Over the river
and through the woods ...
And across the glacier, and down the ravine ... This year's Eco-Challenge--an eight-day, 500-kilometer paddle, climb, bike, ride, and hike across the wilds of British Columbia--was a slog through sweltering heat, pouring rain, and mountain storms. Only 14 of the original 73 teams reached the finish line, where a dramatic race for second place ended in a tie.

1997 Eco-Challenge

Daily Eco-Challenge updates
August 31: The finish line
August 30: Nonstop flight to the finish line
August 29: Strategies include support crews
August 28: Pressure hardens some, melts others
August 27: This challenge includes an eco-lesson
August 26: Strange teams do more than entertain on Day Two
August 25: Wandering into the woods

Race intro
Extreme sampler
How do you train for a beating? This year's event, beginning August 24 in Whistler, British Columbia, is sure to keep the world's best adventure racers guessing.

Feature
Competitor's diary
Join Eco-Challenge racer Greg Thomas and his Team S.C.A.R. teammates as they gear up for the big event. Greg will be sending regular dispatches from team headquarters in Santa Cruz, on the road to Whistler, and during the race itself. Check back often for his first-hand reports.
September 1: Crossing the finish line
August 31: Stopped by a storm
August 30: Once-in-a-lifetime challenge
August 29: The going just keeps getting tougher
August 28: Beautiful pain
August 27: Down, up, down, up, down, up
August 26: Still on track
August 25: High spirits after Day One
August 23: The scene of the crime
August 19: Low drag, high speed
August 15: Adapt or fail
Team member profiles

Profile
Tough ol' body
At 73, the matriarch of ultra running, Helen Klein, is just getting started with her new hobby, adventure sports. She comes to this, her second Eco-Challenge, having "run everything there is to run."

Feature
Tools of the trade
The organization that brings you the Eco-Challenge now brings you the Eco-Challenge Adventure School, an extreme Outward Bound training experience for serious adventure racers, adventure racer wanna-bes, and those simply looking for a little weekend excitement. Join in for a four-day curriculum of sweat:
Day one: "I will inflict your will upon you."
Day two: Dyin', then flyin'
Day three: Sweet rewards
Day four: Finish lines