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The Finish
Saturday, November 27, 1999
"The atmosphere at the finish line was a mixture of excitement and relief as the teams relaxed at the beachfront Boatshed Café, eventually drinking and eating the place dry...."
A Team's Dramatic Findings
Thursday, November 25, 1999
"...the weary-eyed athletes reflected on their experiences speaking of how close the team had come to pulling out when a revelation amongst the team was discovered..."
First International Team Finishes
Thursday, November 25, 1999
"Race director Geoff Hunt was delighted to see Lycos finish in the top-10 after the team had struggled to confirm it would make it to New Zealand..."
Team Cromwell Pulls Off 2nd Place
Thursday, November 25, 1999
"Godsall said team members couldn't believe their luck when they arrived at Granity to discover that no other teams had beat them...."
Star & Garter Take First
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
"Kathy Lynch said the team only had two-and-a-half to three hours of sleep the whole way..."
Heading for the Finish Line
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
"As the team pulled up to the checkpoint Steve Gurney gave a cheery, 'Bonjour!' to the sleepy-eyed officials as he took a seat in a reclining chair to study the map..."
Trying to Catch Team Star & Garter
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
"Bill Godsall, veteran Southern Traverse athlete was in good spirits coming off the rafting section and looking for any opportunity to catch Star & Garter...."
Mother Nature Takes Control
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
"Freezing conditions are causing teams much distress despite the efforts of the support crews to keep them warm...."
The Awesome Foursome
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
"Arriving at Rainbow Ski Field, at 4am today, the lead team is now racing on mountain bikes towards the head of the Buller River to prepare for the first raft of the day...."
A Grueling Ride
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
"Although the terrain was relatively flat, the navigation was made difficult by inconsistencies between the map topography and the ground. Many teams were confused and frustrated as they navigated their way through the forested back roads..."
Last Year's Winners Drop Out
Monday, November 22, 1999
"Finally arriving at 5pm, they made the difficult decision to not continue further. A huge disappointment for last year's winning team and their support crew...."
Slippery, Gnarly and White
Monday, November 22, 1999
"Race director Geoff Hunts prediction that this year's course would be the fastest in the traverse history is coming true...."
Competitor Airlifted
Monday, November 22, 1999
"It was an eventful night for the officials at Tapawera. At 3am a call came in that a member from Team Hastingsorleys/Copperhead Rd requested a rescue helicopter..."
Record Times
Sunday, November 21, 1999
"First out of the water were defending champions Fairydown Long International from Queenstown setting a local record time of 4:18. Local Aqua Taxi Guide, Rod Stewart, who provided press and safety boats, said he didn't know of anyone who has paddled that particular stretch of water in as fast a time..."
Race Course Disclosed
Sunday, November 21, 1999
"The course breakdown reads something like a road map of pain. Pohara beach is where teams launch themselves into Tasman Bay for a seven-to-10-hour sea kayak that ends up at Marahau. Then as if the team's behinds are made of iron, competitors will mount their mountain bikes..."