Dear Competitors,

We received quite a diverse number of responses from many teams regarding our Friday, July 14 email informing everyone of the new concept of carrying your own food for the entire race from the starting line. The responses were quite varied including:

"This all sounds so incredibly exciting. I can't wait!"

"Cool, this is a great idea.""It will save us lots of weight on the airplane."

"I personally think that carrying food is a waste of everyone's energy..."

"Inspections for 'illegal food' will not be possible."

"...now we have to buy another backpack and change our training."

"The $372 for flammables is unfair."

Strangely enough, the strongest complaints came from teams who are the most experienced — including those few who have free entry and airfare to the race. These are the teams that clearly have the best chance of winning. On the other hand, most of the positive comments have come from teams who are looking forward to a big adventure and have very little chance of winning.

The very experienced teams can do these races in five or six days and hardly carry anything whereas the rookie adventurers take 10 to 12 days and carry much heavier packs. It was this that prompted me to try to move away from the high-speed triathlon format that the top teams have introduced and closer to the fundamentals of Eco-Challenge — the Expedition.

If you look at the most recent Raid Gauloises and deduct all of the mandatory sleep (dark zones), I would assume that in Eco-Challenge terms, it was a five-day race. Without these mandatory stops, the first and last place teams would have been 14 days apart. In addition, there were assistance crews driving cars and cooking hot meals for the teams a number of times during the race. This is an extremely fast pace as was December's Eco-Challenge in Patagonia. If we race directors make it any harder, only the very best will finish and the rookies who are out for an adventure (the lifeblood of this sport) will never finish at all. My idea of making it more of an expedition by carrying all your food is, I believe, a necessary change.

However the reason Eco-Challenge continues to be the best run, most efficient organization is our willingness to listen to constructive input from both rookie and experienced racers. It is in this commitment, and considering that I had this new idea so late in this year's planning, I have determined that I will revert to my original planning which will be: one Food Resupply point in the middle of the race. This race has so much water travel involved, it is fairly easy to carry enough supplies in the boats however, removing any food Resupply would have required towing a fishing lure while sailing to catch fish. Of course, even though we are going to allow the food Resupply, you still may catch fish, (and no John Jacoby, "Yummmm, roasted orangoutang" will not be allowed).

Regarding the cost of the flammables, this is something out of our control; it is being organized by the State of Sabah's vendor (Borneo Divers). We absolutely must have them as seeing an orange smoke filter through the canopy will be the only way to find you in that jungle from a helicopter and the only way for us to see there is an emergency with your team on the ocean is to send up a flare.

I feel it is a bit of a shame that I had this "carry all your food" idea so late in the planning because as many rookie teams indicated by email that it would have "kind of evened things up." I will try and re-think an appropriate way to turn it into a more of an expedition next year and of course be open to constructive input and advice of how to achieve this.

By the way, we didn't get one email congratulating Team Spie on joining the race so I will say it myself.... Welcome Team Spie.