Inaugural Atomic Adventure Race champions, Team Lab Rats, are returning to defend their title.  And they've got their work cut out for them.  Not only will they be competing against the likes of Checkpoint Zero, Vignette, Team SOG, and WEDALI, but the stage has been set for an epic rematch between them and team Green Paw Adventure Sports (previously Team Shake-A-Leg Miami).  Last year, both Lab Rats and Green Paw Adventure Sports were within 15 minutes of each other for nearly the entire course, until a late-race navigational error by Green Paw Adventure Sports put them on a prohibited route and cost them a 4 hour penalty, leaving the victory to Lab Rats. Green Paw Adventure Sports has been licking their lips at another chance at the Atomic since then.

And as if the strong field of competitors and rivals was not enough, there is another burden for Lab Rats to deal with at the 2010 Atomic that they did not have to bear at the 2009 race.  Last year they won the Stanley Cup of the Atomic Adventure Race, and this year it is mandatory gear for them.  That's right, as I stated at last year's awards ceremony, the Lab Rats are required to carry the Atomic AR trophy through the entirety of the course.  It was poured at and the iron ore came from Red Top Mountain in Cartersville, GA specifically for the race.  The extra 10 pounds should be enough to slow them down a bit this year, with the trailing pack in high pursuit.