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And they’re off!

Jacqueline Windh / 14.03.2007

Under the hot midday sun, the seven teams set out as a pack at a slow jog, heading northward along the beach from the sandspit.

They separated gradually, with Tico team Aditec ACB (formerly team Red Bull) first in, jogging the 6 km in about 40 minutes. Bones (USA) were 4 minutes behind, and Pura Vida (CR/USA) another minute after. Then came Thule (CR) and Dark Horse (USA), and after them, surprisingly, Aventuras de Sarapiquí (CR) a full 15 minutes after the leaders. Sarapiquí kept up a blistering pace in last year’s race, and their captain Pongo is probably the most experienced racer in this type of terrain. It will be interesting to see if this seemingly more relaxed attitude about the starting pace is a deliberate strategy given the intense heat.

As we left the bicycle transition, we could see the remaining team, “rookies� BCR, approaching down the beach. American paramedic/kayaker Gregg Berman and I hopped in a 4WD with race organizers to head up into the hills to Waypoint Box 1, at a communication tower 625 m above the beach.

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