(Ever see the Eco-Challange Race on TV? It's a REAL challange and filled with all the suffering and struggling we've come to love to watch on TV...anyone else ever watch it? Congrats to the American Team! -k)

US Team Fends Off Heat, Leeches to Clinch Eco Race

SEMPORNO, Malaysia (Reuters) - After a week of fighting searing heat, steamy jungles and thirsty leeches, the U.S. Team Salomon/Eco-Internet paddled into this small Borneo port on Sunday to claim title to this year's Eco-Challenge, billed as the world's toughest expedition race.

``This was a race not so much of athletic talent, but of grit -- who could hang on the longest, and that was us,'' said Robyn Benincasa of Salomon/Eco-Internet.

The team took just 12 hours of sleep over the six days, seven hours and 13 minutes it needed to finish the 300 mile race.

Team members had to fight off temperatures reaching 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) or more, high humidity and France's Team Spie and Australia's Aussiespirit.com. The three traded the lead several times before the Americans finally pulled away.

``You were blazing,'' crowed race founder and director Mark Burnett, who proclaimed the U.S. team the world champions of adventure racing.

Team Spie finished second, two hours behind the winner. Aussiespirit.com, led by veteran adventure racer Jane Hall, took third place, completing the last 73.5 km (46 mile) outrigger sailing leg at 11:11 am Borneo time.

Seventy-six, four-person teams from around the world set off on Aug 20 from this small Malaysian port in outrigger canoes aiming to take the US$55,000 first prize. The best teams were expected to complete the grueling race in six to eight days.

This year's race, the seventh, included a climb through 200,000-year-old caves filled with 6 meters (20 feet) of bat guano and an 80 km (50 mile) mountain bike leg that many competitors were too exhausted to contend with after two days in blistering heat and rain on the open water.

Five racers had biking accidents, including one whose lung collapsed when he fell and was impaled on a broken branch.

Leeches were a constant annoyance with one male racer from Hong Kong reported to have found one clinging to an extremely sensitive area.

As of Sunday morning, 46 teams were still officially on course and hoping to finish. Eighteen had lost team members to injury or fatigue or missed time cut-offs at checkpoints but were still continuing.

Another nine had pulled out.

The last teams are expected to finish on Sept 1.

The race this year has attracted much U.S. media attention, including crews from two entertainment news television shows. Race director Burnett was also executive producer of ''Survivor,'' the highest rated show on U.S. television about a group of men and women ``marooned'' on a tropical island.

-- Awesome Race!! (TheseAreThe@Real.Survivors), August 27, 2000

Answers

I haven't seen anything about this 'til now, but then, I don't really pay any attention to sports news (except the CFL ;-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), August 28, 2000.

Agree with the "real survivors" description.

If the "island" was real survival instead of political in-fihgting, I'd be willing to bet that the seal would outlast anybody running.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 28, 2000.

yes i saw it on the TV and it is saw dramatic and very suffering advanture.. Congratulation to the team Salomon/Eco-Internet for winning the race and to the team Playboy Extreme for finishing the race even they are dis-qualified =]

-- Mark Irabel (irabel@hotmail.com), April 07, 2001.

I am not giving an answer, just wanted to say I watch the whole thing and it was awesome. I consider myself an extreme sports nut, but I have never seen such hard work, and team work. All the teams in this race were winners.

I would really love to be in it next year, instead of just watching from my living room. Anyone looking for a team member for next year, drop me an e-mail at veniss31@yahoo.com. I live in Ventura, CA.

Way to go TEAMS.

-- Veniss Elizabeth Wilson (veniss31@yahoo.com), April 08, 2001.

I saw it on t.v. and could not belive that the teams were so close. but yet the us still provailed. France's Team Spie and Australia's Aussiespirit.com did a great job also.

-- joshua l. troth (joshualeetroth@hotmail.com), April 15, 2001.