The day of the Big Clean Up coincided with the first stage of the xRace adventure competition in Bauska, where, to their great surprise, 1st place in the people’s class mixed group was won by the DDB team of Toms, Māris and Ulrika. DDB’s team members had got used to competing together during the S3 company competition, and the xRace only underlined the importance of dividing duties and responsibility and being ready to take over the leadership of the team at any time.

There was notable competition this year – 88 men’s, women’s and mixed teams. Overall, the mixed group winners covered the distance in 4 hours and 41 minutes, orienteering their way around the Old Town of Bauska and in the vicinity around Rundāle’s Palace, cycling and carrying their bikes through a dense forest, rowing along the Mēmele rapids, and clambering up the Skaistkalne water tower.

The hardest section was the last run to the boats and the boat stage itself, when real tiredness sets in and your feet gradually refuse to do as they’re told. Toms knows the meaning of cramp better than most; he was forced to take four ampoules of magnesium during the course of the event. And this fact compounded the team’s surprise when it noticed itself at the top of the leader board – finishing in 4th place overall, behind three men’s teams and completing the course just 5 minutes after the 1st placed team, and securing 1st place in the mixed group class. The team’s overall mood after the 1st xRace stage can probably best be gauged by their initial emotions after the finish and post-shower. All that remains is for us to wish the DDB team endurance and success during the stages to come!