Between February 13-16 in the hilly regions of Lavalleja and Maldonado in Southeastern Uruguay, the ARWS South American Championship will be hosted by the Charrua Extremo race.
ARWS South America started in 2020 and the first ever Championship was held in Chile in early 2022, then it was held in Paraguay in 2022 and Brazil in 2023.
Now it’s time for Uruguay to invite the very best teams on the continent to an exhilarating competition of around 250kms in 10 stages. (The race is the 2024 South America Championship as the dates were pushed back due to the World Championship taking place in Ecuador.)
CHARRUA EXTREMO started in 2017, aiming to be the most challenging race of the country, and after 3 editions applied to be part of ARWS South America.
Race Director’s Alen Pujol and Pablo Casenave said: “We were building the experience each year, and we felt confident after 3 races, but we never imagined the exposure the ARWS would give us. In 2023 45% of our teams were international athletes coming from 7 countries, which was incredible and a record for a 24 hour race in South America. So at the prize giving ceremony and with all the adrenalin of another great race completed, we decided we would apply to be the host of the regional championship for the next year.”
The course will go through some of the most beautiful places in Lavalleja and Maldonado and was declared of National Tourist interest by the government promoting the brand “Uruguay Natural.”
Eighteen teams will gather at the town of Minas on February 13th for the race opening, and athletes from 5 countries will enjoy some Uruguayan culture and tastes.
“We learned that being part of ARWS is not only about the competition. So we have planned some surprises for the pre-race, during the course and for the after-party such as a Tango show, a sailing trip, big Chorizo barbecues, alfajores, dulce de leche and mate. We want to greet our international athletes but we also want to remind our local athletes of the beauty of our natural and gorgeous country. Plus, it’s summertime and the beach is just one hour away!” Said Alen.
In the regional rounds throughout the year teams have qualified to win a place at to the South American Championship.
The starting teams include the winners of The Desert Challenge in Chile, Argentineans San Juan Aventura, currently ranked second in South America, Team BOA Brasil Outdoor Adventure, who won the first ever ARWS Brazil Series, Andes Ecuador who won the Non Stop-Imptek race in Ecuador, Uruguay Ultra Sports, who qualified at the XK Race in Argentina, and of course 3 times winners and defending champions Team Brazil Multisport.
The start list also includes the very best teams from Uruguay, including Team Sirius, a power combo of 4 of the finest athletes in the country that are definitely a team to watch.
“With such great athletes from all over the region, we had to design a course that was fair and a great competition. We decided to import for the first time ever packrafts from Malacara for the event with the collaboration of the Brazilian Confederation and the Uruguayan Association. This will probably benefit teams from Brazil and Ecuador that are used to these boats.
“We also we have very fast MTB sections for athletes used to hills and mixed terrains and, to top it all, the trekking will have a unique Uruguayan style that could benefit local teams used to the dense, stingy bushes, wild boar paths and canyoning. That’s why I believe anyone could win!” said Alen.
The CHARRUA EXTREMO - ARWS SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP will be the first South America race in the calendar for 2025, which will once again have 4 regional rounds, and include the ARWS Brazil Series. Then in November all the best teams of South America will meet again in Ecuador for the fifth AR South America Championship hosted by the Non-Stop Imptek race.
Charrua Extremo will have live satellite tracking from the Track the Race platform and the race updates can be followed on Instagram @charruaextremouy and @arwssouthamerica.
For more information on the race; https://charruaextremo.com
Follow the live tracking at: https://tracktherace.com/charrua-extremo
For more information on ARWS South America; https://arworldseries.com/series/south-america-series
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