Balance Bar 2004 Dates

Rob / 16.12.2003

The dates and locations for the 2004 BALANCE BAR® Adventure Race Series have been announced and entries are already open. This is the second year of the most popular series in the US, which includes accessible city venues, has a popular 3 person team format, and includes both Sprint and 24 hour events. Balance Bar will sponsor a series of adventure racing camps and adventure clinics during 2004, for both seasoned racers and new comers to the sport. (Dates and locations for these will be announced at a later date.)

The Adventure Sprint series is ideal for novices new to the sport, with courses of around 20 miles taking between 3–6 hours. The include the usual disciplines of mountain biking, running and kayaking as well as special obstacle tests and there is a chance to get on TV too, as the series will be televised on the Outdoor Life Network in half-hour features. The dates and venues are:

• May 8-9 – Austin, TX
  
• May 22-23 – New York City, NY
  
• June 19-20 – Atlanta, GA
  
• July tbd – Portland, OR
  
• August 14-15 – Sacramento, CA
  
• September 18-19 – Hartford, CT
  
• October 2-3 – Richmond, VA
  
• October 16 – Los Angeles, CA

The 24 Hour Challenges are a tougher proposition for experienced racers only. The courses cover around 100 miles and include rope stages and night navigation. The race is non-stop and the leaders take around 13 hours to finish, but they are world class teams.

Champions for the last 2 years have been top US squad Nike ACG/Balance Bar, but the competition will get tougher for them next year. In the last race this year they were beaten by Seagate of New Zealand, who will be back in 2004. Nokia Adventure, Montrail and some other top teams will be taking part too, drawn by the high profile of the series, the best competition and exceptional prize money for a weekend race. The dates and venues are:

• July 17-18 - Beaver Creek, CO
  
• October 9-10 - New York, NY
  
• November 20-21 - Los Angeles, CA

All the information on the series is on www.BalanceBarAdventure.com .