Racing to Get to the Prize Giving

XPD Australia

Racing to Get to the Prize Giving

Geoff Hunt (AR World Series Director) / 28.05.2010

Several teams came in during the night and are now somewhere in the hotel and out of sight. These four finished close together.

'Aberdeen Australia' came in 5 minutes ahead (22:40)of French team W'enger-Nam-Easy-Implants' at 22:45. After midnight 'OspreyPacks/nitelights.co.nz' (NZ) came in just ahead (00:30) of 'BMX Bandits' (Aust) at 00:35.

A quick chat to one of the French team as he tottered on very swollen feet revealed that they they found the last walk across the suburbs of Cairns as extremely hard. With feet swollen from days of walking and perhaps a little poisoned by the multiple pin pricks from the speargrass.

The tough walk across the city was confirmed by the Dirty Avocados Adventure racers - that is before they fell asleep in mid-sentence. I left them sitting in the lounge chairs with their heads nodding.

The race presentation and party is tonight so they will need to have some sleep now if they do not want to be asleep on their plates. It will be even harder for the teams who are still out on the hills.

'Mawson' I think they have had a nightmare time up there, and seem to have been going around in circles. They are now near Lake Morris with 'Wild Prawns', on the homeward stretch, i.e. past the difficult navigation area. Still in the forest, but almost out are 'Macpac Girls on Top', 'Goldfish', 'Yogi Bears' and 'Team 4 Cancer'. These teams will struggle to get to the finish line before the party begins.

Unranked teams still on the course include 'Outward Bound Australia' and 'Latitude 19'.

All these teams face the descent from the Danbulla/Dinden National Parks, the descent down off the tablelands via Crystal Cascades (CP25) and then a torturous slog on bitumen across Cairns city to reach Rydges on the Esplanade (CP27 and finish).

<b>Added later;</b>

The 'finish line' has been busy the last hour with team arrivals - 'Dash' and 'Macpac Girls on Top' looking good, and then 'The Wild Prawns' - just an hour before prize giving starts. [There still appears to be three teams on course although the Spot transmission are all old.]See All Event Posts