The Info Hunt wasn't like my previous experiences of being separated into groups. This time, we raced as one team. I was actually a last minute inclusion in the team. It was because a few members from the original team pulled out as they were taking part in an accounting quiz in Taylor's University. Lucky me!
I've been there twice before, most recently during a trip there for Skytrex. The weather was cool as usual. We reached there quite early. And, it was a case of the famous Malaysian timing again as most of the teams arrived pretty late. One of the teams even arrived after one of the teams had started their race.
Basically, each team comprised of 12 students. We were then told to divide ourselves into two groups as we had 2 different paths to take. It was actually using your IQ skills to solve questions at checkpoints combined with great stamina and endurance for running. We really had to run as the time was very essential in determining the winner.
Each team left every 10 minutes. After the draw, we found out that we were the second last team to leave. So, we just sat there relaxing and sulking at the long long wait. I even managed a good nap and still had about an hour to wait after waking up.
Finally, race time! I was so delighted just to get off my seat and do some light warm up before starting. As soon as we got our first clue, the two groups in my team set off in different directions.
There was one huge problem in my team-not many were athletes and barely a few actually exercise. So, I knew before the race that tiredness would play a major part in that race. But, my spirits were not going to be brought down so easily as I was determined to ensure that my friends had a wonderful time that day.
As expected, fatigue caught up on my group members even before we reached the first checkpoint. The route was really long I have to say. I mean for non-athletes who were racing and to be given such a long a hilly route is quite a challenge. One of my friends had donated her blood the day before. So, she was low on haemoglobin and obviously-her body lacked oxygen.
I was determined to help her through the race. Whenever I go for such competitions, I always feel that happiness is more important than winning. One thing I was amazed about was her determination to continue. She looked so damn tired and her pulse was extremely high but she just wanted to continue. I didn't want to demotivate her by asking her to stop.
At the first checkpoint, after a long climb up a hill, we were given some mind-boggling mathematics questions. This Info Hunt was a real test for every one. One moment we had to run our hearts off, another moment we had to dig our brains for answers. The time limit just made it even more exciting.
At the third checkpoint, both the groups which separated at the beginning met each other. We had to race as one team from that checkpoint onwards. Again, I was amazed at how my team members were so reluctant to give up.
Then at the final challenge, they gave their reluctance a second thought. It was just pure running to the finish. It sounds easy except for the fact that it was uphill most of the way. I knew I was going to be ok with it as hill running is part of my training. But I had to do some thing to help my friends.
Some of them fared well, pushing themselves through the challenging path. The others were clearly having a big barrier to overcome. So, I tried my best to do the right thing every group leader would have done. I ran back and forth, up and down the hill to motivate my friends at the front and especially at the back.
After a gruelling 58 minutes of running and solving questions, we finally completed our race. We were pretty delighted to have completed the course. After lunch, we sat back at our original places and patiently awaited the outcome of the Info Hunt. There were many awards at stake but unfortunately, we didn't win anything. After everything was over, me managed to hang around at the animal sanctuary in the park and we had a good laugh there.
We didn't go back empty handed that day. We gained a lot of experience and had a good workout in the hills. I had one great time there. Besides enjoying my so called hill workout, I learned a lot about not giving up and pushing yourself harder even at the most gruesome of times. All in all, hats off to my wonderful team mates for making sure we had an amazing experience throughout the race........
P.S. We finished sixth. A surprising result for us too!
No comments:
Post a Comment