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Monday, April 24, 2000 Sunday ties last year's record as most days ever for an A-race. Gerard Fusil must have a superlative nature, because for two-years running he's put on the biggest, baddest adventure race in the business. The father of the sport and originator of next week's Raid Gauloises in Tibet, Fusil left two years ago to found this Elf Adventure. He spent his Easter Sunday doing what he always does during an adventure race...running it. As daybreak of day nine broke to the gentle lapping waves at the surfside HQ5, the 2000 Elf Authentic Adventure tied last year's Philippine event as the most days ever for a lead team. Pharmanex-Spie, fronting this epic event somewhere in the rolling sand dunes near the coast, spent their ninth day-straight going full-out, keeping a safe distance between them and any would-be chasers.
They arrived at the tiny villa of Cabure on a narrow spit of sand up the coast and took a luxurious six-hour rest before continuing on by foot into the dunes. After the pace they've put their bodies though, they can be excused a bit of down time — especially since they had nearly 12 hours' lead on 2nd place Paul Vatine (69). Team 69 had passed FujiFilm (99) during the long sea kayak leg last night, arriving on the beach of Tutoia Sunday and taking their time to get back on the mountain bikes. FujiFilm arrived hours later, one boat's crew pulling their kayak up the shallow coastal water to the checkpoint, the team then taking a lunch break. By the end of Sunday both were back on the course on bikes, just minutes before a rain deluge hit the coast and made their muddy route even more treacherous. By that time Pharmanex-Spie was well into their dune trek, walking up one side of the wind-swept dunes and having to jump off the steep leeward side. Pharmanex-Spie is now expected to finish the race on the morning of the 26th, with the other teams likely 12-hours later. They still have a long trek ahead of them, followed by one last sea kayak leg and the final sail for the finish. Cathy Sassin's tummy is now better, and the word is that they're moving very strongly and quickly — no doubt anxious to get this race over with. The question around the press room is whether or not this race is too long. In our humble opinion, it is...considering the effects of this rainy season, which was expected. Teams have expressed their concern as well, saying that at some point it ceases to be fun — which is what adventure racing is all about. Regardless, the race, with two more team abandoning today, continues to keep smiles on the front teams' faces. There are now five official Extreme/Adventure teams in the hunt, and five Discovery teams. There are plenty more teams on the course, but the rest are running at partial-strength and un-classified. Monday will see action in the desert for the leaders, while remaining teams straggle into Tutoia and the comforts of Assistance Area 5. How much longer the remaining teams will last may be the final adventure here in the Nordeste region of Brazil. —Elf Authentic Adventure Correspondent
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