---

A Chat with Antonio de la Rosa...

Jacqueline Windh / 22.02.2008

Antonio de la Rosa is one of Europe’s top adventure racers, and his string of first-place finishes spanning over a decade attest to his accomplishments. He is also an experienced race director, and organizer of Spain’s Bimbache Extrem, an AR World Series event. Antonio spoke exclusively to SleepMonsters about his relationship with AR.

How did you get into AR?

My original sport is flat-water kayaking, which I competed in starting when I was 13 years old, even though I was also competing in rugby. (I have never been able to take part in only one sport).

I started adventure racing in 1995. By then I had been doing triathlon and quadrathlon for many years, but I was always going out climbing with my friends, or going to do other sports.

My desire to try longer-format races took me to doing a DecaIronman (ten Ironmans in a row in Monterrey, Mexico) in 1995. So, together with my friend Marcos Barrantes, who is also a fire-fighter like myself and also who had been on the Spanish Triathlon team for several years, we entered a race that included orienteering on foot as well as special tests in paddling, rappeling and tyrolean traverse, called the Grand Canary Cross-Adventure. The following year I competed in my first real adventure race, the Raiverd, a week of competition that was very tough, both physically and technically.

I’ve been taking part in sports since I was 12, and have behind me 12 years of adventure racing without any interruption. I think that this is the best way of keeping up one’s high spirits and for keeping up the motivation to face life’s challenges with happiness.

What are your most important races or results?

By far, without any doubt, the most important race I have competed in is the EcoChallenge. We placed second in Argentina, 3rd in Morocco, and 5th in Sabah-Borneo.

We’ve also taken first place in races including:

Raiverd 1997
Salomon Raid Series Japan and Spain 1999
EcoMotion Pro 2003 (as well as 3rd there in 2004 and 2006)
Camdex Mexico 1999 and 2001
Travesia Max Bosi Colombia 2005
7 Cerros Medellín 2007
XPD-Race Portugal 2007

What are your best and worst disciplines?

I guess kayaking would be my best one. Compared to my current team-mates, who are really strong on foot, my weakest would be the running.