the jungle."

shotgunmcos

So Day 4

Seagate out on the 2nd pack raft paddle over flooded farmland. Pan flat with just the odd bush to navigate with. They chasers may look to have gained ground but Seagate had a good long kip in TA6.

Of the chasers
Haglof, Merrell and Columbia are a pack in joint 2nd
SAFAT seem to be an hour or 1.5hrs further back on the trek but their tracker is 1.5 hours behind those 3, It could very well be a group of 4 in joint 2nd place, on day 4 of an expedition race!

5th to 8th are the Estonians, Tencu, GZ and Raidlight all separate by a few kms and maybe 2hours with latest trackers.

Although Seagate have a huge lead, they are by no means clear. Great battle going on behind them for the next 7 places.

9th to 11th then are a Brazilian team in TA5 having a rest, the Japanese looked like the may have slept the whole paddle and are drifting down to TA5! Another Brazilian team The Boru Bros about half way on the paddle.

Apart from 3 other teams on the paddle, the rest are either retired, unranked, shortcoursed (not sure the difference between these 2 statuses) and trekking with the top 8, or still up on the ridge on stage 4. A couple of the back marking temas have spent 2 nights on that mountain range :eek:

Seagate are not yet half way through the course so it will be interesting to see if they can complete it or will the RD cut bits off. That could bring some of the chasers back into contention...

I made a balls of the swapping yesterday. Didn't realise it cost points. 108th on the fantasy now, ah well. No swapping today

shotgunmcos

Hang on! Seagate are going backwards..?!

http://arwcpantanal.com/ao-vivo/tracking/

sconhome

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Hang on! Seagate are going backwards..?!

http://arwcpantanal.com/ao-vivo/tracking/

Dropped their phone?

Turned around now heading the correct direction.

dapope

Potential for chaos on Stage 7. Should be exciting. The race could be turned on its head.

Stage 7 Description

"If the previous trekking was the beginning of the challenge, this is where the race will separate the men from the boys.

Aboard their little inflatable boats, athletes will cross approximately 50 kilometers of flooded farms.

It is a region with countless options of trails, under or above water.

This stage will require careful attention in orientation, because the references are all the same, just small bushes and not a single hill…

Good navigators will stand out!"

sconhome

I was looking at the tail end of the race and there seems to be 3 possible routes indicated on the next MTB stage. The split later after this must be to allow short coursing or possible bonus points depending on timing.

shotgunmcos

TA6

Haglofs and colombia both through it now and on same leg as Seagate. Seagate making a beeline for the point of ref on this stage. If they keep that tragectory and hit it, after the back track, Chris Forne is the man.

http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NTIuNjY4NDk5fi04LjYxOTQwMCZsdmw9NCZzdHk9ciZxPS0xOC4xNTkzOTElMkMtNTcuMDEzMzg2

Edit: Ah looks like he is aiming off a little Village to the south, pick up the road and bearing from there. Not much on the map when you zoom in but they have 1:100s so there must be little details on it to pick out?

sconhome

Seagate are hauling butt! Initially thought they must have spotted that trail on their maps but looks like an out and out bearing track they are on. Steamrolling through and holding the line.



Be interesting to see what the following team do. SAFAT had a bit of a turn about in the bush.

Enduro

AKW wrote: »

I was looking at the tail end of the race and there seems to be 3 possible routes indicated on the next MTB stage. The split later after this must be to allow short coursing or possible bonus points depending on timing.

Those are 3 recommended routes (actual route choice is completely up to the teams), which the organisers have given them. The longer ones are on better ground, so its a tactical call as to which choice is faster.

I'd say a course cut of some kind is likely alright.

Enduro

AKW wrote: »

Seagate are hauling butt! Initially thought they must have spotted that trail on their maps but looks like an out and out bearing track they are on. Steamrolling through and holding the line.



Be interesting to see what the following team do. SAFAT had a bit of a turn about in the bush.

The long striaght line is because there was a big gap between intervals that the seagat tracker updated. So the straight line drawn between readings covers a longer timespan than usual. They're unlikely to be actually following that plot line

Enduro

This is adictive watching. I expect Seagate to pull out a bigger lead on this stage. Great battle going on behind. Still rooting for Silva (to make up for their bad luck) and Godzone (cause they've always been great to Irish Adventure Racers abroad). Godzone look to have recovered and be making good pace again!

I think most observers are now firmly in the "Glad to be watching it rather than doing it camp".

sconhome

Enduro wrote: »

The long striaght line is because there was a big gap between intervals that the seagat tracker updated. So the straight line drawn between readings covers a longer timespan than usual. They're unlikely to be actually following that plot line

They covered that ground pretty quickly (relatively) and now seem to be in some sort of village or crossroads.

Route choice from here not so 'obvious'

Enduro

Looks like they're finding big way-points (The village) and going fairly directly between them. Gonna be tough! Looking like it'll be woejus altogether in the dark.

Godzone are on a slightly different track now compared to prior teams, but still going well. Hopefully all OK there.

shotgunmcos

AT 6 was PC17 and AT 7 is PC 18. So, do they have to dib the reference point or is that just a reference to say you are half way through teh trek?

By nightfall there could be a half dozen teams on stage 7 if some don't stop at AT 6 for a kip. Great racing.

Poor Raidlight. Where are they off to? They make big leaps then big mistakes.

shotgunmcos

Ok found the answer, ref points not CPs

Update from Bash on AttackAR

The race began 4 days ago - Saturday around 13:00. Here's where everyone is:

Stage 7 Pack Rafting
1) Seagate - with a decent lead, especially considering their full night of sleep at TA6
2) Haglofs Silva
3) Columbia (45 mins back)

TA6
4) Merrell - although they didn't track at 13:30 so they could be pack rafting now
5) SAFAT - arrived recently

Stage 6 Waterlogged Trek
6) Godzone - with unranked Azimute
7) Tecnu
8) Estonians
9) Raidlight - going in circles for the past 3 hours
10) Peak Performance
11) Quasarlontra
12) East Wind
13) Kailash Brou
14) Aroeira

Also two Short Course teams - Grilo and Summit Adventure

TA5 (end of river paddle)
15) Enigma Papaventura
16) Yogaslackers

Stage 5 Paddle:
17) Terra de Gigantes
18) R'ADYS
19) Fenix Multisport
20) Issy Adventure

Also Unranked Team Canoar Acampamento

Stage 4 Trek
21) Ekos Pinheiros Selva
22) Nossa Vida
23) Uruguay Natural Ultrasports
24) 4any1 Lobo Guara
25) Rosa dos Ventos

Because TA4 was supposed to close at noon, I'm not sure of the status of the final five teams. There was talk of extending the deadlines after the leaders exceeded course estimates.

sconhome

TA4 extended until 3pm

Here's an update that I just received from Rob Howard:
"Update from AT4 on day 4 at ARWC Pantanal. The closure time here has been extended to 3pm, but its unlikely all the teams still trekking will make it.(If they don't they will have to wait for a boat downriver.)
Almost all the press are here and going nowhere as fuel is low and the plane is broken down, so don't expect much in the way of news today.

Everyone is having an adventure!!

shotgunmcos

Yeah thats now. So boat pick up to drop them down to TA5. Will the pick up anyone else on the way I wonder?

Haglof look to be about 9km or 3-4hrs behind Seagate. Thats a lot closer than 24 hours ago! Although Seagate must be fresher.

Looks like Haglofs and Columbia both heading for the same village Seagate did. I wonder how much wading vs paddling is going on? With it being so flat how far out can they spot that village? How far ahead can they spot another team? Any stingrays about yet? I saw a pic on FB from teh race of an Anaconda sticking his head out of the water! :eek:

shotgunmcos

Latest report from Rob Howard Sleepmonsters
http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_races.php?article_id=9210

Latest from the Race FB page

Teams BAR Nossa Vida (21) and URY Uruguay Natural UltraSports (32) arrived after the TA4 closing time (15:00) so they are now out of the race and are being transported to TA 5 with the HQ boat.

So the full course contingent narrows by a further couple of teams. Ekos the last team that can possibly make full course. Albeit highly unlikely. They should make the adjusted 2am cut off for TA5, (they are about midway on the paraguay downstream paddle). They would then have to go straight through TA5 and burn the trek to make the 8am TA6 cut off. Issy Adventure in a smilar boat.

In the middle Peak Performance, East Wind back to Radys with 4 brazilian teams and Yogaslackers in between have work to do to make the 8am cut off too but less so. At least they will have daylight for the pack raft stage 7. I can't see any of these teams making the full course and will prob shoot straight from PC21 to PC25.

Raidlight are making things really difficult for themselves but could bank some sleep at TA6 and get out fresher that the rest of the mid packers in the morning. Tencu already at TA6

Up Front

Still Seagate leading the way. Both Silvaand Columbia were making inroads to the lead until the decided to head West and East respectively for opposite horizons?! This is playing into the hands of SAFAT, who can pass them both during the night plus GZ and the Estonians not too far back in 5th and 6th, or 6th and 7th if Merell are in front

This stage 7 is indeed creating some inital chaos. Seagate are pretty much bang on the race line now. Will they even make the bike cut offs?

shotgunmcos

Best day so far on the Fantasy. Up 31 places to #77.

Edit: SAFAT about to run into Solva who are still bearing West. Que Swedish high Fives!

Meanwhile, Raidlight. Jesus lads yer minds must be fried god love ye. And Columbia, where on earth are ye headed?

sconhome

The Estonians are off after the Columbians. Tiredness obviously playing a massive factor in this. Reports seem to say the landscape is completely featureless with just the same stuff in every direction. Your nav would really need to be on point.

The Swedes have good compasses

How many will make full course?

shotgunmcos

Well teh route choices from TA6 have been interesting

Estonia are now out East hanging with Columbia, who look like they are pakrafting back to Spain
The Swedes nodded at each other before SAFAT took advantage of Silva having a kip, no love lost there!
GZ ventured about 3km out of TA6 then turned around and headed right back. Hope all is ok?
Merrell posted the fastest trek time and have since spent 16 hous in TA6?
Raidlight finally made it to TA6!

Kailish Quasarlontra and Peak Performance are heading North to find Santa and there are a bunch of other mid packers gunning for the 8am TA6 deadline. I'd say we could be down to les sthan 15 full course teams by the end of the day

shotgunmcos

Last updates from twitter

I wonder now if they will wait for the other 11 teams on stage 6 to arrive in to put them all on the plane to CP17?

GZ were either lucky or made a blessed call during the night to return to TA6!!

Even though they are ranked in the top 5 for now, really feel for the Estonians and Columbia

AR World Series@ARWorldSeries
41m Final kayak will be cancelled for all teams. Teams ride direct to ropes from cp 19. #arwcpantanal pic.twitter.com/Sigd9hrUP8

View photo·AR World Series@ARWorldSeries
41m Short course - teams will be flown from cp 17 to 18. No more teams to start this leg. All will be ranked behind top 5. #arwcpantanal

View details·AR World Series@ARWorldSeries
22h Cp17 the most remote part of course. No access. Media flying in to try to get photos. 1950's Cessna. #arwcpantanal pic.twitter.com/F4emwkTgda

View photo·

Neady83

My heart is breaking for Columbia and Estonia.

Have their compasses been compromised do you think?

mossym

respect MCOS, trying to guess what is going on from following a bunch of dots is not easy. i tried doing it for your dot this summer and it was tough and i knew a lot of the areas you were in.

sconhome

Neady83 wrote: »

My heart is breaking for Columbia and Estonia.

Have their compasses been compromised do you think?

Apparently there was a rope section in a high Iron area which leads people to think the compasses are FUBAR.

Happened to us before and it is no fun.

Enduro

A 1950s cessena will be doing well to take one full team at a time. This is going to take a while to work through. Logistical nightmare coming up.

Seagate storming it.... yet again!

Poor old Columbia. They must be nearing a meltdown at this point. Will do well to dig themselves out of this one without external assistance I'd say.

Great going by the Estonians. They look to be making solid progress. Not many would have thought they would be doing this well before the race.

Nice inter-swedish racing going on too. Silva should have the edge on SAFAT on experience, but they're both progressing nicely. Looks to be very little in it between them.

And just as I type, more teams going for a wander northwards before getting to PC17. Sounds like nightmare nav conditions all round.

sconhome

Judging by the latest tracker it looks like the plane is still sitting on the ground



I doubt Seagate will hang around this CP for long but could you imagine them walking in there and finding teams that they left behind days previously which have been flown in.

What a mind melt this race must be.

And there are teams still on the ridge (or at least their trackers) where Seagate were 60 odd hours previously. Machines!!

sconhome

word is that teams had to pack their food before seeing the maps, with nothing to go off of other than the time estimates. Might see some teams of 3 coming out of the swamp trek.

Slowest teamie gets eaten!!

Better watch my back

Neady83

GODZone have been flown to PC20, each plane takes four people so the teams are being transferred in the sequence in which they reached TA6. This may take a while. I wonder did the race director foresee any of this.

.... Seagate are motoring on stage 7 ..... after a slight deviation.

Columbia seem to have been stalled for a long time on stage 6 now. Will they have to be picked up?

Can't help but feel for GODZone, they're an awesome team so stage 6 must have been hell for them to retreat back to TA6.

shotgunmcos

Enduro wrote: »

A 1950s cessena will be doing well to take one full team at a time. This is going to take a while to work through. Logistical nightmare coming up.
.

I read they could take 4 :eek: Piling them up like sardines maybe. something like 16 or 17 teams need flights at approx 120-130km round trip! Logistical nightmare is right!

GZ have been transported to PC20 already. Didn't Merell arrive at TA6 before them?

The first 7-8 teams, Raidlight aside had a good line to TA6. The chaos going on 12 hours later as East Wind et al negotiate it is nuts. The conditions muct have changed. Lokks like Fenix and Rady's could steal a march and get a flight to CP 20. After lounging in te hmid 20s on stage 3-4 they could catapult themselves inot the top 10!!

Huge kudos for Estonia plugging through the swamp and if they keep going will be close to the 2 swedish teams. Columbia, oh dear...

Seagate smashing the "short" trek. Must be a relief to get onto better ground. I'll guess the are all going to kiss their bikes!

shotgunmcos

Merell on their way now.

Are Seagate on horseback or something...
Astonishing pace after 5 days racing!

shotgunmcos

Pic from the swamp