Posts Tagged ‘Adventure Racing,’

18 international teams arrived in Costa Rica to compete on a 500km course starting 22nd August – a race which covers more than half the width of the country.

It was the attraction of Costa Rica’s incredibly varied terrain, equatorial climate and welcoming multisport culture which drew such an international field to this inaugural event, now part of the  nine Adventure Race World Series events that are held around the world.

The race covers a wide variety of landscapes, beaches, warm ocean, dry forests, rain forests, cloud forest, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, whitewater and a traditional local sport was to be  the surprise element in this fantastic race. The race course was carefully designed and scouted by de la Rosa and Baker: “We guarantee the racers to have a great time during the race. They won’t be bored with the same scenario, and the scenery changes constantly as you proceed the course,” they said.

Some of the most experienced racers in the world, like Bruno Rey and Jim Mandelli, have taken the chance to race in this new and exiting venue, adding to their list of racing destinations. Others, like Team Explore (Sweden) and Quechua (France), are perhaps looking for the win and a free place on the start line of the World Champs in Spain next month, but it’s a risk because with only a month to go to ARWC they are risking injury or fatigue. However, nothing ventured nothing gained, even the World Championship race director, Antonio de la Rosa, is there taking part!

The conditions have been difficult right from the start – rain, extreme humidity and heat. By the end of the first day the team from Finland (Finland Multisport.fi – team 2) had had to withdraw although two of the team members have carried on, now unranked.

Adventure racing is a really exciting sport which is as much determined by the elements as by the stamina and teeth gritting endurance of the athletes. And they are supreme athletes, adventure racers. To remind you as to what adventure racing is about, here’s a quick snyopsis from Wikipedia:

Adventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering (if an orienteering map is used) and/or navigation (when non-orienteering maps are used), cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling, climbing and related rope skills. An expedition event can span ten days or more while sprints can be completed in a matter of hours. There is typically no dark period during races, irrespective of length; competitors must choose if or when to rest.

This video is not Costa Rica – just a look at this supreme extreme sport (SilverBullet1999):

Part of the appeal of adventure racing is expecting the unexpected and race directors pride themselves at challenging racers with unexpected or unusual tasks.

What race directors cannot take into account is what nature is going to throw at the athletes and in Costa Rica the unexpected has been thrown at them in bucketloads.  The extremely high humidity and heat takes an early toll on competitors, but landslides caused by the heavy rains was definitely unexpected causing Team Quechua (France), currently running second to the Swedish team, to seek an alternative route which cost them precious time.

Torrential rains have persisted causing many teams to have to assemble their bikes for the 171 km ride in pouring water.

To the delight of the locals, team Costa Rica Coastal Challenge was lying 4th in the final stages. Sweden’s Explore, France’s Quechua, and Colombia’s Bossi were lying in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. They are into the final stretch… The race ends today and first place is still up for grabs. It’s anyone’s race…

Whilst I’m on the subject of Adventure Racing please remember that entries for the 500 km Extreme Arctic Race in Greenland close AT THE END OF AUGUST. The race itself is scheduled for May 2011. If you want to take part jump around now and follow this link to the Greenland Ice Cap Challenge!

Another challenging extreme adventure race to keep an eye on… The Red Bull X-Alps (redbull). Thirty of the world’s best endurance athletes and paragliding pilots, specially selected for their skills, stamina and guts will be invited to take part in the 2011 event.

The race begins in Salzberg, Austria and finishes in Monaco in the South of France – from the mountains to the Med.

In between are eight turnpoints in Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France that force the participants through 864km of treacherous mountain terrain.

The athletes can either fly with their paraglider or hike, carrying their equipment with them. The race goes on day and night, sun or snow, until the first pilot reaches goal.

Motorised transport is absolutely forbidden apart from a back-up supporter (only one) who can help provide food, equipment and information. However, your paraglider, harness, rescue parachute, helmet, emergency signal rocket, reflector belt and tracking device stays with you  at all times and are not  allowed to hitch a ride with your supporter!

There are a few more rules and regulations that competitors need to be aware of:

• Athletes may chose any route they like, but must pass all turnpoints.
  

• Each athlete has only one supporter to look after them.
  

• Travel through tunnels that connect valleys are prohibited.
  

• International Visual Flight Rules (VFR) air regulations must be obeyed.
  

• The race stops 48 hours after the winner arrives in goal.

Chrigel Maurer and supporter Thomas Theurillat (Team SUI3) made an unbeatable team in the 2009 event taking the lead early on and completing the race in under 10 days. They will undoubtably be the team to beat in 2011. Although Chrigel claims that it was a rather nice relaxed adventure for he and his supporter he did admit that “we have never been as exhausted as during the final days of the race and we had to learn to deal with that.”

On July 27th 2010 applications for the world’s toughest adventure race opened, and budding athletes have until September 30th (2010) to register their intent to participate. The Red Bull X-Alps 2011 will be the fifth edition.

Potential athletes must prove to a selection committee that they have outstanding paragliding skills, top-level endurance and extensive Alpine experience. Only 30 athletes will be chosen to participate in the 864km race, which begins in Salzburg on July 17, 2011.

Applications must be made via the newly re-launched official website, www.redbullxalps.com.

Good luck with your applications… We’d love to know if you were successful.

It’s other name is “The Oven”, and who but RacingThePlanet would have thought of staging an ultra-marathon self-supported event here? But this is not the first time that they have held this contest-amongst-contests in the Gobi Desert and I am sure it won’t be the last.

From the 27th June to the 3rd July, the Gobi March 2010 will take place in the Turpan Depression in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, the first time RacingThePlanet has hosted the renowned 4 Deserts race in this location since 2005. Five years ago, temperatures reached as high as 50 degrees Celsius (in the shade) and with this year’s race taking place in June instead of April, competitors could be racing in similar if not hotter temperatures.

Mary Gadams, founder of RacingThePlanet, says “The competitors are going to find the heat in the Gobi Desert oppressive. It’s not humid, but below sea-level it can be stifling when there’s no breeze. They will also have to prepare for the worst as the weather is so unpredictable in the Gobi, storms can blow up from nowhere and temperatures can vary wildly between night and day and in different areas along the 250 kilometre course. Couple this with the changing terrains the competitors will face and the race will be a stern test of good preparation and adaptability.”

The race will be run in series taking place over seven days, with six stages totaling 250 kilometres. Competitors are self-supporting and, with the exception of water and a tent, carry all of their required equipment and food for the duration of the race.

This grueling yet rewarding challenge sees competitors of all ages, nationalities and racing abilities compete. In 2010 a record 17 Chinese competitors will take part in their “home” race, with a total of 51 participants who are resident in Greater China.

Top contenders in the race include Peter Osterwalder, 45, from Switzerland who finished second in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2009. 57-year old Johan Petersen from New Zealand is also expected to put in a strong showing, after his sixth-placed finish in RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009, the annual roving race outside of the 4 Deserts series. Josep Maria Romero Parra, 43, from Spain is another athlete to watch, having finished eighth among an extremely strong field in the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2009.

But ‘ware the newcomers. There’s a strong field there too…

The race I reported on that was recently held in Namibia was enlivened by a light sprinkling of rain – this is unlikely to happen in the Gobi as it is a rain shadow desert formed by the Himalayas blocking rain-carrying clouds from reaching it. Hope is not entirely lost though as the highest rainfall in the Turpan Depression is  June when an average rainfall of 3.3mm might be expected! The climate of the Gobi is one of great extremes, combined with rapid changes of temperature, not only through the year, but even within 24 hours (by as much as 35 °C or 61 °F).

The Turpan Depression within the Gobi is the second lowest exposed point on the Earth’s surface (after the Dead Sea) with dry Lake Ayding (Moonlight Lake) lying at -154m. It is entirely below sea level and by some measures is also the hottest and driest area in China and so is also known as one of the Furnaces of China. It covers an area of 50,000 km².

This is one of the toughest endurance races you will ever encounter. As extreme as they come… Good luck to everyone.

XTERRA are renowned for the Adventure Races they hold and rank high amongst these adrenaline charged and sleep deprived events.

They have just successfully completed their first Amazon challenge and although I’m bringing this news to you belatedly, I’m bringing it anyway because you may well want to think about joining the rush for next year’s event.

A 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike, and 9km trail run was the challenge for this first ever event held on 5th June, 2010 outside the city of Manaus in Northern Brazil – deep in the Amazon rainforest.

That was just a very brief glimpse of what the race was all about with thanks to xterrabrazil. No-one got eaten by a Jaguar I hasten to add! However, reports on this first ever event are loud in their applause at the well run and hugely enjoyable challenge.

The race was held at a Brazilian Army base called CIGS: the Center for Instruction in Jungle Warfare. Bikes and packet pickup were held at the Manaus headquarters of CIGS. The bikes were entrusted to the tender care of the army who took them out to the race site. Nobody saw the course, swim, transition – nothing until the day of the race.

At 4 a.m. on the morning of the 5th, the army, with the help of 6 spider boats (the boats they use to chase down drug smugglers), transported all the contestants to the start of the race – about an hour up the Rio Negro.

The swim was in the river. I wonder how many swimmers were remembering all those gory movies they’d watched in their youth about piranhas?!

The bike course was a long dirt road that resembled a full roller coaster – very steep climbs and descents with cut offs into the jungle that would loop back onto the road. Of course it rained – as tends to happen in a rainforest, and so the course was gloriously slippery and inside the jungle it became a positive morass of mud.

All this in temperatures around the 32 C / 90 F mark with very high humidity thrown in.

There was so much mud by the end of the jungle stage that competitors had to stop and drag handfuls of the stuff off their bikes and out of the brakes and frames.

There was, by necessity, a cut-off time for bikers as night comes early 250 kms south of the equator. Everything was loaded back onto the boats and returned to Manaus for the 9km run on the Ponte Negro.

This section of the event was supported by thousands of colourful spectators.

XTERRA Amazon was run by X3M, the producers of the XTERRA Brazil Series, and ably assisted by the army. As one competitor put it:

“A fabulous race, wonderful organization by Bernardo Fonseca’s X3m group, unbelievable logistical work by the Brazil Army and the city of Manaus. Truly a once-in-a lifetime experience that must be seriously considered by anyone who ever wondered what that part of the world is like. The race is on Sunday, there are loads of tours to take you up the Amazon where the Rio Negro collides and the Meeting of the Waters (one river is brown the other black) happens. Swimming with pink fresh water dolphins, wildlife galore and food that is diverse and tasty. Put this one on the list.”

With their reputation for holding Grade A events, XTERRA have now entered the market for quality fitness equipment for your home and this fold-away treadmill might be exactly what you need:

If you’re interested in ultra-marathons, adventure racing, extreme endurance races or events along those lines you will be interested to hear about Across The Divide’s (ATD) forthcoming Namibian event.

The Namib is the oldest desert in the world, somewhere around 55 million years old, and is the largest and most remote National Park in Africa. It is 31,200 square miles (80,900 square kilometers) – about the size of South Carolina and Rhode Island combined, and is completely devoid of surface water but is disected, in the northern desert, by several dry riverbeds.

A major threat to the Namib Desert is the impact of off-road driving. The impact is the greatest on the gravel plains where depressions left by vehicles remain for more than 40 years because the rainfall is too episodic and sparse to erase them. Across The Divide will take every precaution not to leave their imprint on this fragile eco-system.

Adventure Race Namibia 24-hr Ultra Marathon starts on 24th May. The event, which is fast becoming known as the ultimate test for long distance endurance runners, will be run in the northern Namib, an extremely arid eco-region made up of shifting sand dunes, gravel plains and rugged mountains.

The race is 126 km (78 miles) long – the equivalent of 3 marathons and must be completed in 24 hours. Intense training is required to get you fit enough for this race because, as well as the length and duration, the extreme heat of the Namib and the difficult terrain add to the difficulties that you will encounter.

The route mainly follows gravel plains framed by distant ridges and mountains and passed dramatic upheavals of isolated granite hills. The temperatures are expected to be in the region of min 5ºc / max 36 ºc but could be more extreme. Clear blue skies during the day and brilliant moonlight through the night should be a guaranteed but rainfall in the Namib, although sparse, is completely unpredictable so there could be a pleasant surprise in store.

Thank you to dazzaroberts for this evocative video:

The runners will be completely self reliant from the start of the marathon until the end, and will need to carry their food and equipment on their backs. Water stations and medical tents will be provided at 21km intervals along the route.

This is an extreme race which is held on a yearly basis. Training for it is not an overnight event – you could start now to be ready for next year’s race!

As with other companies that we profile, Across The Divide use their events to raise money for various charities. To date they have raised £43,010,171. The company was inaugurated in 1996 – that’s a very impressive sum I’d say!

If you wish to take part in an Across The Divide event please go directly to their website: ATD

… and good luck to all those intrepid souls about to depart for Windhoek…

Desert Winds Adventure Races is a company we have talked about before, run and managed by an able team who not only organise race events but participate in theirs’ and other adventure races worldwide. True aficianado’s and lovers of the sport.

The team Yoga Slackers have this to say of them:  “Desert Winds is one of those fantastic race organizations that I love to find.  Robert and his son Druce are fantastic racers in their own right, and have travelled the world competing in races from sprint length to Expedition – and it is clear that they pay attention to what works – especially in terms of the “adventure” part of Adventure racing.  These are races designed for racers – raw, rough and real.  We are excited to keep coming back.”

And this time they have come up with something new. Not adventure racing as we are used too, but a marathon canoe and kayak race.

Starting at 5 a.m. on 17th July will be 3 races, so take your pick:

18 Mile Challenge – South Cove to Temple Bar
Start at South Cove, finish at Temple Bar.
1 PM July 17 cut-off (8 hours).

38 Mile Challenge – South Cove to Echo Bay
Start at South Cove, to Temple Bar, to Echo Bay.
9 PM July 17 cut-off (16 hours).

85 Mile Ultra Challenge – South Cove to Boulder Harbor
Start at South Cove, to Temple Bar, to Echo Bay, to Callville Bay, finish at Boulder Harbor.

5 PM July 18 cut-off (36 hours)

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is known for its mild winters, hot summers and spectacular scenery. Many people come to relax and recreate in the land of the sun, and others come to do something completely different… a marathon kayak race for example.

In the words of the organisers: Paddling on Lake Mead in July is paddling on big open water, in extreme desert heat, in remote areas of desert wilderness, and with the potential of big winds, big waves, thunderstorms, poisonous snakes, scorpions, fire ants, and killer bees.

The rules are simple:

1. Progress from start to finish via your course’s checkpoints finishing by the stated cut-off times.
2. No outside or pre-arranged assistance is allowed.
3. Support is required for drop off and or pick up at start, finish, or at a checkpoint if you’re dropping out of the race

If you intend entering this race with an expedition canoe or kayak then it is worth being aware of a few rules and regulations.This is a canoe/kayak race so it should be obvious that human propulsion is the name of the game which means restricting you to the use of single and double bladed paddles. However, limited means of downwind propulsion will be allowed in the form of a supporting mast and sail, but it must be removable and stowable, and the same goes for kites. Downwind rigs are strictly limited to 1 square meter per paddler. Doubles may use one or two sails or kites as long as the combined area does not exceed 2 square meters.

If entering in a racing kayak or canoe then you are restricted to single and double bladed paddles. No pedal drives, no oars, no kites, no energy storage devices of any kind will be allowed. Sail rigs of any kind will be strictly prohibited.

The cost of entering is $100 and if you want to go sign up now, I suggest you follow this link directly to the Desert Winds website.