NBC coaching sage Phil Jackson once penned, "Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the 'me' for the 'we.'" Team Exide Batteries, previously considered a "good team with great athletes," became a great team this weekend. Exide stood victorious atop the podium here, the same site where it rose to prominence two years ago. It was in 1998 when young Team Exide (a.k.a Team Nature's Garden) first took the podium and used that victory to springboard to the 1998 National Championship. The team, however, spent the 1999 season in the shadows – never reaching a podium. Now two years later, in the last race before the Hi-Tec finals, the team was able to regroup, refocus and rise to the top.

In typical Hi-Tec style, the race began with a flurry of activity, and an orienteering start. Racers were given sealed envelopes at the pre-race meeting on the night prior to the event. The envelopes contained maps of the surrounding area and included three control points to be located. Team Toy Soldiers/Phil's Bar, last year's winner, and Team dsports.com, both of which reportedly use Moraine State Park as their stomping grounds, had the distinct advantage on this one and were the first two teams to emerge from the woods.

After this two-mile orienteering section, racers headed out on the first of two, three-mile trail runs. Team Exide Batteries, normally known to have trouble orienteering, got out cleanly and quickly asserted their dominance. (Even while clipping six-minute miles along the run course, newlywed Steve Kramer, of Team Exide, was heard to profess his love for his new bride.) Off the first run came the first Special Test, the "Human Ladder." Teams had to form a ladder of bodies in order to reach and ring a cow bell hanging 12 feet overhead. Team Exide stumbled slightly through this test, allowing Team Red Bull and Team dsports.com to gain crucial time.

A 12-mile mountain bike course, consisting of three miles of bike paths, six miles of singletrack and another three miles of bike paths, followed. Team Red Bull caught Team Exide on the first bike path and both teams formed a paceline, trying to extend their leads over the other teams.

Once in the woods, however, it was all Exide. (It should be noted that Team Red Bull suffered three broken chains, which cost it the podium.) The mountain bike section saw several changes in the top spots as more technical riders rose to the forefront. Team Hi-Tec ascended the ranks and emerged in 2nd place and then began to exert real pressure on Team Exide. (Hi-Tec was racing without member David Kelly who is still suffering from the effects of leptospirosis he contracted after posting a 10th-place finish in the Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000 in Borneo, Malaysia, last month. While we still wish David a full and speedy recovery, he should be happy to note that he was ably replaced by last year's Team Hi-Tec stalwart Paul Romero.) Team dsports.com continued to hang tough, with Team Balance Bar and Team FogDog close behind.

The racers quickly transitioned to the two-mile kayak with no change in the top standings. Once out of the water, two Special Tests awaited. The "Tire Roll" had teams roll a four-foot diameter tractor tire up- and downhill for over 100 yards. Teams then sprinted to the "Rope Seat Carry." Here racers were given a six-foot long strap and were directed to carry one teammate approximately 50 yards without dropping them. (Most racers opted out of this test when given the chance in Hartford last month. Therefore, race organizers decided to make it mandatory here.)

With just three miles of trail running left, teams began to push for the finish. Midway through this second run, however, racers were confronted with one of the toughest Special Tests to date, the "Nitro Crossing." Teams had to swing, in unison, across a span of 20 feet. The difficulty lay in retrieving the rope, which dangled 10 feet into the middle of the span. Racers needed to devise a system to get the rope without entering the "dead space." Many teams devised ingenious slings out of shoelaces or tow straps to "catch the rope" and draw it near.

Once past this obstacle, only two miles of trails remained. Team Exide exited the run first and was met with two final Special Tests: the "Tightrope" and the "Dirty Name." The "Tightrope" had racers walk across cables stretched over 50 feet, with three "rope vines" hanging from above to aid balance. The "Dirty Name" is an infamous military test where three logs form a large ladder. The "rungs" of the log ladder were spaced approximately five feet apart horizontally and vertically. Racers had to literally jump from rung to rung, swinging their bodies over each rung.

Exide, working effectively as a team, passed unscathed through these two tests and posted its second win of the season, with a time of 2:48:51. A race for 2nd place developed as Team Hi-Tec and Team Balance Bar crossed the "Tightrope" together. Hi-Tec squeaked past Balance Bar on the "Dirty Name," taking 2nd place, with Balance Bar only nine seconds behind and finishing 3rd.

The battle for the last two podium spots came down to a war of online sporting goods, Team FogDog.com came from behind to pass Team dpsorts.com on the "Tightrope," take 4th and 5th, respectively.

A mere 7:14 separated the 1st and 5th-place teams, and eight out of the top-10 finishing teams were prior winners of a Hi-Tec Adventure Race, making this the toughest field of teams to date. Honorable mention goes to Team Mud, Sweat and Beers who took 6th place overall. It was rumored that this was the 1996 and 1997 Hi-Tec Moraine winners, Team Mod Squad, racing incognito.

The all-male division saw Team Shugendo come back from a deep deficit to again emerge victorious. Team AMF rose to the podium in 2nd and Team Nelsen took 3rd. Team 4Jeanne, three men racing in honor of a fallen comrade, fellow racer, and friend, took 4th.

Dominique Ulrich, racing with all-female Team Heineken, joined her husband Butch Ulrich (Team Exide Batteries) atop the podium. Team Pure Estrogen took 2nd, with Team Yost rounded out the top-3 all-female teams.

Local all-female team, Team Title IX, was noticeably absent this race after team member Benay Wooten suffered a severe head injury while racing two weeks ago at the Mountain Rage 2-Day Adventure Race.

The Corporate Division saw Team Scrubs top out the field. Team Mud, Sweat and Gears, took 2nd, with Team YMCA taking 3rd.

Team Master Blasters took top honors in the Masters Division. Team Murray's Masters grabbed 2nd place with Team Two Moons and a Crack taking 3rd.

— Tiger Mann, Team Timex Captain, MountainZone.com Correspondent