Desafios de Los Volcanoes
Big Bear Make a Come Back at Desafio de los Volcanes
Heather Salzer / 17.02.2006
The team was one of only 2 teams representing the United States among the field of 50 teams from 12 countries. Heather Salzer and Ted Devito of Big Bear Adventure Racing teamed up with Aaron Rinn and Roger Michel of Team Mergeo.com, a Seattle team. The beauty of the Chilean landscapes and the grandeur of the volcanoes there amazed the athletes, but the odds seemed stacked against them. Heather and Ted met Roger for the first time in the Atlanta international airport on the way to the race. Neither Ted nor Roger had ever finished an expedition length race before, and the team did not speak the local language fluently. Team Big Bear’s goal was just to finish, but they held high hopes.
The race started with a 65km paddle, taking teams from the Pacific Ocean inland until the stream was only 5 meters wide! The last kilometer included some small but tricky rapids that capsized one of their boats. On to bikes next and Big Bear found themselves moving slower than most teams during the daytime heat. After a big setback learning to deal with very out-of-date maps and complicated Spanish instructions, the team found itself in 36th place on day two.
Later in the race though, as many teams felt the toll of the distance and heat, the team worked together like old pros and grew stronger. Solid paddling skills and a steady pace on foot reeled in team after team until they reached 11th place. Too bad it had to end after only 5 days! See All Event Posts
