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DART-nuun takes 2nd after a close top 3 battle

Prince Rupert - British Columbia - played host to the 2007 edition of Canadaâ??s premier race and one of North Americaâ??s most prestigious expedition adventure races, Raid the North Extreme. True to its tradition, the race took teams on a journey through rugged terrain with challenging navigation. So much so that only four teams managed to complete the first trekking section before the cut-off time for teams to remain on the full course. â??Breathtaking but with challenging navigation as the risk of being â??cliffed outâ?? was all around us in the steep alpine terrain,â?? commented Cyril - team navigator â?? on the first stunning section through old growth forest and alpine peaks. The rest of the team consisted of Ryan VanGorder, Aaron Rinn, and new team member Mari Chandler.

Due to major flooding in the Prince Rupert area, the course required some drastic changes just weeks before the race was to begin. The senior management team at Frontier Adventure Racing was able to secure a new race location on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) - known as the Galapagos of the North - and get assistance from BC Ferries to provide the proper logistical support. The race and its members were embraced by their new host - the Haida Gwaii - and race headquarter was established at the newly constructed Haida Heritage Centre at Qayâ??llnagaay.

The race started with a brief prologue through the streets of Prince Rupert and onto the ferry in route to the Queen Charlotte Islands where a three to four day non-stop expedition race around the islands unfolded. The final section of the race was back in Prince Rupert and consisted of a 24-30 hour race in and around the host town.

Starting from the Haida Heritage Center, the first kayak section began to spread the field of competitors. DART-nuun came off the water in 4th place and left the transition area in 3rd as their fast switch to trekking paid off. The first trekking stage of the race required teams to travel 20 kilometers, climb over 6,000 vertical feet through rugged island terrain, and test their navigation skills.

With the race split into stages there were also very aggressive cut off times set to assure teams moved throughout the course in order to participate in as much of the race as possible. After completing the trek in roughly 13 hours, DART-nuun found themselves tied for 2nd with team Sole and they would be two of the only four teams to complete the demanding section prior to the cutoff. Some teams spent as long as 50 hours on the section.

From here, the course took racers on a 300 kilometer biking and trekking trip that circumnavigated the north island (Graham Island) and had a dramatic change of scenery from alpine mountains to grasslands and miles of uninterrupted coastline. â??What a change from the thick forest and alpine terrain. We were lucky to see such unspoiled beaches,â?? explained Mari while describing the trek along the northern spit of Queen Charlotte Islands. During this part of the race, DART-nuun and team Sole were always within minutes of each other and pushed to close the gap with the lead team â?? Yukon Wild.

Upon completing the route around the north end of the island, DART-nuun opted to sleep while Sole pressed on. After some much needed rest, the team paddled the inlet to Moresby Island and worked their way up Mt. Moresby, the tallest peak on the Queen Charlotte Islands at 1,164 meters. After ascending and descending this formidable island peak, the team had closed the gap to within 2 hours of the 2 lead teams that were now within minutes of each other.

The next section was a monstrous 45 km paddle in inflatable kayaks along one of the islandâ??s wild and beautiful channels. â??This section was one of numerous kayak sections that showed us some of the most stunning views of the Charlottes. We were even greeted by a black bear that emerged from the forest onto the beach as we glided by,â?? exclaimed Aaron. The views were a welcome distraction from the difficult nine hour paddle into a headwind. As the night fell, the team finally arrived at the transition where their bikes awaited to take them on a tricky orienteering section where - the team would soon find out - old roads were reclaimed by Mother Nature.

At this stage of the race, the team had closed the gap even more to within 1 hour of the lead team and 1â??2 hour of 2nd place. Despite the night conditions and the need for sleep, the team decided to press on knowing that after the bike orienteering section, only a 2 hour paddle separated them from the finish of the Queen Charlotte Islands stage where an over night ferry would provid all teams some much needed rest off the clock. â??We knew that the team who managed to finish the Queen Charlotte Islands stage first would be in a very good position to win the overall race. So, we decided to go for it and hope we wouldnâ??t fall asleep on our bikes,â?? explained Ryan. At first, the team moved efficiently through the first few checkpoints but as the night progressed, sleep deprivation set in and some of the navigation became difficult especially as some of the trails on the map did not materialize on the ground. â??At one point, we were pushing our bikes through the woods since the trail disappeared,â?? remembered Aaron. After hours of fighting sleep deprivation and finding their way through the bike course, the team arrived at the final kayak section in 2nd place. The night had reshuffled the top 3 with DART moving up one spot ahead of Yukon Wild.

Back in Prince Rupert after over three days of intense racing, the teams headed out from the ferry dock for the final 24-30 hours of racing that took teams on an extended journey around the local mountains and waterways. The highlight of the final stage was a 12 kilometer kayak portage that was utilized to connect two distinct water ways. This proved to be a demanding section of the race and took the team more than four hours to complete. â??We thought our strategy of rolling up the inflatable kayaks onto thick PVC piping would allow us to work our way through the bush,â?? stated Ryan. â??Unfortunately the bush was a bit too thick for anyone to move fast and we were reduced to a slugfest like most other teams.â??

Despite some hard racing from all the teams through a long, wet, and difficult final day, the final top 3 positions remained unchanged. DART-nuun crossed the finish line in second place after 102 hours of racing.

Next, DART-nuun will compete in the Oakridge â?? Oregon â?? edition of the Big Blue Adventure Racing Series on July 21st.

The team's successes would not be possible without the generous support of their sponsors that they hand picked because they work in the world's most demanding conditions.

Labels: Press Release