Eco-Challenge
Byrne\'s Eco. Losing your shirt in the jungle.
Keith Byrne / 07.11.2002
Was the race what you expected?
Not at all, I expected a shorter race with a lot more paddling and a lot less trekking. Pete had flights booked assuming we would finish in about six days so a ten-day race was well outside our thinking.
I thought there might be a Mark Burnett backlash after the sterile race in NZ but not as much as it turned out.
Was the change to a longer expedition-style race a good move?
I think Mark Burnett went home quite pleased that he had reinforced the stature of the Eco-Challenge. The longer race was great for the experienced racers but certainly caught out the rookie teams. The distance between checkpoints meant that at times it was difficult to really feel like you were in a race due to lack of information on other teams around you.
The longer race also meant that teams suffering with problems had time to get people well again and get back into the race, something that might not have happened in a shorter race.
What was the best moment?
The inflatable single person kayaks (packrafts) were a welcome rest for the feet and the top section of the rapids challenging enough to be fun.
What was the worst moment?
On day nine we were racing head to head with Subaru USA for ninth spot in amazing heat. The pace was pretty intense and eventually the heat got to me and that feeling of death came over me. Felt like I’d let the guys down as we were going so well.
Luckily with their help we made it through to the next checkpoint before a cold shower got me back on track.
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