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In seventh position, Team Lycos, Jack Crawford, Eliza Maclean and Harald Zundel out of the USA teamed with Swiss/kiwi Peter Keller. Race director Geoff Hunt was delighted to see Lycos finish in the top-10 after the team had struggled to confirm it would make it to New Zealand until the very last week before start. Ahead of them by three hours were the New Zealand Army team who retained their sixth placing right through the night finishing at 2:10am. Eight teams have now completed the entire course.
Currently eleven teams are moving over the Mt. Owen mountain section and are expected to take anywhere from 11 to 20 hours to pass through to the Courthouse flat checkpoint at the bottom. From there it is a six to ten hour cycle to the end of the finish line with most teams expected through by Saturday morning. Further back in the field, endurance and physical strength are really being tested this morning as the back teams struggle to bring up the rear of field.
At Rainbow ski field, checkpoint officials have been waiting for the last five teams to come through from the abseil and some have not been seen for over 24 hours. This section is expected to take between 8 to 12 hours for slow teams. With wet conditions and low fog, visibility will be limited and it is expected that some of these teams will have bivvied down overnight to sleep and wait for morning.
The final five teams, Pretty Feet, Aliens, NQ Australia, EMA Brazil and Ocean Brothers, will join up with three other teams already on the shortened alternative course once they arrive at Rainbow. This course redirects teams straight to the Mapua finish line.
— Margo Berryman, Southern Traverse
*Southern Traverse Photographers Include: Derek Paterson, Brian, Jurgen Ruoff, Barbara Newton, Rob Lile, Tony Di Zinno, Gareth Eyres, Alan Nelson, and Beyond City Limits.
EXPEDITION DISPATCHES 
