2014 Adventure Race World Championships Ecuador

Race Report by Mari Chandler

Team Tecnu Kyle Peter, Jason Popilsky, Mari Chandler & Rob Preston (of Australia)

On Sunday morning, November 9th, 51 teams representing 20 different countries began the 2014
Adventure Race World Championships. The race started at 4000m (13,123ft) in the eastern side of the
Andes highlands with a 29km mountain trek. We knew the altitude was an important factor in this race
and decided to take a bit of a conservative approach on this section to make sure everyone could get
through it without needing to
stop or recover. The trek
started with an accent to the
highest point in the race of
4500m (14,763 ft). We
crossed an amazingly diverse
amount of terrain in this first
trek which was a great
indicator of what was to
come. We also got our first
tasted of the thick wonderful
Ecuadorian mud which we
would see plenty more of
later. We came into TA1
(which was packed with
cheering spectators and an
enormous amount of happy energy) within 15 minutes of the leaders and after a blazing fast transition;
we were off on our bikes for a 67km mt. bike ride.

The first part of the ride was a huge 1800m fast descent mostly on paved roads down to the Amazon
River. We also encountered our first afternoon shower of steady rain which we would also be
experiencing a lot more throughout the race. Once we were down near the river, it became more of a
bike carry as we were in muddy flooded trails. Just over 3 hours later, we came into TA2, which was the
town of El Chaco and also filled with cheering locals and great welcoming volunteers.
We quickly packed up our bikes into their boxes and were off for another trek. This 44km trek would
start out with a gradual accent up a dirt road which we were able to run on but our pace quickly
changed when we entered the Oyacachi Trail just as darkness set in. We were told this trail was used
by indigenous people to travel from the highlands to access the Amazon. The trail was more of an
animal track that occasionally completely disappeared from time to time. We ran into Teams: Adidas,
Columbia, and Raidlight as we were all
searching for the missing trail. It traveled
alongside the Oyacachi River which we
were only allowed to cross by using a
bridge. The bridges were more like
something out of an Indian Jones movie
and we were required to wear our
climbing harness and clip into a safety line
as we crossed while stepping over large
holes and rotting boards with the river
roaring below. It was on this trek that we
(along with 45 other teams) received a 4
hour penalty for eventually leaving the
trail and using a road to travel to TA3.
There was some discrepancy in the rule book and we did not interpret the rule as they had intended us
to. At this point, the rain had returned and although we were quite hot and did not feel the need to
put on our rain jackets, the temperature quickly plummeted and we found ourselves freezing cold and
had to put on all of the clothing we were carrying. We arrived at the TA just before sunrise and decided
to use 1 of our required 8 hours of rest time to get warm and get ready for the next bike leg.
The next leg was a mountain bike ride of 144 km that started off with a warm-up climb of 800m and
had several more climbs after that as we
crossed the Andes once again. The ride
started off very cold despite the fact that
we were climbing and of course got even
colder on the descents. We crossed paths
with Team Moviestar and rode alongside
them for a bit until we chose a slightly
different route and parted ways.
Eventually we ran into them again in the
middle of the ride and then one more time

at the end of the ride and came into the TA just a few minutes behind them. On this ride we were
required to take pictures of ourselves at 3 different checkpoints to prove we were there, including when
we crossed the Equator!! We came into the TA just before 10 pm and decided to use 2 more hours of
our required rest time and actually try and sleep as we were now entering night #2 and had not slept
yet.
We popped up after our short rest and headed out for a 45 km trek around midnight. This trek seemed
pretty straight forward: big climb, big descent. We were told we were in 3rd place when we reached
the first checkpoint on this section. Once again the rain began to fall as we looked for a trail that
would take us up an 1800 meter climb to the mountain top. Somehow we ended up on the wrong trail
and climbed for quite a while before we realized our mistake and were actually heading back towards
the TA!!! Oops. 5 hours later..we basically restarted the trek. But, this is adventure racing and
mistakes happen and we still had a lot of race left so we
buried our frustration and pushed on. We eventually ran
into Team Raidlight and learned that we were now back in
7th place. It was a long push to the top and our views
were obscured by the clouds that we were engulfed in but
eventually we made it to the check point at the top and
were eager to begin the long 1900 meter decent by way of
an ancient smugglers route which was used long ago in the
time of prohibition. It was a pretty fun descent at first as
we essentially were bombing downhill through a muddy,
narrow tunnel cut into the rock but eventually the novelty
of it wore off and we just wanted to get down to the
bottom which seemed to never come. Once again the rain
and darkness began to fall as we pressed on to finish up
the trek. We arrived at the TA which was an old church
and a great place for us to serve our 4 hour penalty from
earlier. We prepared our bikes for the next leg, ate some
hot soup, rice, and potatoes provided by a local woman and laid down for a 3 hour nap with statues of
Jesus watching over us.

By 11 pm we were out the door and off for a

159km mountain bike ride. We were only about
10km out of the TA when the rain once again
began to fall and did not stop for several hours.
At least this time, we were actually quite warm
in the muggy jungle like landscape and found the
rain more annoying than anything else. Kyle
broke his chain which took several minutes to fix
in the wet conditions but we were back on our
bikes in no time singing songs about rain and
hoping for it to eventually stop. The entire ride
we were on dirt roads, passing through several small communities but the navigation was incredibly
tricky and Rob did an amazing job getting us through the maze of unmapped roads. We arrived at the
ropes course and were pleased to find out that we had passed Team Adidas at some point and were
now in 5th place. We quickly put on our climbing gear and left our packs and bikes while we did a short
loop ropes course. It began with a jump from a small cliff down into the river, a short swim to the
opposite side (which I proved once again that my swim skills are lacking and eventually made it across),
then a zip line crossing the river once again followed by what they referred to as Tarzan which was
more like a high wire circus act across a cable with vertical ropes hanging down to help provide balance.
After we completed the ropes course, we were back on our bikes and onto the muddy roads that would
eventually lead us into TA6.
It was now 2:30 pm and the next section was a whitewater kayak which had a dark zone. A dark zone is
a time period when we are not allowed to be on the river due to unsafe paddling conditions in the dark.
We were not allowed to be on the river from 6:30 pm until 5:30 am. We had a 10k trek just to get to
the river and knew that even if we quickly transitioned and ran down to the river, we would only be able
to paddle for about 1 hours before we would have to get off the river and camp for the night. We
were told if we did camp along the river, it was highly recommended to sleep inside a tent due to the
snakes. Yuck. Unfortunately both Seagate and Columbia were able to get on the river and complete
the paddle before the dark zone which pretty much made it impossible to catch them. We knew Team
France and Moviestar had started the paddle but it was unclear if they were going to make if off before
the dark zone. We decided it made far more sense to use up 3 more hours of our mandatory rest time
in the TA, get a good snake free sleep all night and then get up early and walk the 10k down to the river
to be ready to paddle at 5:30 am and hopefully push hard to the end of the race after having so much
rest time and maybe catch a few teams along the way. So after the worlds longest transition which
involved taking a shower, eating warm food, washing our bikes, getting ourselves organized for the
remaining sections of the race and eventually paying a local man $5 to sleep on the floor of the upstairs
of an empty house we settled down for a big sleep. By 3 am we were heading down to the river feeling
rested and recovered and ready to get back into the race. We would be joined by several teams who
had come into the TA throughout the night.

At the start of the paddle we were required to listen to a 10 minute safety briefing, which was a first for
us in a race. The water safety volunteer was very serious and put us a bit on edge as he started off with
Its not a question of if you will swim, its a question of when.. I even got scolded for brushing my
teeth during his talk. Brush your teeth later, you must listen now. (Yes, Mr. Safety, sir) The 70 km
paddle started off rather calm but quickly changed as we merged with another river. Then the
excitement began. The first rapid was more of a waterfall and as we were all thrown from our boats
the question of if vs when we would be swimming, was quickly answered. Rob and I managed to
maneuver the remaining gigantic wave trains pretty well and only ended up out of our boat one other
time. Kyle and Jason did not have the same kind of luck and ended up swimming 6 more rapids. 6
hours later we were happy to be on the shore at the take out with 4 unbroken paddles and all of our
gear. We quickly carried our boats to the TA and transitioned to our bikes. We knew several teams
would be coming off the river and chasing us down including Adidas who entered the TA just minutes
after us.
Once again we were back on our bikes for the final 42 km bike leg. It was 12:30pm now and the sun
was HOT HOT HOT. For the first time I think I was actually hoping for some rain. We left the TA with a
police escort on a motorbike.
We found out later that it
wasnt for our safety it was
purely because the local police
wanted to escort us. Too bad
they didnt play us some music
while they were noisily riding
alongside us. It was this
section that Jason finally felt
the wrath of an expedition
race. This was only his 2nd
expedition race ever and you
would never have known it as
he was super strong both
mentally and physically the
entire race. His legs were not
willing to work with him and Kyle and I took turns towing him up the never ending short steep rolling
hills. It was amazing that he never asked to walk or take a break, he just pushed on and accepted the
tow line as we all worked together to finish the ride and get him to the TA.
TA8 was a mandatory rest stop and we spent our remaining 2 hours of required rest here before
heading out for one last push on our feet. We were happy to pack up our bikes for the last time and
prepared for what would be a grueling trek throughout the night. When the timer clicked exactly 2
hours we were off for the 40 km trek and headed out only 20 minutes ahead of Adidas and 1 hour ahead
of Raidlight. In this section we were required to actually use a GPS which is normally forbidden in
adventure racing. In this case, it was required as the route we needed was not on any map and would

be virtually impossible w/o the use of a GPS. The route began pretty much uneventful as we jogged
along the dirt the roads and the sun set once again. But as always, all good things never last and
eventually the road became a rutted muddy mess. We all took turns leading and following each others
footsteps but somehow I did not step where Kyle had stepped and slipped backwards into what seemed
to be a mud trap. I quickly sank up to my knees and both feet were locked in tight and I was unable to
move. At first it was a bit comical as I told the guys I was stuck, but then it quickly became frustrating as
I seriously could not move. Both Jason and Rob came over to my side and while standing on firm
ground tried to pull me out. I did not even budge other than my shoulder slightly coming out of socket.
I tossed my pack over to them to get rid of the extra weight and continued my battle with the mud.
Nothing. To add to my annoyance, Team Adidas walked right on by us. They respectfully did not laugh
at me as they trudged on by, but Im sure they had a good snicker once they were out of earshot. I
started to picture myself like the dinosaurs, stuck in the mud and left for dead. Years from now people
would find me standing upright, dressed in Tecnu race kit, a dead headlamp on my head, and a look of
frustration on my face with a half-eaten pop tart in my hand. Argh! The guys started finding me sticks
and logs and threw them at me, careful to not get sucked into the pit of death as well. I was finally able
to build a sort of bridge to get my weight on and got one foot out. I had to dig to find my other foot
leaving my shoe behind as I finally freed myself. After I dug my shoe out, rinsed my hands off in a
muddy puddle and put my shoe back on, we were finally once again moving with Raidlights headlamps
growing closer and me covered in mud and still in disbelief about what had just happened. As we went
deeper and further into the jungle, the trail got harder to follow and the GPS was difficult to use. We
kept running into Raidlight as we picked
our way through the mud and kept losing
the correct trail. Eventually the sun rose as
we hit our last high point of the race course
and we began the decent down to the
coast sticking with the theme of MUD.
We had one last treat to get through
before reaching the final TA. An incredibly
brown river with many things floating in it
stood between us and the TA. The tide had
come in, so what would normally be most
likely a waist to chest deep river cross was
now a swim. It actually made me a bit
angry. Its not like it was a pristine river
that you wanted to cross since you were
covered in mud up to your ears. It was a
disgusting river in which cows were literally
standing on the opposite shoreline
crapping into it. Awesome. But Kyle went
for it and after watching him only need to
swim for 20 meters or so before he could
stand up and walk a bit before swimming the remaining 20 meters, it really wasnt that terrible.

Although I will say that I was happy it was the end of the trek as our water bottles and bladder hoses
were in contact with that water and we luckily did not need to use them anymore.
Into the Final TA!! At 10 am we were back in our kayaks and onto the last and final leg, a 60 km paddle.
This time Rob and Kyle paddled together and we hooked our 2nd boat onto the back with Jason and I
paddling it. This worked great as it kept us in their draft and more importantly together. It was going to
be a long monotonous paddle as we would have to stay focused and fight off the sleep monsters and
fatigue. We knew Adidas was just over an hour in front of us and Raidlight was about 30 minutes.
There was still enough race left that we could catch at least one of them but were hungry to catch them
both. As we were approaching the first checkpoint on the water, we saw Adidas with Raidlight not far
behind leaving the CP. Finally, we had visual contact and it woke us up. But the waves started to pick
up and it wasnt long before we couldnt see either team anymore. Its hard to tell if they were hugging
the shoreline or if the small waves hid the boats which sit very low in the water. It wasnt till we were
approaching the last 15k of the paddle when we saw Raidlight. !!!! We dug deep and paddled hard
and slowly closed the gap as we both entered the mangrove canal. As we passed them we saw that
one of their teammates was using a broken paddle (probably a casualty from the whitewater section)
which was actually quite impressive that he was paddling as well as he was. We pushed on and saw
Adidas just up ahead. We could taste 5th place and were not about to give up now. The tide was low
and every once in a while we had to jump out and drag the boats over sandbars. Kyle and Rob were so
quick getting in and out of the boat Im almost positive Jason and I could have remained in the boat and
they would have just dragged us over the sandbar. We had been warned earlier by the race director
that there were stingrays in the shallow water, but we had no time to worry about them. As we
rounded the last corner, we did not see Adidas anymore. Hmmmmm. We hit the boat ramp and I
noticed that the ground was dry = Adidas had not come in yet. When we dropped our boats and
checked in, we were told we were in 5th!! Adidas must have taken a wrong turn in the maze of canals or
gotten stuck in the low tide. It was time to finish this. We were allowed to leave the boats but we had
to carry all of our paddle gear the remaining 4k to the end. So we quickly gathered up seats, paddles,
pfds, water bottles and backpacks and took off at a full throttle. It felt great to actually be running.
Aside from all of the crap we had to carry, we were putting the hammer down. There would be no
walking to the finish line. We had finally secured 5th place after battling back and forth for 5 days and
we were not about to lose it again. As we ran onto the beach just outside of Mompiche we could see
people everywhere. Music was cranking from a nearby bar and Im not even sure if the people standing
around were race related or just locals hanging out on a Friday night. As we got closer we noticed a
group of 4 racers just ahead of us. WHAT???? How in THEE HELL did Adidas do that??? We dug even
deeper , yelling at each other to pick it up and we did. Now we were a full on freight train closing the
gap and it wasnt till we were blowing by the team in front of us when we recognized Mimi from Team
France. It was NOT Adidas. We were now in 4th! We had no idea where we were going as there were
people everywhere. Some guy with a Go Pro camera yelled at us to follow him and we did. We were
winding down small side streets and I was starting to wonder if this guy was totally screwing with us
when I saw the Explorer race banners. We were there. We did it. We crossed the line in 4th place
and a bit in disbelief. Its not that I doubted the capability of our team, it was the fact that no

expedition races EVER end in an all out sprint battle to the finish. We crossed the line, Team France
crossed 2 minutes later, Adidas 7 minutes after that, and Raidlight 6 minutes after that. Amazing.

A HUGE thanks go out to:

Our friends and family who were online and tracking us from start to finish, sending us shout outs,
prayers, and good mojo. I think some of you slept about as much as we did.
Our sponsors: Tecnu, Adventure Medical Kits, and SOL for supporting us with product and funding to
get us to Ecuador. Champion Systems race kit and Headsweats Even when we were wet, muddy, and
smelled disgusting, we still looked good. Leki trekking poles were bomber and helped us survive heavy
packs, long uphills, and lots of mud. Julbo Sunglasses kept the mud out of our eyes and when it wasnt
raining..the sun out of our eyes. Darn Tough Socks no foot problems despite having wet feet for
literally 5 days. Skins Compression Wear Calf sleeves and tights kept up going strong during the race
and recovery socks for after. Out There packs kept all of our essentials handy and all of our gear
safely stowed. Light and Motion headlamps lit up the jungle while trekking and lit up the roads while
riding.
Team Adidas of the UK and Team Raidlight of France for being fierce competitors, having great attitudes,
and battling it out with us until the end!
My teammates: Kyle, Rob, and Jason always pushing hard , never giving up, and still smiling, singing,
laughing and having a great time no matter what %^#@ we were in.
Bernardo Rampon our Ecuadorian friend who was an amazing tour guide before and after the race.
And helped us post race when all we wanted to do was sleep and eat.
Doug Judson our Team Manager who got us to the starting line with everything we could possibly
need to be ready to go and kept our fans up to date with everything happening during the race despite
being miles away.