Team Nike narrowly misses 4th title

After nearly four days and 520 kilometers of racing in oppressive heat through three states in eastern Brazil, Team Nike finished just 1 hour and 20 minutes behind New Zealand's Orion Health at the 2008 Adventure Racing World Championships, Nov. 9.

Team Nike, this year’s winner of Primal Quest Montana and a three-time world champion, consists of Breckenridge-resident Monique Merrill, Mike Kloser, Chris Forne and Gordon Walker.

The race began on a remote peninsula that was accessible only by boat, and the 60 teams from 18 countries started the competition with 15 kilometers of sand dune running.

This was followed by 12 hours of laborious paddling against tides and head winds through the night while covering a mere 60 kilometers to the town of Parnaiba before the race headed inland.

A long 106 kilometer bike ride inland led to the first of the mountain trekking sections.

It was at this point that Team Nike had seemed to be in control of the race lost the lead.

Team captain Kloser of Vail, Colorado said, "We were well ahead on the first mountain trek then Forne, who is typically flawless in his navigation led us up a steep gully and we lost the trail. I'd say we lost about two and a half hours there. After this, we were chasing Orion Health for the latter part of the race."

Through the next stages of mountain bike and trekking, the two leading teams were chased hard by a close pack of other highly determined competitors.

In an Expedition race like the World Championships, it can come down to those who managed the sleep strategy best (teams had the opportunity to collect a bonus checkpoint and take 4 hours off their mandatory sleep requirement).

Orion was one of only a handful of teams that opted to paddle the extra 2 hours to reduce their mandatory 8 hours of rest to 4 hours.

Knowing they may have to play catch up, Team Nike opted to bank on the extra

sleep and the recovery that comes with it.

Orion Health took a chance on the mandatory rest bonus and left the checkpoint after the ropes section before Nike ever saw them.

At this point it was Orion Health's race to lose.

Nike had been steadily eating away at the time bonus of Orion.

Kloser said, “Losing the world title is a tough pill to swallow when you know you are the fastest team in the race.”

There was still 68 kilometers of mountain biking followed by 60 kilometers of paddling down a virtually waterless river and one more leg of mountain biking to the coast.

It concluded with a sailing leg using traditional fishing boats and a trek along the sand dunes to the finish at the spectacular windsurfing town of Jericoacoara.

Nike gave the Kiwi’s a run for the title but in the end the Orion was able to hold off the defending World Champions.

In 2009 the AR World Championships move to Portugal and Team Nike's Kloser is already looking forward to it, stating, “We'll be back next year gunning to regain the world title.”

Team Nike will face Orion Health again in the season's last event in Abu Dhabi in December.