The word with TNF Kona

Rob / 09.10.2002

The day before he left for Fiji we spoke to Keith Byrne, captain of Team The North Face Kona. “I’ll be delighted when I can check in for the flight and relax�, he said. It’s a tough business just getting to Eco-Challenge, months of planning, team and sponsorship meetings, collecting all the gear, booking the flights etc. etc. It’s just one of the many areas of the race where experience counts. “I’ve been really anal about making sure the team are prepared and not rushing about at the last minute�, he added. “Pete James and especially Anna McCormack have reputations as desperate last minute packers, but I think are all well sorted out and we’ll arrive in Fiji with a few days to prepare ourselves.� Then he spoilt this aura of calm by continuing, “I’m glad Anna’s plane ticket turned up in the post this morning.�

The team are all well known to UK racers and TNF have been present just about everywhere at races this year in one form or another. Their team site lists some impressive results and you can read their individual profiles there, but here’s a quick recent form guide:

‘Stormin’ Norman Dunroy has been a regular racer in TNF red in 2002 and has chalked up a lot of wins and top positions, as well as surprising the mountain biking world by winning the Red Bull 24 hour Mountain Mayhem in impressive style. He’s a top class paddler too and is held some awe by other racers who know his quiet strength.

This is Anna McCormack’s first race with TNF in 2002, she’s gone for the big races this year, with most success at the Raid Gauloises in Vietnam, where she was 5th with the Anglo Finnish team Lapin Kulta and less at Primal Quest in the USA - where she was pulled out due to problems with asthma medication. She’s always wanted to race Eco-Challenge and this is her first crack at it.

Pete James has raced Eco-Challenge several times before, with a highest place of second (in Morocco) and captained 9feet.com to 7th last year in New Zealand. He is more used to being captain, but with so much experience in the team it’s more of a cooperative than a dictatorship. Pete’s was on good form in his recent race in Austria with Team Saab Salomon when they were 3rd, but earlier in the year he also pulled out of Primal Quest with severe dehydration.

Keith Byrne has previous Eco-Challenge experience with a TNF team in Borneo, along with ‘The 2 Steves’ and Naomi Spina (who is with Team XL-Lupus this time around). It didn’t work out too well with injuries to Steve Duffy* and Naomi, but Steve Watkins and Keith joined up with the remnants of a US team, made it to finish line, and achieved some notoriety as Team USUK (You Suck). Keith has been on several winning TNF teams this year but pulled out of the last ACE Race in mid September with a worrying leg injury – he says it’s fine now.

Asked what he thought their prospects and weaknesses were he said, “We’re aiming at a top 10 place which we think is realistic. As for weaknesses I guess it’s too much reliance on Pete’s navigation, we’ll have to take it off him whenever we can to give him a break. I guess the sun could be a factor too, both Pete and Anna are prone to dehydration – we’ll have to be careful out there and watch out for each other.

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