Just before midnight the team rolled into the TA. This would have been the end of the kayak on the Yellowstone but it was canceled due to high waters full of debris. Huge trees were drifting by at surprising speed in the current. It was dangerous for anyone to be on the water. The big joke is that the race is turning into a duathlon. At this point it is pretty much just biking and trekking. But biking is good for MOAT. It plays to their strengths.
The medics at Primal Quest are top notch. AJ Johnson, an active military doctor with tour in Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt, took a look at Nathan's knee and diagnosed his injury. Wink suffered ITB Syndrome, or Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrom, for all you medical professionals out there. Any other doctor would have probably said, stop doing what is injuring you. Stop paddling, riding, trekking - racing. But this is Primal Quest and dealing with pain is definitely part of game. Almost all of the teams that I have seen have at least one member with an injury. Most are limping around.
Johnson injected the site of inflammation on Nathan's knee with lidocaine and sent him on his way. This was to relieve the pain for about three hours, enough to get him through the next twenty or so miles of biking to the trek. The repetitive motion of pedaling was particularly painful, and it is the kind of motion that can't be adjusted to relieve the pain. At least on the trek he could change his gate to relieve the stress on the IT Band. Nathan was a trooper and was the first one ready to leave the TA. Despite this injury, MOAT's biking edge did not seem to be noticeably dulled.
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