XPD 3rd Edition
Jostling for the finishers couch – peak hour at happy hour
Lysanne de Graaf / 28.08.2007
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The couch has had a workout today with eight teams completing XPD 2007.
Team 75 Norsewear have taken third place after completing the elite length Leg 12 trek. While arriving at the finishers couch later in the day than other teams, their third placing was already secure - they were too quick through the mid-trek checkpoint to be advised of the route change!
As the top three teams took 28 to 38 hours to complete the final trek, course organisers made the decision yesterday to amend the route and eliminate a checkpoint on the leg, bringing it in line with the intended time. While the distance was not shortened significantly, the route will now see teams bypass an exposed and rocky section that had made navigation difficult for earlier teams.
This amendment does not eliminate all Leg 12 navigation challenges as team 20 Adrenalin Adventure TerraX still spent a good number of hours lost before the midpoint. This caused much concern for HQ and SAR teams overnight and early this morning until they arrived at that midway checkpoint later in the morning.
Third over the finishing line at 0939, team 64 DART-nuun were all compliments and enthusiasm about their XPD experience and professionalism of the event. Loving the diversity and uniqueness of the course they are already looking forward to the next XPD.
Team 22 KEEN TORQers took to the couch at 14.47 with infectious happy energy. The team were in great spirits and were thrilled with their first ever expedition efforts, particularly as two of the team had never adventure raced before! They attributed their success to great team care and communication, frequent and regular drinking and eating and the ability to channel challenges into uplifting rhyme.
Happy hour at HQ ensured a healthy crowd was around to cheer in the next 5 teams, arriving within the space of 78 minutes. Couch time was short and sweet as not much time separated the teams:
20 Adrenalin Adventure TerraX @ 1943
13 Pigs Might Fly @ 2000
32 Nga Rakau Pro-4 Orca @ 2012
26 R&R Dunedin NZ @ 2014
8 We Only AR for Junk Food! @ 2101 (unranked)
The next three teams are expected to finish XPD 2007 in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
SleepMonsters
