The Run Down of the Dragon Run
Contributed by
Deano
on
16/12/2009
While the comments flow thick and fast on could of, would have and should have and what race is best and toughest and what dictates a good or bad race, I thought would give you a bit of a rundown on how the recent Dragon Run unfolded.
Photo: Shannon Eckstein
I must tell you I was pretty excited when I saw the windguru report leading into the event. It had 20 knots of straight north which is probably not the most ideal direction but still very good.
What it meant to the racers is that the first part of the race would be downwind leading into nine pins then coming across the right shoulder for the major part of the race to Shek o then a fairly long stretch of no wind slash slight head to finish. With this sort of race which travels in 3 directions it’s hard to get the wind the whole way but for most getting downwind early in the race makes for a more fun race and you can worry about the flat later.
Leading into the event the talk was about the known guys in the sport. Dawid, Hank, Tim Jezz and Lightee were the ones getting most of the attention. But to most of the Aussie contingent Shannon Eckstein was going to be up there with the best of them.
The recent Fenn Cup races in Australia have seen Shannon, Jez and Tim pretty much having their own race while the rest of the field battled for fourth. In most Aussies minds the winner of the Dragon Run was going to come from one of these three.
To many on this site Caine Eckstein’s name has been prominent in race results especially towards the back end of 2008. Placing in NZ, Dubai and a win in the Southern Shamaal really showed just how talented this guy is.
Prior to Hong Kong “Caines brother” as Shannon was dubbed was an unknown to most except for any person living in Australia. The older Eckstein’s reputation here as an accomplished ocean athlete is well documented. Two world ironman titles 3 national titles and host of other world and national titles. To top all this off he is the current professional ironman champ which unfortunately for the ocean paddling community will mean he will soon start that part of his sporting life again depriving us of a great athlete at upcoming ocean racing events.
The race
The Dragon Run starts in a beautiful bay (Clearwater Bay) on the Eastern side of Kowloon which is attached to the Chinese mainland. It’s hard to believe that just over the hill from the start is a seething mass of humanity so dense that crossing the street can mean taking your life in your own hands.
Generally the run out to the first turn is into a side headwind being that the wind was north it was pretty much a straight downwind. Because of this the field spread quickly both vertically and horizontally. Eckstein and Mocke were the early leaders with Pretorius (lightee) and Cotter hot on their heels.
The turn at Nine Pins is 6.5 kilometres into the race. This distance was eaten up quickly by the field with the steep long runs being whipped up by the strong winds. Once around competitors were now confronted by a strong side wind. The options here were head to the right to get high early, go straight line or start surfing your way to the left and hope that through some miracle you get brought back on the line.
Shek o and the kissing whales (a statue of kissing whales sits on the Shek o headland) is another 10.5 kilometres in a south west direction. With wind over the right shoulder competitors started working the runs. Some headed a little far to the right and some to the left. The ones that made the most of it all went straight.
Eckstein and Mocke duelled for the lead through this section with Pretorius and Cotter were still right there. Passing the kissing whales Eckstein moved away from the South Africans and Cotter made his move past the fading pair. Into the flat and Eckstein held off the fast finishing Cotter by 10-15 seconds.
Perhaps the biggest mover through the last 3 kilometres was Tim Jacobs. Rounding the whales with me and Daryl Bartho Jacobs managed to mow down both Mocke then Pretorius to take the last place on the podium. Bartho was sixth making a solid comeback to ocean paddling events.
Western Australian Ruth Highman caused an upset in the ladies event by taking second from Katie Pocock and finishing behind seasoned competitor Michelle Eray.
This is a great event. In fact it’s one of the best on the circuit. It’s definitely a must do if you want to tackle more of these types of races. The organization is spot on and while it has all the facets to be a logistical nightmare the whole event runs seamlessly. One minute you are landing in Hong Kong next you are starting in a race and lastly you are sitting in the world’s busiest city with a beer in your hand. You look to the bloke next to you and say "How the F$%^ did that happen?"
From the international contingent a huge thanks to all involved. James, Andy, Bill, Hollywood Mal and everyone else, awesome event.
Just to start the banter for the Dubai Shamaal, Tim and Murray Stewart in no particular order daylight third.