UpdatesVIEW FEB 2023 ZOOM SESSION

Team Captains Update Feb 2023

After the Zoom session in early Feb (link HERE) a few questions came up that we thought it might be useful to try and answer.

Update 24th July 2023

a) Do we need to take trainers on the long bike leg?

Yes – you will need running shoes or similar for some or all of the Special Stages. Carry these with you from TA2B.

b) Do we need helmets in the kayak sections?

Yes – please take and wear your bike helmets during the kayak stages. The paddling is pretty benign and this may in practice feel a bit OTT, but you have them and may as well use them.

c) How does our bike kit (helmet/shoes/rucsac/other loose stuff) get from TA5 to TA6 when we are paddling?

We will transport [just] your bikes (not packed into boxes) from TA5 to TA6. You will need to take everything else with you (bike helmet – wear it, bike shoes, wet bag, any other kit) on the kayaks.

d) Do we really need to take a digital camera. Can’t we just use a smartphone?

Nope – this is a deliberate ARWS rule. You need to have a ‘dumb’ camera. This is to prove location in the event of a CP being missing, or you think it is missing. Take a picture. Your smartphone will have GPS/mapping/navigational ability and is therefore not allowed to be used during the race. You are required to carry a phone for emergency purposes, but this will be sealed into a bag at registration and not accessible to you unless in an emergency.

 

Updated 7th and 12th July 2023

  • Schedule (some exact timings TBC)

    Thursday 27th July

    4pm – Campsite Opens at Selkirk Rugby Club (access to basic toilets and water overnight)

    Evening – Bar/Basic Catering may be open at Rugby Club (there are other options in Selkirk and nearby Galashiels)

    Friday 28th July

    9am – Registration Opens at Selkirk Rugby Club

    12noon – Team Briefing and Course Reveal (Selkirk Rugby Club)

    3pm – Deadline for handing bags and boxes in (Selkirk Rugby Club)

    3:30pm – Leave for Race Start

    Sat 29th July

    Race

    Sun 30th July

    Race

    Afternoon/Evening – first finishers expected

    Mon 31st July

    Morning – last finishers expected

    12noon – Buffet Lunch and Prize-Giving at Selkirk Rugby Club

  • Schematic: We plan to send you a course schematic around 1 week before the race start. This is intended to help you plan your logistics and bag/box packing. 
  • Maps: we now plan to print these on waterproof paper. These will be A3, and the set will comprise 6-8 maps (probably). We strongly advise you still think about providing a second waterproof/protective layer (e.g. Fablon, Map Bags etc.) as your maps will get some abuse and are critical to your safety and success. The map sets (2 per team) will be issued at the course reveal. 

Updated 5th April 2023

  • ADDITIONAL COMPULSORY KIT: Each team will need to carry (during all stages) a bothy bag or similar capable of accommodating all team members – i.e. a 2-person for Pairs, and a 4-person (or 2 x 2-person) for Quads.
  • Bike Lights must be a minimum of 50 Lumens Front (white) and Rear (red)
  • PFDs for kayaking sections are not supplied by the organisers – you need to bring your own. These must have a buoyancy of 50kN as a minimum. We may test these at sign-on. The foam inside PFDs degrades over time – you’d be amazed at how many fail the test.
  • Paddles for kayaking sections are not supplied by the organisers – you need to bring your own, and they must be transported in the team Paddle Bag.
  • Backrests for kayaks are not supplied by the organisers. Please feel free to bring your own, but fitting/removing at each TA will be your responsibility, and will be in race time.
  • A bike helmet will be OK for the paddling sections. We will not need you to bring/use watersports-specific helmets.
  • We strongly recommend you bring a tent big enough to accommodate all team members, and sleeping bags. At the very least you are going to need this to sleep somewhere on the course/at a TA, and you might take these with you on some stages.
  • Maps: race maps will be UK Ordnance Survey based, and mostly at 1:50000. There may be some sections we supply 1:25000 maps for. Maps will be on plain (i.e. not waterproof) paper and mostly printed at A3 size. You will need to think about how you waterproof your maps.

Updated 5th April 2023

ITERA-lite is an ‘unsupported’ race – i.e. teams do not have their own support vehicle/person. Instead, the race organisers move racers’ kit around the course. Each team is entitled to the following;

1 x Personal Kit Bag per person. Max weight 25kg. These should be robust and waterproof enough to be safely left outside even if it’s raining.

‘A’ and ‘B’ Personal Bags

Teams of 4: Instead of all 4 x Individual Bags (+ Team Bag), we require teams to have 2 x Bag A and 2 x Bag B (+Team Bag).

Pairs: Instead of all 2 x Individual Bags (+ Team Bag), we require teams to have 1 x Bag A and 1 x Bag B (+Team Bag).

Not all bags will go to all TA’s. There will be TA’s that are designated as ‘A Bags’ and some that are designated ‘B Bags’. Similarly Team Bags will go to selected TA’s. It is critical that you build this into your planning. In effect this is likely to mean that you share space in bags rather than them being strictly individual.

1 x Team Bag per team. Max weight 25kg. These should be robust and waterproof enough to be safely left outside even if it’s raining. These are generally used by teams for stuff like tents, sleeping bags, spare kit etc.

1 x Wet Bag per team. Max weight 25kg. This is used for stuff like PFD’s, paddles, back-rests and any other kit you might want on paddling sections. All Items should be inside the bag. Protruding items make them difficult to handle and load.

1 x Paddle Bag per team. Only paddles allowed in here. No loose paddles will be moved by event logistics team.

1 x Bike Box per person. Max weight 28kg. Max. dimensions 140cm long x 30cm wide x 80cm high. Many teams will make their boxes from Correx or similar – there are instructions and templates online.

We will also have a stock of cardboard bike boxes we can bring to the race for you if you need them – these will be £20each, must be booked in advance (Team Captains email us – itera@durtyevents.com) and will arrive flat-pack at Race HQ. You’ll need tape (e.g. gaffa tape) and any waterproof covering you might need to complete them. Please avoid  “shrinkwrap” . Great for pallets, lousy for bike boxes. You will also need CAM type straps to close them.

We will check weights. Yes, we are the Ryan Air of the AR world 😉 (this is to ensure we’re not asking our volunteers to lift anything stupidly heavy – it’s a H&S thing). As a general rule you should endeavour to make sure that everything is inside any bag or box, nothing should be on the outside.

NO BUNGY CORDS  or similar on any bags or boxes – these are a nasty hazard to our volunteers.

It’s important to note that not all bags/boxes will necessarily go to all TA’s. We will give you details of which bags/boxes will appear at which TA’s around a week before the race. This will give you the chance to plan your logistics so you have kit when/where you need it.

Updated 5th April 2023

Kayaking: these will not be token short paddle stages – expect extended time in the boat. We will not be requiring formal qualifications, but will require some relevant quality experience, and a qualification would be useful both as evidence and to keep you safe (old BCU 3* or equivalent would be a good aspiration). Please do not come to the event with little or no paddling experience. You won’t be safe, and you won’t have a good time.

MTB: we’re not using super-gnarly trails for the race. It will be a mix of quiet roads, land-rover tracks, quad tracks, and singletrack. If you’re capable of riding ‘red’ grade trail centre stuff, you’ll be fine.

Ropes: we are planning a couple of trouser filler special stages. These may involve ropes. You should be able to put a climbing harness on properly, and know how to use a belay and abseil device. These skills are easy to acquire – we suggest you spend a day or two at a local climbing wall, or look for a local climbing group/club.

The Event HQ is at Selkirk Rugby Club, Ettrickhaugh Road, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, TD7 5AX. We plan to open the HQ on Thursday 27th July, and close it shortly after the prize-giving on Monday 31st July.

Camping will be possible at the HQ on the Thursday and Sunday nights. It will be fairly informal, but toilets, water and showers will be available within the club. Please don’t leave tents up during the race.

Cars can be parked and left at the club for the duration of the race.

Event HQ will host sign-on, kit check, the race Finish, and a post-race prize-giving and buffet (Monday lunchtime). We will probably also host the race briefing there, but we may need to move this to another venue (walking distance) if we get tight on space. We hope that the club may open the bar on the Thursday night – watch this space.

If there are further questions or clarifications needed, Team Captains (and only Captains please or we will get overwhelmed), please fire them into us at itera@durtyevents.com.

We will probably do a round-up of these Q &A’s and send them back out to Team Captains so that everyone has the information and visibility.