Entries Open for The Turas, the Newest Race to Join the AR World Series
18.02.2008
Held in South Western Ireland in mid-June, this competition is offering some serious prize money. Teams thinking about entering should make a decision soon – because organizers are offering a €1000 discount to teams who sign up by March 1st (that’s 25%).
Forty international teams will trail blaze 600km across five peninsulas in the counties of West Cork and Kerry and compete in some of Ireland’s most spectacular, ancient and mythical landscapes. Challenges include more than 12 disciplines, including mountain biking, trekking, rowing and kayaking through sea and lakes, navigating via Bronze Age monuments, sea swimming, racing horses on the beach, portage, micro-navigation, rafting, coasteering, and rope work across iconic mountain passes. The grand finale is a zip line across an iconic glaciated valley said to be the longest zip line ever in an adventure race.
This race is non-stop for mixed-sex teams of four and will take competitors between 4 and 5 days to complete. The race is unsupported (support is being provided by the organisation). Teams may not receive any outside assistance during the race. However the organisation will feed the teams with local-grown organic food at transitions.
The teams will battle for €100,000 ($150,000)— one of the biggest prize purses yet in the Adventure Racing world. Day one includes a bonus event: a high-velocity water sprint with additional prize money on offer to the winning team. Cash prizes will be paid to at least the top five finishers, and the top prize is expected to be around $65,000 (the exact breakdown is still to be determined).
The race will be non-stop (approx 80 -90 hours), with a long prologue of 8 hours which will be significant in the race ranking. (These timings may change slightly.) This year, the horse riding section will be very short and there will also be some canyoneering. The term archaeological-navigation just means the control points will all be placed on ancient archaeological sites - but there are lots of them in that part of the world!
The full entry fee is €4000. However organizers are offering early bird deals to all teams that enter and pay a deposit before the 1st of March of €3000. Registration is generally first come first served, however preference will be given to the first international team from each country.
For full information see www.anturasmor.com.
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