Eco-Challenge
The Race Begins
Rob / 11.10.2002
And there are a few surprises which may account for some of the fancied teams being down the leaderborad at PC1 – which is the only information available on the race web site hours after the start. (No start details or reports at all - very frustrating for all those watching.)
However, we do have some idea what is going on. To start with the set off with a full day ahead of them, but after a rough night on the road. It was a 9am local time start (not the 6am The North Face Kona and ourselves were expecting), but that was largely on account of a much longer than expected, and gruelling, 8 hour bus ride to the village of Navucini. They did drive right across the island to the capital Suva, as we thought, but then continued into the highlands for another 3 hours, to the tiny starting village to be met by a mass gathering of island chiefs.
After carrying the torches used in the opening ceremony to the start line they set off into the highlands and away from the sea. It looks like the sea paddling will come at the end as the route up to CP11 is through the highland interior of the main island - Vitu Levu. The teams don\'t know that yet though!
That\'s because they set off without a route book or a map! All they were given were ‘treasure maps’, sketches to guide them through the jungle to CP1 – where they’ll get more instructions - maybe. The Indiana Jones stuff will continue though – they’ll have to build a local bamboo raft (a bili-bili) at CP1 and beyond that the ‘treasure map’ shows a carving with clues to tell them their way on towards CP2. It’s a ‘Boys Own’ adventure and there will be a few frustrated world class orienteers out there with their treasure maps!
SleepMonsters
