FIGHTING FIT: The Hurricane at the MilAk

There is hardly more fun than having fun. Professionally, it's nice and fulfilling. But true enjoyment is only self-entertainment: "Hurrican Heat" is a format by Spartan Race (not related to us), which in this case lasted 12 hours (briefly: HH12HR). It took place on May 11 at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt. Our friends from dirtrun.company share with us this experience report from Erich B.:

Since my declared goal for this year is the Endurance Trifecta, it was clear to me at the end of 2017 that I also had to complete an HH12HR at some point. The HH12HRAUT-002 was ideal for me, as it took place - with a travel time of just under 1.5 hours - literally at my doorstep. In January of this year, I completed the "little brother" necessary for participation (Hurricane Heat) in Liberec, Czech Republic, and from then on the excitement rose almost daily about what would await me on that day (or the upcoming night) in Wiener Neustadt.

A storm is coming - or: "Does Wiener Neustadt have no altitudes?!"

The X-Day had arrived. Around 5 p.m., I reached the Theresian Military Academy (which - as we later learned from Krypteia Gerd - is the oldest of its kind in the world. So, education mission accomplished, back to the text…).

Upon entering the parking lot, I was greeted by Mike 1, Mike 2, and Mario (all members of union dirtrun.company), who were dutifully performing their volunteer duties there. Quickly parked and took a round around the festival grounds. Due to the Special-Gear-List-Item "1m drainage pipe," several Hurricane Heat participants were already easy to spot. There were already a lot of familiar faces on the festival grounds. A little small talk here, a little small talk there, and then it was back to the parking lot to prepare.

At around 6:30 p.m., we all met again fully equipped at the festival grounds. Among the assembled Hurricane Heat participants were also the Krypteia. In a brief conversation with Krypteia Mark, we somehow got to talking about the area in and around Wr. Neustadt, where I eventually mentioned, "Does Wiener Neustadt have no altitudes?" ... and it went dead silent, the sky darkened, and a wicked grin spread across Mark's face... at that time, the meaning of this scene was not clear to me, but in the next 12 hours, this image would be forever etched in my memory!

Let the games begin!

At 7 p.m., the presence of the participants was checked. Among the 77 in total were 5 female candidates this time. This was followed by the Gear-List-Check, where only the Special-Items were checked. Gerd's statement on this: "If you're missing something from the Basic-Gear-List, then you have a problem anyway..."

Since this all went relatively quickly, we had about half an hour left until 8 p.m., which was used for the final uplifting words and trips to the restroom. Promptly at 8 p.m., it all started.

The first team task was to add up the age of all participants. Sounds simple, but it's not. We somehow managed to get an answer, although not the correct one, which meant that the first burpees of the night were due.

Then we moved on to another task, where we had to write down our current thoughts and feelings in a letter throughout the night. After completing this first chapter, it was time to pack everything up and... take off your shoes! WTF

Barefoot, we marched to the nearby outdoor swimming pool where we were warmed up with various exercises (such as the Pipe - a burpee with pipe specially created for us).Shortly after that, it was time to undress and move on to the next task in the pool. Here, we had to form a long tube with all our pipes in the pool so Gerd could throw a tennis ball in on one side and it would arrive dry on the other end. The cruelty here was that the pool was 1.80m deep at the shallowest point, so almost no one could stand in it. It took us a lot of trial and error, but we somehow managed to complete the task in the end.

It was already dark by this point, but the pool games were not over. Next, we had to fill our pipes with water and seal them waterproof. Since my lid was broken, I had to wrap what felt like 2.7km of duct tape around the pipe until it was finally sealed. Then it was back in the water for a 15-minute swim in circles without touching the edge. During this time, the Krypteia sank all of our pipes in the pool. After completing the 15-minute swim, everyone had the task of finding and fishing out their personal pipe in the pool.

After the refreshing bath, it was time to put clothes back on, pack everything together, and march with full luggage and a well-filled pipe. This was followed by a longer march, during which we had to continue carrying, dragging, and crawling with the pipe until we reached a small meadow with two parked army vehicles (Pinzgauers).

First Timecut and Happy Burpee Christina

Now it was time for the first Timecut. We were currently about 2.5km outside the military academy. The task was to run back to the military academy, grab a chain from the well-known Chain Carry, and come back as quickly as possible to store it in the parked Pinzgauers. Thankfully, without a backpack. However, the time for the Timecut was not disclosed, forcing everyone to give their all throughout the entire journey.

As far as I could tell, everyone made the Timecut. However, two male members were carrying a female chain, and the Krypteia left it up to us to decide how to handle it. We quickly agreed to do some burpees so that both could remain in the Hurricane Heat. Similarly, a female participant, who had not made the Timecut but was using a male chain due to the lack of female chains, was allowed to continue with us. However, one candidate was eliminated because during our absence, all our backpacks were weighed by the Krypteia, and this candidate did not meet the minimum backpack weight requirement (men 20kg, women 15kg).

After a brief break (during which we were now allowed to empty the water from our pipes), it was already past midnight, which meant that our dear Christina had already had her birthday, and the Krypteia invited us to the almost traditional "Happy Burpee Christina" (...more burpees were due).

The night is still young

We then proceeded to a dried-up riverbed. Here, we were allowed to do some exercises (planks, burpees, crunches, lunges, etc.). Either the Krypteia wanted to prevent us from getting too cold, as it was quite chilly at night... or Krypteia Mark just wanted to unleash his sadistic side. We may never know...

Immediately after that came the next task. We were divided into four teams. Each team nominated a "bottle holder," who had to hold a plastic bottle upside down (bottom cut off, lid with a hole at the bottom) filled with water and a chemlight while the rest of the team, armed with shot glasses (vessels with 2cl), had to run over a small hill from a water puddle to the bottle, transporting water until it was completely filled. It was fun at first, but with time, the constant up and down of the hill became a bit exhausting. And to the delight of Krypteia Mark, a few altitudes finally came into play. But more on that later.

Second Timecut... And Wiener Neustadt does have altitudes!

The following march led us to the Mitterriegel, a mountain in the Rosalia Mountains with a height of about 530m. Since Wiener Neustadt is at about 250m, there was a climb of almost 300m waiting for us. However, the task was to conquer this mountain a total of 3(!) times. The first time, we were to climb the mountain with a backpack, guided by Krypteia Stefan and Marco. It was dark, and the path was only marked with UV paint (which now made the Special-Item "UV Lamp" make sense). The second time, with a backpack as a team, without guidance. In addition, there was supposed to be a code to remember at the top of the summit, which had to be returned at the base. And the third ascent, although without a backpack, would serve as the second and final Timecut for this event - also with a code to remember.

Thus, we started with the first climb, and I had reached this point after about halfway. I saw only Mark's face with the wicked grin in front of me. And with each step, this face burned deeper and deeper into my memory. I thought the mountain would never end. Somehow we made it to the top, but it cost me a lot. It must have been around 3 o'clock by then, and extreme fatigue set in for me. I was at the point where I thought I would never be able to climb this mountain two more times. That was probably it for me... and Wiener Neustadt does have altitudes!

After everyone had reached the top, the whole team went back down to the base of the mountain. Upon arrival, there was another surprise. Gerd said he had good news for us. This was that we only had to climb the mountain one more time and this time without a backpack. This would be our Timecut. Relief was truly written all over my face and that of many others. But then came the big "but": The ascent had to be done barefoot! A picture of the participants' faces at that exact moment would have been phenomenal! Apparently, no one could quite imagine how to ascend this path - through forest paths, branches, needles, and roots, but also gravel paths with sharp stones - barefoot. But nobody was willing to give up so close to the goal.

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