The 2 Steves: Team TNF Kona close in on top ten

Nice Steve / 19.10.2002

Team The North Face Kona race on, now in 11th place, as 6 teams have crossed the finish line and Team Spie are not far off joining them. With Team TNF Kona out on their beloved ocean kayaking section, there is a real chance that they can catch at least two more teams ahead of them, the Brazilians and Subaru Canada, to gain the much coveted top ten position. They have performed a minor miracle to recover from their horrible start to the race when they were in 39th spot and knowing Keith, they will really have the bit between their teeth now for a final charge on the water.

It’s great to see the Kiwis gain revenge for last year’s narrow, last gasp defeat to Ian Adamson’s Go-Lite Balance Bar team, especially as Seagate.com NZ’s captain, Nathan Fa’ave, is one of the nicest guys on the adventure racing circuit and can do a mean Hakka! However, with so little information about the race coming direct from Eco-Challenge HQ, it was a bit annoying to see Mark Burnett using the official winner’s press release to waffle on about how bleedin’ rich he is after arriving in the US with only $600 in his pocket! I mean, surely nobody but him and his wife are even remotely interested in that but there are thousands of friends and family members of competitors (who have made him so rich) who would love to hear even the slightest snippet of how their teams are really doing. As usual there is only info on the top three teams and an occasional visit to the Playboy bunnies to reflect what has been a tortuous race full of drama, with 57 teams pulling out. Now the winners are home, the news from Eco HQ will get even scarcer. Out on the course, it is easy to know when the winners have finished because all of a sudden the TV helicopters stop buzzing over you every five minutes! Perhaps Burnett should dip into his overflowing pocket a little deeper to employ a few more web journalists.

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