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Seagate NZ Paddle into the Lead on Day One

Jackie Yu / 13.12.2003

Using their exceptional whitewater paddling skills to great advantage, Team Seagate NZ took a commanding five-minute lead on Day One of the Outdoor Quest. “We put a few minutes on them during the descent, though not as much as we would have liked,� said Michael Tobin of second-place Nike ACG-Balance Bar. “Then they just blew past us on the paddle.�

Team New Zealand and Nokia Adventure, both previous Outdoor Quest champions, were third and fourth, respectively.

It was one of the most daunting days in Outdoor Quest history. Teams began with a run straight up Mount Kinabalu , at 4,094 meters the highest peak in Southeast Asia . After running back down they switched to mountain bikes for a 50-km cross-country ride through thick jungle. At the village of Ratau the athletes changed disciplines once again, paddling inflatable rubber rafts down a quiet jungle river to Malanggang.

Finally, teams were required to hit a series of targets with traditional Bornean blow darts before crossing the finish line. For the top teams that meant almost seven demanding hours of competition. “The mountain was the highlight,� said Chris Legh of Team Montrail, which began the day in first but dropped to seventh. “It wasn\'t so tough going up, but it was brutal going down.�

“Every year the race gets a little faster,� said Steve Gurney of defending champs Team New Zealand . “To stay competitive the top teams now build their teams around the course.� The 2003 OQ layout favours squads with great running and paddling skills. Gurney has tailored his team around those disciplines, but so have Team Seagate NZ and Nike ACG-Balance Bar.

It was the latter squad setting the pace early in today\'s competition, blasting up the mountain in a powerful single file line. They are a gritty team, accustomed to winning. Every one of the twenty-six teams racing up Kinabalu knew that the key to winning OQ this year was staying close to Nike ACG during the long grind up the mountain, then the full tilt gallop back down.

And while Nike ACG broke away, they could not shake Seagate NZ. The veteran squad, well known in the adventure racing world for a string of international victories, raced patiently, staying within themselves during the many miles of running and mountain biking. Then the four New Zealanders – Heyden Key, Kristina Strode-Penny, Richard Usher, and Nathan Fa\'avae – unveiled the paddling strength that keyed their victory at the 2002 Eco-Challenge in Fiji.

Their final time of 6:50:13 was well ahead of Nike ACG\'s 6:55:52 and of the twenty-six teams that began the day, four dropped out.

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