Team Kelty-Cabela race diary--February 3
Joy Marr, team coordinator
The team has slowed down some due to Nick's feet. He had a doctor look at his feet at one of the checkpoints, and he removed some of his skin. He has been doing better.

The organization changed the route of the race because the water was supposedly too low. After the rain we had, that seems unusual. The course changed for the teams after the top four had a much longer trek--from eight hours of walking to 18 hours.

Many of the teams did not have enough food and water for that long a trek. It also made things hard on teams like ours that had bad feet, as they call it here.

Don, the team captain, changed his program for this race. He had planned to finish in the top 10, not in the middle of the pack. But with the changes in the course and with Nick's feet, they want to finish officially. There is a big difference in finishing and finishing officially, especially when you are trying to get sponsorship for next year.

The rumor is that the Raid will be in Vietnam next time. That will be announced at the awards ceremony on the 6th. There are six teams in so far. They are having the finish at the swank Wild Sun Coast Hotel and Casino--650 rand per person per night--about $125 U.S.

No, we are not staying here, but at a great place down the road--right on the Umzimvubu River. The racers will pass by, so we'll see those who finish on the 6th.

The country has been unbelievably beautiful--spaces so wide open that it's hard to judge distances. Like they said in the newsletters, this may not be the hardest Raid to date but it sure has been the longest one.

Every team has been amazed at the distances to be covered and have all been surprised by the ruggedness of the terrain, in many sections it has doubled the initial time they estimated. Today the teams are finishing the bike section. The initial time figured by our team was 30 hours for 100 miles. The leading teams are coming in in 18-23 hours, not counting the additional eight hours to the finish line on the river, paddling those terrible inflatable canoes!

It has truly been a learning experience, and that is what Don says the winning teams all have--lots of experience in these long endurance events.