Winners in, A-Tek Out and TNF Still Going

Rob / 17.10.2002

It was 8.03am when Team Seagate.com NZ paddled ashore at the Nandi Sheraton Resort to win Eco-Challenge 2002. They were met by a throng of supporters, locals, media and the small army of walking wounded from retired teams, and it was probably the last group who cheered them loudest, as they best understand what the Kiwis have accomplished.

For captain Nathan Fa\'avae, and his team, Neil Jones, Kristina Penny Strode and Jeff Mitchell, it was a sweet victory after losing the last Eco on home ground in 2001. This time they were comfortably (if you can use that word for Eco-Challenge) ahead of Golite/Balance Bar, their nemesis last year. They only took the lead on the final paddling stages, but from then on were unchallenged and finished strongly. Looking back Fa’avae felt that it was the local hospitality that kept them going more than anything and said that as native South Pacific Islanders they felt a bond with the Fijians.

Some hours before the winners arrived the sad news came through that Team A-Tek had retired from the course. Lead by Gary Bullen the marines/police team had bravely stuck it out much longer than most, getting through PC6 on the ‘Trail of Fire’, but they could go no further. It’s possible they failed a cut-off but we don’t know for sure.

The chasing teams seem to have caught the worst of the weather in the worst possible place when heavy rains and storms hit the central highlands. The big waterfall rappel was closed down for a time as there was too much water and the conditions for jungle trekking and especially mountain biking, were made harder for the later teams. In part his explains why the lead pack got so far ahead, they’d pushed through before the bad weather. It’s also been confirmed now that all the unranked teams were cleared from the course, so effectively an injury to any one team member was the end of the race for all.

The conditions also affected TNF Kona, who are still going (now in 13th place) and have finally cleared the packrafting on the Ba river and moved onto the mountain biking and second ropes stages. Hopefully they can now move more quickly down to the coast at Soweni Beach, but there they will find the remaining challenge daunting, even though they are strong paddlers. It’s 40km out to Waya Island and when they get there they will have to coasteer around the shore, which took the winners a whole day. The good news is the planned snorkelling has been cut out of the course, and the weather is better with good sea conditions. Let’s hope there are no more stormy waters ahead for them in their race against time to complete the course.

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