There were no uniforms. Outfits varied from tight fitting lycra second-skins (leaving little to the imagination) to dress jeans and polished shoes! Teams came in all shapes, sizes and a wide range of ages. For many it was the first time that they had the opportunity to participate in such a race. While sports the world over struggle to pull in the crowds this was an exception. The incredible television coverage of major sporting events has kept many armchair fans in their chairs, but the Nile Adventure Race on the 16th and 17th of June at the Adrift Riverbase drew the crowds.

Hundreds of villagers lined the course at different points anxious to witness the spectacle, offer their advice or run enthusiastically alongside the competitors. It would take some particularly talented athletes to draw such a crowd in many parts of the world, but here all you need is some enthusiasm and courage and you can feel like a star.

An adventure race differs from many conventional races in that the entire team must complete all of the disciplines together; running, cycling, rafting and bungee jumping/wall climbing. Each team must be of mixed gender and the course is not known until the morning of the race. In most races, competitors are obliged to follow a fixed course and register with marshalls en-route.

However, in the Nile Adventure Race, there are a handful of marshalls to check in with but one of the biggest challenges is to take the shortest route to find them. At 7am on Sunday morning (while some teams struggled with bloodshot eyes to read their maps) the fastest teams raced off limiting their map reading to a cursory glance. They made a classic mistake and most teams ran 2-3 times the planned 5kms simply because they didn’t take the time to read the map or never knew how to from the outset.

Teams slower off the mark were quick to follow the others in the wrong direction and the race soon became considerably more challenging than it was ever intended to be. Astounded villagers dropped their hoes as ‘muzungus’ raced along muddy trails in thigh deep grass, old women stopped their conversations mid-sentence and matatus drove at a safe speed for once just so they could get a close look at the spectacle of dust-covered athletes lost in the fields.

Many competitors from Stanbic Bank joined the relay section of the race where they were able to substitute exhausted team members for those who were fresh and relaxed. Dozens of them bravely bungee jumped the day before, soaring low to touch the source of the Nile and earning their teams a 2.1/2 minute time bonus in the process. Some reached the edge, closed their eyes and had to retreat. Others struggled gallantly with the climbing wall using the support of the crowd to will themselves up toward the bell at the top and in the process saving themselves a time penalty.

Some of the bravest were those who took to the water in the rafts. Many didn’t swim and struggled with the concept despite having been part of training sessions the day before. The ‘Dream Team’ scooped a special award for coming closest to Juba when they missed the mark and raced down the first rapid on their way to Egypt. Special dispensation for a broken toe gave Charlie and his Angels some extra speed (Charlie rode his bike in lieu of running) and they won the entire race in a time of 3 hours 22 minutes.

While many of those who started didn’t even come close to finishing; the 120 plus participants was a record entry and we look forward to an even more exciting race next year. The organisers would like to give event sponsor Nile Special a huge vote of thanks and to thank the Kimaka residents for being such an enthusiastic crowd. I would like to add a special thanks to the Adrift crew, Lacam Lodge, Adrift Riverbase, Nile High Bungee, Crocodile Restaurant (Kisementi), Rwenzori Water, Moringa Ogilvy, Gately on Nile and of course the participants for a great race.