Here is a recent posting of what is taking place on the adventure racing scene.

Editorial Ramblings:


After a bit of a lull we seem to seeing a spate of announcements offering longer events and more prize money. Several of the new races are in Asia with both China and Malaysia hosting expedition length races with big prize money in the second half of this year. The calendar attests to the fact that events are constantly changing: old favourites disappear and new ones are added but at the moment we are going through a period of net gain. We’re also seeing real quality events emerging with challenges in new places or over new distances.

An increasing number of races are being staged as part of a series (often at the behest of a common sponsor) but, on the weekend that the Adventure Racing Championships begins in Scotland the sport remains one without an overall governing body. All of which makes the recent announcement of a weekend of ultra and mountain running in England in 2009 even more exciting. Two international bodies, the IAU and the WMRA responsible respectively for ultra and mountain running championships, have announced that in 2009 the English Lake District town of Keswick will host a Commonwealth Ultra championships with both 100k and 24 hour races along with two mountain races, an uphill only and an out and back. It should be a fantastic weekend of sport and a great step forward in getting international recognition to endurance running.

Let’s hope for similar recognition of the AR World Champs over the next few days: that’s if the rain isn’t falling so heavily that the cameras can’t see anybody. Hong Kong’s North Face team hopes to build on the recent successes and establish themselves as a regional powerhouse (at the very least). Many years ago a Hong Kong team took part in the Raid Gauloises but this is the first time a local team has been selected for a major world event based on merit. If the somewhat gushing words of the course designer are to be believed all the teams are about to enter an area of such untamed wilderness that we’ll be lucky to see them again (and I’m not talking about the pubs round Glasgow airport).



Recent Results Bit:


Trailwalker Melbourne saw 36 degree heat but it didn’t stop an all women team running away with the race in an excellent 10 hours 44 minutes. None of the team had previously made headlines on the international circuit nor had they run as a team before. I’m informed the team will compete in Hong Kong in November.


The recent Keen Adventure Race in Australia featured an epic struggle between the Kiwis Richard Ussher and Gordon Walker and Aussies Guy Andrews and Darren Clarke. Eventual honours went to the New Zealanders who what turned out to be a smart tactical decision on the final bike leg. What probably clinched it however was the determination of Richard Ussher not to let a broken derailleur ruin their race on the penultimate day. He not only ran towing his bike for 30k he actually overtook the race leaders, and yes, they were still riding.

Other Random Bits:


Following their crossing of the Sahara Charlie Englie, Ray Zarab and Kevin Lin appeared on the Jay Leno Tonight Show. I happened to be in Hawaii after a race and was able to catch Kevin’s contribution to the world’s televised wisdom: “Never take a pee in a sandstorm within 20 feet of your friends and team mates” Wise words indeed if you want to stay friends.


More fun with technology can be found at www.motionbased.com. It’s a Garmin site and the highlight is the link to the Sea Otter mountain bike race course with helmet webcams linked to both satellite photos of the course and topographical maps.


The Nike Women’s marathon in San Francisco has been an event that has grown is stature over the last couple of years (backed up of course by a sizeable marketing budget). This year’s event is really focusing on its target audience by having a “chocolate mile” in the race, pedicures available (also during the race) and a finisher’s necklace designed by Tiffany’s. If this not enough the race is also targeting raising money for women’s charities. I’m sure next year’s race ought to feature a glass of champagne at the finish (and if it does just about every woman I know will be queuing up to enter).


A new company is offering some spectacular mountain biking and hiking tours in Taiwan, have a look at www.inmotionasia.com

Moves are also afoot to bring some structure to the administration of adventure racing. Some discussion can be found at www.sportzhub.com and then click on Multi Sport Future.

Staying in New Zealand the dates for both the Southern Traverse classic and the 24 Hour version have been amended: the calendar has the new dates


Ian Adamson’s move into race directing continues to gain momentum with growing interest in his 24 hours of triathlon race: a great idea and a bit of a surprise that no one has done much with this format before. If you fancy racing in Colorado later this year check out www.24hoursoftriathlon.com


An odd but possibly fun event took place in Singapore on May 20. Teams were due to go head to head paddling dragon boats but as they approach the finish a restraining cable attached to their competitor’s boat kicks in and the paddling turns into a tug of war. Details at www.dragontug.com


Calendar Bits:


The UK team that has been promoting the stage race Marathon of Britain along with the Marathon des Sables warm up race along the Thames (always assuming warm is the right word for an English race in winter) have suddenly had a massive expansion of their event calendar. They hosted a 200 mile race last week and will put on a series of exciting new events throughout the summer including a self sufficient multiday run in Spain and a series of double marathons in England whereby you start at night, run a marathon and then run back at 6 a.m. the next day. Have a look at www.ambitionevents.com


There is also a new stage race on the island of Crete in July: it’s a stage run of 520k www.petraterzi.org/talos


Ironman Korea has stuck with the traditional August date: that’s the same date that’s seen the swim cancelled twice in recent years.


The dates for Hong Kong’s King of The Hills series for 2007-8 have already been announced. They are included in the calendar and can also be found at www.seyonasia.com


The North Face is setting up a new race series in the US beginning in Washington D C on August 3. The races are of varying distances but it is the 50k and 50 mile event that will interest readers here. Three regional races will culminate in a final on the weekend of November 30-December 1. A US$10,000 prize awaits the winners of both the men’s and women’s race.


There have been some significant developments with the AR World Championship series. Portugal’s XPD race has been revived and will take place on December 6 whilst a new race in France, The Raid in France will take place in the Pyrenees on September 15. The latter is promising a real back to nature feel with no aids such as GPS systems.

There is also wide expectation that events in both Japan and the USA will join the series in 2008 when the World Champs will take place in Brazil.


The Trans Rockies has been a cool mountain bike race in Canada with a good reputation. It is now being teamed up with a very interesting looking relay across the Rockies in Colorado. The Colorado event only requires a team of 2 which improves logistics considerably. The website is the same, www.transrockies.com and has a link to the European TransAlpine Race also sponsored by Gore-Tex.

China’s Wulong County will again host a big money expedition race. The organizers have recruited Peter Weinig to help them on course design and have offered US$100,000 in prize money. Details of the race on August 23 can be found at www.cnwlsport.com/en


Enjoy the start of summer and as always, train smart and race hard.