adidas TERREX Race News | Day 2

Coniston to Langdale via Windermere and Great Gable

Day 2 saw the race leaders, team adidas Terrex gradually extend their lead, one more team became unranked, and by nightfall all of the teams were out in the hills on the longest trekking stage of the race.

For the slower teams the day began with them finishing the paddle on Coniston water, then crossing the Furness Fells to get over to Windermere for another, longer, paddling stage.  The trek across was a stiff climb and one CP in particular was difficult to find in the dark, causing event the lead teams to search for 40 minutes or more.

After this the next transition was at the YMCA National outdoor centre on the shore of Windermere, and this was one of the main race hubs with permanent tents the teams could sleep in and a big canteen where tea and toast was in constant supply and teams could sit out of the driving rain.  As teams passed through here it was a chance to check their positions and by this stage only 3 teams had completed all the course to date.  These were adidas Terrex, Acclerate B and planetfear A, who all left within an hour of each other.  After this however, the adidas Terrex team gradually extended their lead.

Three teams have pulled out of the race so far, Accelerate B, Camracers and Cooley Raid.  All had one ailing or exhausted team member, but after some rest all continued as unranked teams of 3, so you will still see them on the results board. 

After the paddling on Windermere, which meant kayaking twice the distance of the lake to get all the CP’s, teams took the Bowness to Hawkshead Ferry to get to the bikes again, the undertook a short ride into the Langdale Valley.  This is a tourist hotspot and the transition was at the foot of the path up to Stickle Tarn, a very popular tourist walk, though it is a steep climb up the valley side.  The teams joined the tourists, but they were going much, much further than the tarn and back.  Their route goes right around the central Lakeland fells and includes an abseil on the exposed Esk Buttress, high above the Esk valley in which they were orienteering just yesterday.  

The route is not as long as originally planned however, as 4 checkpoints have been taken out to shorten the route.  The following mountain biking stage has also been shortened.  

The final team passed through Langdale at 18.15, at which point all the teams were on the trekking stage, and most will be out all through the night, before they can return to Langdale.