Just heard from Stu, he and the rest of the team have spent the day enduring the gear and medical checks, and checking out the maps for the first two days (prologue and kayak). Stu commented that there was less kayaking than there has been in previous years, which will no doubt please many teams for whom kayaking is something to be endured! For our guys though, kayaking is one of their real strengths, so they will be out to make the most of it.
The teams all enjoyed a wonderful dinner - one of the highlights of the race has always been the amazing food that gets put on by the organizers. They should enjoy it while they can though - tomorrow night they will be camped out on a bare sandy island in the Arabian Gulf eating a cold freeze dried meal out of a packet!
When I asked about the navigation in the race, Stu commented that there is a little bit of tricky nav in the dark on the morning of the last day (this must be the "night orienteering" stage), otherwise should be fairly straightforward as in previous years. Both naviagtion and route choice can still be tricky in the desert and ocean though, with a network of narrow tidal channels between the myriad of artificial islands in the Gulf, and row upon row of sandy dune where you must choose wisely where you cross and walk for the fastest route.
The team will be off to get their last nights full sleep (in a plush 5 star hotel bed no less!) for some time, then it will be up early in the morning getting ready for the 8am start (5pm Friday NZ time). The prologue starts with an urban triathlon with running, biking and swimming near the central city, then teams will be off in their kayaks for the rest of the day.
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