The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Team Accelerate Looking Forward to Abu Dhabi ..
News Release / 02.12.2010
For Team members Dan Halliday and Julia Hobson it is their first time racing outside of the UK and they will be joined by the more experienced Dave Spence and Caz Bullard. The Team finished in a highly creditable second in the inaugural adidas Terrex race in the UK earlier this year, with three members of this team. That ADAC will be whole new ball game for the team as up to know they have concentrated on the challenges of expedition racing.
Arguably the least experienced of the Team is Julia, who despite winning most events in the U.K. has yet to race in an International race. When asked how things were going for the team, she said, “The race is now such a prestigious event that we expect most of the world's best racers to be there and have no idea how we will fare against them, especially given that it is staged racing, and none of us have a lot, or any experience of that. We are all looking forward to the challenge though. We believe that we can do well and surprise a few teams!
Personally we have all been training hard at the main disciplines involved over the last few months, especially kayaking and running, which are involved in the two longest stages of the race. As a team we have tried to spend time together in kayaks and on long runs, as well as talking through our race objectives and trying to plan for the challenges that lie ahead. There are certain things we can't train for, given that the current temperature in the UK is about 30 degrees colder than that in Abu Dhabi! We feel that we are as well prepared as we can be though, with some fantastic kit from our Team Partners including Skins, X-Bionic and New Balance, which should help to keep us comfortable despite the heat!�
As to expectations for the Team at the race, it was left to Dan to thoughtfully answer, “This is our first time racing a race of this nature against this level of competition but we are hopeful of achieving a good position. We are aiming to give a good account of ourselves and mix it with some of the big boys of the adventure racing world. It is difficult to predict where we are going to finish but would be disappointed if we weren't in the top 20 although we are striving for as high a finish as possible.�
Just prior to the event Team Accelerate were pleased to announce that X-Bionic would be supplying the ADAC Team with the latest Climate Controlled clothing. From X-Socks to sun reflective race shirts for both the bike and run, the Team see the Team Partners once again playing a crucial part in their preparations. “X-Bionic have been keen to support the Team for some time. Likewise the Team have been keen to wear X-Bionic clothing and for good reason,� commented Team Manager Stuart Hale. “Pestered�, he continued, “Would be a good way of putting it!�
The Team is also pleased to announce that Suunto will be supplying the Team with both sports monitoring and navigation equipment. With Leki coming on board to provide the Team with state of the art Trekking and Nordic Walking Poles and also those more suitable for In-Line Skating.
The Team would like to publically thank the support of all its Partners: High5, Mountain Hardwear, Suunto, X-Socks, X-Bionic, Leki, Accelerate, SKINS, New Balance, Make Innovation Happen and OMM.
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