The 21st Adventure Racing World Championship starts in Penticton, British Columbia on September 25th
The Subaru Canada Adventure Racing World Championship will be staged by the Expedition Canada race, organised by outdoor activities specialists Hoodoo Adventures. The Championship is the culmination of the Adventure Racing World Series, which includes over 80 races worldwide, and each year a new expedition race is chosen to host the Championship.
ARWS CEO Heidi Muller will travel from Australia to be at the World Championship and commented;
“It’s an ambition of all expedition races around the world to host a World Championship and only one event per year gets the privilege to host the best adventure racers in the world and to show off the natural wonders and culture of their region to a global audience.
“Organising a World Championship is a test of endurance in its own right, and the Expedition Canada team, lead by Lyndie Hill, has been working hard on their preparations and the course for over a year. Now it’s their time!
“Scouting and preparing a course of over 750km through wilderness terrain is an immense task, as is hosting teams from 25 nations and broadcasting a global event. Hoodoo Adventures has done an exceptional job preparing this World Championship and, with the backing of Subaru Canada, they are ready to deliver an incredible competition which will enthral a global audience. It’s time for Expedition Canada to shine on this world stage.”
The course covers over 750km in the Okanagan region and the Rocky Mountains, which teams will traverse on foot and mountain bikes, and paddling canoes and packrafts. They will race non-stop for up to 10 days, navigating their own route with maps and compass through mountains and wilderness to find 50 checkpoints, all the time travelling unsupported and self-sufficiently. (The use of GPS is not permitted.)
Each team of 4 is mixed gender, and all of them must travel and finish together, or the team is out of the race. The Adventure Racing World Championship is the ultimate test of team work, and the winners will not only be the fastest team, they will be the smartest, and the team which works best together. Every team will have setbacks and at times will be exhausted and dispirited, but the best teams will find a way to overcome every challenge and work together to keep moving forward towards the finish line.
The most experienced teams in the world will be on the start line. The defending champions are 400team of France, who won the World title in Ecuador last year, and they are returning to defend their title. The Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team were champions in 2023, and 2021 and are back seeking a third win, and the #1 team in the ARWS World Rankings, Vidaraid of Spain, is also taking part. (The top 5 world ranked teams are racing.)
Throughout the year AR World Series Qualifiers take place, with the winners receiving a free place at the World Championship, so the winners from 9 expedition races this year will be on the start line as Qualifiers. The ARWS also stages Regional Championships on each continent with the winners receiving a World Championship place. In total 56 teams will be on the start line, from every continent, and with racers from 25 countries.
They will be welcomed to Penticton and Okanagan region, with an opening ceremony and flag parade on Sept. 22nd which will be led by Hereditary Chief Adam Eneas. Expedition Canada is working with local dancers, singers and artists in the Okanagan region to give visiting teams a cultural as well as a sporting experience in British Columbia.
Race Director Lyndie Hill said, “Adventure Racing is not like any other sport. We are covering a 750km course and there is a ripple effect on communities we pass through, and on the racers, as it will change their perspective of what they can accomplish. This isn’t just a race, it’s an opportunity to show who we are.”
She added, “The course will pass through some first nation territories where very few people get to travel and we are grateful to all of the communities who have welcomed us. Adventure racers are by nature explorers and we’ll take them on a unique journey into the heart of the Canadian wilderness where they will experience the land, meet the people who live there, and discover more about themselves.”
The race is also a gathering of the global adventure racing community, with 17 ARWS Race Directors taking part from 10 different countries and ARWS referees from Canada, the UK and Croatia overseeing the competition. There are 18 members of the Adventure Racing Hall of Fame taking part, and at the race closing ceremony more members will be inducted. After the race the International Adventure Racing Conference will also take place, with speakers and attendees joining remotely from around the world and watching the conference live on the ARWS YouTube channel.
There are also specialist adventure racing media from Australia, Brazil, the USA and Mexico joining the Expedition Canada media team, and many teams will bring their own media to follow their progress. Throughout the race there will be live satellite tracking of teams and regular video updates, photographs and commentary through the Expedition Canada and Adventure Racing World Series websites and social media channels.
Expedition Canada; www.expeditionracecanada.ca
Adventure Racing World Series; www.arworldseries.com
Race Programme;
Sept 22 - Opening Ceremony & Flag Parade, Penticton
Sept 22/23 – Expo, Registration and Race Briefing
Sept 25-29 – Teams on course
Sept 29-Oct 3rd – Teams cross the finish line
Oct 4th – International Adventure Racing Conference - www.internationalarconference.com
Oct 4th - Closing ceremony & prize giving
