The Raid World Championships
Saab Salomon and Nokia Take Podium Places
Raid Reporters / 03.12.2004
Nokia Adventure, having overtaken the British team during the night trek with a draining drudge down the river in thigh-high water, arrived in second place, 3 hours 12 minutes behind the race winners. A penalty and support issues couldn’t impede the persistence and determination of this wonder-team led by the unwavering Petri Forsman.
“The final trek was steep and dangerous and we had trouble finding the path down so we had to go along the river,� he remarked. “I was very cold and I was worried about hypothermia.� The team was surprised to find themselves in 2nd place, thinking 5th or 6th would be more in keeping with their perceived race situation, but that didn’t stop them from affirming their true competitive nature: “Next year we’ll be back to win,� the team concurred.
Saab Salomon started their descent into purgatory when they had trouble finding the path out of CP40 and from that moment things only got worse. “We saved all our stupid mistakes for the end of the race and on this section in particular,� confided Jim Davies, “and we lost about three hours in all.�
“We were lost and I was feeling really very cold, “ Helen Jackson said, “so we all climbed into a tiny tent and huddled together to warm up. The guys were quite worried about me and, had things taken a turn for the worse, I could easily have been pulled with hypothermia.�
But the smiles were as broad as Ben Bardsley’s shoulders as the team thanked their support crew. They were delighted at not only having fulfilled their initial desire of “being in the race� but by having “been the race� for the best part of it.
SleepMonsters
