March 3rd, 2010 by admin

Update: Didn’t notice before, but the contest rules say that you must be a resident of the Providence of Ontario, Canada to be eligible to win. Bummer for those of us who don’t live up that way. Sorry folks!

So you’ve heard about this sport called adventure racing. You know that it is a bit like a triathlon, but involves trail running, mountain biking, and paddling, with something called “orienteering” mixed in for good measure. You’ve even heard that the races can last as long as 24-48 hours, and possibly even something about an “expedition length” race, what ever that is. You might even think this sounds like something you’d enjoy, but where do you begin?

If that sounds a bit like you, then I’ve got a contest you might be interested in. The Phat Chicks are working in conjunction with Race Day Rush to launch the Become An Adventure Racer contest, with the winners getting everything they need to join the sport of AR. Simply put, they say “All you need is determination. We’ll help you with the rest.”

The winners of the contest will receive coaching and skills training courtesy of the Phat Chikcs and Race Day Rush. In fact, they’ll get a 12-week training program that will offer tips on endurance running, nutrition, and more, while building mountain biking, paddling, and orienteering skills as well. Ultimately, that training will lead to two spots on Team RaceDayRush when they compete at the Saucony RockstAR Adventure Race set to run on July 24th 2010. The winners will also get plenty of good gear to help them compete in the race, or at the very least look like they belong there.

Other sponsors of the contest include Suunto Watches, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Get Out There Magazine and Adventure World Magazine, who tipped me off to the contest in the first place.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to be an adventure racer, here’s your chance. But hurry, the deadline for entry is March 7th. For more details click here.

February 17th, 2010 by admin

The Patagonian Expedition Adventure Race is billed as the “world’s toughest and wildest” race, covering more than 600 kilometers through some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain on the planet. And for the past week, 16 coed teams of four have been trekking, biking, and paddling their way through Chile’s Patagonia, battling the elements, the landscape, and each other.

After a week of racing, the first team that crossed the finish line was the defending champs Helly Hansen-Prunesco. This British team has now proven themselves two years in a row, claiming the championship in 2009, and becoming the first team to ever successfully defend their title in 2010. The racers, Nicola Macleod, Andrew Wilson, Mark Humpfrey, and Bruce Duncan, completed a final trek along the Beagle Channel in the early hours of the morning today to claim their victory.

Meanwhile, the rest of the teams are still out on the course. According to the race website, many of them reached Yendegaia Bay last night, but a mandatory dark zone was in effect to prevent the athletes from heading out onto the Channel itself. Considering the reputation of those waters, it would be no picnic in a kayak during the day, let alone at night. More of the teams are expected to reach the finish line later today.

Helly Hansen took charge of the race on the second day, moving out in front on a long, and tough, mountain biking leg in the Darwin Mountains. From there, they simply put the pedal down, and didn’t let anyone else get back within striking distance, which is evidenced by the fact that they are now enjoying hot showers and warm food, while the rest of the field continues to play catch-up.

Congrats to the winners of this year’s race. Great job on repeating in one of the toughest adventure races on the planet.

February 9th, 2010 by admin

Following a highly successful debut in the adventure racing community in 2009, Adventure Sports Week returns to Farragut State Park, near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in June of this year, with even more events to challenge runners, mountain bikers, and adventure racers of all experience levels.

At the center of last year’s event was the Crux and the Crucible, a multi-disciplined race that required teams of 3 to run, paddle, and mountain bike their way across some of the most demanding terrain that the Western United States has to offer. This year, the event will be even bigger and better however, as it is now a three day, three stage affair, that kicks off with the “Midnight Ramble” at 6 PM on Friday, June 11th. That stage will last into the night, and the following morning, when Stage 2, “The Crux” will begin at 8 AM, with “The Crucible” scheduled to get underway on Sunday morning. Teams can be al-male, female, or coed, with 1-4 racers, and can elect to race one, two, or all three of the stages. Team Nike, led by Mike Kloser, will be back to defend their title this year.

If an adventure race like the Crux and the Crucible isn’t your style, then fear not, as there will be plenty of other activities to take part in. There will also be seven different trail runs, a mountain bike race, a paddle, a distance swim, and a XTERRA series point race as well. Needless to say, there should be something for everyone.

Stay tuned for more information, coming soon to the ASW website. The details of the even will be filling in over the days and weeks ahead, but it looks like Adventure Sports Week has become one of the top outdoor events for the adventure athletes this summer.

February 9th, 2010 by admin

It was six very long, grueling, and challenging days for the athletes taking part in the 2010 Coastal Challenge, an annual test of endurance that takes place in Costa Rica. This year’s race took place along the northwest coast, which is dryer than other parts of the country, but offers rugged volcanic highlands, plenty of jungles and forests, and an array of scenic lakes for the competitors to run past.

The course was more than 200km in length, stretched out over six legs of varying length, that pushed the racers to the limit. Trail conditions varied from paved road to dirt trails, with just about everything in between. In the end though, this year’s race ended like the last few, with two-time defending champ Javier Montero of Costa Rica claiming his third consecutive win. Newcomer to the race Cesar Ortega, also of Costa Rica, took second, while Ty Stevens of the U.S. finished third in his first ever multi-day adventure race. Margaret Phillips of Canada finished first amongst the women in her first stage race as well.

For TCC Adventures, the organizers of the event, the Coastal Challenge is just the latest race in what is expected to be a very busy year. Next up, in April, they’ll host the Island Run in Panama, which will be another multi-stage race that will be run over three days. Then in September, it’s off to Bolivia for the Inca Run, a 160km, five-stage race, that takes place in the Cordillera Real mountain range of the Andes.

Congrats to all the competitors in the Coastal Challenge. It seems like it was an amazing race in a beautiful setting.
(Photo by J. Andres Vargas)

February 7th, 2010 by admin

The adventure racing community is starting to spring into action for 2010, with races getting set to begin, and teams looking ahead to what appears to be a fairly full, and busy schedule of events. This bodes well for a sport that had a number of high profile races take a hiatus last year, when the economy was in the tank, and sponsorship dollars were at a premium.

The Gear Junkie posted a note to his Daily Dose Blog with information that he would be AWOL for awhile. He’s headed south, to Chile, to take part in one of the first epic races of the year, the Patagonia Expedition Race. This year’s race will push teams to the limit once again, as they deal with the unpredictable weather conditions that are common in the region. The 600km route will run the length of Tierra del Fuego, before sending the athletes out to the Isla Navarino, which lies beyond the world’s most southerly human settlements. As always, this should be an amazing race through amazing scenery. Check out the preview video below for more.

Meanwhile, Wade from Outdoorzy.com has announced that he’ll be headed to Ecuador in a couple of weeks to cover the Huairashinchi adventure race for Adventure World Magazine. The race will run from Feb. 13-15, and is held at altitude in the highlands of Ecuador. It is also part of the Adventure Racing World Championships, giving teams a chance to compete for a spot in that major event later this year.

Speaking of Adventure World Magazine and the ARWC, the website has been running excellent preview articles on the World Series for several weeks now, taking an in depth look at all the events that make up the series, while also touching on the top teams that will be competing, and a whole lot more. You can find Part 1 of the series by clicking here. They’ve already posted four more installments, so that should keep you busy for awhile.

Finally, my friend Dave Poleto is preparing to kick off his Gulf Coast Adventure Racing season, with a whole host of races on the schedule for the year. They’ll get things underway on April 3rd with a pair of adventure races, which will be held in Alexandria, Louisiana. From there, it only gets better, more races being held all the way into November. If you live along the Gulf Coast region, you’ll want to check out the entire schedule, found here, to find an event close to you. They’ve even got a race designed for first timers and families, so if you’ve ever wanted to give adventure racing a try, now is your opportunity.

It’s good to see so many big and small events back for 2010. Looks like it’s going to be a great year for the sport.

February 3rd, 2010 by admin

The 2010 Coastal Challenge got underway over the weekend with runners from all over the planet descending on Costa Rica to compete in a 200 kilometer adventure race through the mountains, jungles, and rugged coastlines of that country. The six-day event sends endurance runners off on a different route each day, while they challenge each other and the environment around them.

After one day out on the course, two-time champion Javier Montero has already taken the lead, as he attempts to become the first person to win the race three times. Right behind him is rookie Ceasar Ortega, just two minutes back. Both Javier and Ceasar are from Costa Rica, and are currently enjoying the home turf advantage over the rest of the field. Ty Stevens (USA), Victor Zuniga (CRC) and Mark Lattansi (USA) round out the top five at the moment, while Margaret Phillips (USA) is the top female runner.

Of course, the race is just getting started, and there are still five grueling legs to go. The course will wind through the northwest coast, over volcanic highlands, past scenic lakes, and through jungle and dry forests. In fact, the runners will be tested in one of the driest areas of Costa Rica, with routes ranging from rough asphalt, to dirt roads, to twisty mountain trails, and everything in between.

The race runs through Saturday, with plenty of tough, terrain ahead. This is a great event for endurance trail runners, and in one of the best settings in the world. Wish I were there to take it all in.

Photo by J. Andres Vargas

January 20th, 2010 by admin

With the new year barely two weeks old, a new, expedition length adventure race has been announced. The event is called the Desert Winds Expedition Race and is scheduled to take place September 18th – 25th in the Mojave Desert near Las Vegas.

This new race is being organized by the same team that has put on the Desert Winds Adventure Series of races over the past couple of year. It is expected to last roughly 3-5 days, with coed teams of four taking on the hot desert conditions while trekking, mountain biking, paddling, making canyon descents, and navigating their way to the finish line. Race management says to expect some surprises along the way too.

Event organizers are making it easy for teams to join in the fun, overing a graduated pricing structure that lowers the cost of entry based on the number of teams who sign up. They’re also offering a $250/person discount for qualifying international teams as well, and they say they expect a minimum of 40 teams to compete.

Thanks to Adventure World Magazine for the tip!

In the absence of Primal Quest this year, this might be a great alternative for teams looking to have a longer race experience in the desert. The adventure race calendar begins to fill up quickly this time of year, and this looks to be a fun, interesting, addition to the schedule. I hope the race goes well.

December 11th, 2009 by admin

According to Adventure World Magazine, expedition length adventure racing is returning to the U.K. next year, when the inaugural adidas TERREX Adventure Race kicks off in August. The 400km (250 mile) race will pit 4-person coed teams against one another in the famous Lake District, near Keswick, Cumbria.

According to the race website, competitors can expect trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, and plenty of orienteering. Navigation will be an essential key to the race, with maps and compass use playing a large role in the success of the racers. The site also promises plenty of surprised along the way as well.

Scheduled to get underway on August 27th and running through the 30th, the race will begin with a prolog that will actually be free to any team that wants to compete. So anyone who might possibly be interested in adventure racing can go and have some fun, while getting a taste of what the sport is like, without spending a lot of money on entry fees. There will also be a short course, estimated to be roughly 200km in length for novice teams that aren’t quite read to compete with the Nike’s and Orion Health’s of the world.

Looks like a cool event. Always nice to see some longer adventure races popping up, especially after a rough year in which the economy put many of them on hold. Hopefully this is another good race to add to the schedule.

December 11th, 2009 by admin

The New Zealand squad of Qasr Al Sarab has claimed victory at the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, completing the six-day, stage race in 46 hours, 19 minutes, and 6 seconds, and finishing more than 35 minutes ahead of their next closest competitor, Team ADCO, also of New Zealand. Vibram-Sport 2000 claimed third place on the podium, with a strong showing as well.

Today was the sixth, and final day, of the third annual Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. The coed teams of four were put through their paces, starting on a ropes course, then transitioning to mountain bikes, before crossing the finish line on foot. Todays stage capped nearly a full week of racing that included a long trek through the desert, complete with orienteering, and a challenging sea kayaking leg that even tested the top two Kiwi teams, largely considered the best paddlers in the sport.

The win by Qasr Al Sarab makes it a clean sweep for Richard and Elina Ussher, who have been on the winning teams for the previous two Adventure Challenges. This year they were joined by Marcel Hagner and AR legend Nathan Fa’ave, completing one of the most impressive teams ever assembled.

Other teams are still finishing up the event, but overall this was a strong field of 40 teams from all over the world. The race looks to have been as fun and competitive as ever, and will likely return in 2010 as the final big adventure racing event of the year.

December 9th, 2009 by admin

It’s Day 4 of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, where the teams have moved into the long desert orienteering phase which covers 120km of open desert, with racers navigating through the night to reach the stage finish line. This was a long, demanding stage, that didn’t really put any time between the top teams, as the sand is extremely hard to run in, and the leaders leave a trail that is easy to follow by those chasing them.

As of now, Team Qasar Al Sarab of New Zealand is running in first place, roughly a half-hour in front of their countrymen on Team ADCO and about 40 minutes ahead of Team Vibram - Sport 2000, who are running in third. The leaders are a very experienced team that is captained by Richard Ussher, one of the top racers in the world, who is joined by his wife Elina and Marcel Hagner. The fourth member of the team is none other than adventure racing legend Nathan Fa’ave, who has come out of retirement, and appears to be racing as well as ever.

Tomorrow the teams will get on the mountain bikes, but continue in the sand, with a relatively short, 33.7km run through the Liwa Desert. The stage will still be a demanding one, as anyone who has ever peddled on sand can tell you. The race will wrap up on Wednesday with a busy final day that will see the teams on a ropes course and another biking leg, before racing to the finish line on a final fast run.