the Adventure Lifestyle magazine

Adventure racers battle it out in tropical bliss Team Montrail stormed into the tiny Fijian village of Namuamua in the lead. Even with Team Spie hot on their heels, Montrail's captain Rebecca Rusch made the decision to stop-and shop. The traditional Fijian sulu. or sarong. fulfilled two needs for Rusch and her team- mates: It's Fijian custom for both men and women to cover their knees when traveling through a village and Rusch was eager to trade in her soiled Lycra shorts for the dry, airy sulu. "It will be the first adventure race done in a skirt." Rusch joked as she wrapped the thin fabric around her waist. Known as one of the most difficult adventure races on the circuit, this year's Eco- Challenge attracted 81 international teams to the Fijian island of Viti Levu. Although the Eco- Challenge always incorporates local cultures in their competitions, the race held last October represented a new level of connection with the host country. On the first day, competitors emerged from a dense jungle trek to find piles of bam- boo and twine. Their challenge: to build a traditional Fijian raft called a bilibili for the 25-mile river leg. The villagers smiled and giggled quietly as teams fumbled with machetes. Most of the elite teams were too focused to think about asking the onlookers for assistance. but some teams in the middle of the pack were wise enough to enlist their expertise. Soon racers worked hurriedly alongside villagers. The Fijians seemed honored to be involved and the teams were indebted to them for help building river-worthy bilibilis. Race organizers had taken advantage of Fiji's remote interior and dense rainforests to create what is widely considered by competitors to be the toughest navigational challenge in the race's nine-year history. With fewer checkpoints to keep racers on track. some teams went unaccounted for up to 30 hours at a time. A handful of teams even hired villagers to guide them through the most difficult navigation sections. The leading team crossed the finish line with a time of six days 23 hours. Only nine other teams completed the race-making it the lowest finishing rate in Eco-Challenge histo- ry. "This would definitely have to be the toughest race that I've ever done." says Kristina Penny Strode of Team Seagate.com. "You're pulling yourself through mud, which is caked to your body and your gear, so everything weighs much more. The resistance is massive; lifting your legs up then being sucked right down past your knees." In an effort to thank the Fijians for the mighty challenge their island provided. Eco- Challenge organized a book drive and distributed more than a hundred boxes of books to the children in 118 villages along the racecourse. As the race moved through the countryside, race physicians provided free medical care for villagers. In terms of the almighty dollar, Eco-Challenge employed 50 Fijians for up to eight weeks, performing jobs such as river guides, security, drivers, and porters and race organizers spent more than $2 million in the local economy. Despite expressing happiness that the race would bring global attention to their country, the Fijian people weren't too sure what to think about Eco-Challenge competitors ALSO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF FIJI'S do they leave their families and REMOTE INTERIOR AND DENSE c~me to the interior of Fiji?" asked WIDELY CONSIDERED BY COMPETITORS TO BE THE TOUGHEST NAVIGATIONAL CHALLENGE IN THE RACE'S NINE-YEAR HISTORY." ECO-CHALLENGE FIJI WILL BE AIRED APRIL 21 TO 25 ON USA NETWORK. "RACE ORGANIZERS ~acing day and night for t~n days. Why do they want to do thiS? Why RAINFORESTS TO CREATE WHAT IS in .Pacific H~rbor. "I call this kind of thing crazy. -Mark Anders Nllesh Prasad, a local shopkeeper 19

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