Hi-Tec Adventure Races are "sprint-style" competitions designed to be completed in three to six hours, while "expedition-style" adventure races, including the famous Raid Gauloises and the Eco-Challenge, require five to 10 days. Hi-Tec teams of three must complete each section of the course together and cross the finish line as a team, challenging the racers to work together and stay together. In the true adventure racing experience, teams are encouraged to race the co-ed division.

"What was the biggest surprise on the course today? That we won!" — Kurt Swenson, Member of Team Toy Soldiers/Phil's Bar

The exact order and distance of the events is not revealed until the day before the race, and the special tests are kept a mystery until the day of the event. All Hi-Tec races consist of approximately one hour of kayaking, 10 to 15 miles of mountain biking, five to eight miles of trail running, and as many as 10 orienteering/special test events.

In their first race as a team, the members of Team Toy Soldiers/Phil's Bar edged to the front during the orienteering event. This was the crux of the race, where some teams were stuck for an hour-and-a-half unable to find their points. Team Toy Soldiers was in third place going into the orienteering section, but it emerged first and held its lead for the remainder of the race, pushing Team Nature's Garden, last year's winner and series champions, out of the lead.

"Everything just fell into place," said team member, Dan Coleman. "We did really well on the special tests. There are some very fast teams here; really good athletes."

Other members of the winning team also attributed their success of this race, albeit a surprise, to good communication and training.

"We talked to each other a lot during the race and everyone maintained a level head," said female team member Tracey Swenson. "We pace the same and I think that's very important. When team members aren't at the same level it can be very frustrating."

"We train year-round," added Kurt Swenson. "As a team, we probably only trained once or twice a week. We also race triathlons and duathlons. What was the biggest surprise on the course today? That we won!"

Moraine State Park is said among competitors to be the hardest mountain bike course on the series. Challenging special tests at this event included a lake crossing, in which competitors had to cross under a rope in the water; if they touched the rope, they had to start over. Later on in the race, they faced a horizontal spider web rope-climbing exercise, and a "hole-in-one," in which competitors had to pass their bicycles through a tire. Most had to take their bikes apart and climb onto the teammates' shoulders to push the bike through, then climb through the tire and reassemble the bike on the other side.

In some special tests, different teams had different sets of instructions. In the "Burma Bridge" event, there were four sections that teams could pass through. Some teams went through the same section several times, while others went through different ones, so following the leader was not an option.

From the Burma Bridge, they went straight to a high vertical wall and had to get one team member over without using ropes. Once on the other side, the team member would anchor a rope for the others to use as they climbed over. After the wall, it was full sprint to the finish line where Team Toy Soldiers/Phil's Bar crossed with a two-minute lead over second place finishers Team Jet. Team Nature's Garden, last year's winner, finished third, 6:83 behind the winners.

— Jackie Kallal, MountainZone.com Correspondent