Archive through October 15, 2002
TV ClubHouse: Archive: Eco-Challenge (Going on now - Ethan and Jenna & others participating):
Archive through October 15, 2002
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 04:33 pm     Latest update from Fiji....1058 1. Montrail/Parallax (USA) 2. Golite/Balance Bar (USA) 3. Buff AXN (Spain) 4. Mazda (South Africa) 5. Air PAcific (Australia) 6. Seagate.Com (New Zealand) (all past checkpoint 7) Past checkpoint 6 SPIE and Nokia Adventure 32 additional teams are Past checkpoint 5 30 additional teams have past checkpoint 4 There are 8 unranked teams and 5 disqualified teams. THe Skecher WEP team captained by Kelli Wiglesworth is one of the unranked teams. Mad River is now in 65th and Kodak is in 68th and last of the ranked teams. It is only Day 4 of an approximately 10 day race and they have a total of 18 checkpoints with the leaders just past #7 so there is a long way to go with many challenges and chances to catch up or fall behind. There are some spots they cannot travel after dark so that also gives an opportunity for catch up if things fall just right. I am going to go search the web again to see if I can find more articles with info. There are a couple of articles daily on the website as well as pictures, but they don't tell much. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 04:40 pm     1117 update from Fiji.... As soon as I post it changes...not the leader board though. All but one ranked team have passed checkpoint 4 now and all unranked teams have passed checkpoint 4 (and one is past 5). 3 of the disqualified teams have passed 4 as well. Mad River is now 63rd and Kodak 64th (Skechers were ahead of Mad River by about 25 minutes at the checkpoint, but are unranked) |
Mystery | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 05:02 pm     That Playboy team was great at the Sabah race, fixing the leak in their boat and just generally doing a much better job than I thought they would. I just looked at the Eco Challenge page and was glad to see that most of Team Go (last year's last place finisher) was back, too. (The guy who had the foot problems is not on the team this year.) They were SO funny last year, cursing Mark Burnett for controlling the weather, etc. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 05:21 pm     Eco Challenge: Kiwis back on track Nelson's Nathan Fa'ave was leading his Seagate.com.nz team back into the deep rainforests of Fiji last night night, holding eighth place in the Eco Challenge expedition race after a major setback hampered their progress. Fa'ave, Kristina Strode Penny, Neil Jones and Jeff Mitchell, the only New Zealand team in the race, were six hours 38 minutes behind the leaders Montail Parallax of the United States tonight. Twenty-four hours earlier, the New Zealand team were close to ending the race prematurely when Strode Penny, 28, fell ill. She was suffering from nausea, fever and exhaustion, and requested medical attention to determine whether she should continue. However, the event's medical director Dr Aiden Cohen said attention would not be dispatched without disqualification. "We don't make house calls," he told the team through a radio message. That appeared to make Strode Penny even more determined. Bringing forward their routine rest period, the New Zealanders stopped and slept for two hours at a Fijian village on the edge of the rugged mountainous terrain on southern Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. "She wasn't in good shape at all after she came down the river (after a rafting leg)," said Inia Seru, who hosted the team. "I was suprised the two-hour sleep recovered her so quickly. "When I woke her up, she told the boys 'let's go'." Even the most experienced endurance racers in this expedition race were finding the race difficult, with 28degC heat doing the most damage. As of last night, eight of the 81 teams had pulled out. One team withdrew after one of their members was bitten by an eel. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 05:29 pm     Eco-Challenge news Monday Oct. 14, 2002: Navua River Welcomes the Front and Back of the Pack The Beqa Settlement is home to 60 Fijian families. On Day Four of Eco-Challenge Fiji the townspeople got a glimpse of both the lead teams and the slower teams. The race is set up so that the lower ranking teams are crossing the Navua River carrying their mountain bikes at the same location (between CP 3 & 4) as the higher ranking squads are finishing the kayaking portion of their journey and checking into CP 5. As a result, three Canadian teams passed this spot today within two hours of each other. Still battling neck and neck were Subaru Canada (Jim Mandelli, Kurt Gibson, Kevin Valllely, Wendy Gardner) and Team Schick Xtreme 3 (Dave Zietsma, Lawrence Foster, Richard Browne, Sarah Wiley). Both were forced to spend the previous evening at the raft put-in (too technical to navigate at night). At daybreak they took off for CP 5 and arrived within two minutes of each other (Schick leading). Zietsma’s team enjoyed a quick transition (just under 30 minutes) while Mandelli’s squad took almost an hour before heading into the jungle trek. The good news for Team Subaru was that Gibson had worked through his previous night’s illness and was feeling much better. “Feeling pretty good right now. We’ve been off our feet for a few hours now and everybody’s feeling pretty healthy and ready for a really big push,” Gibson explained. “The next section will go right well for us because Jim’s just a master navigator.” With renewed strength and optimism they set out to cross the river. The village children, on a break from their school day, waited on the other side to wish the members of Subaru well as they began their trek through the Wainikoroluva valley. On the flip side, Team Advil (Bob Faulkner, Leni Neumeier, Alex Blodgett, Dave Norona) struggling in 58th place headed in the opposite direction, crossing the river with bikes in tow heading to CP 4 and the kayak put-in. Captain Bob Faulkner stopped to reflect on his team’s performance so far. “We’ve had some navigation difficulties that’s for sure, but it’s been a lot harder than we expected.” He then turned his thoughts inward. “ I’m finding it tough. Feet are hurting. I was a ‘hurting unit’ in the middle of the night ... didn’t get enough sleep. I’m sorta struggling back, but it’s a tough race. You can tell that by the position that we’re in.” With that comment, the energetic fifty-five year old shrugged his shoulders, smiled and continued on. Up the road, he sped ahead of his teammates and made a wrong turn but a quick reacting Norona, realizing the mistake, immediately got the group back on track. As the sun set on Day Four, Schick Xtreme 3 were in 16th place with Subaru Canada close behind them in 18th place. Team Advil was mired near the bottom of the standings in 57th position. — Mike Earls for EXN.ca Monday Oct. 14, 2002: Beqa: Worth Visiting Twice The village of Beqa is uniquely situated to greet Eco-Challenge competitors both coming, and going. This relatively prosperous hamlet (pronounced and sometimes spelled “Mbengga”) is just across the river from CP5, where competitors get their passports stamped after the inflatable kayaking leg. But CP5 is already a familiar site by the time racers actually check in there. That’s because Beqa is also in the middle of the torturous first mountain bike leg. After picking up their bikes at Waivaka, teams follow the muddy road along the Waindina River, ascend a steep, winding mountain pass, and coast (more or less) down into Beqa. There, they have to make a treacherous river crossing on foot, carrying their bikes. On the other side of the river, they ride right past CP5 and on to another 9 to 12 hours of grueling cycling. Between the heat, the hills, the mud and the stones, this leg has already cost 2 teams the race, including the home-town favorites BulaFiji.com, who are now out after one member broke his ankle in a crash. (See: Medics Treat Local Athlete in Polysporin Medical and Rescue) Eco-Challengers can see CP5 as they pass through Beqa and cross the river. But they can’t actually check in until completing the cycling leg, putting their kayaks in at Suva House, and paddling the river, which is a 4-hour journey that includes some tough whitewater. To make matters more challenging, teams aren’t allowed on the river after 3 PM, and must camp on a tiny beach at Suva House until sunrise. The fast teams, including Montrail (USA), Spie (France), GoLite (USA), the South African team, and Finland’s Nokia passed Beqa in the wee hours on Sunday morning, and crossed the river with their bikes in the dark. Only a few hours behind were Shick Xtreme 3, making great time despite Dave Zietsma having cut two fingers to the bone on a splintered bamboo pole, necessitating the removal of his wedding ring. Subaru Canada passed through Beqa early Sunday and were spotted on the road to Suva House at about 10.22 AM Sunday, looking very tired and dehydrated but still making good time. But less than an hour later, lead teams Montrail and Spie arrived at CP5 by kayak — 12 hours ahead of the Canadians. There were some poignant moments as teams in the middle of the pack actually met the lead teams in the middle of the river, going the other way. In one case, the slower team, True Grit (USA), actually gave some of their rations to their friends on team Montrail, hoping to spur them on to a potential first place finish. In exchange, Montrail passed on the tough news that True Grit would have no chance of making that night’s cut-off time for getting on the river. Beqa is the perfect place for such displays of sportsmanship. The villagers here, who are more used to foreigners than those at Waiveka, have nevertheless shown the same incredible hospitality and generosity to the athletes. The Finland and South African teams were invited to lunch together in a local home, an invitation which they accepted despite the risk of losing time. In the spirit of the occasion, Nokia team members shared with their adversaries the number from a tiki they had missed — critical information needed to get through a checkpoint down the line. Team Advil passed through Beqa for the first time early Monday morning. Also during the morning Schick and Subaru Canada checked their kayaks in and headed back through the village for a long jungle trek. By the end of the day Monday, Advil still had not arrived at CP5. They will likely be on the river first thing on Tuesday — a full two days behind the leaders. But if they haven’t reached CP5 by 9 am, they’ll be disqualified, along with any teams remaining behind them. This puts them in a tough bind — they can’t get on the river until sunup, and the kayaking leg has taken the lead teams 4 hours. They must either break the record, or hike along the river by foot at night to CP5 to stay alive in a race that is proving to be even tougher than organizers predicted it would be. — David Newland for EXN.ca |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 05:32 pm     Monday, Oct. 14, 2002: Press Release from ecochallenge.com Pacific Harbor, Fiji (Oct. 14, 2002) - An array of international teams lead the field to Suwa Falls on day 4 of the Eco-Challenge, the world's toughest Adventure Race™. Teams MONTRAIL (USA), Buff AXN (Spain), Spie (France), Nokia Adventure (Finland), and Mazda (South Africa), respectively, hold the top 5 positions. While the top teams in this year's Eco-Challenge competition press on to the northern part of Viti Levu, most of the other contenders are just arriving at the Navua River near the Beqa settlement, which is the midpoint of the first mountain bike leg as well as Checkpoint five. For many teams, just reaching this point was a victory in itself. The first jungle trekking leg through the Sovi Basin along nonexistent paths en route to Checkpoint four claimed a large number of teams, and those at the very back of the pack were still trying to find their way. At the banks of the Navua River, several teams stopped briefly after crossing with their bikes to catch their breath and check their maps. The rest of the bike leg from this point on is not especially difficult, though the road winds through endless steep hills. This didn't seem to faze the teams. Danelle Folta of Team Smirnoff Ice/Playboy X-Treme was prepared for the challenge. Despite two broken bike derailers, she and her team were having the time of their lives. Some competitors, however, were not quite as upbeat. Alyson Denk, of Team OneWith Izod, described the bilibili rafting leg, which they'd completed the day before, as "a floating prison." Despite their struggles, none of these teams would rather be anyplace else. Teams this year seem to have adopted a central theme of friendship and camaraderie. Nowhere was that more apparent than when Teams Staubach and Quest, who formed a seven member squad for the muddy ascent out of the Navua River valley. Both teams have gone through adversity — team Quest's captain had to withdraw less than a week before the race's start and Team Staubach's original fourth member withdrew due to a death in the family. David String of Team Staubach made it clear about what motivated him to continue: "I think about my wife and kids to get through it." String's continued loyalty to the team is all the more amazing in that he was called upon less than 48 hours before the start of the race. Hopping on plane after plane, he caught up with his team in Fiji and hit the ground running. "Aside from the 30 foot fall, I'm holding up fine," he said, when asked how he was faring four days into the race. Resourcefulness is nothing new, it seems, as teams continue to find fascinating ways of getting ahead. Sometimes, though, it pushes the Eco-Challenge rules almost to the breaking point. At deadline, race officials were still trying to determine whether or not to assess a team penalty against Team Spie of France after they hired a local villager to carry their packs on horseback. As they complete both the bike and first kayak legs, teams in the middle of the pack remain confident and excited. Tired and weary, they nonetheless head out with smiles and more than a few blisters. Whether that spirit of adventure holds strong as they move into their second jungle trekking phase, and the more technical points beyond, remains to be seen. Headed into Checkpoint six, teams now face a brutal hike through more dense jungle, rappelling from the top of towering waterfalls and the debut of packrafting. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 05:40 pm     ECO-Challenge press release for 10/13 ECO-CHALLENGE FIJI’S ‘EXPEDITIONARY’ EMPHASIS TAKING A TOLL ON COMPETITORS Competitors Feel a Dramatic Difference in Race Difficulty as Teams Cross Paths at the Navua River During Day Three Beqa, Fiji (October 13, 2002) – Eco-Challenge Fiji’s leading teams are beginning to sharpen navigation tactics and utilize local resources in an attempt to distance themselves from the competition upon entering day three of the world’s toughest Expedition Race,™ which will feature bicycling, kayaking and trekking throughout the Navua river valley of Viti Levu Island. As the majority of competitors race towards Checkpoints four and five, teams are feeling the increasing effects of minimal food, little sleep and a more difficult Eco-Challenge as they cross paths at the Beqa settlement along the Navua river. The Beqa settlement and checkpoint was a bevy of activity, as both lead and trailing teams passed through. Competitors at the front of the pack steered inflatable kayaks to the river’s edge, on their way to a 51km trekking, climbing and scrambling leg known as the Trail of Fire, while the trailing teams waded through waist-high waters with bike in tow bent on reaching Checkpoint four. Arriving first at Checkpoint five was team MONTRAIL/ Parallax of the United States who glided into the kayak take-out around 11:30 a.m. Soon after, team Spie of France arrived, followed by Air Pacific (Australia), Nokia Adventure (Finland) and Mazda (South Africa). As no teams reached the kayak drop-in point between Checkpoints four and five until 7:20 a.m. Sunday morning, trailing teams were not able to take advantage of the mandatory dark zone area at Checkpoint four that would have allowed them to catch up with those teams who had been stopped. Instead, both leading and trailing teams reached Checkpoint four in the late morning, moving slower than anticipated. Leading teams were slowed by a longer than anticipated bike leg which required precise navigation and extreme endurance in darkness and adverse weather. Though still in the top five, team Nokia of Finland were forced to walk with their bikes at least half of the entire bike leg due to the difficult navigation and darkness. To compensate for time lost on the bike leg, both Nokia and team Air Pacific took strategic breaks and utilized the help of villagers. Further to Eco-Challenge Creator Mark Burnett’s advice, teams mentioned the necessity of reviewing navigation tactics and tapping local resources in the hopes of finishing the markedly more difficult Eco-Challenge Fiji. U.S. based team Moosejaw.com cited a lack of maps, guides and rules as one of the biggest challenges in this year’s competition, as they were forced to solicit navigation help from villagers during their night trek along waterfalls and narrow canyons. Team True GRIT of the U.S. said that Saturday’s combination of disciplines, including trekking and mountain biking, proved the toughest yet. After trekking for over 22 hours from Saturday morning to Sunday morning, the team spotted a local pig hunter who provided directions. In addition to hallucinating at several points, GRIT member Lynn Armstrong said she was “cold beyond cold” while fighting through chilly neck-high water during the trek. Though competitors were in agreement about the increased challenge of this year’s course, teams echoed high praise about the setting, scenery and overall course approach in Fiji. “(The course) is a very positive thing” said Team Jackson Hole Captain Jason Petervary. “It’s not just for the physically strong, but the strong minded.” Lynne Stark of team Bridgedale Ireland Salomon agreed. “Eco-Challenge Fiji is much more challenging—a total adventure,” said Stark. |
Rissa | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 07:17 pm     Well, I see now that Team Spie from France is in 7th place, but there is no update as to whether this is because of a penalty or they just fell behind. First 5 teams are now: Montrail (USA) GoLite/Balance (USA) Buff AXN (Spain) Maxda (South Africa) Air Pacific (Australia) There are 6 teams through cp7 and a further 9 through cp6. There is a notice on the site that reads: **NOTE - HQ has experienced intermittent communication with CP 6. Does this mean that possibly MORE teams have made it through that checkpoint than has been reported? (things that make you go... hmmmm ) For any Cdn's, team Schick Extreme has moved up from 14th place to 11th, Running Free and Suburu are 16th and 18th respectively. Kodak Watersport (Hayden aka Anakin) has moved up from dead last to 64th right in front of Mad River at 63 (this is the team with Ethan??). The other survivor team is still listed as unranked. There are now 5 disqualified teams and 8 unranked. Oh, someone asked about Earthlink? I believe this is one of the teams that took the afternoon stroll to see the waterfall. LOL They are holding their own at 9th place. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 07:19 pm     Latest posted update....1219 from Fiji (which of course will change as soon as I post..LOL) No change in leader board or teams who have passed checkpoint 7 (6 teams total) An additional 9 teams are past checkpoint 6 And 31 more teams (including 2 unranked) beyond that are past checkpoint 5. Rissa...where did you see the info about SPIE or team Quest? I haven't found it anywhere. |
Rissa | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 07:26 pm     Myjohnhenry, it's from an article that I read at the official site and you actually pasted here, <<<<At deadline, race officials were still trying to determine whether or not to assess a team penalty against Team Spie of France after they hired a local villager to carry their packs on horseback. <<<<< Or do you mean their new ranking? I just got home and checked the site and saw they were now in 7th. Like I said though, I have no idea whether they were in fact penalized or just slowed down. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 07:29 pm     Thanks Rissa...I must have missed that statement. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 07:30 pm     EcoChallenge Article on Eventrate.Com (*edited to add that is the latest article in a series...the author is a former competitor) James Henderson writes: As the teams entered the fifth day of Eco-Challenge Fiji 2002 they were arriving at the enormous rope sections on a double waterfall at the heart of the fantastic island of Viti Levu. It took a long and hideous walk through the jungle at night to get them there and it culminated in a maelstrom of mist and a massive jumble of slippery boulders. And then finally a view of the cascades themselves. Ascending a couple of hundred metres of ropes -- Vuwa Falls are 120 metres high and Gaganaura another 100 metres -- can be a beast of a physical test when you are really tired, and the lead teams will be beginning to get tired now. But it also concentrates the mind and becomes quite enjoyable after the hours of plodding and forcing yourself on through the more monotonous sections of the course. There was even a swim between two sections of the climb -- quite similar to the climbing section on the River Herbert in Australia in 1997 – and this will have broken up the rhythm again. And then, after a while zoned in on the rockface, the competitors will have looked behind them and seen a view that stretched for miles around, a sea of green hundreds of feet below. For every daunting moment when you realise wearily the enormity of the challenge, there are moments like these when you can see why it is all worth it. The front of the field has become very tight, with the first four teams all within a few minutes of one another as they left Checkpoint 7. The Americans of Montrail Parallax have managed to maintain the top spot, but only by a couple of minutes from fellow Americans GoLite Balance Bar and the Spaniards (Team Buff) and the South African newcomers of Team Mazda, who to their credit have managed to stay in the top five places. Other formidable teams (French Team Spie, Finninsh Nokia and Australians Air Pacific) have all reportedly taken some sleep so they will setting off again refreshed (well sort of). Eco-Challenge 2002 will no doubt prove to be a long race, but things will probably move on a little quicker now because the teams will soon be back in the swift water for the pack-rafting leg, after which there is a hike to the last land-bound leg of the course. The disciplines continue to come thick and fast, forcing the teams to think on their feet as they battle with the navigation. The competition will begin to ratchet up too, as teams scent the downhill to the ocean. |
Myjohnhenry | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 09:02 pm     1542 update from Fiji...... Leader Board remains the same: 1. Montrail/Parallax (USA) 2. Golite/Balance Bar (USA) 3. Buff AXN (Spain) 4. Mazda (South Africa) 5. Air PAcific (Australia) The first 9 teams are at or past Checkpoint 7 (Earthlink has moved up to 8th) 6 more teams at or past 6 A total of 42 more teams (ranked, unranked and disqualified) are through checkpoint 5 There are now 6 disqualified and 11 unranked teams. We will see more and more of those due to injuries and not meeting time deadlines at certain checkpoints. |
Ryn | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 11:14 pm     16:09 pm Tuesday Fiji... Leader Board remains the same: 1. Montrail/Parallax (USA) 2. Golite/Balance Bar (USA) 3. Buff AXN (Spain) 4. Mazda (South Africa) 5. Air PAcific (Australia) 6. Seagate.com (NZ) Bit more detail on the top six... top 4 all left CP 7 within 5 minutes of each other, 5 & 6 were roughly 2.5 hours behind and then the gap opens to 6 hours to get back to team #7. 9 teams listed as DQ'd 9 Teams listed as Unranked. Mad Dog and Wodaw are at the back and from the rankings it appears there is a large pack all together at the end of the ranked teams with several unranked teams in that mix. 15 teams - ranked and unranked cleared CP 4 within roughly 1 hour of one another. |
Ryn | Monday, October 14, 2002 - 11:19 pm     part of the map
So as of this posting teams are strung out between CP 4 & CP 8 |
Myjohnhenry | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 12:16 am     Detailed information is difficult to come by outside of the couple of press releases. I did finally discover tonight that there are little tidbits in the "guest books" for some of the teams left by family members/friends. BDA Extreme...Captain Cindy COppola was airlifted after going into shock following an eel bite Eco-Subaru....Captain Rodger McFarlane injured/sciatic nerve problem and had to withdraw Staubach...David Stringfield (who was a last minute alternate for a team member who had to return home due to a death in the family) apparently took a 30 ft. tumble. Adventure Racing Calgaary...Captain Kevin Hagl became ill and it was decided that he should not continue. |
Rissa | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 05:51 am     Good morning all, Having my shot of caffiene and checking the updates: Buff AXN from Spain has overtaken the two American teams to gain first place. They are the only team to have passed through cp8 (last update is about 2 hours old). Rest of the top five in same relative positions as before. MyJohnHenry (who desperately needs a shorter nick ) pegged it about injuries. They are now up to 10 disqualified and 10 unranked, including a second Cdn. team. I believe MJH {neener, lol} already reported on this, but a little more detail from the local FIJI site: Team Fiji drops out Monday October 14, 2002 The Bula.Com sponsored national team bade goodbye to the 9th Eco-challenge when captain, Ilimotama Tuarau fractured his right ankle during the mountain biking expedition. The Tuarau led side were disqualified on day three of the 10-day of the world’s race expedition. Tuarau was injured yesterday morning when his bike hit some mud and struck the side the road approximately one kilometer south of Waivaka. The national side captain plunged six feet off the bridge and sustained fracture to his right ankle. --I feel bad for them, I know what a boost for national pride having a team in and doing well can be. |
Ryn | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 07:04 am     Rissa - if you dig up in the archives I have an article posted about the Fiji's tems problems which has a bit more detail as well. |
Ryn | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 07:13 am     last update was 10:17 pm today As mentioned above Buf Axn is in 1st having checked into CP 8 (but not 'out') an hour before the last update. No other team had reached CP 8 yet. Of course if that is a blackout zone they may have to wait until the am and the other teams can catch up. Mad River and Wodaw are bringing up the rear, literally, they look to be in last place - even behind all teams that are now 'unranked' (10) and the 2 DQ'd teams that cleared CP 5. Mad River left CP #5 Ten minutes ahead of Wodaw. I know from previous races that there is a back end to the race, and I am guessing it is possible that they may not make a cut off to a CP soon if they don't pick it up. |
Ryn | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 07:20 am     The site has an article with some info - not gonna cut and paste but here is the link: http://www.ecochallenge.com/fiji/news/st18.html Its out of date of course as it does not note the new leader ;) From the end of the article: To date, 19 teams have left the course due to minor injury, illness or disqualification. These teams include: N.Y.S.T., Seagate USA, Advil, Adventure Racing Calgary, Solera Venezuela, Skechers WEP, VVnW, V8 Splash Mexico, Eco-Subaru, Visit Argentina, XL-Lupus UK, Staubach, REI-SALOMON, Bermuda, Lupus Foundation, BulaFiji.com, BDA Extreme, BellSouth Panama, and AXN Merrell Quantas. No major injuries have been reported. Wonder what is considered 'major' lol. |
Yankee_In_Ca | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 10:20 am     Sorry you guys -- I was away for the weekend. I've been checking out MountainZone.com for daily overview synopses of what's going on. Here's the URL: http://adventure.mountainzone.com/2002/ecochallenge/html/index.html Race updates can be found by clicking the drop-down menu above this preview article that says something like "Race Updates" I'm also getting daily updates from someone affiliated with the Montrail team -- do you guys have any interest in reading them here??? While they're Montrail-specific, they often give a good feel of what's going on at the race. |
Rissa | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 03:16 pm     Thanks Ryn, will check it out. I knew I had seen something but was too lazy to go look. LOL Update time: There has been some considerable shaking up of the top five in the last few hours, at last report they are: 1) Buff AXN (Spain) 2) GoLite (USA) 3) Air Pacific (Australia) 4) Mazda (South Africa) 5) Montrail (USA) Just a couple hours ago Montrail had slipped to 6th but have now regained their top 5 ranking. Schick Xtreme 3 from Canada has an American team shadowing their 12th place ranking but then looks like a 6 hour lead on the next team (if I am reading the data correctly). Kodak Water&Sport have just been disqualified!!!!! Not unranked but right out of competition it looks like. When I checked just a little while ago they were dead last but still in the game. Will try to find out what happened. Mad River now has the last place position but are only about 45 minutes behind the 2nd last team. |
Rissa | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 03:28 pm     Just reading the team's (Kodak Water/Sport) guestbook. Looks like Tove Christensen was either injured or took ill. |
Myjohnhenry | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 05:25 pm     Yankee...I would love to see the updates! If no one else wants to see them you could forward it to my email in my profile. *Edited to add thanks for the link!  |
Ryn | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 05:34 pm     Rankings ar ethe same as above, Buff is the only team to have cleared CP 9. The Schick teams time seems to be in-line now (13th place) - now whats odd is Earthlinks time which should put them in 4th but instead they are listed 9th. Also - cant load the text rankings. 13 DQ'd 12 Unranked. I think a team is DQ'd when they quit. Unranked teams have usually lost a memeber but are still continuing. So teams that have one member injured but continue on changed to Unranked. Teams that have a member injured and all quit are then showed as DQ'd. So my guess is the whole Kodak team called it quites with "Tove" was unable to continue. I recall them showing some teams last year in similar situations on the show. |
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