It takes a lot to slow down team Nike. Today, that whole lot of something came twice. First when the rudder controls of Chris Forne's kayak broke, and again almost immediately, when Forne accidentially lost his paddle while trying to reattach the broken foot peg.

In the front of the boat was Sari Anderson, who had to paddle the large kayak by herself to chase down Forne's paddle.

"The whole process probalby cost us five to eight minutes," Anderson said at the finish line, still too tired from the day's race to see any humor in the situation.

Teammate Mike Kloser summed up the experience: "Today was a very frustrating day."

Nike will have more chances to have non-frustrating days on the water, as tomorrow and the next day include sizable paddles on the Persian Gulf.

Adventure racing team Nike from the United States is making its way through gear check here in Abu Dhabi. Here's a shot of athlete Sari Anderson signing her waiver for the event. Sari and teammates Mike Kloser, Michael Tobin and Chris Forne look healthy, happy and ready to take on the desert.

Sari, who rolled an ankle early on while racing this event last year, said she's more ready this time around. "Last year I'd just had a baby," Sari said. "I was in good shape then, but I wasn't as ready as I'd liked to have been for the heat and the pure exhaustion."

This year's format is similar to that of last year, according to organizers. Best of luck, Sari! Keep those ankles healthy!

Some of North America's best adventure racers will take on the sandy wilds of Abu Dhabi next month, where they'll compete in the second annual Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.

So far, American teams include Nike of Colorado and Idaho; DART-nuun of Washington state; and Crested Butte of Colorado.

Two more U.S. athletes were slated to compete on foreign teams, according to the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge website. Jay Henry will race with team Desert Islands of New Zealand. Julia Townsend, who was to compete with team Emerson of the United Arab Emirates, tells Checkpoint Zero she's unable to race due to injury, but will be on site to cheer for her team.