Salomon's X-adventure race in Aspen included seven of the 10 best adventure racing teams in the world — and a few teams that had never raced before. To put things in perspective, it's the equivalent of your weekend golf fanatic following Tiger Woods at the British Open.

"Listen, we're not them. We know that. But we can learn from them and still be competitive with teams at our level. When you're competing against teams who are well known, and you learn they missed a section as well, you say, 'Hey, I'm doing pretty good!'" joked first-time racer Peter Spagnoli, Team Bike Hampton, pointing to French veterans DEFI MODE, who came in just before Sunday's ropes section.

Long, hard-core adventure races like Eco-Challenge and Raid Gauloises get all the glory, but it's the growing number of smaller, faster series that have the guts. The fast-paced, no-holds-barred Salomon's X-adventure races kick butt on even the hardest of bodies. And it's the future of the sport, according to Team Salomon Eco-Internet.

Not everyone can take off weeks of work to plod through hundreds of miles in the world's most remote regions. Longer, exotic races have their virtues, but races like X-adventure can be more intense, and are also available to athletes looking for an accessible, mind-and-body challenge over a long weekend. "We'd all like to do the long races all the time, but this is the future," said Isaac Wilson of Eco-Internet. "Having it near an urban center, over a short period of time, made it a very tough race."

Added teammate Robyn Benincasa, after coming in 2nd place in the Aspen race: "I'm not used to racing that fast. You should have seen me throwing up... Oh, it's been a long time since I've hurled." And this from a woman who won the Raid Gauloises two years ago.

The experts weren't the only ones wiped. First-race teams like New York's Bike Hampton, and Team Roadkill, of Boulder, were also in their own world of hate midday on Sunday. Before Sunday's ropes section, Bike Hampton team members sprawled on out the lawn, exhausted but happy. Roadkill's Rob Johnson was disappointed that the team lost its number 14 ranking due to an orienteering error on Saturday. "We left at 8:30 at night and didn't finish that section until 5am. We got lost, missed the checkpoint, and had to skip that section. But yeah, we're having fun!"

Spagnoli's team members, though worn, said the scenery kept them inspired throughout. To them, it's the best way to see the country. "Where else can you be hiking in the back woods of the Rockies seeing the sun set?" he asked. Added his teammate: "I totally forgot about that brutal mountain bike climb when we came down with that unbelievable scenery."

When asked whether they'd be sleeping, showering or drinking a beer after the race, Spagnoli replied that he would be happily enjoying all three activities at the same time.

"We'll be doing a bit of partying," he added.