ARS 2012 closes

AR Slovenia / 24.06.2012

10 years, record number of teams, longest course, hottest days, best teams, most countries, biggest number of volunteers and biggest smiles on competitors' faces.

Everyone is amazed. Amazed over the fact that it is possible reaching Velenje also from the coast. It looked impossible at first, the idea grew, the organizer took the challenge and competitors proved that it can be done.

On Friday morning the sun was hardly a friend with its 33 burning degrees Celsius. A jump into the sea was not even refreshing since the sea temperatures reached 27 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat, the teams were ready at Tartini square to start off their biggest adventure. Exploration of the picturesque city of Piran, kayaking down the coast and swimming with an underwater checkpoint search was the busiest kick off nobody could expect. Steep slopes started with rollerblading, but it got even steeper on bikes. The route over the karst hills was difficult on its own, but if we consider the boiling temperatures they were nearly deadly. A lot of teams paid a toll already the first day, which was most reflected during the night when crossing Mount Vremščica.

Day two started on skikes, but this was the last time the teams had wheels on before the evening. They were about to experience a 50-kilometre long walk from Rakov Škocjan, over Planinsko polje karst field, Rakitna and ending in Iška gorge. Luckily there was a calm kayaking section, adventurous abseil and a caving experience on the way.

The treat of the day was no doubt the canyoning in Iška gorge, where despite the lower temperatures competitors enjoyed the jumps and falls. Meeting the time limit at the bottom of the gorge proved to be a struggle for many teams. Coming to the checkpoint in time even brought some tears of joy in competitors’ eyes... finishing the Rover category route however brought some joyful singing as well.

The last night was hard on the teams, because most of them had no time to rest or even sleep if they wanted to reach the finish line on time. The morning adventure when crossing the river on a rope with bikes on them gave them just enough energy to cross the finish line on time, with smiles and great satisfaction.

The 10^th Adventure race Slovenia has come to an end. In these past years we discovered a remarkable number of hidden Slovenian treasures. We went through most of the rivers, towns, mountains, caves and valleys, yet we believe that the nature offers lots more for new adventures. Steel-like will of the organizers, volunteers and the persistence of competitors brought us to number 10 and we wish for a lot more to be written in the future.

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