Pick your race and give it a shot!
I'm doing the race in Little Rock on July 24th with my wife (her first race).
1st Annual National Adventure Racing Week Planned
Having established itself as North America’s leading multi-sport racing and adventure lifestyle publication, Adventure Sports magazine is adding to the momentum by initiating the first National Adventure Racing Week this summer.
The weeklong celebration, scheduled for July 17-25, is aimed at promoting the fast-growing sport of adventure racing in the U.S. and Canada. It comes on the heels of the momentum the magazine has built with its 2004 Adventure Sports RV Tour, which is making stops at more than 40 grassroots events across the U.S. this year.
Adventure racing has been one of the fastest growing outdoor sports in the U.S. and Canada over the last 10 years. Although the sport has existed internationally for more than 25 years, the first races in North America popped up in the mid-1990s. Adventure races vary from three hours to eight days in length and include a variety of disciplines, including mountain biking, trekking, navigation, paddling and climbing.
There are more than 500 adventure races in North America in 2004, and the majority are short events that range from three to 24 hours. The sport’s multi-discipline, team-oriented concept has drawn marathoners, trail runners, triathletes, cyclists, hikers and mountain bikers looking for a new challenge, says Adventure Sports editor Brian Metzler.
“Adventure racing has become very accessible,” Metzler says. “It’s not an extreme sport. Not everyone can do a weeklong race in a remote corner of the world. But everyone can experience the excitement of a three-hour race in a nearby park. All you really need are an adventurous mindset and a modest degree of fitness.”
The event’s flagship event will be centered around the July 17-18 Beaver Creek Adventure Weekend in Avon, Colorado, where the third annual Balance Bar 24-Hour Adventure Races Series kicks off on July 17, followed by the three-hour, beginner-oriented Beaver Creek Adventure Sprint Race on July 18.
Other races that week include the Genesis Adventure New Balance Sprint Series race in Hewitt, New Jersey (July 17), the Red Tail Adventure Race in Berkeley, California (July 17), the Calgary Urban Stampede Adventure Race in Canada (July 17), the first race of the New England Adventure Racing Series at Mount Snow, Vermont (July 17-18), the Balance Bar Adventure Sprint Race in Portland, Oregon (July 24), the Jay Challenge in Jay Vermont (July 23-25) and the Texas State Championship Adventure Race Series in Dallas (July 24). (See below for a complete list of events.)
Adventure Sports’ campaign to promote National Adventure Racing Week will utilize its website to feature stories, tips and glossaries of gear and terminology aimed at newcomers to the sport. That will be reinforced by pre-race clinics and the presence of the magazine staff at many races. The magazine will also chronicle the action of the week with pictures and stories of everyday athletes pushing their own boundaries and experiencing first-hand the excitement of multi-sport racing.
“Our goal is to motivate ‘weekend warriors’ to get out and take part, and to grow and celebrate the multi-discipline, grass-roots nature of adventure racing,” says Adventure Sports publisher Scot Love. “We want to introduce as many people as possible to the thrill and adventure of racing as a team in a multi-sport event.”
National Adventure Racing Week, July 17-25
July 16-18, National Adventure Race Week Clinics/Beaver Creek Adventure Weekend, Beaver Creek, CO; (970) 845-9090;
www.beavercreek.com
July 17, Balance Bar 24-Hour Adventure Race Beaver Creek, CO; (203) 352-6361;
www.balancebaradventure.com
July 17, New England AR Series #1 Mount Snow, VT; (207) 836-2772;
www.racingahead.com
July 17, Lake Mineral Wells Adventure Challenge AR, Mineral Wells, TX; (903) 871-8466;
info@steelsports.net;
www.steelsports.net
July 17, New Balance Genesis Adventures Sprint Series Hewitt, NJ; (203) 262-3376;
www.genesisadventures.com
July 17, Navigate the Streets, Quebec City,
info@navigatethestreets.com,
www.navigatethestreets.com
July 17, Salomon Adventure Challenge, Kawarthas Region, ON, Canada, (416) 783-4464;
www.raidthenorth.com
July 17, Urban Stampede Adventure Race, Calgary, AB, Canada; (416) 444-3899;
www.adventureracingcanada.com
July 17, Red Tail Adventure Race Berkeley, CA; (510) 644-1441;
www.bigblueadventure.com
July 17, Reedsburg Rumble Adventure Race, Reedsburg, WI;
war@chadspad.net;
www.wisconsinadventureracing.o rg
July 18, Beaver Creek Adventure Sprint Race, Beaver Creek, CO; (970) 845-9090;
www.beavercreek.com
July 18, Mohican Sprint Adventure Race, OH (614) 397-6112;
bradhunt@ambushadventuresports .com;
www.ambushadventuresports.com
July 23-25, Jay Challenge (multi-day stage race) Jay, VT;
www.jaychallenge.com; info@jaychallenge.com
July 24-25, Race the Rockies 18-Hour Challenge, Golden, BC, Canada
July 24, Texas State Championship Adventure Race Series (sprint) Dallas, TX; (512) 863-3715
www.terrafirmapromo.com; tfadventure@aol.com
July 24, TRIOBA 24-Hour Adventure Racing Series, Cle Elum, WA, (253) 709-8232,
www.trioba.com
July 24, Balance Bar Adventure Sprint Race, Portland, OR, (203) 352-6361;
www.balancebaradventure.com
July 24, Southern Tour of ’04 Adventure Race Series North Little Rock, AR;
www.havingfuninc.com
July 24, Navigate the Streets, Halifax, NS, Canada,
www.navigatethestreets.com
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