The venue for this year's Eco Challenge has been announced and
it's....
Fiji! Obviously this means the event will include special extreme
grass-skirt-wearing stages and abseiling with garlands of
flowers:
'From impenetrable jungles to jagged limestone cliffs to stunning
turquoise lagoons, Fiji is both a paradise and a fascinating study in
contrasts. Only 100 of the 333 islands which make up Fiji are
inhabited, and it was only a century ago that Fijians were considered
the world's fiercest cannibals. Today the people are among the
world's friendliest, but are still deeply committed to their
tribal cultural heritage.' Say the Event Organisers before
adding:
'Fiji is a land of duality, with both majestic tropical beauty and
harsh rugged adventure. In October 2002, seventy-five, four-person,
international teams will converge on the exotic islands of Fiji. They
will explore and race through 500 kilometers of Fiji's most
impressive and untouched terrain by bushwhacking through dense
jungles, mountain biking on rugged trails, paddling down jungle
rivers, trekking on ancient pig hunting trails to remote villages,
climbing fixed ropes up raging waterfalls and exploring the
uninhabited islands. In an evolution from years past, the 2002
Eco-Challenge will increase its problem-solving expeditionary nature,
challenging competitors with more team decision-making and
navigation.'
More information on the Eco
Challenge web site.
WARNING
Adventure racing is, as ever, incomprehensibly hard, even in a
tropical paradise like Fiji as the boys from On The Hill will
testify. Monthly in depth adventure race news and race reports in the
special adventure race section of the magazine.
