lepto at nationals

adventure racers take many risks, although we may not always think of them as such. biking and running with little sleep, traversing steep mountain sides, bouldering through slick creeks and canyons... it's all part of the adventure. the cuts and scratches that adorn our bodies afterwards are just a testament to where we've been. sometimes things happen that aren't planned for or even really considered. such is the case at this year's nationals (which i wrote about in nov). racers had their legs slashed up by saw palmetto plants common in florida, then trudged through mucky swamps and rivers. their open wounds were exposed to all that great bacteria hiding out. the result: leptospirosis, confirmed in at least 6 racers (3 of which are friends living here in atlanta). the CDC has been all over this, with the last outbreak in the US coming after a triathlon in illinois. the AJC wrote an article last week that gives a less-than-admirable look at what we do as adventure racing athletes. (It makes us sound a bit stupid for doing what we do I think). Still, worth the read. (mom & dad: you don't need to worry about me though!)