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Sunday, April 23, 2000 Team Pharmanex-Spie, who just last night was sitting at CP27 and getting ready for a long kayak leg of this 847-km race, upped the ante one more notch Saturday when members cut even more time off their race by taking a risky route in the ocean kayak leg. The team was rewarded for that risk when the route cut valuable time off the journey — as it heads for the end of this water section tonight.
With a lead of some 12 hours on second-place FujiFilm, it may not seem like Pharmanex-Spie needs any shortcuts to win. But that's only if you consider the teams racing each other, not the fact that they're actually racing against the Brazilian wilderness. If they can finish this race on the 25th, they will have achieved a monumental task for themselves, and of course a crushing victory against their competition.
That competition continues to unravel back along the mountain bike section, as several more competitors withdrew from racing today for various reasons. Here is a full list of reasons why racers have withdrawn:
And these are some of the toughest endurance athletes in the world — so it isn't hard to imagine just how difficult this event truly is. Saturday was spent grinding away on the mountain bikes, trying to complete by the end of the day what Pharmanex-Spie had completed a full day earlier. FujiFilm entered the water at 9:30am, after some rest and medical attention. While the medical tent began to fill up with patients seeking aid for problems serious and minor, out on the course there was one team that actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. Team Atenah/Pao de Acucar (No. 19), comprised of four vivacious Brazilian women, could be heard singing at checkpoints, joking around and looking fresh as daisies. Compared to the state of many teams, this 9th-place team (3rd in Discovery Class) seems to have the formula for success... just have a good time and keep your feet dry. Easter Sunday very well may see some eggs laid on this course, but otherwise delirious competitors just may see big pink bunnies on the river banks and trails, as the race grinds up the coast for the spectacular sand dune section and a run for the finish at Sao Luis. —Elf Authentic Adventure Correspondent
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