Colombia's celebrated 3-day urban adventure race returns this December
Jacqueline Windh / 30.09.2009
Colombia's celebrated 3-day urban adventure race returns for a fourth year this December 10-13, and a number of international teams will be selected for a package that includes registration, support crew, and assistance with flight costs.I have been down to MedellÃn for two of the three years that this race has been run, and I have only great things to say about it. The venue is spectacular! Few places in the world could offer the kind of course that MedellÃn can, where racers move from the urban centre of a a major city to the wilds of the seven hills that tower above it several times in the course of a day, and with events that range from tough technical mountain biking to rappelling down office towers.
The event itself is well funded, with strong financial support coming from the local MedellÃn government, and it is really well organized, by veteran international racers Jorge Diego Llano and Luisa Fernanda RÃos (Team Bosi Colombia).
7 Cerros MedellÃn is far more than an adventure race - both times that I have been down there, I along with the international competitors were amazed by how involved the entire city becomes with this race. MedellÃn is still not on the mainstream international tourist track, so the locals are thrilled to have so many foreigners in town, and they treat us really well. The entire culture here is very sport-oriented, and the media coverage for the aventure race in previous years has included 24 hour TV coverage as well as daily double-page spreads in the newspapers. The 3-day adventure race is run concurrently with 3 days of competition for locals in disciplines such as trail running, orienteering, mountain biking, and inline skating. In all, thousands of competitors are involved. It is simply huge!
This year's adventure race will be a three-day staged event for mixed-sex teams of four. Teams do need a support crew with a vehicle, but this will be provided by organizers for the international teams. In addition to the usual disciplines of running, mountain biking, climbing, kayaking, orienteering, and Colombia's specialty of downhill go-karting, this year there will also be new stages including archery, target shooting, and underwater free-diving. As a staged race, the pace is fast and furious - so make sure you train for speed!
At present, the website is only in Spanish - but Jorge and Luisa speak excellent English, so if you are interested in the race, go to the website <a href="#" onClick="javascript:newsitewindow('http://www.7cerrosmedellin.com')" class="main">www.7cerrosmedellin.com</a> and click “Contacto†in the top right corner, or simply email Jorge directly at: jorge@aventuramax.com
