Stage One – The Bear Necessities
As the sun set behind the Cairngorm Mountains on Thursday 8 July, 40 eager teams headed towards Loch Vaa for the first stage of the BG Energy Challenge 2010 – UK. Raring to go after months of training, each team rallied together for a final motivational talk before one team member positioned themselves on the start line. The start gun fired and the runners sprinted off to retrieve an envelope containing crucial stage information.
The first challenge was a one hour 45 minute orienteering set time stage where teams were tasked with visiting as many Bonus Points (BPs) as possible using only their map, compass and an astute knowledge of bearings. BPs were grouped in sets, with each set comprising three additional points which had to be visited in a specific order to earn bonus time. Once the team found the BP they were looking for, they had to electronically ‘dip’ at a ‘receiver’ to register as having visited the point.
Team 13 Amec was the first to turn on their head torches and having plotted their routes, set off onto the course towards the first BP. As darkness quickly set in over the dramatic heath land, teams doggedly searched for BPs, aiming to build vital bonus time which could see them finishing at the top of the leader board. Many teams’ progress, including Team 20 Centrica, was hampered by dipping at dummy receivers located near a BP which voided any bonuses gained from subsequent BPs in that set.
It was Team 13 Amec who demonstrated the most honed navigational skills having successfully tracked the greatest number of Bonus Points. Team captain Sean Hildebrandt said: “The stage looked straightforward on paper but we quickly realised that it was trickier than we had first thought, especially navigating via compass over the harsh terrain in the darkness. Great teamwork helped push us across the finish line and we’re delighted to be lying in first place!”
After the physical exertion of the stage and with Thursday night turning into Friday morning, teams were ready to head back to the hotel with the challenges of the next day prominent in their minds.