A very happy 6th place Team Sabah 2000 "Team Sabah 2000 is a world quality team that can compete with the best in the sport." - Mark Burnett

Said Mark Burnett of their performance: �A 6th place finish in this race, against the highest quality field ever assembled in an expedition race, means that Team Sabah 2000 is a world quality team that can compete with the best in the sport. I hope that with this remarkable finish they will be able to get the sponsorship they need to continue racing at the highest level possible.�

Because all the members of Team Sabah 2000 hail from Koto Kinabalu, there had been early speculation that their knowledge of the region, and especially the jungle, would give them an advantage. Burnett spoke to those claims, saying, �They still had to trek, climb, and paddle the entire course, and many great teams were unable to endure."

Team Sabah 2000 was captained by the flamboyant and funny Cowboy Miala, a champion of many Triathlons in Asia, and buttressed by husband/wife combo Guianus Salagan and Kona Liau, who have raced together in the jungle before at the Elf Authentic Adventure (Philippines) where they earned a 4th place. Guianus Salagan is a former holder of the record for running up Mount Kinabalu, a 13,500-foot peak not far from Kota Kinabalu.

Their fourth member, Ahmadul Tahir is a river guide whose skills helped them in the difficult Sampan leg down the Segama River.

Just behind them, there was some jockeying of the field as Team oobe was overtaken by Team Schroders early this morning between PC 30 and 31. Team oobe, suffering from sleep deprivation, all fell asleep in their boat and were just drifting along when navigator Patrick Harper woke up. �It was pretty funny. I had no idea where we were, and we�d been asleep for over a half-hour. I corrected, but I think I overcorrected.� They completely missed the island of Sibuan, and had to regroup and find it.

Rebecca Rusch, Team oobe �I�m pretty happy with our finish, especially when you figure in all the mistakes we made. 8th isn�t too bad at all."

By the time they had righted themselves, Schroders, which left PC 30 behind them, had taken a lead of 50 minutes out of PC 31, and that sealed 7th place for them.

Said Rebecca Rusch of Team oobe [go to Team Bio], �I�m pretty happy with our finish, especially when you figure in all the mistakes we made. 8th isn�t too bad at all. Still, I should have learned my lesson in the Philippines last year: Don�t go into the jungle.� Teammate Patrick Harper took his blunders in stride. �For the first time in my life, during the jungle trek, I got completely, totally lost. My compass wasn�t even my friend.� Then he shuffled off toward the medical tent, his left foot swollen to twice it�s normal size, pocked with hundreds of red dots. �He�s got some kind of funky foot fungus,� said Rusch.

There was another mini-dual going on between Team Subaru Outback [go to Team Bio] and Team Hi-Tec [go to Team Bio]. Arriving on Sibuan at around 1:45, Hi-Tec could see Team Subaru Outback getting ready to climb into their Perahu�s for the final leg home. David Kelly and Jacques Boutet flopped onto the beach, their previously all white silk clothing now soiled so black they looked like chimney sweeps, or escaped convicts. Said Jacques Boutet, �We worked very hard last night to try to catch Team Outback, and we just haven�t been able to make up the gap. Still, I think we�ll end up 10th, which is a good result under the circumstances � a tough course and a great field.�

Karen Lundgren of Hi-Tec, chaffed and emaciated, with boils and leech welts all over her body, said, �Man, coming across to Sibuan, the wind was just beating us back. It was like we were paddling in place � making little to no progress sometimes. It was frustrating, but we�re here now.�

Because Jacques Boutet�s feet were so bad, Team Hi-Tec opted to do the snorkeling exercise rather than the scuba, which is an equivalent option for teams. Said Boutet, �My feet just hurt to much to walk around with a heavy scuba tank on. It�s unfortunate, because I�m now certified and I wanted to try it here especially, one of the best dive sites in the world.�