The images are indelible: a med tent in the High Atlas Mountains teeming with patients suffering altitude sickness, breathing through ventilators, IV tubes snaking into their arms; or, helicopters whirring over the raging Australian seas, plucking racers from the whitecaps and whisking them, shivering and blue from hypothermia, to safety. Luckily for the competitors (and for the many staff, volunteers, race management and media), the extremely experienced Dr. Adrian Cohen and his superb medical team are on hand to respond with the lightning quickness of a chopper blade.
Since the 1997 Eco-Challenge in Australia, Cohen, who runs a group in Australia called Immediate Assistants, has managed the on-course medical unit at every Eco-Challenge. For this year�s race in Sabah, Cohen directs nine Australians (four doctors, two rescue specialists, and three rescue paramedics) and seven volunteers (two Americans, two locals, and three Australian physical therapists). On the course will be two field hospitals and three mobile units Cohen calls �Thunderbirds,� based on a 1970�s British TV show.
Cohen is quite familiar with the course and the region, having already been on location in Borneo earlier this year for 40 days during the filming of Mark Burnett�s hit show, �Survivor.� In preparation for The Eco-Challenge, Dr. Cohen has been back in Borneo for three weeks prior to the race.
Cohen expects dehydration to be a significant medical problem. �Dehydration due to the humidity and temperature extremes, and the dense Borneo jungle will present most of the problems,� he says. Other likely maladies: exhaustion, severe sunburn, over-exposure, gastroenteritis, and sleep-deprivation. Cohen added, �Another factor this year is the larger number of teams (76) and the many rookies and inexperienced teams.�
Four helicopters will be available for rescues at all times. The machines are classified as �light utility,� with two dedicated to race logistics and two to film production. One of the logistical helicopters will be fitted with medical gear and a stretcher kit for safe transport of a patient, though these are not dedicated �air ambulances� since they must perform a number of roles. Said Cohen, �The choppers will be used for medical team transfers, access to patients and extrication of patients from the field to our base camp hospitals or to the hospital in Kota Kinabalu.�
One significant addition to the Eco-Challenge this year will be random drug testing, which includes a witnessed urine sample that may be performed at any point during the race. Said Cohen, �We are very serious about this proactive anti-doping campaign; the test will give us an answer in twenty minutes, and individuals in violation will suffer immediate disqualification.� The main violation that Eco-Challenge wishes to combat is the use of amphetamines and stimulants used to fend off sleep. Cohen added, �We really want adventure racing to be a clean sport.�
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