2004 Adventure Racing World Championship, hosted by Raid the North Extreme
AR World Championship off to a fast, damp, foggy start
Susan McKenzie / 01.08.2004
Even before the race started, the AR World Championship hosted by Raid the North Extreme had already seen it all: the drive down to the start was somewhat rainy, fairly drizzly and very foggy. Not exactly the sunny start everyone was hoping for. So when the teams arrived at the start and it was overcast and just a bit hazy, there was no small measure of relief.
Teams began arriving at the start line shortly after seven am, and got to spend an hour on the buggy, muggy beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park near Burgeo on the southwest coast of Newfoundland.
“It’s so beautiful here, it makes me want to come back again for a vacation,� says Nike ACG/Balance bar’s Ian Adamson as he stares out over the ocean, watching the fog linger on the water. “I love this weather. It’s very atmospheric.�
This is Adamson’s second Raid the North Extreme in Newfoundland. In 2001, his team won the race.
“I hate this part - the start,� Adamson continues. “Well, really, I hate the part before the start.�
Up and down the beach, as the time for the start approached, teams make last minute adjustments: a quick check of the map, tightening straps, stretching muscles and re-tying shoelaces.
Jody Zwicky of Discovery/The North Face had two odd shoelaces to tie. Bad dancers, they say, have two left feet. Distracted adventure racers, it seems, can sometimes have two right feet.
“My shoes!� laughs Zwicky as she stands on the beach explaining her odd footwear. “I can’t believe it – I packed two right shoes in my gear!�
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