As the morning sun cast pastel hues over the city of choked freeways, silicon apparatus, and nonfat latté-drinking Hollywood agents, another type of predator preyed on the anxious competitors, in the form of rattlesnakes and fire ants. Not only did these extreme athletes have to negotiate these ever-present pests, but also for the first time in series history, Hi-Tec Adventure Racing series producer Michael Epstein did not present the order of events. He did, however, provide a very vague "Special Test Instruction" booklet the night before, which probably complicated matters even more.

As the French say, "Les jeux sont fait," or "the die is cast." The athletes left the safety and homey feelings of the transition area, where David Ono, an anchor on KABC TV in Los Angeles was overheard mumbling, "Hmmm...I lost my team already." In defense, Team KABC (David, Curt Sandoval, another anchor, and Jim Garfield) overcame the early inequities and finished a very strong and respectable seventh in the all-male division.

With that, the national anthem painted the air and kicked off the 2000 Hi-Tec Racing Series. Both the athletes and spectators shared feelings of camaraderie, sportsmanship, anticipation and competition. Jonathan Denison, race director, forwarded directions for the first challenge, a run in which all three teammates must hold onto a nose ring, so poignantly coined the "circle of love," at all times, while haggling the upcoming five-and-a-half mile trail run. Team Balance Bar's captain, Bob Schulz, a rumored mastermind thinker always searching for the competitive edge, immediately placed the ring in his shorts, unsure of what to do with it.

With the mercury rising north of 90 degrees and the hottest day of the year in Southern California making its presence known, the competitors welcomed various tests, like the cooling Lower Lagoon Swim. Other not-so-desirable activities, like mountain biking up Cardiac Hill, or promulgating the back-breaking "Atlas Stones," where teams had to roll uneven and clumsy 200-pound-plus Atlas stones from point A to point B and back again, proved difficult and strenuous.

The consistent support of the aforementioned Marines and enthusiastic crowd seemed to ease the loads. In addition, an eclectic mix of '60's, '70's and '80's tunes, ranging from Elvis' Suspicious Minds to The Partridge Family's I think I Love You lightened the strain, at least amongst the fans, who were at times spotted lip-synching, playing air guitar and even giving a few "Momma Baby" hip gyrations.

And so morning dissolved into the late morning and so crossed the finish line our wire-to-wire champions, Team Balance Bar (Sylvia Corbett, Corky Ewing and Bob Schulz), in a tremendous time of 2:43:14. When asked about his pre-game relationship with the "Circle of Love" in his drawers, Bob responded, "I wanted to see if it fit." Sylvia, who by all accounts pulled her team to victory countered with, "Not a chance." Team Hi-Tec and Team BMC Software finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

All-in-all, a diverse mix of participants and fans from a variety of different states and backgrounds braved the elements, in the name of sportsmanship. Jon Caplan, CEO/President of Hi-Tec Sports USA summed it up best: "People of all ages, and friends have fun. The participants prove to themselves they can do something they didn't think they could do. It's a life-changing event that you will never forget."

Next up, the race series switches venues to the high humidity and swampy, gator-filled marshlands of Miami Beach on June 4th.

— Adam Kreutner, MountainZone.com Correspondent