Dar 12
As the sport of Triathlon has increased in popularity over recent years, triathletes are constantly finding different ways to push themselves further. Last weekend, on Saturday the 30th of June, Blackwater Triathlon Club member Aidan Fitzgerald competed in the DAR 12 (Dingle Adventure Race 12 Hour), accompanied by his friend Steve Hogan, a member of Waterford Triathlon Club. The two person teams were expected to cover approximately 150km over the course of the race, including approximately 90km of mountain biking, 25 km of hiking, between 5 and 10 km of orienteering and up to 15km of kayaking. Definitely not for the faint hearted. Teams had mandatory check points to get to over the course of the day, with points awarded for every check point. There were also extra bonus points available at certain stages of the route. The race started at 10am on Saturday morning and the teams were required to have crossed the finishing line by 10pm on Saturday evening or else penalties would be incurred. The competitors were allowed to choose their own routes but had to arrive at each check point together. The team with the most points at the finish won. Aidan and Steve finished 6th out of the 9 teams taking part. Over the course of a very hot day they completed approximately 3 hours of sea kayaking, 4.5 hours of mountain hiking/running and 4.5 hours of mountain biking. Well done to the two lads and everyone else who took part in this challenging event.