AR World Championship 2005
Place Your Bets
Susan McKenzie / 12.11.2005
\"A lot of people question the nature of a world championship,\" says race director Geoff Hunt. \"But to my mind this is the best lineup anywhere in the world. We have the strongest turnout of competition in the world this year. There are at least ten or eleven teams who could be world champions at the end of this week. It\'s all about racing on the day, how you feel, how the team feels, and there are some unknown teams who may have five or six great days and surprise everyone.\"
At the media briefing this morning, Hunt went through the list of teams, pointing out some of the teams he considers to be the stronger contenders.
\"In terms of Kiwi teams, Kathamandu won the race last year,\" Hunt began. (The 2004 Southern Traverse was also held on the West Coast, futher south around Hokitika.) \"But that team is a bit different this year, some new members, so you never know.\"
Hunt also pointed out Balance Vector, the team (formerly known as Seagate) captained by Nathan Fa\'avae. This is Fa\'avae\'s AR swansong, and his teammate Kristina Anglem is also taking a hiatus from the sport to concentrate on paddling for the New Zealand Olympic team.
\"Port Nelson did really well last year,\" says Hunt. \"And it was the only team I actually ran into while I was out scouting the course. I ran into them in a really remote part of the course about six-thirty one morning. They wanted to know where I was going and then followed me around all day because it was where they were going anyway. So they know that small section of the course really well.\"
\"Nike Balance Bar is wearing the number one bib,\" Hunt says, switching to the international teams. \"And it doesn\'t hurt that John Howard is doing support for them. Cross Sportswear finished just twenty seconds behind Nike in Newfoundland (at the 2004 ARWC) and if that race had gone another five kilometres they would have beaten then, so watch them. Then there is Merrell Wigwam Adventure, but it\'s kind of Kiwi with some members.\"
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