As 160 Eco-Challenge athletes started up to six days of sleep-deprived hell Sunday afternoon, one of the master tacticians of the sport surprised everyone by going in a different direction from the start line.
Barry Siff, the man who wrote the book on adventure racing, slipped his Salomon U.S. team around the back end of Algoma Central Railway's Agawa Canyon Tour Train and disappeared into the bush, unseen by any of the videographers filming the contest for SportsNet.
Our photograph shows the back of the train and the path into which the Salomon team went.
It's not known where Siff's team went after stealing into the thick woods, so the effectivenes of his unusual strategy won't be known until the Eco-Challengers arrive at the first checkpoint sometime Monday.
At 12:44 p.m. Sunday, the 2003 Eco-Challenge North American Championship began amid the stunning scenery of Agawa Canyon Wilderness Park.
40 winks on the tour train
The 36 co-ed teams travelled there from nearby Sault Ste. Marie by train, many trying to catch 40 winks before the grueling adventure race.
Racers will now continue, non-stop, 24 hours a day for up to six days.
Participants will cover the 450-kilometre wilderness course by mountain biking, running, canoeing, kayaking and rappelling.
The starting line was adjacent to the Algoma Central Railway tracks, and with a camera-carrying helicopter hovering overhead, competitors set out running parallel to the train.
A sly wave to competitors
But Siff, the savvy author of Adventure Racing: The Ultimate Guidebook, had his U.S. Salomon team linger behind the others before slipping across the tracks with a sly wave to the few baffled competitors who witnessed the tactic.
Bystanders saw Siff's team enter the bush on a trail immediately at the back of the parked tour train.
SooToday.com followed the trail about 100 yards, where it ran into one of the 500-foot-plus rock faces that line the scenic canyon.
Bushwacking miles of untracked bush
Race organizers and locals familiar with the terrain believe that the Salomon U.S. team scaled the cliff to follow a relatively obstruction-free power line at the top.
The other racers, meanwhile, were 'bushwacking' their way through miles of untracked bush along the Agawa River.
Race manager Michael Sharpe said that the presumed Salomon strategy could give the team a sigificant edge, but could also have a "devasting" price if it fails.
A race guide issued to competitors on Sunday cautioned about the dangers of the ground covered on the first day of racing.
Hidden cliffs
"This section has many a deep lake and surprise cliff hidden in the forest," the guidebook warned.
"Be very careful with night travel. Evacuation from this section of the course will be difficult."
EDITOR'S NOTE: SooToday.com has moved our newsroom to Searchmont this week to allow us to provide in-depth coverage of the 2003 Eco-Challenge North American Championship. Under a unique partnership between SooToday.com and the Eco-Challenge organization, news director David Helwig has joined the production team as senior web writer. His insider coverage can be accessed here on SooToday.com and on the official Eco-Challenge website.