Explore Sweden

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The Final Countdown

Explore Sweden / 13.05.2005

The countdown has begun! The teams arrived late last night at the race start in Kittelfjäll. A chilly wind greeted the sleepy racers as they stepped out from the bus and went straight to bed at the hotel. But this morning a bright sun from a blue sky woke them up to a new day full of pre race preparations.

Volunteers and staff have also worked hard all day to get everything ready for the big day tomorrow. Tracking down lost bags at airports all over Europe is one thing that has needed to be taken care of. One racer from an American team has lost all of his gear, as well as a Swiss team that has lost all of their skis.

Right now it looks like the gear will be found and transported to the race location late tonight, but of course the racers are nervous. It’s not easy to compete in an adventure race without a bike, skis and all the other mandatory equipment. And you also need some time to prepare it, so it’s not helpful if it comes at the last minute.

All day long racers have gone through mandatory gear checks, skill checks of how to use mountaineering equipment and water safety checks. Medical check, race photos and registration are also things that have been taken care of. Everything to make the race as safe as possible.

The weather has been on our side today, with a warm sun and a light breeze. According to the mountaineering crew the conditions in the mountains are great, with 20 centimeters of fresh snow from last night. Great views await the racers if the weather stays like this during the race. Even though the sun is up it is quite cold, and the cold will probably be one of the hardest things to battle for the racers.

Team Nokia, last years winners and this year competing under the name Flying Finns, have withdrawn from the race at the last minute due to injuries to Petri Forsman and Joka Pinnola.See All Event Posts