You’d think that a race over a secret course, with four different disciplines and an expected time frame of between ten and twenty four hours would be enough of a challenge. Throw in a snow storm, a ‘shorter but trickier’ contingency course, a 2am start and sub-zero temperatures, and competitors in the Christchurch event of the 2003 Arrow 24 hour adventure race series had a real task on their hands.

I entered the race as a member of ‘Femme Fatale,’ the only all-female team to contest the Christchurch event. The fun began well in advance of race day, with four orienteering rookies trying to master the art of night navigation. We soon found out that practice doesn’t always make perfect, but sometimes something close to it has to be good enough!

After a frantic hour or two of route plotting, as the secret course was not announced until the race briefing, and a treacherous drive through heavy snow to the start line, the race got underway in the early hours of a cold Saturday morning. We began with several kilometers of easy running up a riverbed toward the Cass Saddle, followed by an icy river crossing and a cross country trek towards the hills. According to our map, the track to the first checkpoint would be fairly easy to find. However, we had not bargained on ‘the swamp,’ which was to become a feature of the race, the navigational test that separated the pros from the punters and the just plain lost. It was somewhat amusing to take a 360-degree turn and see lights from head torches heading in every direction possible, and it became clear that adventure racing is a sport where you can’t just follow the leader.

When dawn finally arrived, the sunrise over snowy covered mountains was stunning. It was not to last though and as we neared the end our seven-hour trek snow began to fall steadily, and the temperature dropped again. By this stage there was considerable distance between teams, and the silence and cold brought on more of a challenge.

Stage two was a quick mountain bike to the shores of Lake Coleridge, where our support crew was waiting with hot food and plenty of encouragement. After a refuel and change of clothes we set off as a team toward the Archery range. I’m sure this discipline was included for two purposes – not only giving teams the opportunity to gain time for each target they hit, but also providing a source of entertainment for spectators and support crews as many an arrow went astray.

This light relief was soon over as we launched our kayaks into the icy water of Lake Coleridge, and began the long paddle toward the far shore. I couldn’t help but feel insignificant, in the middle of a choppy lake surrounded by snow capped mountains and threatening storm clouds.

The final section of the race was a mountain bike into township of Methven, via back roads and unmanned checkpoints. About halfway through the ride, daylight began to fade, and by the time team Femme Fatale reached the bright lights of Methven and the finish line night had fallen. There was something incredibly satisfying about being outside and in race mode from dawn to dusk, through sunshine and snow, wind and rain. After sixteen hours of running, tramping, mountain biking and kayaking we had beaten the conditions and made it to the finish line - and it didn’t hurt that we’d managed to beat a few male teams along the way!

The prize giving the following day gave teams a chance to swap stories and compare notes, and the buzzy atmosphere was testament to the fact that the race had been thoroughly enjoyed by all, and provided plenty of challenges along the way. Many thanks to Race Director Richard Anderson and his team for giving us such a fantastic introduction to adventure racing, to our support crew, and to our team sponsors Canoe and Outdoor World, Fleet Cycles, and Countdown.