On the afternoon of July 6, the Jiaozi Mountain in Luquan county, Yunnan province, was covered with mist amid the lingering drizzle, with some of the green forests and meadows protruding out to show the season.

But a group of adventure racers was oblivious to the beautiful scenery. They were competing for the title of the 2013 Red Bull 24 Hours Plateau Challenge.

Richard Ussher and his team led the racers and won the championship the next morning after 17 hours of tough journey, seven hours earlier than the other 20 teams.

The race was upgraded to have 80-km distance in its sixth year, sponsored by the world-leading beverage manufacturer Red Bull Co. Athletes had to complete 50 km of mountain bicycling, 5 km cross-country running, and another 25 km of orienteering. The 4,223-meter-high mountaintop was the last challenge for the racers.

The Jiaozi Mountain, famous for its altitude and misty environment, is considered one of the hardest locations for adventure races.

"The mountain is one of the highest my wife and I have ever climbed. The altitude seemed to be an obstacle to most athletes, but we always encouraged each other to get up and move on," says Ussher, the winner of Adventure Racing World Championship in 2006.

In 2005, Ussher met his wife Elina in South Africa during one race where they spent some time together. A few months later, they met again on holidays in Spain during another race.

That's when they found out that they were in love with each other and the wife decided to move to New Zealand from the far-away Europe. "Being from opposite sides of the world, a long-distance relationship wasn't really an option and she decided to give us a shot," Ussher recalls.

Since 2007, the couple had been active in the adventure races in China and bagged three titles.

"China has been a big part of our racing since 2007 and the main country where we have raced is the team racing. The Wulong Mountain in Chongqing (municipality) has been the main race where in six years we have never been worse than the third place and have three wins," Ussher says.

Ussher is also involved in the business of making kayaks in New Zealand, although he spends most of his time in training and participating in various races around the world.

The couple says the sport gave them many chances to experience life in China. The first sight of the Chinese eating frogs and rabbits astounded the couple.

"We love the Chinese people who are friendly and always show smiles to others. The most impressive thing was the sharp comparison between delicately built highways connecting tourism resorts and the old-fashioned baskets on women's back," Elina Ussher says.

"The adventure races usually are in remote and backward places. Life is hard but I saw many locals really enjoying their lives. That's something attractive to us. I don't think we'll come back if we don't like it here in China."

Adventure race is a sport that people cannot endure without faith in themselves and mutual trust between partners. Sometimes, the Ussher's two Chinese teammates are lost in the conversation because of language barriers but Elina Ussher says, "When we stand together as a team, any difficulties could be overcome."

Li Yingqing and Guo Anfei contributed to the story.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/04/2013 page5)