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Adventure Racing World Championships 2015 Brazil
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06-11-2015 10:43am#1Kicks off in a few days and a tracker will go live as usual...
Meanwhile, one of the favourites Team Adidas have rebranded to Team Godzone http://www.teamgodzone.com/news-2/
QUICK FACTS:
NAME: AR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BRAZIL
WEBSITE: http://arwcpantanal.com / FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ARWSBrasil
DATES: 11 - 21 November 2015
COUNTRY: Brazil
REGION: Pantanal
DISCIPLINES: Mountain Bike, Trail Run/ trek, River Kayak, Pack Rafting, Local Canoe, Navigation
DISTANCE: 500 km
WINNING TIME: 4 days (96 hours)
COURSE OPEN: 7 days (168 hours)
CATEGORIES: ARWS Mixed Teams 4
TEAM LIMIT: 60 Teams through Qualification
LOGISTICS: Unsupported
WATERCRAFT: Kayaks provided
MANDATORY EQUIPMENT: YES - uses the ARWS standard list
RULES: YES - uses the ARWS standard rules
PRIZE MONEY: $75,000 USD
OTHER PRIZES: Sponsor products
ENTRY FEE: $6,000 USD.
*NOTE: This information has been provided by the race organiser, please check their website for any updated information.2
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shotgunmcos wrote: »Meanwhile, one of the favourites Team Adidas have rebranded to Team Godzone http://www.teamgodzone.com/news-2/
Wonder if they'd like any Irish partners
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Race starts tomorrow. No Irish involvement unfortunately
but here's a short video to set the mood for the week ahead.https://vimeo.com/112945245
Its a very small field racing the World Champs this year at 32 teams due to a combination of factors. One being the remoteness of the event which is going to make following it a challenge. Sleepmonsters have already done a piece outlining the challenges faced by reporters. The best means of following may be the live tracking site alone as any media updates are likely to be significantly delayed at which point the race could have completely changed.
Live Tracking: http://www.arearaider.com/live-coverage-pantanal-arwc/
There is usually some lively debate over on Attackpoint so its worth following:
https://ar.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_1112044
AR Fantasy League for the event:
http://arwcpantanal.com/fantasy-league/
Expect the usual teams to challenge for the win: Seagate, Columbia Oncosec, Haglöfs Silva (due some luck) etc. followed by Merrell, GODZone, Tecnu, Quasarlontra - Kailash in any order. After that its a bit of a lottery. Interested to see how Czech team "Fenix Multisport - Adidas" get on.0 -
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There is usually some lively debate over on Attackpoint so its worth following:
https://ar.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/message_1112044
.
So thats where the nutters hang out
Training logs and debate for the hardcore!
Sample post from a poster called Bash on the wildlife on this 715km course....
Last update for now. Wow, this is an interesting place!
Wildlife Notes from Newsletters:
With some animals the encounters will be frequent, like with capybaras, alligators, tuiuiús, monkeys and macaws. But the jaguars, tapirs and otters will only be seen by a few lucky ones.
1) Bees - We can say that this is our biggest concern... There are several types of bees, non-aggressive and very aggressive. Aggressive behavior of Africanized bees has, as a source, noise or very close drive from the hive. Sound of children playing, outboard motor, chain saw, dark colors, mammals‟ odors - including human sweat [yikes!!], rough texture and sudden movements, are examples of what can trigger the attack...
It was strongly advised by bee specialists that the best way of protection against a hive attack is to have a garbage plastic bag of 100 liters at hand. One bag per athlete! In case of an attack, it is recommended to bag yourself and stay quiet. Don’t try to fight them.
2) Piranhas - For them, the danger arises when the water level is low, the prey is scarce or river bathing disrupts their spawning. Basically, only when the fish feel really threatened or very hungry, they become more aggressive. In the Pantanal, this situation of extreme food shortages are rare but can happen in the dry season, when some becomes trapped in small wells and the food just before the flood. To protect yourself, pay attention to small wells and creeks if our November drought is very dry.
As we’ve said on the first info pack, they don’t attack! But they do like blood! My advice here is to make a good wound dressing. In case you have a big bruise, open, bleeding wound and has to go into the water, either to cross a corixo, a river or even paddle, you must take care of the injury and make a nice dressing. I suggest you that have a good waterproof tape (sports tape), waterproof band-aids and gauze. Do not pack light on this item...
3) Ariranha - Also known as Giant Otter... In Brazil, we find these animals
in large quantities in the Mato Grosso Pantanal region and in the Amazon River basin. The ariranhas are very noisy, so our advice is to leave the water when possible (where they are faster) and always head to the opposite direction of their noise.
4) Catetos - Peccaries - These are wild pigs with a narrow snout and mobile head. Their coat is a dark brown, almost black, flecked with white. They inhabit forests and can be viewed during the day, especially in the late afternoon. They cross rivers and lakes, even though they are not that good swimmers, they do swim. They are also able to cross vines and bamboo groves with great ease.
There is no standard procedure, but based on the morphology of the animals, they do not have great skills to jump, climb trees or swim. So these are the safest places to protect yourself. But before that, they are very noisy and are easy to detect at a certain distance, then it is relatively easy to avoid an encounter taking a detour off the course where they are, or even stand still watching they pass through.
5) Pantanal Alligator: As its name implies, it is a species frequently found in the Pantanal, measuring 2-3 meters at their adult stage and has the nickname of piranha-alligator, to have very sharp teeth. They live in rivers, bays or lagoons, always looking for water...
Despite the appearance somewhat scary, Pantanal Alligators are not aggressive and females turn out to be protective mothers. To make the nest, they look for hard to reach places, near wasp nests or between branches. They dig a hole in the ground and use sticks, leaves and sand to cover it. Another interesting aspect is that the nests are reused from one year to the next. So stay tuned if you are, do not destroy an abandoned nest of alligators!
Alligators are smiling friends and are afraid of us. They only bite when attacked. So even more attention! Do not step on the heads of alligators. [A good rule to live by!!]
6) Stingrays: The most dangerous animal of the Pantanal is hidden in the sand and attacks (more defense than attack) usually in the shallows - the freshwater stingrays. Of ten Pantanal fishermen, two have been stung by stings rays. The wound may take months to heal.
The locals say to enter the rivers in the Pantanal, ideally using a stick, stirring the bottom of the river because they have a hidden stingray, it scares and leaves, or walk dragging your feet, so that the movement chases away the stingrays. Although the stingrays are not aggressive, it is common that they defend themselves against the "stomps" of fishermen, locals and distracted bathers, lashing with its tail against the hurt.
The stingray sting is in a dangerous toxin and when the person is stung usually in the ankle, will feel a very sharp pain that may be followed by vomiting and increased heart rate. The first step after a stingray attack must be submerge in hot water, as the fish poison has thermo labile characteristics - the heat can degenerate the poison and lessen the pain, although it is unable to prevent necrosis. The victim should then seek medical attention for xray the affected part and receive medication with antibiotics. Until today it was not developed a serum for the sting of stingrays. The production is not justified by the small number of reported accidents (though not know the real scale of the problem) and the fact poison not be lethal, such as some snakes.
Therefore, stingrays only attack to defend itself, but as you will be walking in various regions flooded, creeks and ponds, on a trekking in particular, the use of trekking pole is required, all athletes must have and use while walking anywhere waterlogged. They should be used to poke the ground before stepping forward, so they can get out of the way. Have to be very careful as several sighted in course survey. They are camouflaged in the sand and even in the shallows is difficult to see them.
7) Jaguar - the largest feline in the Americas, reaching 135 kg. It is a robust
animal with great muscular force, and the power of its bite considered to be the greatest among felines throughout the world. Their natural prey are wild animals like peccaries, capybaras, alligators, deer and armadillos....
In Brazil, after the Amazon, the Pantanal is the largest continuous refuge for
jaguars and their prey... We've done several survey trips and the first one was lucky enough to see one jaguar.
Jaguars don't attack. The risk of a jaguar attack exists only when it is with a cub or carrion. Or when the man is after her, usually in order to hunt / kill. There are thousands of people living in the region, farms, ranches, river banks and coexist
with the big animal. The cases of attacks are very few and are always related to hunting or baiting (the habit of giving food to the animal in the same place in order to attract the predator so that it is often seen by tourists)...
But these rural residents return to their homes, shacks, or camp overnight. Although all researchers assert that the jaguar can pass within a meter of us sleeping, smell us because of it is curious and go away, we do not even want a sniff, do we? Spending the night in a house is not feasible for athletes, so I have been researching all the "rules" and security measures so that they can sleep in the bushes smoothly.
Among the research with Pantanal farmers, riverside locals, biologists, researchers and internet, we‟ve come to a good solution. The White waterproof strobes!
Flashing lights have been used in several rural areas to scare jaguars of livestock attacks. What convinced me was the story of a boy, Richard Turere from Kenya who lives next to the Nairobi National Park and was even on a panel at TED talks.
He created a system of flashing lights to protect the livestock of his family of lions, too numerous for being there next to the National Park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAoo--SeUIk&featur...
Therefore, the white strobe, with the specifications listed in the mandatory equipment list will be mandatory at all times and in all disciplines. When going to sleep, you should leave connected at least two strobes, blinking at different times, with a distance between the two. Have enough batteries for the whole race.
In case of an inland meeting, stay together in order to appear bigger, don't turn your back on the jaguar and leave slowly avoiding sudden movements.
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The wildlife is so rich that the race newsletters don't even mention snakes - but hey, it's Brazil. Maybe they are less active at this time of year? From another source on the Pantanal:
Among reptiles, there are more than 30 species of snake. The yellow-anaconda Eunectes notaeus is very common on the plains and is small in size compared to the other species, the green anaconda E. murinus that lives at the edge of the Pantanal and may reach 5 m in size, some observations reporting a size of 6-8 m...
There are four species of poisonous snakes in the Pantanal: the Brazilian-lancehead Bothrops moojeni, the Neuwid'lancehead B. neuwiedi, the neotropical-rattlesnake Crotalus durissus and the Pantanal-coral-snake Micrurus tricolor.0 -
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Seagate starting to dominate again! Unsurprisingly the jungle seems to be swallowing up a few teams for long periods before they manage to escape. Good to see Hagloffs Silva make it this far in a great position without breaking any limbs (yet). They deserve all the luck they can get. Someone must be sick on Godzone... they really slowed up on the trekking which should be a strenght for them.
I'd say there won't be many teams completing the full course. Sounds tough tough tough (Not sure whether to be glad or sorry that I'm not out there!) 0 -
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Its a ridiculous course! We thought Mr. Parks was a bit of a sadistic course plotter!! Seems like they really upped the notches on the difficulty belt with this course. Heat & humidity seems to be a huge factor too.
All this for a t-shirt and a banana at the finish line
I put a team in for the fantasy league.0 -
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shotgunmcos wrote: »So who are you on the fantasy picks? I'm MCOS on 38th overall after day 2
You know me, takes a few days to get warmed up so languishing at the bottom.
One or two of my teams are unranked so swapped them out. I'll be moving swiftly through the field now 0 -
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Seagate are hauling butt! Initially thought they must have spotted that trail on their maps but looks like an out and out bearing track they are on. Steamrolling through and holding the line.
Be interesting to see what the following team do. SAFAT had a bit of a turn about in the bush.0 -
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Seagate are hauling butt! Initially thought they must have spotted that trail on their maps but looks like an out and out bearing track they are on. Steamrolling through and holding the line.
Be interesting to see what the following team do. SAFAT had a bit of a turn about in the bush.
The long striaght line is because there was a big gap between intervals that the seagat tracker updated. So the straight line drawn between readings covers a longer timespan than usual. They're unlikely to be actually following that plot line 0 -
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The long striaght line is because there was a big gap between intervals that the seagat tracker updated. So the straight line drawn between readings covers a longer timespan than usual. They're unlikely to be actually following that plot line
They covered that ground pretty quickly (relatively) and now seem to be in some sort of village or crossroads.
Route choice from here not so 'obvious'0
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