Raid in France is Back

News Release / 29.04.2010

The 3rd edition of Raid in France has been set for 27 to 29 August 2010 and will take place in the regions of Buëch and Dévoluy in the Hautes-Alpes.

The course will be a loop, including the city of Serres, which be both the start and finish point for two circuits of the route which covers 250km and 8000 of ascent in a wilderness landscape far from civlization.

The race will be non-stop over 3 days (so it will be shorter than in previous years) and the race has also introduced a one-day competition (6-8 hours) called “I Can Do it” (ICDI), which is open to pairs.

The organisers promise an intense competition that “offers a return to the true sense of adventure and immersion in nature. That goes beyond overcoming self by appealing to the strong human values - flexibility, autonomy, dynamism and generosity - needed to progress to the finish.

They claim the race has no equivalent in France and with the new course it is aimed both experienced racers and passionate amateurs sufficiently motivated to meet the challenge.

The race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS), though the dates do clash with two other AR World Series races (adidas Terrex in the UK and the Costa Rica Adventure Race). It is open to mixed teams of four and is one of the few races to still require two team assistants.

Entry is on a first come, first served basis, and costs 750 Euros up to July 1st, and 900 Euros thereafter. The one day race costs 100 Euros for each team of two, and there are details on the race website at www.raidinfrance.com . However, the site is in French only, and teams from outside France would be well advised to have French speakers in both the racing and back-up teams.

[Raid in France started on the initiative of Pascal Bahuaud. This 53 years old from Lyon, a French rowing champion and Olympic finalist at Seoul, holds one of the best records in adventure racing (10 Raid Gauloises with 6 podiums) and set out on the adventure of race organization in 2006.

The Raid in France second edition gathered over 60 participants who covered 15,000 meters of ascent and 476 kms across the Hautes-Alpes, the Var and the Alps Haute-Provence.]