More than 100 athletes accept The North Face Bangkok Challenge

Despite the name, and even though it takes place within the boundaries of the city, The North FaceŽ Bangkok Challenge demands that participants negotiate a strenuous and definitely rural course along scenic trails and past or through the paddy fields, lakes, canals, temples and farmland of the north-east of the Thai capital. Variety is lent to the activity in the form of mountain biking, running, kayaking and swimming.

Last year's edition comprised seven distinct sections, in the order: mountain biking, running, kayaking, running, mountain biking, swimming and running. Each section had its own time limit, and team-mates had to stay within 100 meters of each other from start to finish. The average time for successful completion was around 6 hours 20 minutes.

The North FaceŽ Bangkok Challenge of 2006 was held on November 12, in Nongchok District. Categories comprised Men, Women, Mixed and Masters (aged over 40), and so a mixed line-up, or throng, of over 50 two-person teams braved the relatively mild autumn temperature of 30^oC or so and set out to cycle the initial 30 km of the route.

Water being a major element of the local landscape, they quickly found that mud was to be a regular companion for much of the coming few hours. The first cycling section completed, bikes were abandoned for some 8 km of off-road running.

Competitors' legs were then given some respite as each team took to the waters of a minor river, paddling a kayak for a couple of kilometers. That done, it was back to running for the better part of an hour, at the end of which they recovered and remounted their bicycles for an extensive exploration of the Thai countryside that lasted at least a further 90 minutes.

The participants at last experienced some temporary relief from the heat, as the next section saw them swimming a short distance across a lake. Those teams that were still in the race were then able to put whatever reserves of energy they had remaining into the final run of 2.5 km to the finish.

Thirty-two teams were successful in completing the course, with little more than two hours separating the first, who finished in something under five hours, and the last.