New Balance BEAST of the EAST
Who\'s Who - A Look at the Teams
Rob Howard / 14.11.2004
There’s a mixture of talent, age, and experience at this year’s race. There are competitors in their first multi-day event, and others who have raced all over the world in big time races like Eco-Challenge. Some are in their first season, others are veteran racers and Odyssey Academy instructors. There is a good local entry, with a few teams from Tennessee, but others have come from the U.K., Guatemala and Canada, and many of the 4 person teams have noted their ambition to race in New Zealand. The race for a place in next year’s World Championships gives this category a much sharper edge, and there as twice as many competitors in teams as there are racing in pairs or solo.
The team category is wide open too. All 12 entries are mixed teams, and so would qualify for the World Champs, and several took part in this year’s race in Newfoundland. Of these, the UK team Aberdeen Asset Management got the best position, finishing in 10th, and they’ve placed 5th at Southern Traverse and 2nd in Adrenalin Rush. They are aiming for a win this time, but know some of their opposition will have the advantage of local knowledge.
At the World Championships they were only one place ahead of the Canadian team Simon River Sports, who’ve notched up regular podium positions in Raid the North events and a second at this year’s Appalachian Extreme in their two years together. They say they race for fun, but have more fun if they go fast!
Hooked on the Outdoors were racing in Newfoundland too, finishing 20th, but their most recent race was their best result, a first at the USARA National Championships two weeks ago! The team, who are sponsored by Hooked on the Outdoors Magazine, will now be coming into the Beast full of confidence. On their SleepMonsters team site they’ve already listed the 2005 AR World Champs as an upcoming race in their calendar!
Also putting in a strong performance at the USARA finals, which this race is a qualifier for as well, were Gateway Adventure/Alpine Shop who finished 4th. It was a great result for the relatively inexperienced Missouri team led by Jason Coleman and they too will be confident.See All Event Posts
