What is adventure racing? Bear Grylls’ Eco-Challenge: The World’s Toughest Race is just the tip of the iceberg
- Adventure racing is in the public eye thanks to the Amazon Prime show and there is a vibrant community of enthusiastic masochists
The recent Amazon Prime series “The World’s Toughest Race” hit the screens and had people wondering where all these mad people were hiding. But the event, called The Eco-Challenge, did not happen in a vacuum and is just one of many adventure races.
Put simply, adventure racing is a multi-discipline endurance sport, usually in teams. Participants follow maps and are usually denied the aid of modern GPS. They can be expected to run, hike, cycle, swim, kayak, raft, horse ride, abseil or swim. If the organisers are feeling imaginative, they may throw in another mode of transport.
Part of the beauty of adventure sports is the unknown. On most races, the course and means of travel are kept secret until the last minute. But if you are expected to use some specialist mode of transport, like a horse or a belay device, the organisers will list the required experiences before you enter, so you do not end up in the middle of nowhere unable to get back. If you are worried, contact them and double check. They won’t reveal everything, but if you say “I cannot swim”, they will advise if this is the race for you.
Adventure races can range in distance. It could be a one-day event, or like the Eco-Challenge or Adventure Racing World Championships, it can be over 600km and the winning time around five to six days.