Amphibious Challenge

Last weekend Janet Whitley and Sophie Dagenais took on the Amphibious Challenge! Congratulations to you both sounds like a wonderfully challenging adventure!  

Here are their reports...

The Amphibious Challenge is an Otillo style Swimrun event. It is almost 4 km of challenging open water swim mixed with about 14km of on and off-road running. There is also a 39 km long course that involves going up some steep climbs!

The conditions were near perfect: warm water temp (18C), cool air temp (15-18), and sunny. The wind was steady and made for some serious chop.

The course was predicted to be 16 km but was actually 18.5 according to our Garmin. Almost 4km in the water (predicted course was as the crow flies). 

The swim course from island to island was well marked. Distances of each of the 5 swims, according to Garmin, ranges from 500-1000m.  The wind created a lot of chop and the islands created changing currents. Did I mention we swam against the current (mostly gentle but with occasional cross current)? Swim entry and exits/checkpoints, as well as aid stations, were stationed by locals (usually the island owners) and easy to spot, aside from the chop.

Sometimes, during the swim, Sophie and I wondered if we were even making progress! But sure enough, we did. My mantra was that we were tossed about a bit but swim swim swim... have patience, eventually, we’ll get there. It’s a team sport, especially important during the swim for safety. While there are some support boats they are not on all swims so you’re pretty much on your own as a team. 

The land was pristine and the course is designed to be challenging. That said participants see vistas and flora that few get the opportunity to see.  So many times I wished for a camera. This is not a road race so forget about a PB. It’s not entirely a regular trail race. This was a mix of gravel road, trail, and off trail. We scrambled over rock, limb, forged streams, crab-walked across wet rocks, and in some cases bushwhacked to the next trail marker, sometimes stopping to make sure we were still on course. At most times we were within eyesight of other competitors, but not always. It made for a feeling of true adventure. I felt that as athletes we could take on anything land or water. Doing this as a team created a bond that transcends the event itself. Have runners and a wetsuit will travel.
Janet

I totally concur with Janet’s report.  There is not much to add.  When I first heard about the Amphibious Challenge, I thought it was the coolest event and I haven’t been disappointed!  Map, whistles, compass and first aid bandages are mandatory for that challenge.  The entire community volunteers with enthusiasm to make it a success and assuring checkpoints. We had a blast and enjoyed every minute of this challenge while strengthening our team spirit!
Sophie