Place tray tables in upright positions. Flight attendants please prepare the cabin for landing.
Thirty-plus hours of flight time. Multiple time zones. The International Date Line. Five consecutive in-flight movies. All the years of physical training and mental preparation have pointed to this place. Now adventure-racing teams from around the globe converge on Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for the Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000.
At the airport in Kota Kinabalu (KK) this morning, Eco-Challenge teams began to arrive, many looking travel weary already, days before their real odyssey commences in earnest. They stacked bike boxes high on carts, wheeled duffels and gear to waiting military trucks, and were transported to opulent nearby hotels (the Pacific Sutera and the Magellan Sutera), where they checked in.
At the palatial hotels tucked along the shores of the South China Sea, competitors settle into luxurious comforts they will forego once they encounter the arduous course Mark Burnett has in store for them. The weather is hot and humid but not uncomfortable, with daily violent downpours a sodden reminder of what they can expect out on the course.
For the next two days, competitors will continue to arrive, with official competitor registration set for August 17 and 18. A giddy nervousness pervades the atmosphere as competitors attempt to acclimate, trying out their bikes on the bustling KK streets, some lounging in the pools and a few working out in the fitness centers. But like the fickle Sabah weather, this serenity could just be the calm before the storm.
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