Events

The inaugural BA Hurricanes Quadrathon

Four teams, four events...but only one first place up for grabs. With all the right ingredients for a classic encounter, the event did not disappoint. With running, cycling, O1'ing...and a bit of dragonboating thrown in for good measure...there was something for everyone to try on the day.

A combined Rage and Thames team made an early arrival at the venue on Eddy's request that we be there by 9am.....9 fringing am!!! By the time the event started over 2 hours later, we were nicely chilled to the bone and it's only because we are such a finely tuned bunch of athletes (ahem...!) that no one pulled any muscles. Either that or the fact that we haven't got any muscles to pull. Annnnyway...

The first discipline was running. 5 competitors from each team, a 5km course and the last person back tags the first O1 paddler for their team. Our runners were Victor Sr, Olly (the juiceman from Sun Lik, he say 'yeah'....), Despina, Chi and Simon. With the teams staggered, it was difficult to know exactly how well they had done but in the time they all got back and tagged Eddy as our first O1'er, my cup of tea hadn't even gone cold...so it wasn't long, that's for sure! At the prizegiving, they told us we were the fastest team for the run at 11'ish minutes for a distance that was a bit vague but around 2.5 - 3km....not the 5km we were promised but never mind.

Eddy set off in his O1 in pursuit of the first Colenorton paddler who'd decided to narrow the gap by capsizing his O1 after three just strokes....a YouTube classic moment and I shouldn't laugh, but....!! By the time they'd got him back upright and on his way, Eddy was only a few seconds behind him and had a clear target to aim for. Webbie and Richie completed the O1 trio of 3 x 500m and, once again, at the prizegiving we were announced as the fastest O1 team....two for two, so far! Come on Rage (and Thames, of course...) !!

Richie tagged Martin to set the cyclists off. He, Dan, Webbie, Eddy and Simon were our 5, with the first 4 back from the 10km course counting as our official time. The rest of us loaded into the oldest, dirtiest, heaviest and ugliest dragonboat on the face of the planet to await their return. I guess they needed to try something to slow us down! They came screaming in....First Simon, then Dan, then Eddy, then Webbie and....and....and..sigh.....oh, hang on, here he comes....Martin. He would have been first back of course, he assured me later, but his tux didn't come back from the cleaners in time, his folks came in from out of town, there was a plague of locusts on the road, floods, tsunamis, the end of the world...aaarrgghh...and he got caught at the lights, of course. Hmmm. At the prizegiving, we weren't announced as the fastest team for the discipline for once. Our perfect record gone. It wasn't until I managed a sneaky peek at the official time sheet a bit later that I noticed our time was faster than the other three. A bit of a stewards enquiry with the official revealed that the fastest time had been given to the fastest individual, not team. I guess it was getting a bit embarrasing with us winning everything and it's good to share the love....Martin, you're forgiven!

The dragonboating was a 2km figure of 8 course and we set off in pursuit of Bristol Empire with only a hundred or so metres between us. It's easy to say it now, I know, but I do feel sure that with any other boat, we'd probably have caught them. As it was, the waterlogged dinosaur we'd been allocated must have weighed the same as a Brontosaurus, so we stood no chance. We were third in the dragonboating but overall winners by a comfortable margin of 5 minutes and, rather indiscreetly might I add, made it clear how happy we were by cheering our victory before they'd even announced us as winners...A bit of decorum next time, please.

Another bit of silverware to add to the ever growing pile, a whole bunch of new photos of smiling Ragers (oh yes, and Thamesers...if that's what you call yourselves) and a title to defend next year. Bring it on...!!!

Not content with winning the trophy, James Pham won the Optimus Prime Transformer in the lottery along with a bottle of scotch and Richie won this rather fetching cup and saucer number with a flowery pattern....Nice!!!