INSIGHT
How to get into adventure racing
Adventure racing requires good levels of fitness and mental strength and, most importantly, a tolerance to suffering! Most racers begin with marathons, ultra running or triathlons and short 24-hour events then progress to longer races, from weekends through to ultimate 10-day events like the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. For more information go to www.
patagonianexpeditionrace.com
The team relaxing after the first leg of the race
Kayaking practise ahead of the 2010 race
Nicola fixing her bike on the go
the Officer Training Corps, and that was a good way in. There are good army teams in triathlon, kayaking, mountain biking and with the Royal Irish there’s exercise each day as we prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.’
TOUGH TRAINING When MacLeod served in Iraq, just before her first Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race, she had to maintain fitness to keep the core stamina required for the epic 10 days and 380 miles of non-stop kayaking, running and biking. Unlike Chilean Patagonia which offers
untouched beauty from stunning moun- tain passes to stark windswept plains, the Shatt al-Arab base in Iraq offered just a dusty running route. ‘There was about a mile run around the
perimeter and along the edge of the river there was a wire fence,’ recalls MacLeod. ‘Sometimes if we wanted to run we had to carry helmet and body armour, which was good training.’ ‘At times it can be tough. You might be in
a compound, a small location, where you’re lucky if you can exercise at all. The threat and geography is different in Afghanistan and running won’t be an option at all in most locations there.’ Having the physical and mental strength
to cope with intense and unusual situations under pressure is a prerequisite in both of MacLeod’s two worlds of work and play. ‘The hardest challenge in adventure rac-
ing is decision-making where there’s an ele- ment of risk, whether it’s injury to a team- mate, crossing fast flowing rivers or con- tinuing through the night in rough terrain. You have to manage risk, both in your head and in reality.’ ‘A big element of my army role is making
sure all the troops are fit for the tasks they have to do and making sure we’re manag- ing injuries as well as we possibly can do, so there are similarities with the racing situ- ation.’ She says the toughest part of the job is
managing big injuries in people that you know. ‘But that is also one of the rewarding
things: ensuring your skills and those of your team are so good that you can make the best of the most difficult situation. Everything happens fast and in less expect- ed circumstances than normal. Sometimes you are required to work in fairly austere en- vironments and the challenge there is mak- ing sure we are as well trained and equipped as we can be.’ But however closely they compare,
MacLeod’s two lives do have one very big difference. ‘Essentially adventure racing is a selfish
pursuit,’ she explains. ‘It’s about a team but it’s also about proving yourself. In the Army, it’s a lot more about the team.’ •
58 SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
www.armedforcesday.org.uk
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