Budding young adventure racers, Bivouac Colts

12 September, 2013

Budding young adventure racers, Bivouac Colts

New Zealand has a new adventure racing team on the radar. The Bivouac Colts, a relatively young team placed second in the Adventure Racing World Series race in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia this week. The team consists of four multisport athletes, Dayne McKnight, JJ Wilson, Ryan Thompson and Becky Law all under 26 years of age.

Temperatures rose to over 40 degrees on the first two days of the race which started in the arid settlement of Arkaroola.

The team nearly withdrew from the race on the second day of racing after heat exhaustion struck one of its members, Dayne McKnight.

“We got caught out in the conditions,” explained Wilson. “It was hot and we were going fast and weren’t hydrating well enough. It’s a downward spiral from there.”

Dayne was in a bad way. He was vomiting, and sort of border line in a coma. We didn’t really know what to do and whether we could go on. We stopped and slept at Wirrealpa Station. He (Dayne) was just an absolute trooper; he got better and got back in the game.”

Competing in the 2012 and 2013 Godzone race, the Bivouac Colts had finished 10th and 8th respectively. Overall winners in those races were the current world champions, Team Seagate. Second place in this XPD race was their best result to date.

Their apparently meteoric rise to fame has also surprised the young competitors

“I still feel as though I’ve just started adventure racing yesterday,” admitted Wilson. “Now here we are footing it with some of the best people in the sport.”

The secret to their rise on the international scene they say is more personal.

“We’re like a family out there. If anyone of us is hurting then all three get sort of get in behind the person who is hurting the most,” said JJ Wilson.

That’s what you need to get through these races. If you didn’t have that then there’s no way you wouldn’t have a chance.”

Now the Bivouac Colts have a spot at the upcoming World Championships in Costa Rica at the end of November.

“The sky’s the limit for us. We just keep getting better,” said Wilson. “Going to world championships, yes that’s what we want.”

Third place was taken by another New Zealand team, the CYO Girls on Top.

https://app.box.com/s/s86r8yd77ytn1ig5iggh
VIDEO for download and for online use. A montage of the Adventure Racing World Series race, XPD held in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia this week.

Tough conditions for 120 tough athletes from 7 different nationalities as they race over 750km. Teams navigate as they trek, mountain bike and kayak for 13 legs. The unique trek involved 55km over a salt lake, Lake Frome.

Three teams have now won a spot in the World Championships in Costa Rica in late November.
Live website: http://live.xpd.com.au/

ENDS

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