AR World Championships 2017
Adventure Racing World Championships Heading for Wyoming
Press Release / 25.07.2017
FRONT ROYAL, Virginia—July 25, 2017—For the first time in its 16-year history the Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) will be held in the United States as the Cameco Cowboy Tough Expedition Race in Wyoming August 10–16. Sixty teams from 20 countries will have 6 days to cover 450 miles of the Cowboy State’s varied and truly breath-taking terrain, making their way from the start line in Jackson Hole to the finisher’s arch in Casper.
Traveling by foot, mountain bike, vertical roping, and inflatable boats called pack rafts, and following a map with mandatory checkpoints, participants can expect abundant wildlife sightings and scenery only Wyoming can offer, including vast ranch lands, majestic mountains, authentic ghost towns, dramatic canyons, and alpine rivers. Co-ed teams of four participants each (240 racers total) will race through history over mountain passes crossing the Continental Divide and along old wagon roads used for the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express, and the Gold Rush.
“The AR World Championship has waited a long time to come to the USA,” said AR World Series director Craig Bycroft.
Adventure Enablers race director Mark Harris added, “The course has been designed as a journey of discovery for the racers to travel across Wyoming’s amazing backcountry to discover its challenging terrain and incredible environment, unlike anything some of the racers have ever seen. Extreme conditions will push teams to their limits both physically and mentally. This event will showcase the best all-around endurance athletes in the world with a stunning backdrop.”
“Wyoming’s beautiful and unique landscape has challenged athletes competing in the Cowboy Tough race for the past four years,” said Wyoming Governor Matt Mead. “The 2017 Adventure Racing World Championship will allow us to showcase Wyoming and all it has to offer to a worldwide audience. Wyoming offers incredible outdoor experiences and we are proud to host.”
The 2017 ARWC will be Cameco Cowboy Tough’s fifth year in Wyoming. Each year, participants have raced across a different part of the state, including the Wind River Range, the Big Horns, and Medicine Bow, crossing the finish line in Casper. “This 2017 event will be a greatest hits of sorts,” said Harris, “with some new areas to explore too.”
“It has been a privilege for Cameco Resources to help launch this series in Wyoming,” said race sponsor Cameco Resources President Brent Berg. “The message of enjoying our state’s amazing natural resources while respecting and taking care of the land is an important part of every race week. We are grateful to Governor Matt Mead for conceiving of this exciting event to broaden Wyoming’s traditional western appeal.”
Domenic Bravo, administrator for WYOPARKS, added, “WYOPARKS is excited to be a part of this race as we have been involved with the Cameco Cowboy Tough since its inception. Adventure Enablers is a world-class race organizer, Wyoming offers amazing venues, and as we have seen in the past Cowboy Tough is one of the hardest but most enjoyable adventure races in the country--all of which is a recipe for success.”
The AR World Series unites in competition the world’s best endurance athletes at premiere qualifier events around the globe. The top two teams at each of these races gain a coveted position on the start line of the annual pinnacle of the sport, the AR World Championship. The AR World Championship has defined the sport of adventure racing and crowned the world’s top adventure racing teams since 2001.
Adventure Enablers, an events and race management company out of Front Royal, Virginia, is the director of Cameco Cowboy Tough and this year’s ARWC. For more information, visit www.cowboytoughwy.com, www.adventureenablers.com, and www.arworldseries.com.
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