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A Stormy Start

Reunion d\'Aventures / 16.09.2003

A tropical rain storm greeted the Réunion d’Aventures on its first day. It rained cats and dogs, but not for long. \"Three, Two, One ...Go!\" At 0700 Gérard Fusil released the 60 competitors and they started the day on their roller blades, on roads made slick by the rain.

Seven kilometers later, the two leading teams, Spie The North Face and Wilsa Sport Eider, showed up on a magnificent suspension bridge, far ahead of the others. The second team got to the bridge only after 30 minutes and this pair had really put a huge gap between themselves and the rest of the pack.

Changing between running and roller skating, the teams went up and down on the road, or down next to the sea for coasteering. Disappearing in the rocks whipped by the waves, some of them hardly managed to find their way to CP1. Kinesium where bemoaning their luck while putting on their roller blades. They went too far, and then had to retrace their steps one kilometer.

Still, they are doing well. Although they got a little bit lost, they still rank among the first 5 teams, right behind Les Petites Louves de R2A Raidlight, and the local team of Réunion-RFO. These three teams are running 30 minutes behind the first two. This duo is still dancing faster than the other teams. Karine Baillet and her friends from #3 took the lead and made a gap of 15 minutes between them and Spie The North Face. With the first bivouac comes the time to have a needed rest.

Only one team won’t be able to spend their first night all four together. Isabelle Vial from the Koh Lanta team gave up from the event and her team will keep on without her. She struggled hard, but exhausted, decided that she’d better give up.

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