It could happen any minute now: the winning team at 2010 XPD Australia should cross the finish line in Cairns, Queensland.  The dramatic see-saw battle between Orion Adventure (NZ) and Blackheart (AUS) can’t be understated.  Multiple lead changes . . . teams getting lost and then recovering . . . teams struggling through poisonous stinging plants and crocodile encounters . . .  this competition has delivered the most entertainment value of any race in recent memory.

I’m plugged in to the technology team in support of XPD Australia, and so it was quite a shock when we saw the “Help” message come through from the Orion team a few hours ago.  The tracking beacons every team is carrying include two safety buttons, one for “Help” and one for “Emergency Rescue.”  Fortunately, Orion had only activated the “Help” button which indicates nothing life threatening, but that their race was effectively over and the race organization would coordinate medical attention and transport for Orion to the finish line.  Apparently, a serious ankle injury proved the undoing for the Kiwis leaving only Blackheart to race alone for the final few kilometers to the end.

Orion was in a 5 day see-saw battle for 1st place before withdrawing a few hours ago

I’m not going to get ahead of myself and declare Blackheart the victors, however, as Blackheart hasn’t crossed that finish line yet.  This final trekking leg includes plenty of navigation, elevation, and distance (not to mention more of the stinging plants in the jungle!).  At the last checkpoint (here is the race leaderboard), when Blackheart and Orion were still fighting it out for the lead, they both had a 7 hour lead over the 3rd place South African team McCain Adventure Addicts.  McCain now elevates into 2nd place with the withdrawal of Orion, and we’ll have to see how teams fare on this final trek to the beaches in Cairns.