"It was a lesson in frustration — you have to work together..."— Tiger Mann, Team Endeavor

The racers soon tackled a steep route down a sand dune and into a nearby rock quarry. Team Nature's Garden, last year's Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series national champion, emerged from the quarry first, leading the pack with teams Balance Bar and Hi-Tec pursuing closely behind.

The next event, however, proved to be a more difficult challenge for Nature's Garden. Orienteering, the first special test, is an event in which teams must reach several checkpoints through the park using maps that they are given to guide them. During this section, Nature's Garden lost its lead to another top competitor, Team Balance Bar, which was able to maintain the lead for its fourth win in the series.

After the orienteering section, the challenges did not let up as teams raced onward to the next special test, where they had to give verbal instructions to a blindfolded teammate on how to assemble a puzzle. Thus, after the exhausting frenzy of running throughout the park, teams were forced to cooperate and communicate efficiently. Teamwork was also a must for the next special test, "the webs," where ropes interwoven through trees formed spider webs that competitors had to push each other through — without touching the ropes or using an open space twice.

Next, the kayak portion proved to be the most difficult leg of the race for many teams. Team members paddled while their kayaks were tied together, making it much more difficult to maneuver the two-mile course around the lake. According to Team Endeavor member Tiger Mann, "It was a lesson in frustration — you have to work together. It took us about five minutes to figure out our best position. Bill and I were in the back and Diana was straddling [the kayaks]. She was able to keep the kayak very straight."

After finishing the kayaking section, racers scrambled towards the transition area to begin the mountain bike leg, known as a "ride n' tie," where teams found out that they were only allowed two bikes for three competitors. Corky Ewing of Team Balance Bar explained his team's strategy, "We read in the special test instructions that you couldn't put anyone on the handlebars but that didn't mean you couldn't put anyone on the seat. I rode with Sylvia on my back seat."

This kind of teamwork helped Team Balance Bar increase its lead as it approached the final series of events, which included a wall, mud pit and marine hurdles. Wet, muddy, sweaty, and with smiles on their faces, members of Team Balance Bar arrived at sweet victory with a finishing time of 3:06:59. Teams Red Bull and Hi-Tec from California followed, with finishing times of 3:18:23 and 3:19:41. Team Nature's Garden grabbed fourth place at 3:19:57, as Teams Endeavor and Fogdog battled until the end, with Endeavor finishing just ahead at 3:26:10 and Fogdog close behind at 3:26:38. Team Sandbag from Connecticut took the win in the all-male division, with a time of 3:32:42, while Team Girls Love Dirt stole the all-female division win at 4:31:10.

Their minds and bodies were pushed to the extreme at this point, but smiles and a sense of accomplishment were common as competitors swapped stories of the day's race. Sylvia Corbett of Team Balance Bar exclaimed, "It's so much fun it should be illegal!"

— Tracey Croughwell, MountainZone.com correspondent