Jukka Pinola (member), Jarmo Luomala (staff), Petri Forsman (team leader), Myself (staff), Mika Hirvinen (member), Elina Mäki-Rautila (member)
On June 17-22 (2001), Newfoundland was the site of the Raid The North Extreme Adventure
Race that saw 49 teams from around the world, come here and compete in a 6 day, 410 km, race.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a support staff member for the TEAM NOKIA
adventure racing team from Finland, and it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Team Nokia finished second, thus qualitifying for the Discovery Channel World Championship
race held in Switzerland (the first of its kind in the history of this sport). And at
this race that was held in September, TEAM NOKIA finished first, and in doing so, they were
crowded the 2001 Adventure Racing World Champions. With that said, I created this webpage
to honor their accomplishment, and to relive my experience of meeting and working with them.
Two weeks after the Newfoundland race, I was interviewed about my experience by the
Humber Log, our local newspaper, and here is the article.
Finn-tastic Adventure Written By Craig Pike The Humber Log July 5, 2001 Finland’s team Nokia Adventure are currently in another adventure race in Sweden, but they are one member short from the last race. There was no mountain climbing or dory racing for the support crews at the recent Raid the North Extreme Adventure race but they also tested their limits. For one local outdoor enthusiast the race had an international flavor. Michael Sharpe of Pasadena was a member of the support crew for one of the best adventure racing teams in the world, team Nokia Adventure of Finland. Sharpe says his love of the outdoors combined with a strong attraction to nature made him want to get involved with this race. “I have been involved with the World Triathlon a lot in past years as a volunteer and like the triathlon, this event brought world class athletes to the areas and I wanted to play a part in it,” said Sharpe. Sharpe informed the host Frontier Racing that he was interested in being a volunteer during the race and things took off from there. Not long after, he received a call from race organizers on the mainland telling him that team Nokia Adventure needed one more member for their support crew. According to Sharpe, at every race the Fin’s try to have at least one local person as part of their crew. “They feel that it is an advantage to have someone who is a little bit familiar with the area, in order to insure that their equipment arrives on time” said Sharpe. Although he didn’t hesitate to take the position, Sharpe says he was a little nervous knowing he would be a part of one of the top adventure racing teams. “At first I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but when I met the team they were very good to me and everything went well right from the start,” said Sharpe. “They seemed to be very excited to have a local resident as part of the support crew,” he said. Communication was something that presented a challenge of sorts. Being from Finland, the racers didn’t speak much of English but Sharpe says they just kept it simple and things went smoothly. “Once the race started, they were in that zone where they were totally focused on the race and they didn’t talk much then anyway, but when they came into the transition areas, they would say, ‘drink’ or ‘sandwich’ so then I would hand them what they wanted,” said Sharpe. “There were a couple of times when things got a little hectic at the transition area, but I told them if I was in the way, push me out of the way, this is your race, not mine” said Sharpe. The grueling nature of this more than 500 kilometer race is something that support crews had to battle as well. Several nights with little or no sleep and constant traveling can take it’s toll. Sharpe says as soon the team left each transition area, they packed up the gear and moved on to the next area. The transition areas were designed as a place where the athletes could stop for a while, eat some warm food that was prepared for them, and discuss strategy for the next leg of the race. Even after spending hours battling the harsh elements that Newfoundland has to offer, Sharpe says the spirits of the team at each check point was something to be admired. “No matter how tired they were, how soar they felt, they were always in high spirits, especially the Ellu (the female member), she always was smiling and giggling. Even if the team was in a serious meeting about their strategy, she was smiling and happy. It was amazing,” said Sharpe. The Finnish squad had the lead for a large portion of the race, but saw it evaporate because of poor weather. The kayak leg on Grand Lake was delayed by 12 hours due to dangerously high winds. During that time team Salomon/ Eco-Internet of the United States made their move. “Our team knew that team Eco-Internet were good kayakers and the if they were going to win it would have to be on the last bike leg,” said Sharpe. Unfortunately the Finn’s couldn’t catch their rivals and finished in second spot, 39 minutes back of the winners. Although disappointed about the way the race ended the group was very happy with their efforts says Sharpe. Although the whole race was an experience of a lifetime Sharpe says the highlight for him was when they crossed the finish line. “They wanted me to go to the finish areas and be a part of their celebrations, and that meant a lot,” said Sharpe. Even though he knows he played a small part on the team, the racers were very appreciative of all of his efforts. Now that the event has come and gone, Sharpe still communicates with the team, and would welcome the opportunity to do it all over again in the future.