PHOTO FEATURE: The Dodo Trail, Mauritius

RUNNING

Words & Photos: Erik Vermeulen, Adventure Photos

PHOTO FEATURE

THE DODO TRAIL, MAURITIUS

THE PEOPLE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS OF MAURITIUS AND REUNION ARE PASSIONATE TRAIL RUNNERS.

Moreover, the islands are becoming sought-after destinations for athletes wanting to race challenging trail races.

The Queen of Mauritius’ offering is the Dodo Trail. Erik Vermeulen was there to capture the action at the 2014 Dodo Trail, held on 13 July.

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RACE MORNING STARTS AT 03H30,

with a transfer from the hotel to the start. At 05h30, the runners are poised to charge into the darkness of the early morning. Instead of a gun, they are set off with fireworks.

World Trail Running Champion Ricky Lightfoot seeks refuge from the cold wind in the hotel bus prior to the start.

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1) A WINDY START

The Action: The 50 km Extreme Dodo Trail starts before sunrise on what was a cold and windy start.

Many races include the word 'extreme' in their title, but few mean it. This 50 km beast sees runners complete over 3 500 m of ascent before they reach the end. For some, it would be 12 hours later.

The Shot: With lots of artificial spotlights at the start, I used on camera flash purely for fill-in, bumped the ISO and used a slower shutter speed to capture some of the energy at the start.

The Specs: 1/80th sec @ f4; NIKON D600 + 20 mm; ISO 1,000; WB setting (Auto); Flash NIKON SB-910; Levels setting in Adobe Lightroom.

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2) SKY RUNNER The Action: Just after summiting the final of the three climbs and before runners drop to PK1, the trail runs along an exposed ridge.

With the sun not yet up, runners' headlamps give away their location.

This was a shot I’d had in mind for a while and I was lucky to get lead-runner Ricky Lightfoot on the exposed section before he headed back into the forest.

The Shot: There was no sunlight yet, so I had to shoot at ISO 2,000 to freeze the action on my long telephoto lens. My other challenge was to balance shutter speed with exposure and the possibility of hand-held lens movement.

The Specs: 1/320th sec @ f5.3; NIKON D600 with 80-400 mm zoom lens set to 260 mm; ISO 2,000; WB setting (Auto); AE setting (0); No flash.

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3) THE OPEN TRACK

The Action: Between the climbs lie a variety of jeep and single-track links. This one is paved and provided a welcome fast section leading to the last climb before PK2. Here, athletes could open the throttle and give chase.

The Shot: Still early in the morning, the sun was hidden behind clouds and I wanted to convey the contrast between the forest and some of the open spaces runners traversed.

The Specs: 1/400th sec @ f4.5; NIKON D600 + 20 mm wide-angle lens; ISO 2,000; WB setting (Auto); No flash; AE setting (0).

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4) FOREST CLIMB

The Action: The race route crosses over the highest peak on the island and the only way to get there is via a long, forested climb. South Africa’s Christiaan Greyling starts the climb. He would eventually finish 6th overall.

The Shot: I found myself crouching in a ditch, where the trail turned, and hid the off-camera flash behind a massive tree.

The Specs: 1/160th sec @ f4.5; NIKON D600 with 20 mm wide angle lens; ISO 1,250; WB setting (Auto); Off camera flash triggered with PocketWizards.

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5) OPEN TO EVERYONE

The Action: The majority of the 1,300 runners entered the 10 km Mini Dodo, still an arduous undertaking with more than 500 m of climbing over the course of the race. The decent off Tourelle Du Tamarin is definitely not for the faint hearted. Nevertheless, it was great to see young and old taking on the route.

The Shot: With a narrow trail and steep slope, I had no option but to get in close and low for this shot.

The Specs: 1/1,000th sec @ f13; NIKON D600 with 20 mm wide angle lens; ISO 640; WB setting: Auto; AE setting (-1); On camera flash NIKON SB 910.

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6) FAST AND EASY

The Action: The seamless combination of private land and national parks the route traverses provides ample variety.

This steep jeep track descent provides for a fast drop, but if you’re not careful you could easily lose your footing. It’s a good opportunity to look up and enjoy the views.

The Shot: On this hairpin bend, there was enough space on the outside to get the shot showing the view and steepness of the road.

The Specs: 1/400th sec @ f16; NIKON D600 with 20 mm lens; ISO 640; WB setting (Sun); AE setting (-1); On-camera flash for fill-in; Lightroom levels.

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7) BIG DROP

The Action: With the three routes merging on the final descent, it became quite congested and this resulted in runners really wanting to make up time on the open stretches that followed the single track.

The Shot: I wanted to take a shot that showed the nature of the descent and congestion on the trail.

This low angle, at a 1.4 m drop-off, gave me just what I needed to show the athlete and others in the background.

The Specs: 1/800 sec @ 11; NIKON D600 with 20 mm wide angle lens; ISO 640; WB setting (Auto); AE setting (-1); On camera flash NIKON SB 910.

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8) VASTNESS

The Action: Although an island, the wilderness in Mauritius is vast and can only really be appreciated from the high remote trails used by the Dodo Trail organisers.

The Shot: I wanted to get a virtual bird’s eye view, so I got up high on a ridge with the runners passing below me to the entry of a very steep descent, to create the 'cliff-top' effect.

The Specs: 1/2,000th sec @ f5.6; NIKON D600 with 80-400 mm telephoto lens at 230 mm; ISO 640; WB setting (Sun); AE setting (0); No flash.

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9) LADIES' RECORD IN SIGHT

The Action: South Africa’s Team Salomon trail runner Landie Greyling was invited to the event, and although she’s not run ultra distances this year, she managed to break the women’s record in a tight race, beating the lady in second place by about 4 minutes.

The Shot: High on a narrow ridge, I wanted to capture the height and demanding nature of under-foot conditions as runners drop over 350 m over the last 3 km of the race.

The Specs: 1/800th sec @ f9.0; NIKON D600 with 20 mm wide angle lens; ISO 640; WB setting (Auto); AE setting (0); No flash.

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10) FREEDOM!

The Action: The elation of reaching the final kilometre is evident with every runner celebrating for their own reasons. Not everyone chases external rewards, for most it’s simply the exhilaration of getting in touch with Mauritius’ rugged side and defeating their own frailty.

The Shot: Dappled light means tough shooting, so using fill-in flash is essential, as is timing. I needed to get the subject at exactly the right time, as he ran through the sunlight.

The Specs: 1/400th sec @ f6.3; NIKON D600 with 20 mm wide angle lens; ISO 800; WB setting (Shadow); AE setting (0); NIKON SB 910 flash, camera mounted. •

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