“What kind of a race do you put on if nobody finishes it!?” asked someone who doesn’t get it.An honest one. One that doesn’t compromise on its original mission statement. And one that still excites the spirit within those who don’t do normal.
Without being arrogant, we can say that if the race director has done 26 expedition length races (minimum 3-day completion time) – 18 of those overseas dicing with other top international teams – then he has a good measure of the quality and potential for excellence that exists in the sport. Vasbyt will always be not only a tough but doable course, but also a done course, with every leg, and often multiple versions of it, logged by the organiser.
The ‘Fastest Predicted Time’ is a blend of actual time taken during recces tempered with estimates of what a top team with good navigation skills, athletic ability and hardheadedness could manage. Cyanosis Adventure Racing Team is one of only 3 teams ever to have finished a Vasbyt race, due largely to Nic Mulder’s exceptional navigation decisions, and the legs set were with the participation of that team in mind. Without them racing this time, perhaps we should have changed this to ‘Fastest Possible Time’
The physical toll of altitude. The blindingness of mist. Stress injuries. Falling out of boat injuries. Bike mechanicals. All these factors contribute to a low pass rate, but none more so than the exhaustion of unnecessary extra mileage. Navigation is not a nice-to-have skill, it is essential in a Vasbyt race.
Regardless, there was a lot of Wow said this weekend. For the beauty, the wildness, the night skies, the bigness, the straight up exertion, the effort asked for and the humility required. Adventure racing is a passport to discovering the phenomenal parts of our country (and world) that usually remain hidden due to inaccessibility. Thank you to all the landowners and custodians who granted us access to these areas.
There was also a ton of sincere gratitude expressed after the event for the opportunity to visit the mental pain cave – it’s not somewhere most of us go voluntarily but when pushed to find it as a checkpoint, and then move on, the self-confidence gained can get us through anything.
The question of how to rank the teams – short course, unranked, most cps and home within cutoff, most cps and home after cutoff but all legs attempted – is a complicated one. But not so according one racer. “Everybody gets a DNF. List them alphabetically” And let’s all up our game.
With a small field – Vasbyt will always be a niche race – the challenge is not only to beat the others but to approach the course using the biggest heart, smartest tactics and most ancient skill of perseverance.
While struggling with how to end this post, Brundle’s message of thanks came through with this line: “I leave asking how can I be better, not how can the course be easier.”
A huge thank you to our long term sponsor Merrell for their ongoing belief in all that we do. With their support and trust over the past 11 years, we have been able to compete and achieve at the highest level, explore the great outdoors all over the world and create honest and authentic events that get people outside and pushing their own limits. We will continue to live our lives ‘Sharing the simple power of being outside with everyone.’
Photo from Alfred Thorpe / Vuurtoring
If you were pushed beyond comfortable, if you learned something, if you wanted to quit at least once, but chose to continue, if you marveled at the beauty and recognized the unique opportunity you were offered to be exactly where you were, our event was a success. I’ll admit I doubted it at times, when the potjie was getting cold all afternoon and anxious supporters were demanding answers, but messages like these reconfirm we did the right thing:
We tried to always reward effort with views and clever nav with clear advantages. It was awesome to watch the tracking and see dots charging off in all directions heading to the same destination. It was awful to lose the tracking and not know where some teams were for most of Saturday, but we had to keep reminding ourselves that you could call, you could find someone out there to help if you needed, and you were actually just out there doing what you came here to do.
The Vasbyt 36hr course had five legs. First 20km trek leg took the teams into the Ezemvelo Wildlife Park to the top of Siphongweni (just under 2300m) with a spectacular 270-degree view of the Drakensberg escarpment, before dropping off to one of the Drakensberg’s best bushman paintings cave. The second leg was a 31km paddle down the uMzimkhulu river, followed by an easy 22km mountain bike leg across to the second trek leg. With curfew in place and the need to keep the teams at a “place of residence” overnight – we had a 32km (1800m ascent) loop on Sunset Farm in the Marwaqa mountains. Navigation on this leg was tough at night, but easier during daylight. The final leg was a 100km MTB with over 2000m of climbing. Sections of tough navigation requiring navigators to continually concentrate on the features.
The Vasbyt 12hr course was designed to be a bit more basic, giving distance and time on the legs but less chance for choice and strategy. A quick 1.5km run to the put in for a 7km paddle down the uMzimkhulu river, followed by a 12km trek around the base of Sangwana mountain with the final leg a 36km MTB back to the finish. This course had the right balance of introductory basics with a touch of tricky navigation. The 7 teams, though tired where all elated at the finish.
