On the most breathtaking, competitive day in Mild Seven Outdoor Quest history, Team Nokia Adventure moved closer to a second consecutive MSOQ crown. Nokia Adventure built a six-minute lead during the opening 30-kilometer kayak leg and was never seriously challenged again.

"I think Nokia Adventure was definitely trying to make a statement with that opening kayak leg," noted Mike Kloser of Team Beaver Creek, currently in 2nd position overall. "By putting that kind of distance between themselves and the rest of the field, everyone else was in the position of having to work harder to catch them."

Petri Forsman, Nokia Adventure's team captain, agreed with Kloser. "There were no secrets about our success. We were very strong on the kayak, then did everything else as good as possible. This was a very good day for us."

Nokia Adventure currently enjoys a 10 minute cushion in the overall standings. Beaver Creek is 2nd. Team EADS Bo No. 2 of France is 3rd. Should Nokia Adventure maintain their commanding overall lead, they will become the first team in MSOQ's four year history to repeat as champions. "I think," Forsman notes, "that we have a very good chance — as long as nothing goes wrong on the final day."

MSOQ is a four-stage event, often considered the premier endurance multisport race in the world. It is a team race, with four-person squads racing side-by-side for over 400 kilometers. Disciplines include mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, adventure skills, and inline skating. The team with the lowest cumulative time after four stages is declared the winner.

Elite athletes from around the world flock to MSOQ annually, drawn by the intense competition and the opportunity to use nature as a means of finding more about their true self. Outside of the Olympic Games, no endurance competition attracts as many elite athletes. "Discover in nature's splendor your inner-self inspired," is the race motto. Athletes take it to heart, pushing their mental, physical and emotional limits as they run up and down mountains, race through deep forest, kayak under blue skies lined with puffy white clouds. Teams are quick to help other teammates — even other teams — in order that all may push on through to the finish.

Today's stage began just after dawn, on the south shore of Cheng Lake. An estimated 10,000 local residents had spent the night, awaiting the start. They lined the hills on either side of the lake, cheering and applauding the 20-team international field. Competitors sprinted down the beach to their kayaks as the starting gun sounded, then quickly launched their boats. Despite the determined efforts of Team Beaver Creek, Nokia Adventure slowly pulled away. Exiting the kayaks after an hour of determined paddling, Nokia Adventure quickly progressed through the day's 134 kilometers of racing. After kayaking, it was running, mountain biking, more running, an adventure skill, more mountain biking, then inline skating.

The highlight of the day for athletes as well as spectators was the adventure skill. A "Tyrolean traverse" was strung from one side of the Yangtze River to the other. One end of this lengthy climbing rope was attached to the top of the Jinan Bridge, sloping down to water level on the other side. From the bridge, athletes clipped themselves to the rope with special mountain climbing equipment. Then they leapt from the side, using the rope to guide them safely across the chasm at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Athletes found themselves rejuvenated by the experience, whooping and hollering with joy as they sped across the gorge and splashed to a stop in the Yangtze. "It was very fun," noted Nokia Adventure's Forsman. "But splashing into the water was also very cold."

More cold awaits Forsman and the other competitors during tomorrow's final stage of the 2000 MSOQ. Athletes will race up the snow-covered slopes of 5500 meter Jade Dragon Mountain. In fact the mountain is covered with so much snow that organizers have shortened the course. Waist-high snow above 4000 meters having made the final section impassable. However, the shorter distance will force teams to race harder and faster in an attempt to catch Nokia Adventure, guaranteeing a top-notch day of racing.

"We're only ten minutes back," points out Mike Pigg of Team Beaver Creek. "And in this race, where anything can happen, ten minutes means we can still win it all."

Regardless of which team takes home the 2000 MSOQ title, every finisher will go home as a true winner. "I spoke with the teams after today's stage," said course designer Ian Adamson. "They said this was the most beautiful course they'd ever raced on, the most challenging course they'd ever raced on, and the most competitive field they'd ever been a part of. Without a doubt, Mild Seven Outdoor Quest is the premier race in the world right now."