Eco Challenge Won

Team Salomon Eco-Internet has won the 2000 Eco-Challenge in Sabah, Borneo after covering 509.5 kilometers in less than 144 hours with a longest rest stop of just two and a half hours.

The event was highly watery with a substantial proportion of the challenge being spent paddling, snorkelling, sailing and diving and experienced competitors reckoned it was one of the toughest Eco Challenge events ever. Reigning champs Kiwis Fairydown Fleet Cookie Time were forced to withdraw after their captain John Howard's feet could take no more.

Meanwhile, lower down the field, teams are still battling their way through the course. Top Brits Team Schroder finished seventh after the team ahead of them fell asleep in their canoe and missed a checkpoint. Meanwhile, Team The North Face are battling on unranked after losing their captain Naomi to injury on day two, after an ill-omened beginning when their boat sank during the ceremonial start.

Meanwhile, Team Playboy Extreme, featuring three centrefolds and a male New York futures trader were disqualified on day four of the event after missing the cut-off time into checkpoint 14, though like the marginally less attractive Team The North Face, they opted to carry on unranked and try to complete the course.

You can check out the extensive and expensive Eco-Challenge live site here, but once they're back we should have some firsthand impressions from the Team The North Face boys on just how tough it really was.

Incidentally, you can track TNF's progress across the map from GPS data by looking here. Ain't technology brilliant?