Beachy keen
Ξ June 22nd, 2009 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Hike the Kong, Hong Kong |
I went here, and it was nice.
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Hello, adventure racing
Ξ June 22nd, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Disco Bay, Hike the Kong, Hong Kong |
Adventure racing. It’s no googlewhack, but it is addictive. Here’s post-race me, with new pal Sari. We met about 10 minutes before the race started. She was there with her friend Rob. All newbies, all made it to the finish!
An ActionAsia event, the 13-kilometer Discovery Bay Sprint on May 10 was my introduction to the sport. It drew a motley crew of 300 or so thrill seekers. Teenyboppers to old farts (hey, some of ‘em beat me!), we all donned required helmets and scrambled across beaches, up and down a couple big hills, up and along rocky waterfalls, past a monastery, through a village or two. Scenic, anyway.
I was glad to be helmeted during the rock climb, and wondered what sort of reasoning one of my fellow racers used before deciding to carry his helmet in his hand during the most dangerous portion of the race. There were portions where you could choose your own path along the rocks, and at one point I opted instead to jump into the water, taking the more direct (though not any quicker) route…
“Was that a good decision,” a guy to my right asked. I had to think about it. Then, he answered for me, “the correct answer is: absolutely.”
Score. I love this stuff.
The beach sections came at the best times. No, wait. Worst times. It’s hard to run on a beach! And it’s harder to run on a beach after 12 kilometers of the aforementioned surfaces. Also hard: mountains. I remember wondering, probably two-thirds of the way up big-arse hill numero dos, “hey, I wonder how long it’ll take me to forget how much this sucks.”
Quote of the day (any variation of): “This is the last big hill.” or “One more uphill then it’s flat the rest of the way.”
Thanks for the support, folks, but I think I’d rather hear you tell me you like the dirt covering my entire front from that massive wipeout on the second big downhill. It was HUGE. Face first, sliding down. I remember being a little bummed that the reservoir swim came so quickly after that — no one got to see the evidence of how hard-core I was.
The race ended in the Piazza, where one can opt for a bottle of water (thanks, Bonaqua) or beer. Every time I went to the tent I was greeted with a friendly, “beer?” If only I hadn’t been expected at work in a couple hours.
Special thanks to Anna for serving as my emergency contact. 
I’m glad I didn’t die.
Check out the Action Asia Web site for photos and video and info on the DB race.