It hasn�t happened overnight. From fledgling beginnings in Utah 1995, Burnett has brought the Eco-Challenge to the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia, the Outback of Australia, The High Atlas and souks of Morocco, the pampas and granite spires of Patagonia, and this year, the tropical jungles of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Through trial and error, learning from what works and what doesn�t, Burnett has honed the Eco-Challenge into the greatest expedition race on earth. And it makes for pretty good television, too.

This year�s race has been called by some the most demanding course ever, though Burnett himself feels that jungle courses, those set in warmer climates, are easier to finish than high altitude, mountain-based races. Tell that to the competitors who looked like human dart boards after finding their way through the dank rainforests, their skin pocked with leech marks, torsos and legs ripped by stinging trees and thorny vines.

The Borneo edition of the Eco-Challenge included the largest (76 teams from 26 nations) and most competitive field ever assembled for one race of this magnitude. Before the race start on August 21, about a dozen teams had a legitimate shot at victory, though there were some clear pre-race favorites. Team Fairydown Fleet CookieTime, lead by the legendary John Howard, was widely considered the team to beat. After all, they were defending champs and as experienced as any team out there. On tactics, guile, and sound decision making under duress, Fairydown Fleet had the edge. But John Howard had suffered in the jungle before, and there was no telling what might happen in these sauna-like conditions.

Team Salomon/Eco-Internet came with an all-star unit of former champions, superlative athletes, and the wisdom of navigator Ian Adamson. They were hungry, too, a hyper-fit team willing to suffer at all costs.

Team AussieSpirit.com, lead by the tenacious Jane Hall and the paddling god John Jacoby, was expected to be on the podium because of their vast water experience.

Always a factor in every race, Team Red Bull Playstation of Spain brought two year�s in a row of top three finishes to the starting line, and they were once again reunited with stellar athlete Nerea Martinez Urruzola.

Team Nokia of Finland had threatened to win last year, and despite their penchant for cold weather, no one was counting them out.

So the stage was set for the most competitive expedition race in history, and as usual, the Eco-Challenge delivered.

There ended up being a few surprises, casualties of lead or contending teams that changed the outcome of the race. The biggest was the demise of John Howard, whose feet were so bad after the caving/ropes/trekking section that he was reduced to a hobble. Said teammate Neil Jones of New Zealand, �His feet were so bad that it would have taken him 10-12 hours to walk to the perahus from PC 27 to PC 28, so we decided to pack it in. Pity really, but ya know, that�s racing.� When one of the toughest men on the planet is debilitated to a mere crawl, you know he must be hurting. Howard and Fairydown had been in 4th place at the time, and with them out, it was really a three-way race, a battle between Salomon/Eco-Internet, Spie, and AussieSpirit.com.

Team Nokia Adventure of Finland had its share of problems too, and their female Dominick Arduin experienced similar foot problems to Howard�s. She was taken off the course and sent to a hospital, where she underwent foot surgery. But Arduin said they were really out of the race long before that. �We had problems with the boats, and weren�t paddling well. We were never really in contention.�

In the end, smart navigating by Ian Adamson and Salomon/Eco-Internet�s superior race tactics won them the title. Before the final paddling leg, with Spie closing the gap at a dead run, Adamson took over an hour under the tents in Silam to study his maps and chart his final course. While his teammates urged him to hurry, Adamson took his time, taking bearings and plotting his assault on the finish. A clever sail on the leeward side of Batik Kulambu island was the difference. Team Spie went high, encountered stiff headwinds, and was unable to overtake Salomon/Eco-Internet.

On August 27, six days and over 300 miles later, Team Salomon/Eco-Internet glided over the last few meters of salt water into the dock at the Dragon Inn at Semporna, their graphite paddles raised high over their heads in victory. It had been hard earned, and they fully deserved the $55,000 dollars in prize money that the four would split. At the awards ceremony, with tears in her eyes, Robyn Benincasa said, �this is definitely the highlight of my life.�

Spie and AussieSpirit.com finished 2nd and 3rd, with Red Bull Playstation 4th and Energy Link Australia 5th.

Ultimately, 44 teams finished Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 ranked, a percentage that suggests smart teams who persevere, and have a bit of luck, can finish the toughest race on earth. Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 was a race of extremes: high seas and sunken boats, bat guano and leeches, humidity, mud, blood and sweat. Exactly what you want from an expedition race. Teams passed through herds of elephants, saw monkeys swinging from trees, and walked through the oldest rainforest on earth. They were soaking wet from the moment they pushed off in their perahus in Semporna until the day they arrived back there again, 6 or 8 or 12 days later. And in between, during those long hot days and cold, wet and sleepless nights, teams experienced their own Eco-Challenge in deeply personal, individual ways. None who participated will go away the same.

They go home to lives and jobs and families, to the realities of everyday existence, with the unique memories, bonds, friendships, battle scars, and shared experiences that only a race like the Eco-Challenge can provide. And once the pain has subsided, even those who cursed Burnett the hardest will be contemplating when they can do it again, hoping they can gain entry into another Eco-Challenge.

Burnett has yet to anounce the location of next year�s race, but it is certain that wherever it is, it will be bigger and better than ever, with an even stronger, more diverse field.