Subaru Primal Quest
Nike ACG/Balance Bar Paddle Towards Victory (& $100,000)
Gordon Wright (SPQ) / 10.09.2003
Though Team Seagate.com was only two hours behind Nike through much of the day, they are racing along knowing full well that they will serve a six-hour time penalty at an undisclosed location in the near future.
Teams PARALLAX and AROC are expected to duel for second place, unless they incur penalties as well. Seagate put-in for the white water paddling at Chilli Bar in fifth place on Monday morning – but made up significant time with a clever navigation decision, portaging their kayaks around a long flat water section.
The team was so excited about being so close to the leaders, though, that they then rushed out of TA8 at Rattlesnake Bar and hiked furiously to catch up. Two hours into their trek toward CP22 in Auburn, they found it strange that they were in a residential neighbourhood. So, they pulled out their rules of travel and realised that they’d been hiking on a forbidden road.
Though their GPS devices would prove the blunder - to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind, race directors Dan Barger and Maria Burton happened to drive by the dejected racers soon after. “It obviously wasn’t intentional,� Burton said. “They were walking with their heads down and were really disappointed at their mistake. But they’re still going hard to stay in contention. They could still pull off a top-five finish.�
At 10:15 p.m. Monday night, then-fifth-place Montrail withdrew upon reaching CP22, as Justin Wadsworth, who had been suffering from acute tendonitis in his legs for the past couple days, could no longer continue. The team began the day in fourth place - only an hour behind the leaders - but when they came off the water at CP21, the team had dropped to fifth and Wadsworth could barely stand.
After being treated by medical staff for some time, Wadsworth - the Olympic skier who replaced Shane Sigle of last year’s second-place team - decided to continue on. By the time they reached the next CP, however, the team realized that there was no way he would be able to complete the arduous 44-mile trek.
At the put-in early yesterday morning, Wadsworth growled in pain when putting his shoes on before the paddle. A crew member had to give him a 200-yard piggy-back ride from the team's trailer to the river. I’m looking forward to just sitting on the boat and resting (my legs),� he had said at the time. “It should be pretty nice for a change. I’ve been on them all race.�
As teams work their way through the gruelling 457-mile course, the elevation and difficult terrain will continue to take their toll on the field. While the prize money winners trickle into the finish, those teams at the back of the pack are fighting to reach the white water put-in by noon Wednesday. Those who do not make it will be re-routed onto a short course.
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