Zhejiang Province, China
28 May, 2006
May 28 –30th saw Team OrionHealth take on the China Telecom International Mountain Sports Challenge, Zhejiang province, China. This is the second time the Auckland based AR collective have sent a team to a race staged by the Chinese mountaineering association.
With half of the squad off to the PQ later this month, team captain Wayne Oxenham was keen to see the other members of the team build their international race experience. OrionHealth now boast three very strong women members and opted to send both Alysha Blackwell and Anna Berthelsen, despite race rules requiring only a single female team member. Joining them were Ross Rotherham and Wayne Hodgetts.
The race itself was a three-day stage race of a similar format to the now defunct Mild Seven Outdoor Quest and based around Linan City and Tianmu Mountain, 4 hrs drive south west of Shanghai.
Day one saw teams from across the Asia Pacific region line up in 30 degree plus heat for a mixed bag of AR disciplines including, running, mountain biking, inline skating, abseiling and ‘biking and running’ (two bikes between the team of 4, no doubling or towing allowed). Also included were some highly unique paddling sections. Day one’s 9km powerboat paddling section must surely rate as the slowest paddle stage in the history of AR.
Despite the People’s Republic having turned out a magnificent fleet of identical boats, the presence of an outboard on Orion’s craft, quickly proved a major disadvantage as teams with motorless boats effortlessly crept past, sitting somewhat higher in the water. Later in a theme of consistent high-speed water travel, teams took on a rafting stage, up river! Day 1 finished with an 18 storey/50m abseil, Hong Kong based ‘North Face’ just beating Japanese Team ‘East Wind’ across the line. After a frustrating day including two broken paddles and being marshalled in the wrong direction during a run stage, Orion finished 5th, 30 mins down. 
Day two was dominated by mountain biking and running stages, but not before teams had suffered a 13km ‘biking and running’ section along some sweltering highway. On to the bikes in about 6th equal, Orionhealth and North face worked together to reel in a number of fast starting teams. However speeding through rural villages, dodging startled chickens and mangy dogs, ahead, East Wind were proving no slouches on the bike.
After a compulsory rest and rehydration stop, some hilly mountain biking was further broken up with two members of each team abseiling down the face of a hydro dam. Meanwhile the high speed water travel continued with a third member paddling a bamboo raft 1km with a paddle made by simply splitting a piece of bamboo down the middle! Back on the bikes, Orionhealth dropped Northface and now in second, closed on the Japanese as the course ascended Tianmu Mountain. But despite some gutsy effort with Rotherham towing the whole team, the heat and the effort were starting to tell on Wayne Hodgetts. Setting off on the day’s final mountain run stage, hopes of a redeeming finish for the day quickly came crashing down as Hodgetts started to show signs of heat exhaustion with debilitating cramps setting in soon after. The steep climb up carved steps and hillside tea plantations had most teams feeling the strain, the only relief being cooler temperatures as the teams gained significant altitude. Crossing the line in first, East Wind took the overall race lead to leave NorthFace in second. Reduced to walking, Orionhealth at least got to enjoy the stunning river valley through which the run descended. Hodgetts though, enjoying the experience somewhat less than his teammates. Despite another disappointing day, other teams had suffered mixed fates and Orion moved to 4th overall.
A shorter day three started with an 8km dash through bamboo plantations and rural villages before taking on an inline skate section, another uphill grind on the mountain bikes and a mountain run section taking in the 1500m “Peak of the immortals”. The pace from the gun was fast. East Wind were first onto their skates, quickly asserting their skill on wheels. By the end of the mountain bike, Orionhealth had second in their sights and capitalised on some poor team work by their Chinese competition to move through on the steep uphill.
Summitting the peak of the immortals was followed by a high speed decent to a CP at “the family of five generations”, where teams had to complete a 40-piece jigsaw puzzle, or take a time penalty. Yet another CP at “the Tree King” had teams strategising to reach the electronic timing device hanging from a large tree.
East Wind held their lead to take line honours and cement their overall win. A few minutes back, OrionHealth thought they’d at least bagged second for the day. But less than 500metres from the finish, a marshal deserted his post to run down the road and watch the Japanese finish. Orion diligently followed the only course marking visible. Unfortunately it was for the previous days mountain bike stage! 20 minutes wasted in the wrong direction saw them reduced to 4th across the line. A subsequent protest gained them a 10-minute bonus and restored an official second placing for the day and fourth overall. NorthFace held onto second overall.
Despite mixed fortunes and a slightly disappointing placing, Rotherham was philosophical about the trip. “We gained some valuable experience racing in the heat and the two girls showed some real mental toughness when things went wrong. Both have a lot to offer the Orion squad”.