ARWC 2018 - Raid in France

The World’s Best Adventure Racers Head For Reunion Island

Press Release / 02.08.2018

Reunion Island will welcome the Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) 2018 from November 4th to 16th.  This exceptional event, organized in France for the second time, will welcome 65 international teams from 21 nations to a spectacular start line on the Indian Ocean Island (a French territory). Reunion has a tropical climate, dense forests and active volcanoes and teams will compete on a non-stop course between 5 and 8 days, over 450km with disciplines including trekking, MTB, kayaking, packraftng, caving and canyoning.

The very best adventure athletes in the world will be attending, including 9 teams in the world top 15 ranking lead by the current title holders and world number one team, Avaya (New Zealand). The top French team are Naturex, 4th in the ARWS ranking, and other qualifiers who have won a World Series race this year are Bones (United-States), Tri Adventure Antelopes (Australia), Columbia (Spain), Blizzard (Russia) and Movistar-Terra Aventura (Equator),

A World Championship Organized By a ‘Lyonnais’

The Race Director of this remarkable sporting challenge is Pascal Bahuaud, a rowing finalist at the Seoul Olympic games (13 times French Champion) and a finisher in 10 ‘Raid Gauloises’ with 6 podiums. Pascal was the Race Director of the ARWC in 2012 in the South of France and has been organising Raid in France since 2007.

The AR World Championships is a race without comparison, an intense competition for experienced athletes and enthusiastic amateurs who are motivated to take on the challenge. Adventure races offer an immersion in nature that is unique and appeals to strong human values - versatility, autonomy, dynamism and generosity – all essential for a team to progress to the finish line together.

Patron To Start the Race in a Volcanic Crater

The start of this exceptional sporting event will be in the village of Hell-Bourg, in the Cirque de Salazie. This is one of the main volcanic craters on the island and Hell-Bourg is listed among the ‘most beautiful villages in France’ ... the only one not on the mainland. It’s a spa town with lush vegetation and heritage architecture, surrounded by the steep rock walls of the crater.

The race will be started by its patron, Jackson Richardson. Born in Saint-Pierre on Reunion Island, Jackson is a former handball international who was voted the best player in the world in 2001 and was a flag carrier at the Olympic Games in Athens. He has generously decided to support and invest in the race and will be present all through the event.

You can see a video interview with him here. https://goo.gl/5UkVmE and find out more about the race at www.raidinfrance.com

About the Adventure Racing World Championship

The Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) has been held each since 2001. It gathers the best teams from the AR World Series, which unites multi-sport raids from around the world. The series currently includes; Raid Gallaecia in Spain, Expedition Africa in South Africa, Cameco Cowboy Tough in the USA, XPD Expedition in Australia, Raid in France in France (this year, ARWC organiser), Huairasinchi in Ecuador, ITERA in United-Kingdom, the Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge in Belize, Expedition Guarani in Paraguay and finally, the Nordic Islands race in Sweden. Each one of these rounds qualifies the winners to the grand final, the Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC).