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Team
Nike Conquers Mexico in 2006 Opener
Team Nike members Mike
Kloser, Sari (Chwalk) Anderson
and Michael Tobin traveled to the Mexican State of San Luis
Potosi for the Camdex Adventure Race February 20-24. Fifteen
teams competed from countries including Mexico, Guatemala,
Uruguay, Costa Rica, Italy, and the US. Four days of
competitive racing ensued that included mountain biking,
running,
tree-top ziplines, navigating,
rafting, canyoneering, horseback riding,
canoeing and various rope activities. Team Nike
squeezed out a 3 and 6 minute lead over Mexican Team
Buff and Team Spyder
respectively after the first day. The second day saw hot
temperatures effect the teams and the lead changed multiple
times. After a spectacular rappel along side the Tumal Falls
Team Spyder
out sprinted Team Nike for the win on
the day. The three top teams again gained and
lost precious minutes during the third days challenging navigational
choices. Team Spyder
won with a minute lead over Team Nike on
the third day . The
final day included challenging bike navigation, steep
trekking and a canyoneering section with multiple jumps into
and swims in river pools. Nike gained a few minutes in
this section that allowed them to get out
of sight. By the finish they'd gained another 20 minutes to
clinch the overall victory. "It's a great way to start
our season," said Michael Tobin. "We worked really
well together and were pushed hard by Buff and Spyder.
On top of that, the scenery and terrain were
spectacular."
New
Team Members
The
core team of Mike Kloser,
Michael Tobin and
Ian Adamson are pleased to welcome some familiar faces joining
Team Nike for the 2006 racing season. Veteran
adventure racer Monique Merrill of Breckenridge, Colorado
who helped the team rack up top spots at several
events last year will again bring here impressive race
experience to the world's winningest adventure racing team.
Perhaps a newcomer to the sport when compared to her
teammates, Vail, Colorado's Sari (Chwalk)
Anderson
is a determined multi-sport athlete that
already helped the team to victory in its first race of the
2006 season. The latest to join forces is
Kiwi Richard Ussher. He is respected worldwide
for his athletic prowess as a former member of Team Nike's
arch rival and New Zealand powerhouse Team Seagate and for
many of his solo ultra-endurance victories.
A completely
redeveloped website will launch mid-March so please visit us
then for an updated race calendar, results, gear
reviews, racing tips, athlete bios and much more.
www.eliteadventureteam.com
Mike Kloser on Horseback and Tumal
Falls
NOTE: Attached
high resolution photo: Mike Kloser wades through water after
repelling down Tumal Falls, Mexico.
Photo
Credit: Camdex 2006
Monday, August 1st, 2005
Ian
Adamson, Sari Chwalk and Michael Tobin took the reigns of Team
Nike/Balance Bar for the Beaver Creek Adventure Weekend
Adventure Race. The weekend was organized by their teammate
Mike Kloser and the BC Resort. Teams criss crossed the Beaver
Creek Resort and it's vast mountain slopes that took even
local Team Nike/Beaver Creek (Dan Weiland, Rebecca Hodgetts
and Jay Henry) into new territory. Navigation through bush
laden forests, even more than high altitude, big climbs and
single track riding, proved to be the single biggest
challenge. Nike/Balance Bar and Nike/Beaver Creek often took
opposite routes to checkpoints but still ended up side by side
and in the lead much of the day. A fun Eagle River
tubing/boogie boarding section was followed by the final
orienteering hike back to the Beaver Creek Resort finish line.
After almost 8 hours of racing and working together to
navigate the final checkpoints the two "Nike" teams
chose to finish first together.
Michael Tobin's comments:
"As the race extended into the
afternoon and it was clear we wouldn't make
Mike Kloser's estimated sub six hour finishing time we joked
that it
probably took him that long and we were fools to think we
wouldn't be out
there at least 8 hours. Though it was such a fun and
challenging course the
hours went by pretty fast. I think I'll be dreaming about
aspen forests and
bush for a week."
"This was an exceptional race right
in my back yard.
The course was demanding and fun, bringing me to new
places in an area I thought I'd been everywhere.
It was a great experience to race with Ian and Michael
and also to be able to share it with the Nike/Beaver Creek
Team".
Tobin
Tandem
picture
by Joe Savola
