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Fourth Annual MSOQ Attracts World's Top Endurance Athletes
On the eve of what promises to be the toughest Mild Seven Outdoor Quest in history, anticipation is high in this small mountain hamlet. "The world's premier endurance athletes have flown in from around the world," notes MSOQ race director Murphy Reinschreiber. "Over the next four days we'll witness an incredible level of competition."
The Mild Seven Outdoor Quest is a team multisport stage race. Four-person teams, each having at least one member of the opposite gender, will contest over 400 kilometers of mountain biking, trail running, off-road in-line skating, team biathlon, boat paddling, adventure skills, and kayaking. Team members must stay together at all times. The squad with the lowest cumulative time will take home the lion's share of a $200,000 (US) purse. The year 2000 marks the fourth MSOQ, and the first to be contested in the rugged terrain of Lijiang.
"We chose Lijiang for a reason," adds Reinschreiber. "Every year the level of competition has gotten higher at MSOQ, and every year we've tried to make the course tougher so the athlete's will feel properly challenged. With Lijiang, we have mountainous terrain, high altitude, and unparalleled scenery - all aspects of multisport racing that make the sport beautiful and daunting at the same time."
Reinschrieber doesn't mention Lijiang's stunning blue skies laced with billowing white clouds in describing what lies ahead. He also doesn't mention that Lijiang's course is roughly twice as long as any previous MSOQ. On the first and third days of competition, for instance, athletes will spend over eight hours racing. First-time course designer Ian Adamson, a world-famous adventure racer brought in specially by MSOQ leadership to create a very special racing experience, won't be helping matters. Not only does his course ask athletes to conquer scores of mountains, gorges and streams, enduring twisted ankles, altitude sickness, and freezing water in the process, but he's also named each stage. Athletes will be punished by, in order, Percolator, Equalizer, Eliminator, and Terminator.
Clearly, the team crossing the finish line first will have pushed their mental, physical and emotional limits. They will rightly be able to call themselves the world greatest endurance athletes.
Taking home first prize, however, will not be simple. MSOQ competition has always been fast and furious, with the distance between first place and second place often less than a few minutes. This year may mark the year the sentimental local favorite, Team Mild Seven, basks in the glow of victory. After a sterling sixth place finish in 1999, the Chinese members of Team Mild Seven showed they were more than capable of competing alongside the world's best. To increase their chances, Team Mild Seven has spent the last three months training under coaches Paul Huddle and Roch Frey, two of the world's best multisport tutors. "They're a tough bunch," Huddle says of Team Mild Seven. "They know what it takes to win and they're not afraid to hurt. They're a team to watch."
Defending champions Team Nokia Adventure from Finland, who devastated the competition with a withering combination or running and cycling skills, are back for more. And with the exception of a new female team member, their core nucleus is unchanged. Elina Maki-Rautiala shouldn't hamper Nokia's bid for another title, however. The 24-year old is already an experienced international competitor, and is one of Finland's top cross-country skiers.
Challenging again for top honors will be 1999's runner-up, Team Eco-Internet. This veteran group has won every major adventure race in the world. Experts at pacing, Eco-Internet tends to start the race modestly and increase their speed as the miles pass. Another weapon in Eco-Internet's quiver are incomparable mental strength. Look for them to exploit Adamson's long MSOQ course, using inner fortitude to press on when other teams falter.
From the running and cycling worlds, MSOQ newcomer Team Bogner will be this year's dark horse. Team Bogner features 2000 Xterra Champion Michael Tobin, known for his blazing trail running abilities, as well as Mike Vine, another top Xterra racer. The team aspect of MSOQ will be Team Bogner's biggest challenge. Every member comes from an individual sport background, with little history of racing within a team structure. MSOQ veterans will be the first to warn Team Bogner that teamwork is everything during the long days of competition. Those teams that work as a unit - Eco-Internet and Nokia being prime examples - know success. Those teams that fracture from pressure and fatigue invariably fail to finish. Adamson has already warned the athletes that many teams will not be capable of going the distance.
Only time will tell which team has the resilience and stamina to conquer the 2000 Mild Seven Outdoor Quest. A look at the team roster shows that almost every team has either a world or national champion among their number. Some have several. So the teams that have flown to Lijiang to contest this special race know what it feels like to win. Race director Reinschreiber has an inkling of what's to come. "This is a race of champions. The people who come to MSOQ aren't comfortable with second place, they race for victory. What happens over the next four days will be a very special, very demanding competition. There's none like it on earth."
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