SA Eric Cortes prepares to hand off baton to GS Kumar Kibble.

The USCS team finished the race in 16 hours and 24 minutes, which placed them in the top third. The racecourse is divided into 20 stages, each approximately six miles long. The starting line, in Baker, Calif., is at an altitude of 700 feet. The course follows rolling desert topography, climbing slowly to 2,090 feet. After a short downhill jaunt, the course again starts a series of rolling climbs until it tops out at about 5,600 feet. The finish line is in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Customs "Mixed Division" team from California and Texas, included:

• Inspector Robert Gwizdala, Canine Enforcement Officer Aurora Grdina, special agents (SA) Dan Behrends, Mike Belli, Erik Cortes, Mary Dorsey, Leo Lamas, Steve Shaw, and Buck Thomas; SSA Steve DiCiurcio, SSA Patrick Li, and Group Supervisor Kumar Kibble, Los Angeles;

• Special Agents Juan Juarez and Glen MacDonald, San Francisco;

• SA Melissa Schwartz, San Ysidro;

• SSA Matt Van Dyke, San Jose;

• CEO Kristie Jones, Laredo;

• SA Joe Jeronimo, Eagle Pass;

• SSA Lucy Bosarge, El Paso; and

• Port Director Richard Mendez, Austin.

Working behind the scenes were team captains SCI Gary Stocks and SSA Steve DiCiurcio. The team was put together by the Office of the Special Agent-in-Charge in Los Angeles. Special thanks go to group supervisors Judy Hoffman and Jim Moran, and SSA Sandra Moran whose dedication to the USCS 2002 relay team made this a smooth and safe event.