Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 was our most challenging and competitive race to date. The race was a tremendous success due to our dedicated volunteers, staff and, of course, each of the athletes and their sponsors, friends and family who supported them.

Sabah was the most competitive field ever assembled with the best teams in the world racing. A spectacular victory by Salomon/Eco-Internet; Ian, Robyn, Isaac and Mike, earned the "World Champions" title while Spie, AussieSpirit.Com, EnergyLink Australia and Red Bull-Playstation raced hard to try and catch them.

A total of 58 teams crossed the finish line, 44 were officially ranked. The official race results package is posted on our web site at www.ecochallenge.com (see rankings in the live coverage section). A special recognition goes to three teams who were the first from their country ever to attempt an Eco-Challenge and they finished in the official ranking: Team Costa Rica F.O.R., Team Dominican Republic and Team Singapore Power. While many people focus on the top teams finishes, it is important to recognize that even getting to the starting line of an Eco-Challenge is a great accomplishment, regardless of the outcome.

The athletes' health after the race has been our focus for the last month and we have been working closely with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) in other countries. Many of competitors returned from Borneo with various degrees of sickness as a result of racing in the tropical jungles of Sabah.

Sickness has been a result of almost every expedition-level race held in a tropical, jungle environment and it is clear that expedition racing in these conditions incurs additional risks. In planning our future Eco-Challenge locations, this will be a very important factor. Our success depends on the athletes, and although they understand the inherent risks associated with traveling to foreign countries and pushing their body to the limits, we want to ensure that they are able to race again in the future.

We've checked with every team, many of them have sent us progress reports, and we are happy to report that everyone is in good health. The CDC and WHO have also done an excellent job interviewing competitors and have been able to facilitate good information to their doctors about treatment for the various illnesses they have been experiencing. The CDC has not determined the cause of the illness and not everyone has the same symptoms, therefore, based on preliminary findings, this illness is not attributed to one particular area of the course.

Drug Testing
I am extremely proud to report that not one of the 14 competitors who were selected at random from the top 5 finishing teams nor any of the teams who crossed the finish line tested positive for drugs listed under the Eco-Challenge Banned Substances policy. Chaperoned, witnessed urine samples were collected within 10 minutes of all subjects being informed of the test and no competitor was unable or unwilling to produce a sample on request.

Eco-Challenge is the first expedition race to ever implement urinary drug testing and we have established a strict rule over the past few years to ensure that our race (and hopefully the entire sport) is kept clean. We have been questioned numerous times if the top Eco-Challenge athletes are using the performance-enhancing drugs on our Banned Substances List and now we can safely say, "No."

Drug Testing in Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 was a milestone in this sport and we thank all of the athletes for being supportive, cooperative and willing to help us facilitate this. With their commitment to keeping a clean, honest, competitive event, it will grow and continue to attract good people.

Sabah 2000 Prize Money and Awards
A total of $110,000 (USD) in prize money was awarded in Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000:
1st place Salomon/Eco-Internet: $55,000
2nd place Spie: $25,000
3rd place AussieSpirit.Com: $15,000
4th place EnergyLink Australia: $10,000
5th place Red Bull-Playstation: $5,000

The Leg Winners of each discipline were:
Ocean Leg 1: PC 1-12, AussieSpirit.Com (Australia)
Mountain Bike Leg: PC 12-14, Salomon/Eco-Internet (USA)
Jungle Trekking Leg: PC 14-20, Spie (France)
Sampan River Canoe Leg: PC 20-23, Tactel Ispira (USA)
Caving and Fixed Ropes Leg: PC 24-28, Spie (France)
Ocean Leg 2: PC 23-24 and PC 28-32, Live-Action (USA)

And joining previous teams who race in the spirit of the event, offering to help teams in distress along the way and having a positive attitude through the entire event is Costa Rica F.O.R., winners of the Eco-Challenge Spirit Award.

2001 Eco-Challenge
Contrary to popular belief, we are not keeping 2001 a secret, we have not yet selected the location and dates for the 2001 race. We are currently looking at 2001 locations, specifically alpine and desert environments. The race location and dates will be announced on our web site and via email to all of you before the end of this year. The race will likely be held between September and December of 2001.

All details such as team Entry Fees, the team registration process, qualifying races and team sponsorship opportunities for Eco-Challenge 2001 will be posted on our web site (www.ecochallenge.com) before the end of this year.

Armed Forces Qualifier Race
The US Armed Forces Qualifier for Eco-Challenge will be held in Alaska, June 21-25, 2001. This race is open to active duty, reserve and retired members of the armed forces (including Coast Guard). The event is being conducted as a benefit to TAPS, the national veteran service organization for the families of those who have died in service to America.

If you or any of your friends are active duty, reserve and/or retired members of the US armed forces, we encourage you to apply to race in Alaska. More information can be found at http://www.armedforceschallenge.com/.

US Qualifier
We are currently working on a US Qualifier whereby US teams can compete against each other in a 3-5 day race to win a spot to the annual Eco-Challenge race. This race will likely be held in May, June or July of 2001. All details for this qualifier will be posted on our web site and emailed to our database once they are confirmed.

International Qualifiers
We are also working on international qualifying races. If any international qualifying races will be held prior to the 2001 annual race, we will announce the details before the end of this year.

Thank you again to all of those who were involved with our 7th Eco-Challenge race, whether you competed, volunteered, worked or even followed the race via our web site, we appreciate your support of the event.

Best Regards,
Mark Burnett

SEE ALSO: Risk and Reward in Adventure Racing