ARWC 2018 - Raid in France

The Adventure Racing World Championships 2018 Will Take Place in the Heart of Reunion Island

Press Release / 21.02.2018

The Adventure Racing World Championship 2018 will take place in the heart of Reunion Island. For the second time in the AR World Championship history, Raid in France will be the organiser of the championship and this time, it will take place on the exceptional island of Reunion. From November 4th till 16th, the worlds best racing teams will take the plunge into a unique sporting and human adventure.

• 75 teams of 4 athletes (including at least 1 woman) in full autonomy

• Between 110 and 200 hours racing (4 to 8 days)

• Uninterrupted race, day and night, immersed in the wilderness

• Diverse activities, such as kayak, trek, wild mountain biking, rafting, speleology, via ferrata climbing, horse-riding…

The 2018 ARWC registrations got off a flying start and already include the world’s best teams. The first week of registrations was dedicated to 30 teams with an Adventure Racing World Ranking. In less than 1 day, all these registrations had been filled. Among the 30 registered teams, 6 are in the World “Top 10” list, including the New-Zealand team “Seagate”, who hold a qualification spot as the reigning World Champions. The next opportunity for registrations is for Wild Card teams starting on March 1st.

An authentic and challenging race, the concept is simple, teams will go on a 400km journey to discover the rich and diverse natural environment. The racers will be completely immersed in the luxuriant wilderness of Reunion Island as they will take part in a multitude of demanding outdoor disciplines such as Mountain Biking, trekking, speleology, climbing, kayak, pack raft, ropes, horse-riding and more…

The whole race is a long-distance expedition in full autonomy. The race course thoroughly respects the specificities of the territory and it adapts to its geographical constraints. This World Championship is to be the most engaged race of 2018 in terms of environmental care. La Réunion is magic.

Reunion is popular for its aquatic environment which displays how diverse the fauna and flora of the island are. In the heart of the Indian Ocean, the changing scenery is guaranteed. The brightly coloured and warm sandy beaches created by strong erosion stand alongside steep escarpment, rising to over 2,512m. A few kilometres further away, an authentic mountainous landscape stretches as far as the eye can see. It consists of two volcanic peaks.

The first one named Piton des Neiges (or ‘Snow Peak’ in English) is a 3,070-meter-high volcano which is now inactive. The second one is a 2,632-meter high volcano named Piton de la Fournaise (or ‘Peak of Furnace’), which blazes red when erupting. The combination of those landscapes and mountainous areas undeniably appears as the perfect place for extreme sports enthusiasts as well the ARWC organisation to express their potential in line with the motto «Back to Nature».

A message from Pascal Bahuaud, race director. “We are preparing an authentic race, one that pushes the racers to be as autonomous as possible and one that encourages a respectful discovery of the island’s natural territories. Our baseline «Back to Nature» demonstrates our desire to stay grounded to what is the very essence of the long-distance races which implies an immersion and a discovery in full autonomy within a team. And we couldn’t dream of a more magical place than Reunion Island to organise this World Championship! We are proud to organise such a challenge and we are extremely excited about the months ahead during which we will be entirely devoted to the realisation of this outstanding adventure.”

The World Championship is looking for volunteers. The race organisers wish to call on volunteers on Reunion Island to contribute to the success of this event. During the race, the volunteers will either keep an eye on the checkpoints when the teams arrive, they will drive doctors, help with the material management, work alongside the food team… All those tasks are crucial to the success of the race. Go to benevole@raidinfrance.fr to volunteer!

About ARWS: created in 2001, the Adventure Racing World Series federates the international “long-distance” adventure races. It is the circuit that organises and structures the World Cup of the 11 legs of adventure races around the world. All these rounds are qualifier events in the ARWC (Adventure Racing World Championship).

Regarding the journalists willing to join us and follow the race on the field, please send us back the press accreditation downloadable in the media heading of the website www.raidinfrance.fr.

Written by Raid in France

Photos JJ Raynal

For more information on the AR World Series:

Website http://www.arworldseries.com/

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Twitter https://twitter.com/ARWorldSeries

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