ESPN  

INVERNESS, Scotland — Seconds after finishing first in the 2009 Drambuie Pursuit, Martin Kern, Eike Sack, Marcus Stolla and Stefan Olszok started planning their next adventure.

The foursome, known as the Drambuie Warriors, orchestrated a come-from-behind effort, picking off fatigued competitors one by one to take over first place just before the finish. But the win surprised everyone, including the Warriors, thanks in part to the team's laid-back training techniques.

Going into day one, the Dutch Drambuie Clan was the heavy favorite in a field of 13 international competitors that included a team led by celebrity Seann William Scott. Channeling Rocky Balboa, the Dutchmen worked with two personal trainers to prepare for the event. The Drambuie Warriors … well, they watched a few videos online.

"We actually looked at the videos online, and it [2008 Drambuie Pursuit] looked pretty challenging," Kern said. "I saw a lot of very exhausted people on the videos, but it looked exciting so we decided to sign up."

At the prompting of team captain, Sack, the four men from Germany built a friendship around extreme adventure events. In 2007, they participated in a survival event and set their sights on this year's Drambuie Pursuit as early as 2008.

The premise of the Drambuie Pursuit is simple. Four-person teams race across the Scottish Highlands, reversing the route made famous by Bonnie Prince Charlie during his retreat from the Battle of Culloden. Legend has it the Prince used a potent elixir — part Scottish whiskey, part secret spices — to sustain him on his journey and passed on the recipe to thank his supporters for their loyalty. The Prince's recipe for Drambuie remains unchanged more than 250 years later.

The two-day adventure race starts off innocently enough, with an archery competition and a Zapcat power boat race. These challenges require skill and precision, but the gut-wrenching, oxygen-gulping stages that follow hit competitors with a quick one-two punch.

The Drambuie Warriors put in solid, if not stellar performances in the first two stages to grab seventh place. But their mid-pack status didn't last long as the teams encountered the mountain bike race and hill climb. Approximately 200 meters of back-breaking, muscle-aching terrain left many competitors gasping for breath and struggling to finish the ascent.

While the other teams clutched their sides, the Drambuie Warriors made their move. With four men moving as one, the team picked up three places and finished the hill climb in fourth. Recovering quickly from the exertion and the altitude, the Warriors prepared to tackle the whitewater rafting challenge on the River Garry.

The River Garry is a popular breeding ground for salmon with its frothing rapids and clear, cold water. Every year, the salmon struggle against the current on their way up-river to spawn, but many die of exhaustion during the process. Luckily, the Drambuie Warriors managed to avoid a similar fate.

The men produced another impressive team effort, propelling their raft down the river and overtaking two teams floundering in the rapids. But fatigue began to set in.

"For me, the most exhausting thing was the hill run," Kern said. "Running up the 200-meter hill was very challenging but the rafting was probably the most fun."

In spitting distance of first place, the Drambuie Warriors headed into the final stages determined to overtake the leaders, the Dutch Drambuie Clan. After posting scorching qualifying times in the buggy race, the Warriors captured the lead and were able to maintain it through the final stages of the event.

Despite valiant efforts from the Dutchmen and a last-minute surge from the Brazilians, the Drambuie Warriors crossed the finish line well ahead of their competition. Sweaty and fatigued but still smiling, Olszok summed up the team's feelings best.

"I didn't expect it to be that demanding, I have to say that," Olszok said. "I thought the Brazilians were up-front and the Dutch guys were really strong, but I guess our team had the best team effort … and that's why we won."