IROC Heads for Weardale
News Release / 30.12.2008
This venue is a former cement works site that is surrounded by stunning moorland. The site itself is largely hidden from view but is complete with a large quarry, steep hillsides with complex contour features, forest and a perfect event village location at the bottom of the valley.
Site-owners Lafarge Cement UK have agreed to host this event here and their UK Land and Planning director David Simms commented: \"As the owner of this site, Lafarge is delighted to be able to support this exciting sporting event. The former works site has huge potential to help regenerate Weardale and beyond, hence our role in the Weardale Task Force\'s plans to establish a renewable energy village here. Leisure pursuits, in particular mountain biking, also play an important part in these plans and whilst we await the decision on the planning application, we are looking forward to seeing the site come to life with the iROC event.\"
A New Concept
The first iROC™ will take place on the 18th & 19th of April 2009 and will be an innovative and exciting adventure racing weekend featuring six different races that will include mountain biking, running and orienteering. Points will be awarded for places and there will be a £2,000 prize pot for the overall winners across all six races.
Uniquely each of the races will have a mass start and will pass back through the event village at least once before finishing. This will ensure that iROC™ offers the best adventure race spectating ever seen in the UK. Each race will be between one and four hours long. They will be as hard as competitors wish to make them … intense, or just challenging experiences that will contrast with the relaxed, chilled-out atmosphere of the event village.
There will also be six mini races that will share the start and excitement of the main races, but they will be much shorter and designed for maximum fun and ideal for friends and family, who may wish to do more than just spectate! The social focus for the weekend will be the Saturday night activities, which will include three night races (bring your headtorch!), live music and a late bar
Online entries have now opened and the entry fee includes all six races, Saturday night entertainment, parking and camping.
iROC Planning Team Confirmed
The team planning iROC has now been confirmed with Shane Ohly at the helm as Race Director, two of Britain’s most experienced adventure racers, Heather Dawe and Steve Birkinshaw acting as MTB Planner and Controller respectively and Irish Orienteer and World Cup mapper Marcus Pinker producing a brand new map of the entire event site.
For more information see the event webstie at www.iroc-race.com
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