After the 17 enduring hours of what is considered the toughest and longest race in Guam, Tyce Mister, Russ Quinn, Mieko Carey and Yosh Gabaldon approached the finish line on that dot.
Carey said the race which they started with hiking through rough terrain was very hard, and it’s so fortunate her team was good.
The GEAR Challenge was a multi-discipline race that makes the endurance athletes bring out all their best in variety of skills.
Out of the 13 professional teams, only one was able to complete the course as a team.
Mister, Quinn, Carey and Gabaldon of Team Saipan were able to navigate through Guam’s rough terrain and become the only team to finish the course within the specified time. Several athletes from other teams were able to combine and finish a shortened race course unofficially.
In the social division, Team SOS managed the course in 16 hours and 37 minutes while Holla Back came in shortly 50 minutes after.
Gabaldon, who, like his team mates went home with both legs full of contusions from sharp grass blades, said the objective of the race is to navigate from point to point on a map within a specified time frame.
With the theme, “Are you tough enough?” which all participants, at one point also asked themselves, the GEAR Challenge gave the athletes the rare opportunity to experience Guam’s unique terrain that, however offered a much different challenge.
Coast steering, hiking and kayaking through scenic southern part of Guam were the components this year’s event.
Some adventure races, Gabaldon said are held in cities with roller-blading and street navigating while others could include horseback riding or skiing, which range from a couple of hours to several weeks.
The weather and race course, he added proved to be more challenging for the most of the teams.
Team Depends composed of Dr. Richard Brostrom and Mike Johnson who are also from Saipan were given special recognition during the banquet.
The team was in first place and one hour from completing the course but a medical emergency occurred and Dr. Brostrom spent two hours before the helicopter arrived to evacuate the competitor.
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