Locals challenge the ultimate adventure race – Lowvelder

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. A group of determined and super-fit Lowvelders took this quote to heart when they competed in the Expedition Africa Rodrigues 2019 race.

Harry Wiltshire, of team Sketchy Pirates, explained that the teams are expected to navigate using a map and landmarks.

“It was a lot tougher than we thought. We had to do a lot of strategic planning and were constantly calculating our calories and water intake versus what we were using up.”

Wiltshire’s teammates consisted of Jurgens Hanekom, Wihan Jacobs and John Carter. The other local team, Gomtorskollies, consisted of Mbombelan Stephan Pinker, Chris Joubert, Dieter van der Westhuizen and Liza-Marie Dreyer.

Pinker explained that this tough race requires much more than your basic level of fitness, before you even start to train for it.

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“What got me the most was the lack of sleep, and the fact that the race lasts for so long. My mental growth during this time was amazing.” He laughed that he will never again complain that the Iron Man competition is difficult.

Wiltshire, a local biokineticist at LowMed, said you just lose yourself there. “You stop thinking. Teams travel throughout the night. They can decide if, when and where to rest.”

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During this six-day, five-night race both local teams only caught a few hours sleep in total. The entire race lasted between 122 and 123 hours for the two teams.

In this race teams must be able to operate in harsh remote environments in all weather conditions.
The first team to complete the whole course, with all the control points visited will be declared the winner.

Teams are required to complete the entire distance together (always within hearing and visual distance of each other), helping and assisting each other.

Teamwork and team dynamics are essential. A detailed understanding of your teammates and of your own capabilities is essential.

Expedition Africa took place on the remote island of Rodrigues from August 29 to September 8. Wiltshire confirmed that they covered 380 kilometres, had a 13 000-metre altitude gain, and managed only 11 hours of sleep.

“We beached two boats, did six ocean swims – one of which was at night – had two dodgy waterfall climbs, and one near-capsized boat in deep waters. We met a few pet dogs, goats, turkeys and all in all this all resulted in one amazing island!”

The winning team for 2019 was the Swedish Special Forces. Not many an athlete can boast that they competed in the same race as an international task force.

“What an epic platform to have tested our bodies conditioning, ultra nutrition, sleep influences and recovery strategies. The theory is sound but the practical implications somewhat more difficult! What an amazing learning curve in the methods of pushing a body to its extreme limits,” he concluded.