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Fun in the Sun

Pete James / 11.12.2003

Saab Salomon are one of many elite teams just starting the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest, which is taking place in Borneo for the second year running. After racing there last year they now know what to expect from the course and the competition. The course will have them kayaking and swimming in the South China Sea, racing through dense tropical rain forests with temperatures reaching 40 degrees, and climbing up to the summit of Mount Kinabalu, which is the highest point in south east Asia.

The race is one of the most competitive in the global calendar (it has some big prize money) and is very different from the non-stop races some of the top teams are more used to. MSOQ is a fast paced stage race, with the luxury of going back to plush hotel each night after around 7 hours of racing! Saab Salomon are used to the stage format of the X-adventure series, which should stand them in good stead, though they may find the hot and humid climate hard to cope with. They know the competition will be hot, but are aiming for a podium finish this time and, all being well, will be sending us back daily news. Here’s their first report:

One thousand twelve hundred Euros would have been a lot of money to spend on excess baggage fees, so we were relieved when the Malaysian Airways manager intervened and explained that we were actually under a special baggage allowance. An allowance necessary to participate in a race involving seven different sports.

We were on our way to the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest (MSOQ for short) at the Nexus Resort in Sabah, Borneo. One of the top adventure races in the world, MSOQ has been going for seven years and attracts a lot of top triathletes as well as the world's best adventure racers.

Of our four person team, Helen Jackson and Ben Bardsley were in last years successful Saab Salomon team - placing an excellent 5th on their first MSOQ. Morgan Donnelly and Pete James the other team members are MSOQ virgins. Over the next 5 days we will run, mountain bike, kayak, white-water raft, abseil, in-line skate and travel by native bamboo raft over 300km of tough jungle terrain.

Today (Thursday) is the race Prologue - a 15 minute sprint combining several different events, that will set the start order for the event proper that will kick off tomorrow morning with an ascent of the 4000 metre peak, Mount Kinabalu.

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