"Thank you for keeping the Eco-Challenge spirit alive," said one.

"You have won the hearts of millions ... you are truly heroes," said another.

"You win the sportsmanship award hands down and the hearts of all the women," said yet another.

Uruguay's Ruben Mandure, 34, laughed as he rifled through them, readying his gear for the second Perahu sailing leg. "There is email from France, England, the U.S., Mexico... everywhere," he said, clearly thankful and perhaps a bit amazed.

On the second day of Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000, Team Uruguay had helped rescue a fellow competitor, effectively sacrificing any chance of finishing officially.

Trekking across steep, rugged island terrain near PC 5, Leonardo Perez and Nestor Parra, both 28-years-old, came across a horrific scene. Team The North Face's Naomi Spina had wedged her leg between two rocks and was screaming out in pain. She had torn her ACL.

The Uruguayan duo carried Spina to the water's edge, where a rescue boat transported her to safety. As a result, the trip between PC 5 and PC 7 took more than 24 hours, dropping Team Uruguay to near last place. Later, the team was disqualified when they missed the cut-off time at PC 14, the end of the mountain bike leg.

But the South American foursome continued on unranked, hoping to merely finish the race. "We can't go back to Uruguay without finishing as a foursome," explained Mandure, a scrappy-looking teacher from Atlantida. "They won't let us back in." Though they had planned to finish the race regardless, the stack of email served to motivate them further. "It makes it easier, of course," said Mandure.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., under balmy skies, Team Uruguay departed PC 23. Next up: caves and ropes.

To write an email of encouragement to Team Uruguay, go to www.ecochallenge.com.


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