Coast to Coast Adventure Race
Wrapping Up: All Racers in and Happy
Jacqueline Windh / 07.03.2006
Wow, what an absolutely GREAT experience! The awards ceremony was last night, and it was a great evening. The Coast to Coast organizers are a warm, welcoming and fun group of people, and that whole way of being has affected all of the teams here. The evening started with a slide show (that I put together on my laptop on the long bus-ride back to town yesterday), and then there was a short prize ceremony. Each team was invited to tell a few stories of significant moments during the race, and we all shared some laughs with their stories.
Third-place BATTERY (CR) told us how they encountered fourth-place NEMO (USA) on the final hike. NEMO had overtaken BATTERY, and they wanted to maintain their lead – but they also wanted to go skinny-dipping in a beautiful pool in the Celeste River.
The guys from BATTERY had us bursting our sides with laughter as they recounted how they came over the hill to find the skinny-dipping Americans just ahead. They conversed about what they should do, and decided to continue along the route anyway. But then they were even more shocked when all the Americans did was just smile and wave. The captain of the winning team POZO AZUL, Franklin Chavarria also had us laughing with stories of their food experiences, and lack-of-food experiences – stories that are better not to repeat here.
I am really impressed with this race. Costa Rica is just a spectacular country, so the setting could not be better. But what I really like about this race is that it is open for racers with all different levels of experience. For serious and experienced teams, it is a hard-core, challenging and competitive race, through difficult terrain. But it is also appropriate for adventure racers with little or no expedition experience.
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