The Finish
With time dwindling, four teams: Adventure Enablers, Mercators/VERT, Women of AR and Team P.U.K.E. were still fighting for podium places. Teams Enabled Tracking and Mercators/VERT typically start races with the intention to clear every single point. They knew some strategic drops may need to happen along the line though. On the other hand Teams Women of AR and P.U.K.E. had both gambled that the course would not be clearable by anyone and opted to skip CP2 which would have added 30-45 minutes of paddling time, half of which would be up river and into the wind. The extra time and exposure on the first paddle stage made a critical difference in the overall race results too. Limiting their time on the cold and windy river, Women of AR and P.U.K.E. were able to save time and focus on their strengths of land and bike navigation, taking home first and second place overall, respectively. Eventually the weather was punishing enough that no teams were ultimately able to clear the course.
Overall winning team, Women of AR. Left to right: Britt Mason, Karen DuLaney, Nicki Driscoll
