Team Sleep Costs Sponsors $1,000
Rob / 20.08.2003
Maybe it got to The North Face (USA) at the Outdoor Industry Challenge race, which ran alongside the first 2 and a half days of the 4 Winds USA Supreme. Or maybe they got complacent, or maybe they never had ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ read to them as kids ...
Because they took a 3 hour sleep right at the end of the race, and ended up sprinting for the line to catch the team from The Park City Chamber of Commerce. They lost by a few seconds, letting their rivals win the 4 person team category, and losing their sponsors $1,000.
It was all in a good cause though, the whole race had a competitive, but fun spirit, and the environmental charity ‘Leave No Trace’ was the beneficiary. Even so, the team are all elite athletes in their own fields and won’t have enjoyed the experience. Wille Benegas is a top rock climber, Dean Karnazes is a triathlete and multisport racer, Hilaree Nelson is a skier and mountaineer, and Tim Tweitmeyer a top ultra-distance and trail runner.
They took on a tough race, learnt that AR is about teamwork, and after 150 miles it came to a sprint finish. TNF were 3 hours up on their nearest rival 4 person team when they had to stop and sleep, and took a generous 3 hours, losing the lead. Even so it might not have been crucial as they raced hard to regain the lead, only to take a wrong turn quarter of a mile from the finish!
Someone turned them around and it became and all-out sprint for the line. The chain fell off on one of the Chamber of Commerce bikes but with no time to stop the rest of the team pulled their team mate over the line to win by one second! A breathless North Face team fell over the line a pace behind them.
Three teams in the pairs category did finish ahead of them, Teams Go-Lite and Outside Magazine raced together, crossing the line first for a joint win. Astonishingly, Outside\'s Karen Lundgren competed with her left arm in a cast, after breaking it last week! Team Destiny were third, so in the end TNF paid out $4000 to Leave No Trace, and their team found out what a tricky beast the SleepMonster is!
SleepMonsters
