Taking on the Kinetic Double Moon Adventure

MULTI SPORTS

Words: Ico Schutte / Photos: Ico Schutte & Kinetic

TAKING ON THE

KINETIC DOUBLE MOON

ADVENTURE OVER THE PAST WEEKEND, ADVENTURE RACERS FACED A TRUE TEST OF METTLE IN THE 200 KM KINETIC DOUBLE MOON ADVENTURE RACE, HELD IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE DRAKENSBERG.

When long-time friends Charl and Lizelle Keet, newlyweds and adventure racers, called me up and asked if I would like to join them in this year’s Double Moon race I was, in fact, over the moon. Having raced in the region before, I knew it would be a gruelling, challenging and rewarding experience, and what better way to share it than with friends.

Photo credit: Kinetic

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OUR ADVENTURE, HOWEVER, BEGAN WAY BEFORE WE EVEN REACHED THE START LINE, AS WE EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF BAD-LUCK INCIDENTS. WE STARTED OUR DAY WITH A PUNCTURE JUST AS WE WERE PLANNING TO LEAVE FOR THE RACE, WHICH DELAYED OUR START OUT OF BLOEMFONTEIN

BY A COUPLE OF HOURS. Then we received a phone call from our fourth team member saying that he had broken his foot the night before. Next, as we followed the GPS directions to the venue, we noticed that something was very wrong as we were on a brick paved road that was nowhere near the Mont Aux Sources Hotel and heading for the Mont Aux Sources peak. This resulted in another three-hour delay. Making the best of the situation, we enjoyed this very scenic road before making a U-turn and proceeding back to the hotel. Confident that we now had our three strikes of bad luck behind us, we were ready for a great race.

Adventure racing is a multi-discipline endurance sport where competitors compete in teams, navigating from control point to control point in a number of disciplines, including mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and orienteering. Teams are expected to navigate using a map and landmarks, as well as operate in harsh remote environments in all weather conditions, and finish together.

Adventure racing follows a unique set of rules where the route and details of the race stay secret until the last moments before the start. At 9 p.m. on Thursday, we received our race briefing, maps and book with all the race details. Quickly Charl, our lead navigator, and I plotted routes for us to follow, while Lizelle sorted out our nutrition and gear into the different resupply boxes provided by the organisers.

Photo credit: Ico Schutte

This process is a crucial part of the race. If you get a detail wrong you will find yourself in all sorts of difficulty. For example, you may get to a transition and not have the correct gear in the box for the next leg. I discovered my first mistake as I had forgotten to pack enough hiking shoes for the race and was forced to complete the kayaking and all hiking legs in one pair of soaking wet shoes, and I also needed to carry them on all the cycling legs in my backpack.

TREKKING LEG Friday morning arrived and the teams lined up under clear skies for the start of the 200 km race. First up was a 14 km trekking leg. With hearts racing and legs screaming for more oxygen, we scaled the first of many climbs that awaited us.

Photo credit: Kinetic Photo credit: Kinetic

The altitude was a big factor for us as we arrived from sea level only a day before. The route took us by the Cannibal Caves and up steep and treacherous rocky chutes to the top for Checkpoint 5. Breathing in the thin and fresh mountain air, we stared in amazement at the panoramic mountain views around us. From here, we had a short traverse across the top and then another very technical and challenging descent to the next transition.

Photo credit: Ico Schutte Photo credit: Kinetic

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Photo credit: Kinetic

BIKE LEG

BIKE LEG

THE SECOND LEG WAS A SHORT BUT SERIOUSLY FUN RIDE ON FLOWING SINGLE-TRACK TRAILS DOWN THE VALLEY TOWARDS ALL OUT ADVENTURES, WHERE WE WERE TREATED TO A ZIPLINE SLIDE BEFORE HEADING OUT ON THE NEXT TREKKING LEG OF 6 KM.

The bike leg was relatively easy, flat and fast, and we held around 30 km/h most of the way around the dam and on to our next transition area. Most people never push themselves far enough on their first wind to discover they have a second. Well, Lizelle definitely discovered her second here and pedalled like a lady possessed. I think this might have something to do with her astraphobia, as the thunder was rolling ever closer.

Arriving at transition at 19h45, we prepared our meals, mine consisting of tuna on dry bread, really yummy stuff!

(Planning fail number two).

Great navigation and a shorter route choice saw us quickly gaining time on our competitors as we made our way along the Tugela River valley toward the transition to the kayak leg.

KAYAK LEG

HIKE LEG

There was a nervous moment as we crossed the river.

Misjudging the depth of the current we almost got swept downstream as thunder simultaneously roared a warning to us. Once we collected our wits and rinsed our pants, it was time to start the kayaking leg of 14 km, half of which was on the Tugela River and the second bit on the flat water of the Woodstock Dam.

By 21h00 we were fed, rested and dressed to impress as we set out on the 30 km hike leg. This looked like it was going to be the make or break leg of the race for most teams, however as we got outside the lightning was frightening so we decided to stay indoors and wait out the storm. We took this opportunity to take a nap and rest our worn-out bodies, setting the alarm for 02h00.

As a white-water kayaker, I thoroughly enjoyed the river part even though it was only splashy, baby rapids.

When we hit the flat sections, we changed our set-up to Charl and me in the front kayak towing Lizelle behind in the other. Being only three racers, we had a distinct disadvantage during the paddle legs with the two double kayaks. The paddle leg was really hard on us and we took a decent break before we set out on the 50 km bike leg.

Refreshed and vitalised after our little power nap, we set out on the hike in the early hours of the morning.

We decided to take a more direct but challenging route straight across the mountains in front of us. It was a gamble as we were not sure about the conditions of the trails, or if there was even going to be trails once we got to the top, as well as if there was a way down the other side.

Photo credit: Kinetic

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Photo credit: Kinetic

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AS WE CLIMBED HIGHER AND HIGHER INTO THE MOUNTAINS, SURROUNDED BY ONLY DARKNESS, WE WERE FACED WITH SOME VERY TRICKY NAVIGATION. AFTER ABOUT 3 HOURS, THE EARLY MORNING FOG ROLLED IN AND WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE WHERE WE WERE HEADED AND WERE UNSURE ABOUT OUR LOCATION. Quickly, we called a team meeting and I told Charl that we need to go left. He said, “No, we need to go right.” So we decided to sit down and wait for sunrise to find ourselves.

A crisp and clear daybreak revealed that we were on track, so we soldiered on. Looking around, we saw teams wandering around looking for a way across. Reaching the top, we were faced with a very steep and tricky descent. As we were looking for a way down, we came across a local shepherd who showed us a little trail down. Nothing beats local knowledge!

This was indeed becoming a monster hike as we reached the first checkpoint after around 6 hours, with almost 15 km still to go. Blistered from the wet shoes, hungry and tired, we headed into a local shebeen and bought ice-cold cokes; something I don’t do often, but it was needed to lift our spirits.

Photo credit: Kinetic

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Setting off on the rest of the hike, we had one more mountain to cross before reaching the transition. Unfortunately, we realised that we will not make the 10h00 cut-off for the second kayaking leg. The organisers had set-up strict cut-off times in an effort to prepare teams for the upcoming Expedition Africa, a 500 km adventure race. Although sad that we were not going to make it, we were happy with our speed and navigation. Had we waited out the storm, we would have comfortably made the time.

Crossing the last mountain, we once again made a great route choice, opting for a steep and technical descent. We could see the other teams taking the long route down as we leapfrogged them. After 10 hours of really strenuous hiking, we finally arrived at the transition where first we had to swim 400 m across the dam.

Hot and sweaty, we were elated as we jumped into the cool water. Chatting with the other teams at transition, we were amazed at how much time we had made up with our route choice and fantastic navigation, as some teams had spent as much as 15 hours in the mountains.

CYCLING LEG Without the kayaking leg, only 50 km of cycling stood between us and the finish line. We got going and found the first three checkpoints with relative ease. It was only when we started looking for the fourth did we have some issues, as we were sure we were in the right place, however could not find the CP marker. As more and more teams arrived at the same spot we decided that it must have been stolen, so we took a photo of the area and headed on with the race. Stephan Muller, the race director, confirmed that we were indeed at the correct place.

Photo credit: Kinetic

Photo credit: Kinetic

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FOR THE LAST HALF OF THE CYCLE LEG WE WERE AGAIN TREATED TO SOME GREAT SINGLE TRACK IN THE ALL OUT ADVENTURES BIKE PARK. BUT WITH THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING DRAWING CLOSER, WE DECIDED TO GET OFF THE MOUNTAIN AND TAKE A DIRECT ROUTE HOME. It goes against my religion not to complete a race, however on our way home nature unleashed its fury all around us and we scrambled to find shelter with rain, hail and lightning all around. We waited out the storm and cycled the last couple of kilometres, arriving at the finish line at 18h50 on Saturday night, almost 36 hours after we had set out on Friday morning.

Top honours went to Team Jabberwock, who blitzed through the course in a jaw-dropping 25 hours, followed closely by Team Cyanosis. Rounding out the podium was Accucheck Warriors.

Stephan and Heidi Muller set out to make a race that will prepare racers for the upcoming Expedition Africa. I think they did a great job. The route was tough and challenging, but rewarding. The Drakensberg is one of the most scenic areas in our country and everyone should experience its majestic beauty!

Kinetic organises many races of different lengths and challenges, to suit everyone’s need for adventure that start from 25 km to the massive 500 km Expedition Africa. Are you brave enough? •

MORE INFORMATION For more information about the race, as well as other Kinetic events, visit www.kineticgear.co.za

Photo credit: Ico Schutte

Photo credit: Kinetic

Photo credit: Kinetic

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