Adventure racing

**History of Adventure Racing:**
– The Karrimor International Mountain Marathon in 1968 marked the start of modern adventure racing.
– Events like the Alpine Ironman in New Zealand (1980) and the Coast to Coast race in Australia combined running, paddling, and skiing.
– The Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic (1982) and Australia’s WildTrek race (1981-2005) contributed to the evolution of adventure racing.

**Development of Modern Adventure Racing:**
– The Raid Gauloises in New Zealand by Gerald Fusil (1989) and the Eco-Challenge race in the USA by Mark Burnett (1995) inspired modern adventure racing.
– The USARA was established in 1998, leading to the Adventure Race National Championship in 2000.
– The Adventure Racing World Series began in 2004, with annual AR World Championships.

**Expansion and Recent Trends in Adventure Racing:**
– The Patagonian Expedition Race in Chile (2004) and the German Adventure Race Series (2010) contributed to the global spread of adventure racing.
– Organizations like Adventure Junkie in Australia (2010) and ARC in the US (2017) have promoted and expanded the sport.
– Recent developments include the re-launch of Eco-Challenge with Bear Grylls (2019) and the launch of Warrior Adventure Racing in the US (2018).

**Global Impact and Nature of Adventure Racing:**
– World Championships have been held annually since 2001 in various countries, showcasing the global popularity of adventure racing.
– Adventure racing involves multidisciplinary team sports with navigation over wilderness courses and disciplines like trekking, mountain biking, paddling, climbing, and more.
– Races can last from two hours to two weeks, requiring competitors to strategize when to rest as the clock runs continuously.

**Race Types, Lengths, and Disciplines in Adventure Racing:**
– Race types include 12-Hour, 24-Hour, Expedition, Multi-day, and Sprint races with varying durations and navigation complexities.
– Disciplines in adventure racing often include trail running, mountain biking, paddling, navigation, rope work, and additional elements like horseback riding, mountaineering, and orienteering.
– Paddling events feature various watercraft, while competitors may use mountain bikes, kick-scooters, or in-line skates during races.

Adventure racing (Wikipedia)

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Adventure racing (also called expedition racing) is typically a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. Some races offer solo competitions as well. The principal disciplines in adventure racing include trekking, mountain biking, and paddling although races can incorporate a multitude of other disciplines including climbing, abseiling, horse riding, skiing and white water rafting. Teams generally vary in gender and in size from two to five competitors, however, the main format is considered to be mixed-gender teams of four racers. There is typically no suspension of the clock during races, irrespective of length; elapsed competition time runs concurrently with real-time, and competitors must choose if or when to rest.