Vail-Beaver Creek
21.4 miles/ 4607 feet climbing

Often, the last day of a stage race is a formality as the winning teams are usually decided long before the last stride is taken. The 2009 GORE-TEX TransRockies Run flipped that on is head with a dramatic last day which saw the leads on both the Open Men’s and Women’s races in serious jeopardy. The route for Stage 6 covered a gruelling 21.4 miles from Vail to Beaver Creek Resort and included over 4600 feet of climbing including a final last 700’ grunt up to the finish line in the exclusive surroundings of Beaver Creek Resort.

While the distances are not extreme for elite runners, the relentless pace and difficulty of the TransRockies Run course began to tell after five mostly hot and dusty days high in the Colorado Rockies. Team RunFlagstaff had been the dominant men’s team since Day 1 of the race but Robert Krar had begun to suffer from cramps and seizing in his hip and back and would have likely quit the race unless there was a lead to defend.

On stage 6, the hip flared up and he was forced to spend time on his back during the stage until it loosened up enough to continue. It didn’t help that the third-placed team, The Two Joes (Adam Campbell and Aaron Heidt) blazed away from the start line in a death or glory attempt to take the final stage. They dropped their last remaining competitors at checkpoint 1 and kept the throttle pinned to cross the finish line in 2:53:32, almost six minutes ahead of the second-placed Team Nike Rogue Valley Running and over 7 minutes ahead of Team RunFlagstaff who fought through the pain to hold onto their overall win. Near the end of the stage, Aaron Heidt asked his teammate Adam Campbell when he decided that they were going to run that hard on Stage 6: “Last night, but I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d say ‘no way’” was the answer. Continue Reading

The Freedom Riders Story
Gravnetic and KGB Productions and its partners for the film Freedom Riders, does not promote illegal trail building, rather we encourage riders to work with local land managers to create and promote sustainable trails.

Freedom Riders a core group of riders who evolved from covertly building rough and unsustainable trails, to creating a precedent setting relationship with the Forest Service and creating some of the best Freeride trails in the country.

Welcome to Freedom Riders a look at the evolution of the sport and the progression of trail building in this country. From its days as an activity reserved for the few who rebelled against the spandex clad status-quo, to the multimillion dollar, mainstream sport that it is today, see the true inside story on a group of riders that would never see their passion die.

They are the Freedom Riders…
On the morning of July 12, 2008 a large group of dedicated Mountain bikers gathered at the base of Teton Pass. Everyone was dressed to work and the atmosphere was festive. There were tents set up with food from local restaurants, soda, tools and fulfillment in the air. Representatives from the US Forest Service walked around and mingled with the riders. The mission for the day was to add a new massive dirt jump to Lithium–one of the handful of trails in the National Forest dedicated and with a purpose: sustaining the tail systems for downhill mountain biking.
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Red Cliff-Vail
23.4mi/ 4407ft climbing

The 2009 GORE-TEX TransRockies Run saves two epic stages for the end of the event and today, the participants took on the first of these, a 23.5 mile run from Red Cliff, up and through the legendary back bowls of Vail Mountain and then down into the village itself for the last race night of 2009. All told, runners would climb over 4400 feet iand reach an maximum elevation of over 11,700 feet while running through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rockies.

After four tough days on the trails, there was no let up as Stage 5 pitched up 3,000 feet over the course of 10 unrelenting miles of climbing. The top part of the climb consisted of a famous piece of singletrack called Bowman’s Shortcut famously used by soidiers at Camp Hale to access the nightlife in Minturn and Vail. Considering the steepness and difficulty of the terrain, it‘s a little humbling to think of soldiers crossing these passes in full winter gear just for a beer and a little entertainment.

If the course was tough, the conditions were perfect late summer Rocky Mountain alpine with crystal clear blue skies and warm temperatures, though the high altitude sunshine made the temperatures seem warmer than the thermometer showed.

The one universal of the TransRockies Run is that runners from front to back need to dig deep to get to the finish line. Stage 5 saw team throughout the field making huge efforts, whether to hold onto a top placing or just to get to the finish line. While they have been dominant throughout the race, Team RunFlagstaff show the complete effort put in every day—today both Robert Krar and Mike Smith were utterly spent after another stunning finish covering the 23.5 miles in 3:07:22 to stretch their overall lead to just over 22 minutes with only the final stage to go. In the Open Women’s race, Devon Crosby-Helms felt so bad at the start of the first climb that she was near tears thinking that the overall lead would slip away from her and her teammate Caitlin Smith. By checkpoint 2, they were over 8 minutes behind the the North Face Girls who were making a huge push to close the overall gap and take the leaders jerseys back. In the last 9 downhill miles to the finish, Crosby-Helms and Smith made a huge push to cut the gap in half, saving 9 minutes of their overall lead for the last run into Beaver Creek.

That level of commitment is displayed throughout—at TransRockies Run cameraman was shooting on top of a ridge and coaxed a participant into running for the camera when she stopped, she said “I ran 10 feet so you could film it, but it’s a good thing you didn’t see me 30 feet further back when I was throwing up.” She finished the stage.

There’s one more tough stage to go before runners can call themselves finishers. Stage 6 will cover 21.2 miles with over 4600 feet of climbing including a last 700 vertical foot grunt up to the finish line and closing ceremonies at Beaver Creek.

Photos by Dan Hudson

Camp Hale-Red Cliff
23.4 miles/ 4407ft climbing/ 4868 feet descending

It’s no secret that individual sports like ultrarunning attract personalities who are not only drawn to the solitary nature of the activity but also the ability to set goals and train individually. The team format of the TransRockies Run is nearly unique because it forces distance runners out of their comfort zone, adding teamwork to this most individual of pursuits. Runners who have different strengths must learn to co-operate and compensate different strengths and weaknesses or even how to work around one teammate’s bad day.

Each year, a new group of TransRockies Run first-timers quickly comes to enjoy the camaraderie that builds over the course of six days—not only between teammates but also between the teams who find themselves battling over and over as the stages unfold. The 2009 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run has not only seen the extra level of intensity that can build between evenly matched teams who find themselves fighting for place day after day, but also the true spirit of competition which is part of this same dynamic.

Stage 4 of the 2009 TransRockies was on the short and sharp end of the spectrum with a steep and brutal 2500 ft climb up from Camp Hale to Hornsilver Summit followed by a steep descent straight back down ending in the small town of Red Cliff. Though the climb was tough, the views from the top of the ridge are among the best in the Colorado Rockies and many runners no doubt will fill their scrapbooks with photos of the 360 degree vista that included views of famous 14ers like Mount of the Holy Cross, Mount Elbert and Mount Massive. Continue Reading

Leadville-Camp Hale (Nova Guides)
24.2 miles/2930 ft climbing

The weather in the Rockies can change in a flash, surprising in turn with its violence or beauty. After a cold, overcast day on Stage 2 which included heavy rain showers at the finish line in Leadville, Tuesday dawned clear with only a few clouds moving past the peaks of Mt Elbert and Mt. Massive which loom over the valley. Though the cold of a 10,000ft above sea level made layers a necessity as runners started lining up for breakfast at 6am, it was obvious that the air would heat up quickly and competitors came to the start line ready for a long hot day of running.

Luckily for the competitors, this stage, both the longest and highest of 2009, was mostly run on tree-shaded trails providing great conditions and beautiful surroundings for a long day of running. At more than 24 miles long, stage unlike Stage 2, the 3000 vertical feet of climbing was broken up into two gentle treed ascents to 11,000 feet and with a number of rolling climbs though gorgeous singletrack on the Colorado Trail. While it wasn’t the high point of the ride, runners had the rare chance to run over the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass which also provided a barrier against the storm cells which were running up and down the Leadville valley all afternoon. The rain and wind never managed to reach the runners either on the trail or relaxing afterwards at Nova Guides in historic Camp Hale. Continue Reading

We recently posted a video about the European Junior Championships IndoorCycling which looks quasi like synchronized biking but done so on one wheel and even one person standing on the other. Now…the below video shows a man riding his mountain bike without a front wheel. Like wheelie meets unicycling down the mountain. Very bizarre.

Vicksburg-Twin Lakes
10.1 miles/3098 feet climbing

There’s a well-polished chestnut of wisdom which goes “different courses for different horses”; meaning what suits one person won’t necessarily be right for the next one. Stage 2 of the 2009 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run proved that it still holds true with shake-ups at the top of the podium in three of the categories and winning gaps of less than 35 seconds in three divisions.

Stage 2 was a short sharp climb up over 3000 feet from Vicksburg to the peak of Hope Pass at nearly 12,600 feet above sea level before a steep and sometimes technical plunge into the hamlet of Twin Lakes. Though only 10 miles in length, the course would test runners with elevation, altitude, a cold river crossing and the possibility of severe weather above the tree line.

The briefing the night before the stage from medical staff was very clear in explaining the possibility of sudden weather changes and the need to carry full mandatory gear like jackets, hats and an emergency blanket. Through the clouds rolled in during the stage and rain came down heavily at times throughout the afternoon, runners were safely back at camp by the time the worst of the weather hit. Continue Reading

Defending champions, an attempt at the course record, new runners, and veteran runners created many questions and anticipation prior to the Leadville Trail 100 mile race. Race day, the talented group of athletes gave outstanding performances spawning lead changes throughout making the race nothing short of pure excitement. After an unfortunate drop-out by race leader, Anton Krupicka, at mile 70, the drama increased as first place was then up for grabs. After a few intense lead changes, Timmy Parr of Gunnison, CO overcame unimaginable terrain, unusual hot weather, altitude, and competition to take top finish at the 27th ‘Race Across the Sky’ in 17:27:23 (unofficial time). Nick Lewis, of Memphis, TN, took second place at his first ever 100 mile race in 17:44:26 (unofficial time). Vasque trail team member and returning champion, Duncan Callahan finished in 3rd place in 18:26:40. Vasque Product Manager, Brian Hall, also gave a strong performance at his first 100 mile race, and finished the course that travels along mountain roads, forest trails, and up to the 12,600ft summit of Hope Pass.

Callahan said of the event, “this was an incredible race. Tony is a true champion and I was bummed he had to drop out; I wish him a speedy recovery. Also; a huge congrats to Tim Parr for his victory; he truly came back from the dead, and I am in awe of his mental strength. It was a real battle out there, and I am honored to have been a part of it.”

Callahan ran the entire 100 miles in Vasque’s new trail runner, the Transistor, set to hit retail shelves next spring. “After running 100 miles on brutally varied terrain without even having to re-adjust my shoes, my feet are the only part of my body that does not hurt,” stated Callahan.

These top female finishers gave an amazing performance: Lynette Clemons of Leadville, CO (20:58:01), Jamie Donaldson of Littleton, CO (21:53:37) and Darcy Africa of Boulder, CO (21:55:22).

Callahan has had immense success this year. Already this season, the young athlete earned the top finish at the notable Moab 100, a third-place finish at the Sage Burner 50k as well as an impressive third-place finish in the Leadville Trail Marathon in July.

To learn more about Callahan, his race schedule, training, and race successes visit www.duncancallahanrunning.com

Photo by Rob O’Dea

Buena Vista-Railroad Bridge Campground
20.4 miles/2721 feet climbing

After all the training, packing and preparation that participants do in advance of the 2009 GORE-TEX TransRockies Run, the mixture of nerves and exuberance on display in at the start was completely understandable. Under clear Rocky Mountain skies, over 260 runners from 10 countries lined up at the start line in Buena Vista, Colorado for the third and largest edition yet of the TransRockies Run.

This year’s field not only included the largest number of runners but also the deepest and competitive elite field in a TransRockies Run. With trail legends like current Western States 100 Champions Hal Koerner and Anita Ortiz and superb runners like Nikki Kimball, Devon Crosby-Helms, Kami Semick, Adam Chase Mr. Ultramarathon himself Dean Karnazes, there was going to be a lot of pace and power at the front of the field.

Today, though, the trail running star power on hand gave way to the speedy duo of Robert Krar and Mike Smith of RunFlagstaff who laid the law down early in stage 1. They grabbed the lead on the long first climb out of Buena Vista to the day’s high point at 9329 feet and never looked back. By the top, they had stretched their lead out to a minute over the chasing Team Nike/Rogue Valley Runners duo of Hal Koerner and Andy Martin who continued to pursue them closely through the first two checkpoints. RunFlagstaff’s lead continued to grow on the sandy singletrack between CP 2 and 3. They put their sub-2:20 marathon speed to use on the run-in to the finish along a hard-packed converted railbed, blowing the gap open and finishing the stage in a smoking time of 2:27:19, more than 3 ½ minutes ahead of Koerner and Martin who crossed the line in 2:50:52. The Salomon Canada duo of Phil Villeneuve and Gavin Hamilton ran a steady, smart and obviously fast race to grab third place and a spot the podium.
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Thanks to Kraig Becker for this most recent update on the Primal Quest Badlands site. Since the race started last weekend….Kraig and the PQ media crew have been keeping us in the loop with up to date information on the race. We will post the final standings tomorrow when they become available. Congrats to all that have competed in the longest expedition adventure race in North America.

Over the past 24-hours there has been a lot of speculation and questions regarding the final placement of the top five teams in Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT. Determining that final order is not as simple as who came across the finish line first, as a lot of factors need to be weighed into the equation, including any time credits earned or penalties incurred, and the number of orienteering points found while on the course. Each of these is added or subtracted from a team’s final time total to determine who will be named the Primal Quest champion.

For the past day and a half, the Primal Quest race jury has worked long and hard to factor in all of this information to determine what the final order of finish will be for the top five teams, and while the results are not official until the race ends at 12 PM local time tomorrow, that order should look like this:

1. OrionHealth.com
2. Salomon / Crested Butte
3. Merrell/Zanfel Adventure
4. Bones
5. WEDALI

Congratulations to these five teams for completing the longest adventure race ever held in North America. The grueling 600 mile course through the Black Hills and Badlands was designed to test your skills and determination, and it is safe to say that you passed that test with flying colors.

Comeback after the race officially ends to see the final order of all the teams that competed in Primal Quest Badlands.

An amazing field of talent is assembled on the team list for the 2009 Adventure Racing World Championships in Portugal this November. Adventure racing luminaries such as OrionHealth (fresh off their impressive victory at PrimalQuest Badlands and the defending 2008 AR World Champions), Quechua (a very strong European team), Lundhags Adventure (a Scandinavian force to be reckoned with), and Blackheart (a top Australian team) jump out at you . . . but there are also some fantastic teams from North America that are going to join the party!

ATP-Salomon, fresh off their victory in North America’s Qualifying race Untamed New England 2009, will be representing Canada and the USA at the World Championships (their team is composed of racers from both nations). Team Kinetic will also be there from Canada. The eastern United States has a couple dynamite teams joining the fun in Portugal, with NYARA and Berlin Bike also earning entrance into the World Championships based on their performance at the New England race. From the West Coast, Team Sole and nuun-FeedTheMachine will also be racing, bumping up the participation of North American teams to a significant level. Add to this mix the organization team, Untamed New England, and the tally comes to 7 teams from the USA and Canada! I don’t have the complete rosters for all the World Championship events through the years, but I suspect that the last time so many teams from North America participated in the World Championships was when the race was held in Canada . . . back in 2004. The 2009 Adventure Racing World Championships begin on Sunday Nov 8th, from Portugal’s beautiful Estoril Coast on the Atlantic Ocean. In the intervening 10 weeks, we’ll take a closer look at the teams representing North America in this race and delve into some of the history behind the AR World Championship.

Third stage started Wednesday afternoon, with 40 km long canoeing section. The only trouble was a few kilometers from the start, where teams had to get their canoes over dam of the Jesenice Lake. This showed how teams are able to cooperate. Some teams waited for each other and pulled the canoe in all four. But in some teams first canoe left and second had problems. There were no problems on this leg, but it created differences over 12 hours between the teams.

Following section of the third and longest stage was 80 km of walk. It was really challenging. Teams complained about heat, dehydration, and fact, that most of it was on asphalt roads. During the day, it was over 30 degrees centigrade. This all took its toll. Seven teams had withdrawn during this stage or immediately after it. And it is very likely that teams remaining there until second night will follow.

During this stage, Swedish team SVECO managed to get back to the second place, as they were walking really fast. Czech AlpinePro/Nutrend/Merida made a navigational error, and lost a lot of time. But they were able to get back to the third place. But Ukrainian OS-Direct were just incredible. They had beaten all the expectations of the organizers. In the second half of the stage they sped up and they gained and advantage of two hours.

After a boring trekking stage, biking leg was a lunapark ride. There was special task on almost every CP. But teams did not take time to enjoy them, sometimes times for special tasks were less than 10 minutes.

First special task was horse riding. Teams followed to natural swimming pool Michal, where iceberg awaited them. Next CP was on castle Vildstejn and teams had to locate several CPs in the castle. From there racers moved to Goethes rocsks named after the famous poet and then they continued to the Marktredwitz, Germany.

Ukrainans continued in their fast ride, and managed all this in 8 hours. It was supposed to be 100 km, but guys from AlpinePro claimed they rode 150 km. No one knows how Ukrainians made it. From Markterdwitz, another trek followed. This time only 20 km. At this time, it was clear Ukrainians will win, and Swedes pushed hard to secure second place.

Another biking stage followed, that led teams first to Bad Alexandersbad with rock labyrinth. It showed harder than anybody supposed it to be. Teams had to locate 6 CPs inside the labyrinth. But it was 4 km long, and first team arrived at night. Ukrainians arrived at night and complained later, it would be huge advantage for teams arriving during the day.

From there, teams continued to the skating section around Weisenstadt lake, and then back to the Czech Republic. Penultimate discipline was rope traverse over the Slapany quarry. At one point, racers had to leave the traverse and abseil to the water.

Last discipline was in the camp and it was diving. Racers had to locate chemical light two meters deep in the water. It was mainly so that they reached the finish line clean.In line with all the expectations Ukrainian-Russian team crossed the finish line first at 9:30 a.m. Symbolically it was on August 21, on 41st anniversary of Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. But this could not cause any bad blood between Ukrainians and Czechs. Second to finish were Swedes with huge, six hours, gap.

Long waiting followed. The next two teams: AlpinePro/Nutrend/Merida and Chick n’ run (mixed Czech-Finish), had locating CPs in labyrinth. After hours of futile search, they found out, controls falled from the rocks to the ground and were not visible. Meanwhile they joined in the search and finally decided to finish together, as there was nobody in front of them and nobody long behind them. While they were upset (said in polite words) at the labyrinth, they were already reconciled with their fate and they crossed the finish line together shortly after 9 p.m. as one big team with smiles on their faces.

Adam Chase will be competing in the TransRockies Run on August 23-28. On this 6-day stage race through the Colorado Rockies, up to 150 teams of two will cover 113 miles in this spectacular running experience. The TransRockies Run will take teams from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road with nearly 25,000 feet of elevation gain (reaching altitudes of over 12,500 feet). Adam has given us his 6-tips for running/preparing for such an event.

1. Stage races like TransRockies Run, Coastal Challenge, Rock and Ice Ultra, the Himalayan 100, or the Trans-Alpine Run are all about recovery. The daily legs are short enough that you can actually run them relatively hard. To succeed at an event like this you need to be able to hit each run with vigor and that means not trashing your legs. Or, if you do push it and are sore, which will likely be the case, it is about soaking in cold water – which is easy to do at TransRockies, as there are plenty of running streams with wicked cold water – eating well soon after finishing, hydrating, relaxing with compression clothing on and elevated legs.

2. Training for the stress of multiple long runs is best accomplished by brick sessions where you hit it hard on a Saturday and then turn around on Sunday and go long again and then, instead of going light on Monday, you tack on a third session just to get your body used to the feeling of running sore and tired. That really pays off when the race comes around and you’ve racked up weeks of that kind of training. Continue Reading

Patagonia Fleece Hoody… Not enough technical hoodies out there, but when the wind starts kicking up, or you`re relaxing after a day of skiing what you´re really looking for is a hoody.

Patagonia has really done a great job designing clothing with layering mind, this hoody is close fitting, stretchable, wickable, breathable and comfortable.

Perfect mid layer, thumb slots for style, comfort, and keep sleeves in place when putting on/taking off other layers. This is especially nice for adventure racers who have to change clothes quickly at checkpoints, etc.

Square fleece pattern allows for more breatheability than you´d normally find in a fleece, making it comfortable in a much wider difference of temperature and conditions. Also, the grid pattern allows the fleece to dry out quicker and compresses more in your pack.

Balaclava style hood fits snug, allowing you to comfortably put a helmet over, or even another hood for extra warmth. Chest pocket comes in handy. And partial zip pullover makes it easy to get on/off and to offer better ventilation.
Also, snug fitting around the waist which keeps the sweater from bunching or moving around.

The majority of the materials used comes from recycled materials and it is recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program

This short clip has team members reflecting about their time on the course at PQ Badlands. Don Mann (Primal Quest Director), Travis Macy (Team Salomon/Crested Butte) and others discuss the magnitude of the race and some of the highlights of the event.

The 2009 GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run is sold out. A total of 250 teams of two coming from 27 nations have registered for the eight days lasting stage race across the Alps which will take place from September 5th, 2009, to September 12th. The event will kick off in Oberstdorf on Saturday in two weeks at 10 AM. From there on, the routing leads the 500 participants, of which 185 runners have Transalpine-Run experience including twelve athletes starting for the fifth time, on the west course over 240 kilometres and more than 15,000 metres of elevation gain to Italy. The field will cross Austria and Switzerland on its way to Latsch im Vinschgau where the fifth edition of the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run will wrap up.

We highly anticipated a late night/early morning arrival last night when we posted about Team OrionHealth.com’s position in relation to the finish line. However, due to some navigational errors…it was actually later on Thursday when they finally crossed the finish line. And following in succession after them came Team Salomon/Crested Butte and Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure. More teams will continue to migrate towards the finish line in the coming days. Congrats to the first three finishers.

Team OrionHealth.com

Team Salomon/Crested Butte

Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure

Primal Quest Badlands is the 6th installment of the expedition adventure race. Founded in 2001, the adventure race has been dubbed the “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.” Its goal was to bring a world-class, multi-sport expedition race to the North American continent. Each race lasts up to 10 days with the top teams finishing in 5-6 days. Each team is required to be co-ed and have four members.

The past events include the following years and locations:

2002: Telluride, Colorado
2003: Lake Tahoe, California
2004: San Juan Islands, Washington
2006: Moab, Utah
2008: Big Sky, Montana

Below you will find a short summary of each event along with a link to view a video clip from that event.

2002

The first Primal Quest (Subaru Primal Quest) was held in 2002 in the Telluride, Colorado area. Sixty-two from 8 countries competed in this inaugural event that was approximately 250 miles of biking trekking, fixed ropes, kayaking and mountain biking. This first event had a large prize purse of $250,000 for teams from 1st – 15th place. The winning team, SoBe/Smartwool, was comprised of Mike Kloser, Michael Tobin, Danelle Ballangee (all 3 from the US) and Steve Gurney (NZ) and they crossed the finish line in a little over 3 days. SoBe /Smartwool became Nike ACG/Balance Bar in 2003.

1. SoBe/Smartwool
2. Team Montrail
3. Team Golite

Primal Quest Telluride video

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Surly has been able to fill a gaping niche in the biking community, offering bikes that you didn´t even realize you dreamed about. From the Pugsley with 4″ tires that lets you ride in the snow/sand or race in the Ultrasport 350, to the Travelers Check with special couplers that allow it to collapse into a nice little case so you can check it in on an airplane without paying extra. And of course, the Big Dummy, a sport-utility bicycle allowing you to carry everything from groceries, to a keg, or equipment for a self-supported cross continental bike tour.

I stopped by their blog the other day and between the post about eating crickets and machine gun toting bike shop owners in Philadelphia was an epic adventure trip. Alpaca Raft, Travelers Check, bags from Epic Designs all head to the Minnesota River. Stoked to see how clean it all packs onto the bike. Check out the photos and story:

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Primal Quest River Director Josh Galt discusses some of the challenges that teams faced swimming and paddling the designated course at this year’s event. Wind, no wind, dark and other factors have shown why adventure racing is not predictable.

Image courtesy of Primal Quest

Czech Adventure Race, the toughest race in the Czech Republic, started Wednesday in Cheb. The route is 360 km long and expected time of the winner is 75 hours. The first stage was just a prologue. Five km of city orienteering was not hard and teams arrived a couple of minutes from each other. First three teams, Tilak, AlpinePro and Swedish SWECO, arrived together, fighting for a single punch. They set of for the next stage quickly.

Short run to the start of skating stage followed. Fastest teams run, slower only walked, which created huge gap between first and last team. After this, skating section followed, during which teams had to overcome artificial obstacle. Some teams jumped it in a high speed, while others have stopped and carefully got over it.

From the skating section, teams continued to a bridge, where ropes ascent and descent was to take place. Most teams did not have any problem, as it was only thirteen meters high, but Swedish team had some difficulties. From the third place they dropped to the fourth place from the first.

Next stage was walking in the direction of the TA. It was about 13 kilometers. On this trek one member of each team had to wade to a little island. On the next CP, every team received one canoe. Two people had to swim, two paddled. It was soon clear that paddling is much faster for most people. In some teams, people in canoe almost did not paddle at all.

Teams arrived to TA in following order: Tilak first, Ukrainians second and AlpinePro/Nutrend/Merida third. Tilak however needed a very long time to change. They also had to return to their cabin for paddles, which they have forgotten. On the other hand Ukrainians continued with no delay, and even third AlpinePro overtook them.

Teams are now on 40 km paddling stage. You can follow progress of the race live on www.adventurerace.cz, including video report.

Report and pics courtesy of Jan Smolik/Czech Adventure Race

Word from Primal Quest HQ is that Team OrionHealth.com may finish tonight around 11pm or 12 midnight. These are rough estimates based on time trials — they may come in ahead or behind them — but the team is undoubtedly on the home stretch as they set out on the final 112 mile bike ride to the finish.

Update by Frances Fisher

Photo by Wouter Kingma