Elf Authentic Adventure
April 14-29, 2000
Elf Gets Underway
International Team Pharmanex-Spie takes command in first day
By Ari Cheren
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Cathy Sassin of Pharmanex-Spie (27) changes clothes after the kayak leg, gearing up for a long horse ride.
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Granja, Brazil at CP2 (April 15, 2000) — Team Pharmanex-Spie surprised no one today when they grabbed an immediate lead in the second edition of the Elf Authentic Adventure in Brazil. Heading up the swollen Rio Coreau out of Camocim today, the international team of racing veterans quickly amassed a one-hour lead on the
field, and with that an early edge in this record-length adventure race. Racers awoke to sunny skies and hot temperatures on Saturday, bringing their two-person kayaks to the water's edge for a 9:00 a.m. start. After a short briefing by race organizer GŽrard Fusil, where he warned competitors of the extremely high water levels in the river, the race
was on with the shot of a flare gun and loud cheers from hundreds of gathered villagers.
This "Elf part deux" —as some are calling it — has the makings of a truly epic race, but the competition will mostly likely be a battle between just a few of the 30 teams. Heading up the still brown waters of the river this morning, only one team could match the sheer power of Pharmanex-Spie's American, Kiwi, and Aussie engine room. French
Team FujiFilm — boasting two team members with experience in the water — broke away from the main pack and gave chase to the leaders, as everyone dealt with a three-year high watermark following the heaviest rains in 25 years.
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As the teams approached an ancient iron train bridge at the small town of Granja, literally thousands of spectators lined the span and overflowing riverbank to watch the spectacle. Finally, after nearly five hours of waiting, Pharmanex-Spie came into sight, using all their strength to beat the oncoming current from under the bridge. Coasting into an
eddy, the team's support crew dragged the two boats up the muddy bank, the team heading to a shaded area to change for the next leg.
After a quick change of clothes and gathering gear for the horse riding leg, team members walked across the bridge through the throng, to their waiting horses on the other side. From there the competitors had to select a horse, saddle up and load enough gear for two day's travel across the mountains.
Just as Pharmanex-Spie was leaving the corral, FujiFilm was arriving on the opposite bank in their boats — one hour behind the leaders. But, determined to maintain contact with the leaders, FujiFilm got in and out of CP2 in just 40 minutes, leaving the corral just 22 minutes after the leading team.
The race is now between two teams, with the next team — AR Zone — in third place 50 minutes back. Three more teams headed into the horse leg within ten minutes of each other, racing to beat the mandatory dark zone during this horse leg, enforced from 6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Teams will then leave their rest area in the same order as they
arrived, with the same gap.
One team, Loch Harris Cold Water of the USA, faltered on the kayak leg, capsizing a boat in the strong currents, while one of the team members was also ill — making for an arduous journey up the river and bring on a yet-to-be-determined penalty from the jury. Two other teams were still on the river at 6:30 p.m., when the day's official rankings are
posted.
Tomorrow (Sunday) will host a full day or horseback riding, as many teams are spending Saturday night at the very beginning of the horse section. From here teams head south, entering the mountains and water-soaked riverbanks of the spectacular Brazilian forest region.
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