Costa Rica Prepares for its First AR World Series Race

News Release / 25.07.2010

August 23rd in Costa Rica, 21 international teams will be standing at the starting line at 7 A.M. ready to be a part of the first ever Costa Rica Adventure Race (ARCR 2010). Beginning in the Atlantic region, men and women in teams of 4, will race across more than 500 Km. of forest, beach, rivers, mountains and through rural communities, guided only by maps and a compass.

The best competitors will sacrifice many hours of sleep for 5 days, trying to beat the clock, on a non-stop journey toward the Pacific Coast. Several different stages will lead them through, including rafting, mountain biking, trekking, ropes, kayaking and canopy trekking. The route, which remains a secret, promises a variety of scenery, vegetation and climate that goes from a tropical rain forest to the cloudy heights of the country. The winning team will earn the right to compete against 60 other teams in Spain in October, for the Adventure Race World Championship.

Costa Rica has always been popular among people who wish to practice all types of adventure sports. In 2008, close to 70% of all visitors participated in at least one of these activities, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT). With the interest of promoting the country and all its potential, Mr. Carlos Ricardo Benavides, the head of the Ministry of Tourism for Costa Rica, will be hosting the official press conference. This will be the first time that a general overview of the ARCR 2010 route will be presented to the public, on Thursday, August 17th, just a few days before the race.

More than just great scenery for a challenging race, Costa Rica has played its part before in Adventure Race history, like earning the â€œSpirit Awardâ€ at Borneo Eco-Challenge in Malasya. Other national teams have also participated in Fiji, Mexico, Ecuador, United States, Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Portugal. So the ARCR continues to play its role as the first of a series of 3 races to be held again in the following consecutive years. The goal is to host the 2013 Adventure Race World Championship in Costa Rica.