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 32 Countries52 Teams12 Days |
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Evil Twist to Eco Start
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After days of tension-filled build-up, the last Eco-Challenge of the century has begun. The morning could not have dawned more perfect — cold, blue skies and calm waters on the shores of Lake Correntos, an extremely cold glacial-fed lake in Northern Patagonia. The first leg of the competition sends the teams off on a 90km paddle down Lake Nahuel Huapi, but in true Eco-Challenge fashion, the start had an evil twist.
One member from each team had the role of positioning their team's double kayak 200 meters off the shore. The remaining three team members, at the orders of Race Director Mark Burnett, were separated from each other and lined the lake shore with their backs to the Lake. The start gun then initiated complete pandemonium as close to 200 athletes plunged into the icy waters, forced to swim 200 meters whilst trying to locate both their teammates and their kayaks in the distance. No easy task when all the kayaks are identical. The scene erupting before us was straight from the set of Titanic. Competitors thrashing through the frigid waters screaming for their teammates in a desperate effort to regroup. Madness, though we would expect no less. First to clamber into their kayaks and paddle off was the Australian Team led by World Champion Kayaker Jane Hall, closely followed by the two New Zealand teams and impressively Team Rubicon of the US. This was true to Burnett's predictions that Antipodean teams would dominate this section. The chase has begun as a mass of media and cheering locals head to the vantage points further down the lake where teams must portage from one section of lake to the next. Hang On!! — Chris Vile, MountainZone.com Correspondent
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