Team Qasr Al Sarab show fine form

Abu Dhabi: As the third annual Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge — the gruelling, multi-discipline, cross-emirate endurance race — entered the final stages of day two, it was very much a New Zealand and France-led show, with the two nations dominating five of the top seven places.

After a city-wide 28-kilometre triathlon and 30-kilometre sea kayak on day one, Saturday saw the 40 teams from 20 countries return to their specially designed kayaks for a technical 50 kilometre sprint paddle through the meandering, archipelagic islands off Abu Dhabi.

And it was two-time defending Kiwi champions, Team Qasr Al Sarab, led by the husband-and-wife combine of Richard and Elina Ussher, that continued to exert incredible dominance, having finished the leg with a cumulative time of 10h45m03s — more than 26 minutes ahead of fellow countrymen and nearest challengers, New Zealand's ADCO.

In third place was French outfit Vibram-Sport 2000 on 11h24m58s, with fourth going to Lundhags Adventure from Sweden (11h44m46s) and fifth to Spain's Buff Thermocool (12h04m48s).

Having completed a quarter of their 400 kilometre journey, the 160 athletes head inland today for the energy-sapping trek through the Empty Quarter.