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Coming out of the 57-kilometer jungle trek, most teams were soaking wet, bloodied by leeches and covered with mud.
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But Team AXN Salomon EastWind looked surprisingly clean, calm, and organized.
Despite their put-together appearance, the team had struggled the night before and was feeling the brunt of it. "The rain was terrible last night," said 26-year-old Masayuki Takahata.
Captained by professional adventure racer Masato Tanaka, 32, the Japanese team walked into PC 19 at 2:42 p.m., in 16th place, just behind Team Earthlink (15th) and Hi-Tec (14th).
A race official warned the team about their impending swim, explaining that the river is rising from the rain and going faster. "There are lots of rapids," he said.
But AXN Salomon EastWind seemed unphased as they quickly readied their gear.
Tanaka, who is racing in his fourth Eco-Challenge, was a member of Team East Wind at Eco-Challenge Australia in 1997. In a valiant effort to finish the race, he and his teammates had carried their injured female member across difficult terrain. The team was unable to finish that year, but returned to place 15th in Argentina last year, marking the first official finish by a Japanese team. The team also finished 14th at this year's Raid Gauloises.
As they walked toward the raging brown river, ready for their next challenge, a loud cheer erupted from the crowd of locals, race staff and volunteers who had gathered to watch. The enthusiasm injected a visible bounce of energy into the exhausted team, who all cracked tired smiles.
After the swim, they face a 116-kilometer Sampan canoe paddle.
Go to Teams // AXN Salomon EastWind
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