Adventure racing comes with a host of inherent dangers, and, of course, that is part of the appeal. Let's face it, if flying kites or chasing butterflies on a weekend constitutes a thrilling interlude for you, then rappelling 600 feet down a sheer limestone wall, or sea kayaking the open ocean in eight foot swells, might be out of your comfort zone. However, in the first decade or so of its existence, adventure racing has by and large proven to be quite safe per capita. At least compared to auto racing or hangliding.

The recent series of illnesses reported by participants of the Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 raises some questions about tropical diseases, however. And in fact, jungle-based races have historically been scary for organizers and racers alike. After the Raid Gauloises in Borneo 1994, New Zealand's Steve Gurney came down with such a severe bout of Leptospirosis that it very nearly killed him. Wading through waist-deep bat guano with a depleted immune system and open wounds has its costs. He suffered circulatory collapse, renal failure, pulmonary edema, and was on life support for 10 days. It required a full two years of recuperation for Gurney to regain full race fitness (he recently won the Elf Authentic Adventure in Brazil, where he again contracted Leptospirosis, this time in a minor form). In the 1999 Elf Authentic Adventure, Philippines, Australian Novak Thompson got Leptospirosis and suffered for many months — he came pretty close to the abyss himself. But there he was at the Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000, where he finished fourth...