Adventure Race to Smash World Attendance Records
News Release / 31.10.2012
This weekend will see what will be the largest gathering of adventure racers ever assembled with 3300 competitors descending on Augusta to participate in the Anaconda Adventure Race National Series, Race 2.
Billed as the Biggest Adventure race in the World, the event features a long course adventure race with ocean swim, kayak, trail run and mountain bike legs covering 63km. The stellar weekend of adventure racing will also feature with the first ever outing in Western Australia of the all new Mini format on the Saturday, an abridged version of the main race held to entice those new to the sport.
Another expansion to the weekend format is the announcement of a new Tri-Nations Trophy with a South African team landing on Augusta shores with a view to taking on the Aussies and Kiwis who traditionally tussle over what was the Trans Tasman Trophy. The addition of another national team to the fray will see three competitors from each team compete as individuals with their overall finishing places combined to determine which country is the best in adventure racing nation in the Southern Hemisphere.
The South African team consists of Jane Swarbreck, Robert Crichton and Alex Pope, all three experience multisporters, although none have competed in an Anaconda previously.
“We have a total of nine weeks from confirming our entry to race day, so we've all been searching for a bit of speed and trying to rescue the disciplines that have been neglected over winter," said South African team spokesperson, Rob Crichton.
“We're hoping to bring some good fitness, speed and we'll be keen to race! Jane is paddling and swimming nicely, and with a good base of running and cycling over winter, she'll have a well balanced arsenal. Watch out for her swim.
“All in all, we will bring three balanced athletes and an eagerness to race and have fun!" says Crichton.
In other news relating to the Tri Nations Trophy, the New Zealand team was dealt a blow with Sam Clark having to pull out of racing for personal reasons. The Kiwi team were champions in last year's Trans Tasman competition and are keen for a back to back title, so the drop out prompted fellow Kiwi racer Gavin Mason to fill the third slot at late notice.
Mason has a strong MTB background but has also registered respectable results across multi discipline events of late with a 12th in the Multisport World Championships (Coast to Coast) and three 1st placings across Lake Hayes and Lake Dunstan (NZ) multisports and the top podium slot at the Motatau MTB.
He also brings with him some Anaconda-specific experience having raced Augusta two years ago (he finished 7th overall male). As a last minute ring in, Mason has been doing his late night homework, the results of which tightened the vice of pressure on him somewhat.
"I didn't know about the South African aspect until yesterday when I looked up the web site," said Mason. "I just thought it was the Trans Tasman thing. So the African team will bring some big guns and is a bit of an unknown. At the end of the day, you can only do what you can do and it's fair to say it will be all left out on the racetrack in trying to take the Tri Nations title back to New Zealand."
The rest of the New Zealand team is made up of series contender Braden Currie and Nic Leary. The Australian team remains the same with Anaconda AR veteran Jarad Kohlar joining James Pretto and last year's series champion, Deanna Blegg.
