Team Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon Places Fourth in The Discovery Channel's Eco Challenge; First US Team and the Only Woman Dominated Team to Place in Race History.

LOS ANGELES--(BW SportsWire)--Dec. 7, 1999--

Team Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon has become the first American team to finish the race and the only female dominated team to complete the course in the five-year history of the race.

They crossed the finish line in an impressive five days and six hours. Joining forces with team captain Rebecca Rusch and female world class adventure racers Cathy Sassin and Robyn Bennincasa, Ian Adamson rounded out the team in a race that requires at least one member of the four-person team be of the opposite sex.

Team Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon, the only three-woman, one-man team in the male-dominated event, held onto fourth place and finished only 5 1/2 hours behind the first place winners, team Greenpeace of New Zealand.

While traveling alongside Greenpeace during a portion of the race, Adamson commented, "We worked together with Greenpeace during the trek -- proving eight pair of eyes certainly do better than four."

Sassin also commented, "We love them and have enjoyed traveling with them."

Team Atlas has generated a great deal of respect from other teams, enthusiasm and support from spectators worldwide and excitement from women everywhere for their endeavor to be the first predominantly female team to finish the prestigious Eco Challenge.

Rusch stated, "Success depends on bonding, team work and maturity. It also depends on being able to go slow, ask directions, and communicate with your teammates."

As they kayaked to the finish line, the Spanish-speaking fans greeted the team with chants of "diosas" which translates to goddesses in English.

"It was the closest finish in the five-year history of Eco-Challenge," said race spokeswoman Kim McKay. The 197-mile-long course also was among the quickest races, taking the winners almost exactly five full days to complete. Although it was a fast course, it was also very difficult at times.

On the last leg, Bennincasa said she had gained a new respect for the terrain by saying, "It was a lot of bushwhacking. We were moving less than one kilometer per hour."

Crossing the finish line, Greenpeace team captain and adventure race veteran John Howard said it was one of the most competitive of his many races. "We raced the event because we were being chased constantly by Halti (Finland) and Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon."

Andrea Murray, the sole woman on Team Greenpeace said, "Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon was our toughest competitor throughout the race."

Founded in 1990, Atlas Snow-Shoe Company is the leader in snowshoe technology and innovation. Atlas manufactures Dual-Trac(TM), a high-performance running snowshoe used in training by team Atlas Snowshoe/Rubicon. Atlas is located at 1830 Harrison Street, San Francisco 94103 or on the Web at www.atlassnowshoe.com.