Coming Next Year - The Sting in Stirling
Rob Howard / 09.09.2011
With the success of the recent 4-day adidas TERREX Coast to Coast race across the UK behind them Open Adventure are now looking forward to next years World Series expedition race in Scotland – ‘The Sting in Stirling’, which will take place from August 18-15th 2012.Open Adventure have a policy to alternate their Expedition race with the Coast to Coast stage race, though the events are run by the same dedicated team and volunteer crew, and to the same high standard. “There is pressure to run both races each year,†said Race Director James Thurlow, “but I don’t want to run two such big races in a year, or hold an expedition race every year. They are the blue ribband of Open Adventure and by concentrating on one big race per year I think it extends the shelf life of both events, and makes them that bit more special when they take place.â€
Last years adidas TERREX expedition race took place just after adidas TERREX came on board and was organised at short notice in the Lake District in England, with the adidas TERREX team winning and claiming the first AR World Series winners place at the World Championships in Tasmania (Oct.31st- 13th Nov.).
One of that team, Nick Gracie, is working as a Race Director on next year’s ‘Sting in Stirling’, having wanted to put on another expedition race in Scotland for some time. In fact, plans for the race were already on the table, and visitors from the local authorities in Stirling were at the race in the Lake District a year ago. “They wanted to get their heads around the idea of an expedition race,†said Thurlow, “and were excited by what they saw. Since then we’ve been made very welcome on our visits to the area, and we know the epic mountain terrain in Scotland suits the style of event we want to put on. One decision already made it to use canoes for the paddling stages as they suit the waters we want to put teams on. We are very confident in the course we’ll be able to offer teams in Stirling next year.â€
The winners from the Sting in Stirling will win a free place in next year’s World Championships, at Raid in France … which takes place just 3 weeks later. It’s a tight schedule, but the organisers were squeezed between the AR World Champs … and that other slightly less important event – the Olympics in London! In fact they are hoping to captialise on the fact the race follows on from the Olympics, showing a different aspect of the sporting passion and expertise in the UK.
Full details of the event are already available at <a href="#" onClick="javascript:newsitewindow('http://www.adidas-ar.com/2012/terrex/')" class="main">www.adidas-ar.com/2012/terrex/</a> and entries are open with a discounted entry of £1800 before November 1st.
[Ed. If you have been adventure racing for a while and the name Stirling rings any bells, its probably because the city was host to the Adrenaline Rush race all the way back in 2001. I’d post some of the pictures from the race if they were to hand - but they are all on slides ... it was that long ago!]
