They have prepared for nine months and, come tomorrow morning, Bermuda's Eco-Challenge will face their moment of truth in the remote jungles of Fiji.

That's when the foursome of Kim Mason (captain), Lee Harrison, Kevin Pearson and Jim Butterfield begin their quest to cover a rugged 300-mile, multi-terrain course in Eco-Challenge Fiji 2002; the ninth edition of the world's premier expedition race.

Patty Petty, who helped the team prepare for this testing adventure and who has accompanied them to Fiji, spoke to The Royal Gazette yesterday, confirming the first Bermudian team to enter this event is ready and raring to go.

"I think they just want to get on with the race. It's all coming together now. They really haven't had any rest because it's been go, go from the time we got here - packing and getting supplies and all the other things they have had to do. There hasn't been much time to dwell on what's going to happen."

Since arriving in Fiji on Monday morning (Sunday afternoon Bermuda time), the team has surveyed some of the arduous terrain into which they will delve in the coming days; been tested on their rope-climbing proficiency and been briefed by officials and rescue personnel.

Regarding Wednesday's testing session for the 80 teams in the competition, Petty said it was all thumbs-up for the Bermudians who showed how well they have mastered rope-climbing in recent month. However, members of some others teams had to be retrained on the spot until "they got the hang of it".

"The testing went really well. There was no feeling like 'We can't do this'. I didn't feel there was any apprehension among them (the Bermudians) at all," said Petty.

That night, Eco-Challenge organiser, Mark Burnett, and rescue personnel briefed teams on what to expect and were extremely candid about the difficulties that could be ahead. For instance, participants were told they must be prepared to be self-sufficient even if something goes wrong as they may not be rescued for up to eight hours, depending on the situation and where they are.

"That was stressed over and over again," noted Petty.

Another matter highlighted was how participants should conduct themselves if and when they come upon remote villages. It could, they were warned, be the difference between life and death.

"You never touch anybody on the head because, the next thing, you may not have a head and that's true," stated Petty, recalling the seriousness with which this was said.

Burnett offered competitors a final chance to withdraw discreetly - with a full refund and no publicity - if they had second thoughts about the rigorous undertaking.

All this, plus a first-hand look at the kind of terrain through which teams will traverse, she added, make it understandable why many people would be deterred from such a risky journey.

"It's been a real eye-opener for me so far," said Petty. "It's beautiful but there are huge gushing waterfalls, deep jungles and massive cliffs. Some people would look at this and think 'Hmm, do I really want to do this?'."

The objective of Eco-Challenge is to cover the course without any mechanical transport but instead hiking, mountain-biking, sea-kayaking, white-water rafting, canyoneering (ascending and descending rock surfaces), jungle navigating, swimming and other disciplines as stipulated for various race stages. Each team of four must have at least one man and one woman.

There is no outside assistance unless a life-threatening situation occurs and a team is disqualified if uses its radio or if even one member quits. Also, there must be no more than 100 yards between team members at all times - even when kayaking. Teams usually complete the route between six and 12 days. The winning team receives $50,000; second $40,000 and third, $30,000.