Conquering the Atacama Crossing (Chile)

Stéphane (bib#43) came in 07:33:02 with an overall 4 Stage time of 27:24:27 moving up to 11th place!!!!

Jocelyn (bib# 17) came through Stage 4 in 11:09:39 with an overall time of 39:05:24 as #55  (5 1/2 hours ahead of # 64)…. amazing!!!

Leader Rob James (bib# 35) flew through Stage 4 with 05:46:18

Today’s latest news is: 

11:10 am, 3 April, Stage 5: The first group of competitors left at 8:30 am. Harold Roberts, Martyn Sawyer, Rossa O’Donnell, Chris Armitage and Juan Encina are the first through the checkpoint. The fast competitors left at 9:30 am. Hong Kong’s Rob James and American Dean Karnazes are battling to capture Stage 5 and the championship. 

From RacingThePlanet Stage 4 – 42.8km days summary:

A violent storm blew through camp this afternoon just as the early finishers were getting settled, tearing apart six tents and sending several more tumbling into the salt lake next to the campsite. The campsite crew watched the storm approach from across the desert for more than an hour, anticipating its arrival but not its ferociousness. Strong wind gusts pounded the camp for half an hour or more, and rain wasn’t far behind; several competitors and staff reported seeing lightning bolts flash from the western sky.

Competitors, staff and volunteers all fought to hold down the tents that hadn’t yet spun off into the wind. Several unlucky competitors who stayed in their tents trying to anchor them were tossed around when the stakes holding them to the ground came loose. Luckily all escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises, which they insist are minor compared to other damage they’ve done to their bodies over the last few days. The group was a bit shaken but rebounded quickly, getting to work on repairing the damage and reconstructing the shelters. Competitors have reshuffled their tent groups to accommodate more people, and have bedded down for the night in anticipation of the long stage tomorrow.

Out in the field, Rob James took the lead today over DeanKarnazes.  James looked at ease coming out of the salt flats and across the finish line. He and Jo Petersen, who finished second, tackled the salt flats together, and both said that the company helped them endure the heat and the tough, unpredictable terrain. Many competitors coming out of the salt flats looked wiped out, although some said the experience wasn’t as awful as they had expected it would be.

The terrain was varied even before reaching the salt flats, running across more sand dunes, through a riverbed, up into a small Chilean town (where many competitors stopped to buy sodas and chocolate bars at a local market along the route), through a forest, and out into a rocky desert that turned into salt.

On the team side, Team Brunton/Gerber/Andesgear has withdrawn from the team race due to one of its members’ injuries. They will continue to compete as individuals. Team Trifecta completed an impressive comeback to overtake the Chilean team at the third checkpoint of the day, and finished well ahead of their rivals. With Brunton/Gerber/Andesgear’s withdrawal, Trifecta is the only group still in the running for the team title.