 By Team OarsumSo, this is the moment when we find out if the gin is ours. Will “Team Oarsum” have to contribute to the gin fund, or will Team RAF Race provide the spoils to the victor? After attending my first Rat Race (Bristol 2009) and taking part in the Weekender, the results of the event were about to be announced.
How did I find myself to be in this satisfyingly exhausted state, with fresh new memories of challenging tasks, leg-sapping cycle rides, my legs feeling the 20km running - but strangely happy ....
Cue wavy lines ...
A few months previously, I went to Portsmouth to visit Chris and Ben; fit and adventurous guys, who attended numerous sporting events around the UK. Whilst perusing a number of fitness magazines, I came across an image of them kayaking as part of the last Helly Hansen Race.
They had done well, and now planned to enter the Bristol Weekender; this consisted of the Mean Streets event on the Saturday (colloquially know as the Prologue) and the Ninetofive event on Sunday.
As the evening progressed we discovered a difference of opinion regarding which was the best tasting gin; Tanqueray, Gordon’s or Plymouth. Numerous un-controlled taste tests were inconclusive, but no clear winner. After many ‘tastes’ of gin, my friend Matt and I said that maybe we should do this again under more controlled conditions, which would require the purchase of ‘serious’ quantities of the juniper-based berry spirit. Clearly there were no volunteers to take on the financial outlay.
“I know!”, I (“Matt!!!”) exclaimed in gin-fuelled exuberance, “Matt/Dave and I can take part in the next Rat Race, and whichever team loses can provide the gin! “Simples!!”. With Team RAF Race’s recent success their confidence was high; they readily accepted. All we needed to do was find a third member, apply, attend and complete …not a problem!
With only 2 months to go until the event, and having suffered a snapped Achilles tendon; yes, totally snapped in half, in August the year before, I needed to get training. After perusing the ‘ratraceadventure.com’ website and finding out exactly what was involved, I was dismayed to discover lots of running, lots of cycling and lots of kayaking was needed… what had I got myself into?! Matt was already attending sprint triathlons so would be prepared, but me? A 15 stone chunk of man, with the longest run I had completed in the last year being 5 miles. My cycle training involved going to and from work (4 miles) and kayaking generated images of the Titanic, without Dicaprio and Winslett. | 
