Raid Aran

The Raidaran will host the 2016 European AR Championships

Press Release / 02.03.2015

The 2016 edition of Raidaran will host the Adventure Racing European Championship (AREC) next year. It will be an exceptional edition, limited to 40 teams, with more mileage than usual and more days of competition (it will go from four this 2015 to five). The event, which for the third year will be sponsored by Trangoworld, will take place in July 2016 in the Val d'Aran. The AREC is the continent's most important competition and is held annually in one of the venues that make up the European circuit of adventure racing (AR Euroseries).

Thus, the Raidaran will follow the raid The Beast of Ballyhoura, to be held in Ireland from July 28 to August 3, which will host the continental showpiece of 2015. The Adventure Racing European Championship has been organized since 2008 and has always taken place in different places: Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Corsica, Poland, Turkey, Ireland and, next year, the Val d'Aran.

Last year, the organizer of Raidaran, Xavi Rodriguez participated in the European Championship in Turkey with Raidaran-Trangoworld team and this year will not only repeat the experience in Ireland, from July 28 to August 3. He also will participate in some of the most important events on the international calendar. Teamed with Jorge Diego Llano-with who he participated in the last World Championship in Ecuador- and Galicians Veronica Montes and Alberto Taboada, the raider from Lleida residing in Sant Cugat del Vallès plans to be present in the world circuit event Raid Gallaecia Raid –from 10 to 17 May-, in the Spanish Championship in Riglos (Huesca) - from 30 to May 31 - and in the Brazilian World Championship - from 11 to 22 November -, always under Trangoworld structure and promoting the name of Raidaran worldwide.

High expectations for Raidaran 2015

Meanwhile, the Raidaran 2015, to be held from 1 to 5 July in the Val d'Aran, just as the previous edition, is part of the European circuit ARES and has already managed to attract a record participation of over more than the double that in 2014, the inaugural year of the competition. In total there are 43 teams counting all categories. Currently, the number of entries in the elite category is 32 teams among whom there are eleven French, one Danish, one Irish, one Czech, and two other Dutch. The presence of teams from the Iberian Peninsula also is notorious with a Galician team, another from the Basque Country, three from Elche and four from Castellón.

One of the main innovations of Raidaran 2015 is the creation of a new category, the Open one, suitable for all public and consisting of 24 hours non-stop. Participants in the elite and adventure modes, however, will face one more day of competition in 2014. Another change is the possibility to have an assistance person who takes care for each team.

Prizes distributed for the event are valued at 4,000 Euros. Raidaran will award the top 3 teams in each category and the first Catalan team, as long as all components are licensed by the Catalan Federation of Hiking Organizations (FEEC). Specifically, the first-ranked elite category award will be the participation in the 2015 European Championship in Ireland and in the Championship of Catalonia of Sant Quirze del Vallès; the second will win an automatic participation in the European Championship Raidaran 2016, as well as in the Championship of Catalonia this year, that will also open his doors to the third classified. In the adventure category, the champion will win a free registration for the Spanish Championship 2016 and sponsors material; while the right to be at the Catalan Championship 2015 will be for the second, the Open category winner and the first Catalan team. The other components of the podiums will win sponsors material.

For more details raidaran.com

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