A few weeks ago, when I created a computer file for this adventure racing column, that's what I typed in as a possible headline.

 The Flatlanders are top-flight racers -- they'll compete in the international Raid Gauloises in November -- and they often train in Myakka River State Park. With the home field advantage, along with their triathlete training, I figured the Sarasota-based team would win the first Myakka to the Gulf Adventure Race.

 This kind of expectation is tough, maybe even unfair, but it comes with the territory.

 So does making and breaking your chances in a two-day, 112-mile event, where every team runs the risk of making a wrong turn in the woods. And that's just what happened to the Flatlanders at about 1 a.m. last Sunday morning.

 "Here we are in first place, moving right along, and then we got lost for three or four hours," said Eric Kahl. "We're like, 'Oh, no, we're gonna go from first to 20th at the next checkpoint.'"

"Torturing people"
The Flatlanders weren't the only ones who got lost, dehydrated or injured during the endurance race.

 The Myakka event began with an 8-mile bike and 15-mile paddle, followed by a 15-mile hike during the heat of the day. That's when 2- and 4-person teams started dropping out.

 In the end, only 16 of 42 teams crossed the finish line.

 This is typical for a race put on by Adventurous Concepts of Pompano Beach, which is earning a reputation in Florida racing. That reputation is for …

 "Torturing people," said Jim Molaschi, who designed the Myakka course. "We don't want it to be a walk in the park. … You know, the biggest killer in a race like this is sleep deprivation. After 24 hours, you don't know what your body's telling you."

Sarasota starters and finishers
Jeff Knowles, a respiratory therapist, led a team sponsored by Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. He'd done sprint races, single-day events, but this was much longer and much more grueling.

 "The first 12 hours we were doing really well, but we took off too fast and had too much gear," Knowles said. "We made it a little over halfway through the race before injuries forced us out. I'm sure I'll lose a toenail or two, and we went through a pair of shoes each.

 "Everybody was hurting -- it looked like a battleground out there. People were lying all over the place."

 On another trail, Kip and Jessica Koelsch stayed on their feet, no matter how tired they got.

 They're longtime adventure competitors, often sponsored by the Environeers store in Sarasota, but hadn't planned on entering the Myakka event. At the last minute they hooked up with a pair of Miami racers.

 More than 30 hours later, they'd taken 6th place.

 "As a team, we helped each other, and just pushed, pushed, pushed," Kip said. "You know what got tough is when we started realizing we were doing really well."

Second wind, first place
The Flatlanders, meanwhile, were still finding their way out of the woods in the middle of the night.

 "We had some ugly moments, but we stuck together and just found the next checkpoint," Kahl said. "Then we got there, and we were still in first place, and that gave us our second wind."

 They paddled the final segment -- the Myakka River to Curry Creek and then the Intracoastal Waterway -- to cross the Venice finish line first at about 29 hours.

 The winning team: Kahl, Dale O'Hara, Pat O'Hara (no relation), Chriss Sigafoose and Marie Volkhardt, along with alternate Tony McEachern.

Southern Exposure, Sept. 15
Sarasota adventure racers will get a second chance at Myakka River State Park in the Southern Exposure race on Sept. 15. This event will be half as long -- a 50-mile course that should take just one day to complete.