Are you fit or fickle? Does the idea of pursuing several varying outdoor activities over numerous consecutive days sound like your kind of fun? If so, then Adventure racing has thundered onto the world’s outdoors scene. And the Bow Valley, where the outdoors scene outdoes most others, is no exception. Adventure racing is a relatively new pursuit emerging in the early 1980s in New Zealand as the Coast-to-Coast Series. The first adventure race to catch the international public’s attention, however, was Frenchman Gerard Fusil’s brainchild, the Raid Gauloises. The ‘Raid’ morphs several outdoor activities – mountain biking, trekking, paddling, rock climbing, whitewater navigation, ice climbing and night-time wilderness travel – into a single slog carried out over several days. The first Raid took place in New Zealand’s spectacularly challenging wild country in 1989. Subsequent events have been staged in France, Africa and Nepal where understanding the culture and social landscape is as crucial to competitors as the physical challenges involved.
It wasn’t until Eco Challenge’s inception in 1995, though, that adventure racing really hit the map. Following a six to 10-day format, the first Eco Challenge took place in Utah’s challenging desert. Early competitors took part in mountain biking, trekking and paddling phases. These days, participants also perform technical rope work and employ demanding navigation skills while coping with sleep and food deprivation.
In the past few years, adventure racing has exploded in popularity as the emergence of more moderate formats has enabled greater numbers to dabble in the sport. Stage events, which allow participants to sleep while following a two or three-day course, have become popular throughout North America and Australasia, for obvious reasons. Weekenders take place between 36 and 60 hours and follow a non-stop format. Featuring less-technical disciplines at a fast pace, these are common training grounds for racers aiming to compete in the more gruelling Raid and Eco Challenge. A newer and fast growing format is the sprint adventure race, also known as the off-road triathlon, which incorporates multi-day and multi-sport team events taking place over three to eight hours, allowing for no rest.
For the first time in 2003, the 18-hour Race the Rockies Adventure Challenge follows 65km (40ml) across pathways, ridgelines and waterways in Kananaskis Country, July 26-27. Course details – like virtually all adventure races – will be kept secret until race day, which runs from 4pm on Saturday until noon the following day. Entry fees for solo racers are $200, teams pay $600, with all participants, including pre-requisite support crews, receiving a race t-shirt and post-race meal. Competitors are expected to show up with their own mountain bikes and water worthy kayaks or canoes, as well as solid navigational skills. And, in keeping with the adventurous spirit, competitors should be prepared for a surprise event along the way.
