This morning, between Port Madai and the Madai Caves, teams scuffed along the highway, some using trekking poles, some carrying two packs. Team Toyota 2020’s [go to Team Bio] bright and articulate leader, Yuen-Li Chan struggled to survive the ordeal. She was assisted by her teammates and by members of Team Northstar [go to Team Bio]. The two teams had banded together after the ropes/rappel section, and planned to stay together until the finish, if they could.

Yuen-Li Chan, Team Toyota 2020 “I was having muscle spasms and my legs wouldn’t work anymore.” Go to: Video // Team Toyota: Past the Limits

Said Geoff Kronenburg of Team Toyota 2020, “We’ll do the ocean leg together, with Northstar. That way we can share the suffering and help each other out.”

Team Captain Yuen-Li Chan said, “We’ve had a rough time. I navigated all night in the dark, and it was very exhausting. Then I bonked, had low blood sugar and began suffering delirium. I was crying and cursing.” Her teammate, Kronenburg added, “If she is just cursing or just crying, that’s okay. But when Yuen-Li is cursing and crying, we’ve got problems.”

Added Yuen-Li Chan, with tears in her eyes, “I was having muscle spasms and my legs wouldn’t work anymore.”

The climate is sodden and smoldering today, with temperatures between 35˚-40˚ Celsius, and humidity over 95 percent. Teams are finding the long hike leading up to the rappel to be a hellish slog over horrid broken ground.

The “adventure bunnies” of Team Playboy Extreme [go to Team Bio], now unranked but still on course, made it through the caves and ropes, and were beginning the last long paddling section. They had been waiting with three other teams at Port Madai, where boats were being held because of typhoon warnings in the area. Owen West reflected on last night: “Man, the trail was slick with tears out there,” he said. "That section up to the ropes was a meat grinder on us. What we thought would take eight hours took 15.”

Owen West, Team Playboy “Man, the trail was slick with tears out there. That section up to the ropes was a meat grinder on us."

Finally they were given clearance to leave and they paddled off with Team Dutch Mountains [go to Team Bio] and Team Musashi Argentina [go to Team Bio]. Said Toine Doreleijers of Dutch Mountains, pointing to the Playmates,“Our secret is to follow the babes.” His team member, Rob Lammers was resolute. “Even if we have to swim, we’ll finish.”

Meanwhile, Team Russia [go to Team Bio], the first Russian team to race in an Eco-Challenge, was abandoning the race at Port Madai and heading back to Silam. Said Mariana Libo, “We’re paddling back, but in a car.” Their team had terrible foot issues on the trek between the Segama River and Silam, and they had yet to do the caving and climbing. Said Libo, “Unfortunately, our souls are stronger than our feet.” Asked if they would return to attempt being the first Russian team to finish an Eco-Challenge, Alexandre Bolotov mused, “Ask us in a few days.”

On the road leading back to Port Madai, Team ENOSUS [go to Team Bio] strode along confidently. “Man, it’s good to be out of those caves and off that mountain. It was really unbearably hot up there.” Some of the members of ENOSUS, including student and Navy Seal Jamie Monroe, have attended adventure racing school at Ian Adamson’s and Robyn Benincasa’s Colorado Adventure Training camp, and the work seems to have helped. They are between 20-25th place, official rankings pending.

Teams just arriving at PC 25 (which also serves as PC 27) are stocking up from local vendors, filling hydration systems and taking extra water bottles for the hot hike ahead. Racers joke around with children and converse with Madai locals, thanking them for their hospitality in the beautiful, if demanding, country.

The trek between the top of the ascent of the Madai Caves and the top of the rappel has one thrilling bright spot, a tyrolean traverse or “flying fox” suspended hundreds of feet above an abyss. Racers clip into a pulley system and step off into space, a major leap of faith for some. When they arrive at the other end and unclip, the real toil up the escarpment begins: rocks and bramble and bushwhacking.