Today, we had a lot of fun and are quite happy with how we did. Another great day of working well together.
Race started with a 12 k road ride in which we basically just had a good time hanging out in the peloton. There was a small break away and Kyle and I went with the group. Then the ride got pretty tough, it was a mix of smooth 2 track rideable road and rocky creek crossings and bike pushes up hill. Kyle and I were not sure what position we were in as it got a bit strung out. I was very happy I had decided to change my slick tires to semi slicks as it helped me climb in the rocks and mud. Unfortunately , Grant from the Kiwi team took a pretty good crash on his bike on one of the turns. The rumor is he might have a fracture in his back but is doing ok.
We came off the bike to the white water raft section. We started out with Kyle in the back and me in the front with our "guide" in the very front showing us the path to take. We weren't doing the best so we tried switching spots and continued to have similar trouble controlling the 6 person raft w/ only 2 people, but we made it down the river with a few hang ups on some rocks. It's pretty much where we lost most our time, but hey, we stayed in the boat and had a lot of fun. We did get passed by the Malaysia team about 1/2 way down the river, but we had a very quick 30 sec TA and were off on the run ahead of them. This is where the heat caught up with me and I felt terrible. Kyle and I kept a very good pace for the next 9 k and eventually I had to take a tow from him. I would like to point out that this was the first time I have ever been towed running but wow was it HELPFUL and we were able to keep our pace and dropped the Malaysian team even more. I was quite happy when we reached the river and had a short run downstream to where we entered the Cave. This was probably the most fun as it was pitch black and we used only our headlights, or torches as they are called here, to navigate our way downstream through the cave. I got all of my energy back with the cooler temp and the army crawling we had to do in the water to get through certain sections. 12 minutes later we popped out into daylight and threw down a very fast 400 meter sprint to the finish. We ended up 7th, but only 7 minutes back from first place. Fortunately only 2 of the teams who beat us where in front of us in the overall placement so we moved up to 4th place overall and now only 3 minutes behind the Malaysian team in 3rd place.
Tonight we were welcomed at our next hotel with an entire festival going on with dancing, music, gifts, and games. The Malaysian culture is amazing and Kyle and I are enjoying every minute of it. We are feeling good right now and are very excited for tomorrow's final stage. It will be the longest stage with a very long bike , short kayak, a repel, a big hill climb on the run and a team biathalon (whatever that is....) . That's all for now, Kyle and I are heading back to the festival to do some christmas shopping. ;)
Hello from Malaysia to everyone back home !
-Mari
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