Marrakech, Morocco— Monday, Oct. 5, 1998 1pm

	Team Eco-Italia plotting [click for bio]

Course legs to remain a mystery

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Competitors today recieved their first glimpse of the course mapped out for them over the coming week. To the surprise of many, they discovered that this year's course will only be revealed to them at the completion of each separate leg.

"The atmosphere here tonight is one of nervous anticipation as teams organize their gear and look forward to a 4am start to the day tomorrow..."

The Morocco Eco-Challenge will start at the Coastal town of Essaouira with one of the largest mass camel races ever assembled. What a way to begin this experience, at the mercy of a camel, it is going to be very interesting as even event organizers are unsure of just how this will work.

Team Evolution DMX, USA
[click for bio]
After enduring the Camel section teams are the literally thrown into the ocean for the Coasteering section as they swim and scramble their way around the rugged coast line.

The atmosphere here tonight is one of nervous anticipation as teams organize their gear and look forward to a 4am start to the day tomorrow. It's a three hour drive to the coast where competitors undergo a compulsory skill test in the ocean kayaks and then it's wait time until race start at 8am Tuesday morning.

Seeya

Essaouira, Morocco— Monday, Oct. 5, 1998 10am

Team Wild South Adventure, NZ
[click for bio]
Largest camel gathering ever

Very early this morning, all competitors, event staff and media drove the three hours to the ancient coastal town of Essaouira.

Racer's were put through their paces in kayaks to make sure they could survive the surf in the two man kayaks they will be using for the 2nd leg of this coastal section. Many teams appeared nervous as they were told the mild surf today was uncommon and they could expect much larger waves over the next few days.

The second part of today saw a live rehearsal for tomorrow's start which is the largest gathering of camels ever for a single event in Morocco. Several racers were thrown to the ground by these wild beasts and made everyone aware just how unpredictable tomorrow's start will be.

8am tomorrow The Race begins.

— Chris Vile, Mountain Zone Correspondent

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