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The 2003 Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race: New York City |
| Top 5 Full Course 2003 Wild Onion NYC Official Finishers |
| PLACE | TEAM # | TEAM NAME | TEAM MEMBERS | FINISH TIME |
| 1 | 3 | NYARA | T. Cote, J. Hartley, D. Hulme | 19:32:04 |
| 2 | 2 | Nike ACG/Balance Bar | M. Kloser, M. Tobin, D. Ballangee | 19:32:59 |
| 3 | 4 | Earthlink | R. Benincasa, K. Classen, J. Middleton | 21:08:25 |
| 4 | 8 | Aarcgroup/Truvativ | V. Benetis, D. Darby, J. Shultis | 21:43:29 |
| 5 | 5 | Red Bull-Spain | F. Costoya, A. de la Rosa, R. Maldonado | 22:21:19 |
For a full list of results, please visit http://www.urbanadventureracing.com/nyc/nyc2003results.pdf/nyc.
Race Wrap-up
In its inaugural year in New York City, The Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race offered a number of amazing moments throughout its 24-hour span. Beginning with its spectacular start at Grand Central Terminal, racers began their journey while thousands looked on from the Main Concourse. After a seven-mile trek through the streets of Manhattan, stopping at famous landmarks like Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, the teams launched their kayaks from the North Cove of Battery Park City.
Due to poor visibility, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the southern leg of the Kayak stage would be removed from the course. As a result, teams were forced to battle against the currents as they charged north, rather than enjoy a smooth ride out to the Statue of Liberty. After nearly four hours for some teams, the field landed at Columbia University and proceeded on bike through the Bronx. Possibly the most difficult portion of the course came in the form of Van Cortlandt Park, as teams orienteered their way through a series of checkpoints in the deep forest. The degree of difficulty increased as racers were also forced to battle both nightfall and the torrential downpours of the passing storm.
As a result of the inclement weather, the race directors were again forced to alter the original course to ensure the teams’ safety. A bike leg out to City Island was promptly removed from the Bronx Bike Stage, as was the inline skate from Columbia University to Pier 84 in Hudson River Park. Despite these modifications, the race continued. The next stop on this journey was the New York City icon, the Empire State Building. Teams arrived throughout the night and were presented with the task of climbing the stairs to the 86th floor and then, upon arrival, returning to the ground floor. The fastest time of this stage was completed by Team Nike/ACG, which included three-time Eco-challenge champion Mike Kloser, who completed both the ascent and descent in 22 minutes!
Upon completion of the Stair Climb stage, teams traveled on scooters to the Brooklyn Bridge and made their way out to Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. Teams continued to battle the elements as they switched to bikes before heading out to Rockaway Beach and Coney Island. As the night turned to day, teams found themselves running down the beaches of Staten Island, as the finish was a mere ferry ride away. The battle for first place got interesting at this point as Team NYARA (New York Adventure Racing Association) missed the 8:00am ferry and was forced to wait for the next boat to depart. This allowed Team Nike/ACG to make up 50 minutes of time and board the 9:00am ferry with the leaders.
It would be a frantic four-mile sprint to the finish as the racers made their way to Pier 84 and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Team NYARA and Team Nike/ACG used every remaining ounce of energy to reach the finish. In the end, it was the local team, Team NYARA, which claimed the inaugural New York City Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race with a time of 19 hours and 32 minutes. Team Nike/ACG finished only 55 seconds behind the champions in one of the closest Wild Onions in history!
| Where: |
Grand Central |
| When: |
Friday, June 13th - Saturday, June 14th |
| Official Start Time: |
2:30 PM |
Touted as one of the world’s premier adventure races, the Wild Onion is coming to the Big Apple. This grueling 24-hour experience has turned cities such as Chicago, Houston & Indianapolis into urban playgrounds for only the bravest competitors. Now, the Wild Onion has finally arrived to the Ultimate Urban Playground!
Urban Adventure Racing, LLC has partnered with The City of New York to produce the first New York City Wild Onion 24-hour Urban Adventure Race on June 13-14, 2003. The race will be made up of approximately 80-100 co-ed teams of three that must navigate around a 120-mile course that encompasses all five boroughs while partaking in various race disciplines that may include:
Canoeing
Kayaking
In-Line skating
Cycling
Running
Scootering
Stair-climbing
Rappelling
City Navigation
Each leg also integrates a certain unique aspect of the city such as a specific attraction, urban resource or historic landmark.
Past events have brought people from all over the United States (last year alone 20 different states represented) as well as from two foreign countries (Finland and Australia). Those athletes have experienced the host city in a way that very few could ever dream possible. Now it’s your turn…
Last Updated On:
Monday, June 30, 2003 | |
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| 2 Washington Street, 19th Fl., New York, NY 10004 / Toll Free: 877.NYC.SPORTS / Fax: 212.788.7514 |
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