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Lead teams were spotted Monday morning at about 8:45am. Field glasses revealed Pharmanex/Salomon (Robert Nagle and Ike Wilson) sweeping along the inside bend of the New River in their canoe as it plunged down stream.

The river here is about 200 yards wide with a good Class III drop to contend with. The best, easiest shot is river right.

They arrived at the shelf (McCoy Falls) at 8:53am, Ike and Nagle paddling cautiously and slowly, then dicing the rapid, slapping sideways and taking on a bunch of water. They cruised through, Ike's smile evident even through binoculars. Nagle bailed for a few hundred yards after the rapids and off they went.

Cathy Sassin described her evening as "a sleepy night of paddling," then said, "we went at a really consistent pace, no stopping...."

Sassin and Gurney of Complete IT Solutions came at 9:03am, taking on the river after some deliberation. Breezing through the rapids, Sassin beamed, and the small crowd assembled on the rocks hooted. Team Complete IT stroked away in hot pursuit, only 10 minutes back. Just minutes later, Explorer came paddling in, Norm Greenberg standing up in the boat assessing the rapids, just behind the tough Alaskan, Jacques Boutet. They represent the first four-person mixed team, and are vying for the overall lead. The Beast is a real race at this point, with three different categories representing the top spots.

The group at the front was followed closely by Team Sugoi and the first solo member, Andy Scott (#93). Sugoi took the risk and chose river left, flipping in the hard current, while Andy Scott, lighter in his boat, snuck by. With some quick bailing, Sugoi was back running again as Scott bailed, and they leapfroged places again. The front of the race was busy at this time — soon after, Ravenwolf came past the rapids (9:30), followed closely by Schwab, then Trident at 9:39.

At ACP 1, Castle Rock, Pembroke Bridge, the lead saw no changes. In fact, Pharmanex/Salomon came in first with nearly an identical lead over Complete IT Solutions. Wilson and Nagle powered through their transition in only six minutes. Nagle stuffed string cheese and bars into his cargo pockets. Less than the standard coffee break later, Sassin and Gurney cruised in, Sassin's paddling looking a bit tired and ragged, but her face was all smiles. She described her evening as "a sleepy night of paddling," then said, "we went at a really consistent pace, no stopping. We're really having fun. Racing with Steve is great because we totally click—he's super funny and we think the same way."

The ascent loomed across the river, a massive slab of 200+ feet of limestone. Pharmanex/Salomon got there first, but Nagle hung up a bit on the ascent, and Complete IT Solutions was able to overtake them by the time they arrived at the rappel at the rock quarry. A dramatic rappel awaited, with a nice overhang about one-third of the way down the 250ft plunge.

Locals watching were treated to gorgeous vistas of the New River, flanked by dense forests of sycamore, river birch, and sourwood. The exhilarating rappel dropped teams near the bike transition, where they would begin a first rolling, then hilly mountain bike leg of 45 miles. The road is mixed; paved and gravel.

Some interesting developments are shaping up at the front of the pack.

— Buddy Levy, Reporting from Beast of the East

BEAST DISPATCHES