Top Teams chase the cash in the City of Angels

Rob / 20.10.2003

The Balance Bar ® 24-Hour Adventure series finale will captivate the ‘City of Angels’ on November 15-16. Hundreds of adventure racers will descend on greater Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains, facing challenging disciplines such as trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, ropes, coasteering and navigation.

“We’ve had strong races in Beaver Creek and New York City and this race will be just as challenging, if not more so,” said Jonathan Denison, Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure Race Director. “Spectators will witness a fast-paced race as we have some of the best teams in the sport racing.”

The world’s elite teams will compete for cash prizes, including Nike ACG/Balance Bar, Seagate, Nokia Adventure, Montrail and Balance Bar. Team Nike ACG/Balance Bar, comprised of Mike Kloser, Danelle Ballengee and Michael Tobin, has taken the first two Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure races, defeating Team Nokia Adventure in New York by less than one minute. Only weeks prior, Kloser’s team took home first place the Subaru Primal Quest expedition race.

\"We had Lady Luck on our side in New York against a tough field and won a close one,” said Kloser, captain of Nike ACG/Balance Bar. “Los Angeles is looking to be even tougher, but we\'re psyched to finish strong in hopes of taking home the overall series title.”

Other top teams they’ll be up against include:

Team Seagate (New Zealand) Two-time Eco-Challenge and winners of the 2002 Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure in Portland.

Team Nokia Adventure (Finland) Second place finishers in the Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure in New York and podium finishers in the 2003 Raid Gauloises and the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest in Malaysia in 2002.

Team Montrail (USA) Champions of the 2003 Raid Gauloises and third-place finishers in the first two 24-Hour Adventure Races this season.

Team Balance Bar (USA) Finished sixth place in the first race of the Series in Beaver Creek, CO.

The 2003 Balance Bar® Adventure Race Series will give away a grand total of $230,000. Of this total amount, the Balance Bar® Adventure Sprints has an overall total prize purse of $60,000 and the Balance Bar® 24-Hour Adventure Series carries an overall prize purse of $170,000.

You can read about the last race in New York in the race reports section and there are more details on the series on www.BalanceBarAdventure.com .