No sleep for six-day adventure race
Jen Segger is nervous. She is physically and mentally prepared, she’s peaking in her training cycle, and she’s excited to get going. But she’s also extremely nervous, and with good reason.
In November, Segger is heading to New Zealand to participate in the Southern Traverse, one of the longest and most spectacular adventure races in the world. The course, which is kept a secret until the day before the race gets underway, will be between 400 and 450 kilometres in length, and take anywhere from five to six days, going non-stop, to complete.
She will run along beaches, paddle kayaks on the ocean and on rivers, trek and mountain bike through forests and mountains, use rope skills to navigate cliffs and canyons, and more, accompanied by a group of three other Canadians.
The one thing she won’t be doing is sleeping. The group is planning to limit sleep to less than an hour a day, with the odd 15 minute catnap when an opportunity presents itself.
"Once a week I’ve been training through the night in Vancouver to learn to deal with the sleep monsters when they come," said Segger. "I don’t know how well that’s going to play into a six-day race, but I’m going to find out."
This is only Segger’s second year in competitive adventure racing, and her longest race was about 36 hours. The Southern Traverse is almost four times longer than that.
Still, she feels prepared. She has been training three to four hours a day all summer, has participated in several adventure races, and is used to being active at night.
"The appeal is just to see what your body can do. You want to see mentally and physically how far you can be pushed," she said.
Segger has done most of her shorter adventure races with a group from Vancouver, although she has recently branched out with other teams. She did the qualifier for the U.S. championships in Michigan this year with a group of racers she hadn’t met until she got there.
Her bio is posted on a few adventure racing sites, and because women are always in demand by teams, her teammates for the Southern Traverse sought her out. Segger said she had to think about the offer for about two weeks before accepting – flying yourself and three crates of gear half-way around the world is an expensive proposition.
She has only met one of the members of her team who lives in Vancouver, and has spoken on the phone with the other two members in Kamloops and Ontario. Two members of the team are experienced navigators, one is an experienced mountain bike racer and mechanic, and one has already done the Southern Traverse.
Segger has confidence in the group, and in the group’s goal to finish in the top-10 as the first Canadian team. Three or four other Canadian teams were registered at last check, although she expects last-minute additions and drop-outs.
Working with a strange team can be difficult, says Segger, because you don’t know anyone’s personality, or how far they can be pushed before they break. Everyone has low points during a long race, and injuries do pile up.
"Everybody just has to feed off each other. Everybody has a different role to play out there, and someone’s role is to keep spirits high, to keep pushing and to keep positive. Some people are naturally good at this," she said. "You just have to keep looking to the finish line, and telling yourself that in six days it’s all over."
The racers have to make certain checkpoints on time, with all four members present, or be disqualified. If someone is injured and has to drop out, the remaining three are allowed to continue, but will be out of the rankings.
Because injuries and drop-outs are common, it’s easy for teams to get frustrated, and for athletes to become frustrated with themselves.
"I find you just have to remind yourself that it could be you who is tired or injured, and to put yourself in their shoes. It sucks, but it happens. Sometimes you just have to sit and wait for an hour for someone to feel better. You can’t push the entire way because someone won’t make it," said Segger.
Racers can use the checkpoints to refuel, and collect the gear they will need for the next section of the course. Sometimes the racers will go 36 hours without a checkpoint, and will have to carry everything they need, including food, water, extra clothing, first aid kits, helmets, safety gear, emergency blankets and more, on their backs.
"The bags get lighter fast because you don’t stop eating, you eat whatever your body will take in," said Segger.
Segger, as an experienced kayak guide and paddler, is the group’s water specialist. Mountain biking was her weakest discipline, at least until she moved to Whistler from Vancouver Island and started getting into the sport.
She moved to Whistler for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it is the perfect place to train for adventure racing.
"It’s rugged, it’s mountainous, you train is all sorts of weather conditions," she said. "The U.S. championship qualifier in Michigan, I was amazed that it was so flat. I was probably overtrained, because it wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be."
Segger is leaving on Nov. 3 for New Zealand, and the race gets underway on the morning of Nov. 10. She’s flying back to Whistler immediately afterwards to start work with Cougar Mountain Adventures.
She’s looking for any sponsorships she can find in the meantime, and hopes to do some fundraising in her home town of Duncan before she leaves.
When she returns, she will consider training for an Eco Challenge qualifier next summer with another team.
"There are so many great races out there to do," said Segger. "The places you go are just so incredible and so beautiful and you can’t believe you’re there. The key is to never forget you’re racing, otherwise you’d just stop everywhere to enjoy the view."
You can follow the race online at www.southerntraverse.com.
