Bridget Funnell had toyed with the idea of trying to enter this challenge for at least 3 years.   Realising that, by putting it off, it certainly wasn't going to get any easier, she decided to enter an 'old birds team' .... Drambluie Rinse was formed.

7-9th May 2010 Drambuie Challenge » back to results page

Winning the voting

Not for one minute thinking they would be accepted to compete in the 2010 event, as entries would be decided by on-line voting, the 'enter now' button was pressed in late December 2009.   The girls were straight on with photos and video to embellish their page on the Drambuie website, hoping to gain enough votes to be accepted.

There was a further incentive - the team with the most votes by 31st March would receive a £2,500 donation for their chosen charity, Cornwall Air Ambulance.   By seriously hard work and networking 24/7, Drambluie Rinse stormed ahead with the votes and WON the money.... which of course meant automatic entry into the challenge.

Training, training and yet more training

Now the work really begins, we have seen photos of some of the other teams and they looked pretty intimidating.   We work hard to stay fit but there were 9 different disciplines, most of which we hadn't tried before.   Thankfully so many fabulous local people were willing to help with expertise and equipment to set the girls up to giving the challenge a fair chance.

Training sometimes 3 or 4 times a day right up to the last minute before the team left Bude for the unknown, the girls had done all they could to prepare.

The only girls team ever! They arrived in London and were immediately faced with young fit male teams from all over the world, Russia, USA (charming American actor Josh Duhamel had also entered a U.S team) Canada, S.America, Holland Germany and of course the British teams..... 15 teams in total.   The opposition looked even tougher than their photos had suggested! Drambluie Rinse were the only female team to have entered throughout the event's 5 year history and there was only one other young female in this year's event.   Even more apprehensive after meeting everybody. the girls just vowed they would give it their all..... Most of the international teams qualified for the event by their physical achievement, unlike the British who were voted in for their charity campaigns.

Josh Duhamel with Drambluie Rinse

The challenges

Friday evening brought Archery.... The first event was very nerve racking but the team finished mid table... A great start.

After a freezing night camping, they had yet another 5am start, the first part of the challenge was a short off road run to collect a box that contained a bottle of Drambuie which had to be carried from the Isle of Skye to Inverness by each team.

Stage 2 was a very speedy relay race in Zapcats, again mid-table in spite of seaweed fouling the Drambluie Rinsers' propeller.

The mountain bike hill is in the background!

Stage3 a mountain bike hill climb which Jess Lynes completed in an excellent time. Jess then had to tag Isobel Waterhouse, Irene Thomson and Bridget Funnell before they could embark on the hill run/walk/ scramble/ rockclimb to the top of Boc Baeg, before abseiling down the cliff face and then a speedy run back down the mountain just like mountain goats!. Even though the team had practised all of the other disciplines there was one that nobody had ever tried.... White water rafting, the team did well and weren't dunked like a few other teams, determined not to get upended in the 'boiling' ice cold water they managed to finish this event in 6th place.   They would have done better if they hadn't had to carry the raft up a steep slippery bank and across the finish line for that stage. The girls went on to the mountain bike course, Irene led the way through a rough, tough course with some North shore boardwalks to manoeuvre, part of the National course - again achieving a much better position than they expected.

On to the Rage Buggies... The team knew if they just took it steady and didn't pick up any penalty points they could actually beat the boys at their own game, the hare and tortoise syndrome worked and once again the girls finished mid table...

Putting all the points together the D R's were to start the final stages of the race in 9th place, this stage consisted of a Canadian Canoe paddle and then the run through Inverness to the finish line...

Having practiced a lot with the canoe (thanks Si and Nic) they were quietly confident and managed to overtake two other teams on the Ness, finally running through the streets carrying the box of Drambuie the girls crossed the finish line totally elated.   The Dutch Team won the event with the charming RAF team not too far behind in 2nd place, Drambluie Rinse finished in an extremely respectable position 7th place and are ecstatic, far higher than they had ever dared hope for.

All the teams

And to all who helped us So many people to thank, Drambuie and all the staff that worked so hard to create this wonderful challenge, Events 22, Simon and Nic Hammond, Kelvin Turner, Steve Mobbs, Ashley Cole, Andy Mac, Elm Tree Archers, Wayne Bennet, Sally Thomson, Bone, Hetor, the D R's very patient partners, Jess's 2 little ones Avril and Verity who were with us throughout the training giving valuable advice!   And the most important ...every single person who voted for us to win the money for Cornwall Air Ambulance... Thank you. » back to results page