Raid Ukatak
Which Race Did You Run?
Leslie Quinton / 22.01.2003
Tuesday January 21st - 21:20The race organisers are going to have some difficult calculating to do at the end of this course. At least that’s what the racers reckon. The events of today have seriously changed the nature of this year’s race, with competitors taking very different routes and causing complicated results.
The lost team was released from the hospital early this evening and all are fine. It was Fredric Guay, the team captain, who fell into the river but he recovered well and it was Sandra Houle who had mild hypothermia after climbing the mountain to get a radio signal. The team only realised later the media uproar they had caused when they dominated the local and regional news reports. A national French-language television station even reported the risks adventure racers take are “unnecessary� and “sensationalist�, and wanted to know why racers don’t carry GPS equipment. The search for the missing team, combined with the extraordinary wind conditions, meant that the race was delayed for approximately 11 hours with teams held at the next checkpoint they reached.
However, three teams made it to CP 5 and were brought out to the nearest access point, l’Auberge des Hautes Gorges. The twelve racers even assisted in the search effort. These teams should still nominally be in the competition and it is now the organisers’ challenge to get them back into the race, since they’re all anxious to continue. Teams 5, 6 and 8 were brought back out to the race headquarters until further arrangements could be made. Team captain Andy Reif of Team Rage was itching to leave. “I understand we can’t get back on the course until the leaders have advanced but I’m afraid my body will go into recovery mode and then I won’t be in condition to race.� Eric Ashley, team captain of Eider VT, concurred. “We’d like to get out there and are just waiting for the signal.� Another problem to be resolved is that the three teams pulled off the race gave up a lot of their gear for the search parties and that will have to be replaced before they’re taken out on the course again, if they choose to go.See All Event Posts
