An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir May / June 2023 www.military.ie/magazine 22 | DEFENCE FORCES ADVENTURE RACE 2023 BY CAPT DIARMAID COLLINS PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CAPT COLLINS S por t in all its forms has always played an impor tant role within the Defence Forces. It allows us to develop key militar y skills in a social but competitive set ting. Essential skills such as physical f itness, teamwork, leadership, navigation, endurance, stamina, and robustness can all be developed within the myriad of spor ts engaged in within the Defence Forces. Team spor ts such as football, hurling, rugby etc. have always developed team dynamics, leadership, strateg y and physical skill, other spor ts such as athletics and orienteering can be used to develop navigation, physical endurance and stamina. In the last few years however, new spor ts have emerged and developed which develop a wider array of skills and prof iciencies. Adventure racing is one of those spor ts. It shares a common root with its closest relative triathlon but aside from both spor ts being a combination of various endurance spor ts on foot, bike, and water, the two have evolved dif ferently and developed into separate distinct spor ts. Within Adventure Racing, two distinct st yles of races have developed. Multispor t adventure racing is more closely aligned to triathlon. The focus then is more on speed, stamina, and endurance. The Gaelforce and Quest series are examples of this st yle. The course is marked so no navigation is required, the bike sections are for the most par t on road with small sections of f road, and the kayaking is usually kept shor t. It allows competitors to test their physical f itness on a set course across a variet y of disciplines. Expedition st yle adventure racing is where the spor t provides a greater variet y of skills, demands and rewards. It is a team event, usually a team of four and in order to be competitive there must be a mix of genders within the team. The course can last any where from a few hours to a few days. The course is unmarked, teams must navigate through a series of checkpoints, of ten in remote wilderness areas. Teams must race through the night of ten with lit tle to no sleep, dealing with sleep deprivation af fecting navigation, team strateg y and team dynamics. The Defence Forces Adventure Racing Club was set up to develop the spor t within the Defence Forces and expose members of the DF to a spor t which can complement and develop their militar y skills. As par t of that development the Defence Forces Adventure Race was established to allow DF personnel compete in an expedition st yle adventure race. The 2022 DF Adventure Race was held in Kilbride and surrounding areas. In 2023 the race moved South to Kilwor th, and its surrounds, the Nagles Mountains, River Black water, and Glensheskin Forest. DF Adventure 2023 Kilworth Planning and organising is of ten a key skill in get ting not only to the f inish line but get ting to the star t line with all the necessar y clothes, food, water and equipment correctly packed away or carried. Teams arrived early to Kilwor th camp to give themselves enough time to check in and register, collect satellite trackers, race bibs maps, bike tags, gear bag tags before organising all their own equipment, bikes, clothes, energ y food and drink. Bikes and gear bags were loaded onto one set of transpor t headed to Transition area 2 in Fermoy Rowing Club, and the racers were loaded onto another set of transpor t headed to the Star t point in the Nagles Mountains. Race star t was at 1000hrs with team having a f ive-hour cut of f to collect all mandator y check points and as many bonus checkpoints Participants synchronise their watches before starting the event CQMS Mahon and Comdt McKnight enjoying the testing event Good teamwork is a key component in this event

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