Team Flieky about participation in the Red Fox Adventure Race 2015
31.08.2015
Photo: Irina Kurmanaeva
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
Maarten Daamen (24) and Alex Brokx (28) have been friends for many years. They live in the same small city, Maassluis, outside of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Both like to be outdoors but prefer different disciplines. Maarten rides many kilometres on his mountain bike, while Alex likes more hiking and climbing. Before the race, they had only a little bit of experience with long distance kayaking.
Alex was asked by Olga Moroz to participate in the Red Fox Adventure Race in 2015. He immediately asked Maarten to join him to form a great team.
Alex Brokx
“We started training in September 2014 to make sure we would be trained well enough. The last couple of months our coach Dennis Hofstra, from Hofstra Fysio, pushed us further to be ready on time”.
“This was our first adventure race; we hadn't done any races like this before. For that reason we didn't really know what to expect”.
Maarten Daamen
“After the race we spoke with other teams and they told us that they participated in other races to train for the Red Fox Adventure Race”.
“During the race we enjoyed the moments in the wild beautiful nature. Sometimes, on the water, we stopped paddling to have a beautiful moment of silence and the great views all around”.
“But sometimes, in the darker hours of the night, walking in the woods and swamp, I felt so small”.
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
“The mosquitoes were a bad part for many people though, and also for us. It was hard for Maarten, he was bitten many times and had a lot of bumps and itching. So in the woods we only stopped when it was necessary and further we just keep on walking. For me it was annoying, because they can eat what they like. Nothing more than that for me”.
“At a transit point the volunteers told us that they had found a footprint of a bear in the mud. So they showed it to us. That was great to see, and at the same time we thought about the bears. But you shouldn’t be afraid, only aware of the fact you could meet a bear”.
“During the race we made some mistakes, for example during the kayak portage. This cost us a lot of energy and time. That is something we won't do that way again”.
“After the start there was a secret stage. That was something we didn't expect, to walk through the river in a small village. It’s because our idea was to keep our feet dry… After the secret stage we knew that was impossible”.
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
“The checkpoint at the Beaver house was great and just the checkpoints where you had to do something to check in. When you reach some CP's you had to climb or cross water, things like that. If you could find a CP, it meant that you couldn't direct check the CP, because of its being on a ridge, or above water, or on a rock. So you had to do something to earn those points. That was great”.
“The Rock in the water was a great climb, only cause of the rain and being tired. I slipped down three times instead of taking those points. It was a pity after swimming to the rock so I tried, but because of concerns for my own safety I stopped after three attempts. Other racers brought me to the other side 'dry' by sitting on their kayak. That was fun”.
“We had one goal, though: to reach the finish with a smile. We have made this, only later than we expected. The last kilometres we were fighting against sleep and to just go forwards. Finishing with a smile and seeing friends who were waiting for us was the best”.
“We had been disqualified for the late arrival. We weren't sad at all of this. We arrived with a smile and we survived. We had caught 123 points and that is something we won't forget”.
“By participating in the race we have shown the world we were there. We started this adventure as something for fun but we took it serious because of all the training. Doing this we could show the world that we from Benelux took part in the Red Fox Adventure Race, were proud to be there, and we survived it.
We were the best and first finishing team of the Benelux!”
“Communication during the race with other teams was sometimes hard, but with hands and feet we could communicate. All the athletes were very polite and friendly. We met other teams in the middle of the night and decided to walk part way together. It was wonderful that the sympathy of all teams was great to the foreign teams. With limited English we had a great time”.
“As for Maarten, it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience for him; his first and last one. He can look back at it with a big smile. But to be realistic, it was tough and fun. I am not sure; it was a wonderful experience and I liked it, so maybe on another edition I will join again”.
Team Flieky has been promoted by Flieky Outdoor, the distributor of Red Fox Outdoor Equipment in Belgium and Netherlands. I have been working on this process now for a couple of years to get Red Fox more known in Belgium and Netherlands. We are going forward and we will see how big Red Fox Outdoor Equipment will be in Belgium and Netherlands in couple years.
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
Maarten Daamen (24) and Alex Brokx (28) have been friends for many years. They live in the same small city, Maassluis, outside of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Both like to be outdoors but prefer different disciplines. Maarten rides many kilometres on his mountain bike, while Alex likes more hiking and climbing. Before the race, they had only a little bit of experience with long distance kayaking.
Alex was asked by Olga Moroz to participate in the Red Fox Adventure Race in 2015. He immediately asked Maarten to join him to form a great team.
Alex Brokx
“We started training in September 2014 to make sure we would be trained well enough. The last couple of months our coach Dennis Hofstra, from Hofstra Fysio, pushed us further to be ready on time”.
“This was our first adventure race; we hadn't done any races like this before. For that reason we didn't really know what to expect”.
Maarten Daamen
“After the race we spoke with other teams and they told us that they participated in other races to train for the Red Fox Adventure Race”.
“During the race we enjoyed the moments in the wild beautiful nature. Sometimes, on the water, we stopped paddling to have a beautiful moment of silence and the great views all around”.
“But sometimes, in the darker hours of the night, walking in the woods and swamp, I felt so small”.
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
“The mosquitoes were a bad part for many people though, and also for us. It was hard for Maarten, he was bitten many times and had a lot of bumps and itching. So in the woods we only stopped when it was necessary and further we just keep on walking. For me it was annoying, because they can eat what they like. Nothing more than that for me”.
“At a transit point the volunteers told us that they had found a footprint of a bear in the mud. So they showed it to us. That was great to see, and at the same time we thought about the bears. But you shouldn’t be afraid, only aware of the fact you could meet a bear”.
“During the race we made some mistakes, for example during the kayak portage. This cost us a lot of energy and time. That is something we won't do that way again”.
“After the start there was a secret stage. That was something we didn't expect, to walk through the river in a small village. It’s because our idea was to keep our feet dry… After the secret stage we knew that was impossible”.
Maarten Daamen & Alex Brokx
“The checkpoint at the Beaver house was great and just the checkpoints where you had to do something to check in. When you reach some CP's you had to climb or cross water, things like that. If you could find a CP, it meant that you couldn't direct check the CP, because of its being on a ridge, or above water, or on a rock. So you had to do something to earn those points. That was great”.
“The Rock in the water was a great climb, only cause of the rain and being tired. I slipped down three times instead of taking those points. It was a pity after swimming to the rock so I tried, but because of concerns for my own safety I stopped after three attempts. Other racers brought me to the other side 'dry' by sitting on their kayak. That was fun”.
“We had one goal, though: to reach the finish with a smile. We have made this, only later than we expected. The last kilometres we were fighting against sleep and to just go forwards. Finishing with a smile and seeing friends who were waiting for us was the best”.
“We had been disqualified for the late arrival. We weren't sad at all of this. We arrived with a smile and we survived. We had caught 123 points and that is something we won't forget”.
“By participating in the race we have shown the world we were there. We started this adventure as something for fun but we took it serious because of all the training. Doing this we could show the world that we from Benelux took part in the Red Fox Adventure Race, were proud to be there, and we survived it.
We were the best and first finishing team of the Benelux!”
“Communication during the race with other teams was sometimes hard, but with hands and feet we could communicate. All the athletes were very polite and friendly. We met other teams in the middle of the night and decided to walk part way together. It was wonderful that the sympathy of all teams was great to the foreign teams. With limited English we had a great time”.
“As for Maarten, it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience for him; his first and last one. He can look back at it with a big smile. But to be realistic, it was tough and fun. I am not sure; it was a wonderful experience and I liked it, so maybe on another edition I will join again”.
Team Flieky has been promoted by Flieky Outdoor, the distributor of Red Fox Outdoor Equipment in Belgium and Netherlands. I have been working on this process now for a couple of years to get Red Fox more known in Belgium and Netherlands. We are going forward and we will see how big Red Fox Outdoor Equipment will be in Belgium and Netherlands in couple years.
