Your race season doesn’t need to stop!
Jacqueline Windh / 14.09.2008
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
Many of you will be looking at a winter vacation anyway - why not couple that vacation with a little bit of racing? For North Americans, especially, flights to Mexico and Central America are short and still relatively cheap, and there is lots going on down there. For all racers planning a bit of travelling, there are opportunities to tie your travels in with adventure races, as well as trail-running, mountain-biking and paddling events running in South Africa, South America, and Down Under. Some races even offer guest programs, so you may even be able to drag your loved ones along with you!
Here is a sampling of some of the 12hr+ and multi-day events that will be going on. But I haven’t even mentioned the shorter one-day races here. Check out the SleepMonsters calendars (go straight to the country-specific sites if you are looking for the shorter races). You can search by month or by location, and find yourself a race or two to keep your heart pumping over the “slow†season.
Southern USA:
There are lots of one-day races going on throughout the US, ranging from traditional-format AR’s in the more southern states, to winter events like snowshoeing, skiing and multisport - so check out the SleepMonsters calendars to find the ones that are right for you. Following is just a sampling:
Howl at the Moon, FL (12-18 hr AR) October 18-19 2008
www.floridahowl.com
Gold Rush, central CA (2-day AR) Nov. 8-9 2008
www.goldrushar.com
Turkey Burn, FL (12 hr AR) Dec. 13 2008
www.pangeaadventureracing.com
Primal Quest Sprint Series, Miami (1-day AR) early 2009, date TBA within two weeks
www.primalquestsprintseries.com
Water Tribe Everglades Challenge, FL (67 mi and 300 mi paddling) Mar. 7-15 2009
www.watertribe.com
Sea Otter Classic, CA (multisport) April 16-19 2009
www.seaotterclassic.com
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean:
24 Hours of Costa Rica (AR) Dec 6-7 2008
www.adventureracingcostarica.com
The Coastal Challenge (6-day trail run) Feb. 1-7 2009
www.thecoastalchallenge.com
Transmexicana (6-day MTB) Feb. 21-Mar 1 2009
www.original-extreme.com
Reto de los Volcanes (3-day MTB) April 3-5 2009
www.retodelosvolcanes.com
Costa Rica Coast to Coast (expedition AR) April 17-29 2009
www.adventureracingcostarica.com
Guadarun, Guadeloupe (6-day trail run) April 11-19
www.guadarun.oxatis.com
South America:
Again, check out the SleepMonsters calendar for full details - there are lots of smaller races going on all the time, especially in Argentina and Brazil.
Iron Biker, Brazil (2-day MTB) Oct. 18-19
www.ironbiker.com.br
Ecomotion Pro, Brazil (World Champs, you’d probably know if you were going to this one...) Oct. 30-Nov. 9
www.ecomotion.com.br/ecomotionpro2008
Vuelta al Cotopaxi, Ecuador (2-day MTB) Nov. 29-30
www.cotopaxi.cikla.net
7 Cerros Medellin, Colombia (3-day AR) Dec. 5-8 2008
www.7cerrosmedellin2008.com
Xtremo6000, Argentina (150km/300km 3-day AR) Dec. 5-8 2008
www.xtremo6000.com
Patagonia Expedition Race (multi-day expedition AR) starts Feb. 10 2009
www.patagoniaexpeditionrace.com
In and around Europe:
Portugal XPD (expedition AR) Nov 30-Dec. 4 2008
www.portugalxpdrace.com
Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (6-day AR) Dec. 12-17 2008
www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
(Also check out Guadarun in the Caribbean, easy to fly to from Paris)
South Africa:
For the complete scoop on the South African AR scene check out Lisa de Speville’s website www.ar.co.za
Cerderberg Escape (3-day MTB) Oct. 24-26 2008
www.cape-epic.com
‘Uge Salomon (150/220km AR) Jan/Feb 2009 (exact dates TBA)
www.ugeevents.co.za
Nguni (24-36 hr AR) Feb. 13-15 2009
www.singletrackafrica.co.za
Cape Epic (950 km 8-day MTB) March 21-28 2009
www.cape-epic.com
Swazi Xtreme (3-day AR) April 24-26 2008
www.swazixtreme.co.sz
Down Under:
Southern Traverse, NZ (2-day AR) Nov. 15-16 2008
www.southerntraverse.com
Australia XPD, NSW (expedition AR) Nov. 17-28 2008
www.xpd.com.au
Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge (250 km 3-day staged AR) Nov. 19-23 2009
www.markwebberchallenge.com
Tuatara Peninsula, NZ (2-day AR) Nov. 29-30 2008
www.bloodygoodevents.co.nz
40th and final Murray River Marathon, Victoria (404 km paddling) Dec. 27-31 2008
http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/murraymarathon.htm
Speights C2C, NZ (2-day AR) Feb 13-14 2009
www.coasttocoast.co.nz
Alps Epic (5-day MTB) March 15-19 2009
www.alpsepic.com.au
Keen Adventure Race, Victora (4-day AR) April 28-May 2 2009
www.rapidascent.com.au
Rat Race - Melbourne (2 day urban AR extravaganza) 22-23 November
www.ratraceadventure.com/page215.asp
SleepMonsters
