Media release: 2009 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge announced

This year’s Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge will be held from the 4th to the 9th of December. The innovative nature of this demanding sporting and cultural odyssey, with its unique emphasis on fairness, accessibility and camaraderie, represents adventure racing’s most exciting opportunity to race against the world’s most international field.

In keeping with the last two years, when early December was chosen as the ideal period for adventure racing’s Blue Ribbon finale, the 2009 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge will be held from the 4th to the 9th of December. What’s more, to ensure that the race offers a sporting challenge rather than an economic one, especially given the current economic climate, the organisers have made a €1,000 reduction to the 2009 entrance fee, bringing it to €2,500 per team and opening the world’s most international race to the entire adventure racing community.

In total contrast to many other headline-grabbing races held around the globe, the ADAC is designed to not only appeal to the world’s top teams but also to those with the ambition of becoming one themselves but who, as yet, might lack sufficient international or big race experience. Last year, the highly successful ADTA awards took a selection of fortunate ‘local’ teams from Britain, Sweden, Slovenia the USA and South Africa, all with no international race experience, handed them entry fees, plane tickets and the opportunity to rub shoulder with and learn from the world’s best. The ADTA Continental Rookie Prizes (2,500 USD) handed out cash prizes to the four top teams, one from each of the following four continental zones, Europe, North - South America, Asia - Oceania and The Middle East – Africa, racing for the first time in The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. Both initiatives, aimed at promoting the sport throughout the burgeoning international rookie community, will be maintained for this year’s race.

After 6 days over a course worthy of the world’s most international field and matched only by the quality of the encounters with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, a lucky few will take with them the “glittering prizes” but thanks to a judiciously planned course and flexible support infrastructure, every team is given the chance to finish the race one way or another. Only in this way are all teams able to complete what is, after all, the objective of any sporting event: to participate and be enriched by the competition, rivalry and ensuing camaraderie. To learn from the experience, come back again and maybe win.

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

New Team www.AR.co.za to ADAC '09

I am delighted to announce that www.AR.co.za has been invited to send another team to the 3rd edition of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, held 4-9 December 2009. I will again select three team members from our South African adventure racing community to join me on this awesome adventure.

This invitation, which includes the entry fee and four return tickets to Abu Dhabi, is made possible by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's Awards scheme. ADTA aims to make it possible for ambitious racers, who have never raced overseas before, to pursue their racing career internationally.

To apply for a position on Team www.AR.co.za, please complete this ENTRY FORM (Word doc) and return it to me by noon on Monday, 1 June 2009. You can email your completed form to lisa@ar.co.za

Note: right-click on the Entry form link and select 'Save Target As...". Blogger has a weird glitch with these things. Alternatively refresh the page that loads in your browser. And, if all else fails, the direct link for the form is www.ar.co.za/abudhabi09.doc

Please note the following:

• Our entry fee and flights are covered by the event
• You will be required to pay for the following: team clothing, equipment you will need (we will borrow where possible), race food (snacks & two meals), accommodation for a night before and after the race (this is the major expense), food before and after the race. This will cost R6000-R8000 (see my posting on Race Costs from ADAC 2008)
• Other pre-race expenses may include paddle coaching, entry and bits to participate in two local pre-ADAC events, travel to Joburg (if you live outside of Joburg; twice prior to ADAC) for the team to be together.

In terms of what I'm looking for in my team mates:

• Although the standard team composition is 3 guys and 1 girl, I raced as 2-2 last year and loved it. I am keen to race in the same format so that another female racer has this opportunity to race overseas. Girls, please apply; you will be considered even though I fulfill the mandatory female quota.
• I don't mind if you don't have a lot of experience, but you must have completed at least one event of 24hrs. I'd prefer this race to be in adventure racing, but if you've done ultradistance running, biking or paddling, these count a lot too.
• You must be self-motivated in that you have and are prepared to put work into organising and leading your own teams. While this race is fun, it is not a holiday. This is an exceptional opportunity that will give you that next step in your adventure racing experience. Ideally you should have ambitions of forming your own team for international participation in the next few years.
• This is not your adventure racing swan-song, but the springboard to many more years of racing; each with increasing competitiveness.
• You don't have to be a navigator, but you must have an interest in navigation and willingness to learn. You won't be expected to navigate at ADAC, but it is a skill that you'll carry into the teams you create in the future.
• I expect you to train on your own, putting in effort on improving your skills across all disciplines from when the team is announced until we leave. You will need to complete a training log, but I'm not going to watch over you nor crack whips. I just expect you to keep up your side of the deal.
• If you haven't got much paddling experience, this is not a barrier to your eligibility. I will expect you to be paddling 2-3 times a week from September until we depart. And all team members will attend 2-4 paddle coaching sessions to improve efficiency and technique. Paddling is a BIG portion of this race.
• We may have inline skating (to be confirmed).
• If you have ambitions of winning this race, then this team is not for you. We will go out there and give it our best. Where we place is were we place. As I was there last year, I do hope that we'll improve our previous result.

From my side, I'm taking a chance on you. I'm passing on this opportunity to race overseas, with most of your expenses covered. Team www.AR.co.za is different to any other in that the members have not necessarily ever raced together and they may not have much experience and we may only be all together twice before the race. And you surely know how difficult it is to race with people you know in a one-day race - nevermind racing overseas in a 6-day race with comparative strangers. All I expect from you is your commitment to training and the team and that you'll go into this adventure with an open heart and open mind and give your best.

If you're still keen after reading all of this, please download the entry form, fill it in and send to me. I plan to announce the team by the end of June 2009 so that we can get preparations underway early.

Lisa