News

A chaotic seven days traversing 1,000km across Europe has seen three Otago students take out a number of places among a huge group of international teams in Red Bull’s “Can You Make It” challenge. Representing the University of Otago were Tish McNicol, Finn Henry and Chessie Henry, also known as the “Freedom Hunters,” who were the only Australasian team chosen to be part of the 100-team field.

Beginning their journey on 4 April, the trio finished up placing fourth in the number of cans earned (276), sixth in distance per can (22km), 16th in the number of countries reached (six), and 18th in checkpoints reached (eight).

Critic caught up with team member Tish McNicol, who had a number of wild tales to recount of their journey, including a number of special people that helped them along the way. McNicol recounted the first memorable personality they encountered when stranded at Victoria Station in a struggle to reach their next checkpoint in Oxford. After fruitless attempts to bribe train station staff and strangers to take them to Oxford, “Finn and I were seriously contemplating what plan F was going to be, when the security guard suddenly opened the gate to the platform, and was like, ‘run!’” As the team sprinted through the gates he yelled “My name’s Bobby, remember me!!”

From then on anyone who displayed a good deed was a Bobby, “For the record there were many more Bobbies to come.” The trio met another Bobby, actually called David, in Linz, Austria who drove the team to their next checkpoint. “On our way to the checkpoint building he met us at the entrance and said ‘change of plans, I want to take you out for lunch.’” David then took the trio to an “amazing restaurant and said we could order whatever we wanted.” David explained that he had once been on the receiving end of such generosity as a 25-year-old hitchhiking to London and “that this was his time to repay the favour.”

In true Dunedin spirit, the journey wouldn’t be complete without the after party. The team “seriously lost it,” partying on the 20th floor of a skyscraper in the middle of Berlin. “All the walls were windows so you could see 360 degrees of city lights,” McNicol said. “All in all it was the most amazing, ridiculous adventure! I think what is so amazing about the whole journey was experiencing so much kindness from complete strangers.”