Ask anyone and they will tell you the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is six days of gruelling and ferocious competition where you discover levels of skill, determination and stamina that you never knew you possessed. Yet for those of you lucky enough to be racing this December, there’s so much more.
Any serious adventure race should be a heady mix of contrasts – the tough with the relaxed, the ups with the downs, and the enlightening highs achieved by the ultimate test of mind, body and soul.
It is this sharing of your exploits with fellow athletes around a blazing fire that will burn bright in your memories of Abu Dhabi.
Whilst you may be thinking it is not so demanding now… make no mistake, there are times in the heat of competition when you will be left pondering your own sanity and other moments where your sense of achievement will take you through the pain. Is it possible that the world’s toughest race could also be the world’s most enjoyable?
Check out the video and see for yourself (video is on ADAC website under the 'News' tab - quite a nice one. I think it is www.AR.co.za swimming, where you can see the four people in the water).
Showing posts with label ADAC2010: Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADAC2010: Media. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Online tracking at ADAC
Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge has introduced a new interactive online facility to help you track the race, teams, route and media opportunities surrounding the world’s most gruelling adventure race.
The new digital presentation– which can be accessed via the event’s website – is invaluable for teams looking to whet the appetites of sponsors and partners.
You can either watch it online using your browser or download the file package to your own computer. To view it locally, you will also need download and install to the free application, AdobeAir.
And keeping with the multimedia theme, make sure you check out our website, which is an important resource for you to get in the know about the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, share videos and photos, and relive some of the greatest highlights of the past three years.
http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
The new digital presentation– which can be accessed via the event’s website – is invaluable for teams looking to whet the appetites of sponsors and partners.
You can either watch it online using your browser or download the file package to your own computer. To view it locally, you will also need download and install to the free application, AdobeAir.
And keeping with the multimedia theme, make sure you check out our website, which is an important resource for you to get in the know about the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, share videos and photos, and relive some of the greatest highlights of the past three years.
http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
Monday, October 11, 2010
Teams rush in as word goes out
Mughamarah (UAE)
Since July Mughamarah has been following a comprehensive fitness and training programme, involving general fitness and endurance training, focusing on the specific disciplines featured in the race and honing equipment and technical skills. Team captain Jean-Marc Laventure reveals this expat team’s goals: “Deepen existing friendships and build new ones; experience the adventure and Abu Dhabi’s stunning natural landscapes; seeing how well we can perform in some of the world’s toughest conditions and against some of the world’s best prepared teams.” But they’ve also done their homework… “From our analysis of previous editions of the race, any section can become difficult if the conditions are unfavourable. We are trying to prepare ourselves for the worst: sandstorms; extreme heat or cold; no wind or extreme waves on the sea-kayaking section.”
Sart Ecorace (Singapore)
Familiar faces on the international circuit, Sart Ecorace couldn’t resist the chance to try out the Abu Dhabi event: ”Word was going round from other teams on the circuit about how the ADAC was fast becoming one of the toughest races in the world. Who could resist that?“ confessed Hadi Masron. “We are also particularly eager to gain as much race knowledge and experience as possible from the other professional teams in this race.” They are certainly taking the words of their fellow athletes very seriously, maximising their participation in other regional-international races and reviewing gear and recovery rates in the run up to the ADAC. “We are concentrating our training routine on kayaking, running and biking,” Hadi concluded.
4 Empty Quarters (UAE)
Another expat team flying the flag is drawing on previous experience and rigorous personal preparation in the hope of improving on their 2009 result. “For all of us, the challenge of competing in such a long duration event coupled with the opportunity to see Abu Dhabi in a different way is immensely motivating,” explains Robin McGowan. “We are comfortable working together but as many of us travel quite extensively, group training is tough, so we are concentrating on our own individual training plans. However, weekends are reserved for working on the practical aspects of team coordination and, in particular, on biking and kayaking. None of us have a strong kayaking background and so maintaining a good pace on the sea-kayaking leg is going to be the biggest challenge…” Robin reveals. But this time around ambitions and expectations are running high: “Last year we had a simple goal which was to just complete the course – this year we are still relaxed about our participation but want to push it a little more targeting the longer options and trying to see just how far we can push ourselves,” he added.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
ADTA Award winners can't lose
In the USA, competition for the much coveted Checkpoint Tracker slot is understandably intense as the Checkpointtracker National Champs approaches at the end of October. A number of teams are in contention for the ADTA Award slot with current table leaders, Wedali from Minneapolis, looking like firm favourites. Competition remains fierce and any of the five leading teams could catch them and steal top spot as the series reaches its climax.
For the first time the Australian arm of Sleepmonsters has been chosen to select a team from among its very highly competitive stable. A short list of five teams from the 16 registered for the award will be drawn up the first week of October with final selection being made by jury.
In her third year running as an ADTA Award ambassador, Lisa de Speville is throwing caution to the wind by introducing a team of South African rookies to the arcane arts of adventure racing. “This time my focus was on a 'girls' team, going with three females and one guy format,” said Lisa. “I'm the only one with trekking and running distance experience. …I really have got myself a novice team!”
A strong runner, experienced orienteer and expert paddler, Lisa’s one potential weakness, biking, is more than offset by the complementary skills of her chosen teammates. Adri van der Westhuyzen only ran her first 24-hour plus race in August but brings powerful mountain biking to the mix while Steven Erasmus has some adventure racing experience behind him. “Steven is a strong runner and biker and over the past three months has developed into a very decent paddler,” Lisa enthused. Completing the team is 22-year-old AR newbie Lizelle Smit, who managed a victory racing in a pair team at the recent Swazi Xtreme - a tough multiday non-stop adventure race in Swaziland. Her strengths are in running and cycling but with almost no paddling experience, she will find the sea-kayaking legs very challenging.
The other team with a bib to its name is Statkraft Adventure Team from Sweden, which boats adventure racing kingpin and expert tactician Arvid Björkroth at the helm of an eclectic group of experienced AR athletes. Arvid, a self-confessed multisports “failure”, was a little surprised in July when he led his team to 4th place in the 950 km Explore Sweden Monster race. He was even more surprised when they presented the team with a pair of socks… and the ADTA Award!
Pernilla Lagergren has been an endurance athlete for some years now and is recognised as one of Sweden’s top AR females. With a penchant for the saddle, she is accomplished on both bikes and horses, and has a keen eye for fatigue levels when the team begins to flag. She is the team’s governor, deciding when to rest and when to go. Team navigator Peter Hagglund is an effective all-rounder and ice hockey player whose engineering streak has landed him with the task of designing the team’s all-important gaiters for the desert trek. Another team member with an air of flair about him is Henrik Enberg. An excellent biker, he was a member of the junior national team and his physical strength and constant high spirits will come in handy for keeping the morale of the team at its peak when the going gets really tough.
What the team lacks in international racing experience, it more than makes up for in determination.
“We would like to beat some of the other Swedish teams but we have no experience in desert racing so we will just train harder,” assures Arvid.
Though the race conditions will be foreign to them the stage format has added appeal: “I like these stage races and it will be great to meet the other teams in night-camps,” he concluded.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Challenge goes from strength to strength
Media Release: The record number of teams registered for the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge confirms the international status and unique appeal of the world’s premier event.
Since its inception in 2007, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge has built on previous accomplishments, bringing ever-increasing numbers to its ranks further cementing its position as the world’s premier adventure race. 2010 has not only confirmed this trend but also surpassed all expectations, as teams hailing from around the globe have hurried to sign on for what has become - among the adventure racing community - the most significant race on the international circuit.
Of the 48 teams certain of a place on the starting line in Abu Dhabi City, 16 have already competed in the Challenge. Some of these top-flight contenders have undergone subtle changes in the hope of adding the world’s most coveted AR prize to their list of credentials while others are returning hoping their previous experiences could give them the competitive edge.
The most successful combination to date, New Zealand’s Richard and Elina Ussher, whose teams have won the event every year, are certain to make their new-look ‘Thule Adventure Team’ a four-time favourite but, as in the past, they will be up against some serious opposition.
Marc Balaskovic heads up the French presence with Vibram Lafuma, who are aiming for another crack at the top three, while Marc Pschebizin has joined forces with Swiss team Wenger. Expectations are understandably high for Coming Soon, an enigmatic amalgamation of nationalities featuring France’s Myriam Guillot, Jacky Boisset and Kiwis Jacob Roberts and Marcel Hagener - three of whom have never finished outside the event’s top five.
Spain’s Salomon Santiveri has lured the multitalented Monica Aguilera back into the squad while local heroes, Al Moughamiroun, with Eric Jeanne at the helm, will draw on their past experience in a bid for glory. Back again is Germany’s Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, led by ace triathletes, Faris Al-Sultan and Werner Leitner, while a handful of Russian teams can look to Artem Rostovtsev and Chasing Daylight to lead the way.
The overall figures are impressive, 48 teams representing at least 20 different nations with two thirds of them coming to the Challenge for the first time. This is further proof of the event’s established international profile and enduring importance. Some countries with strong adventure racing roots, like USA, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Poland, all have three teams in this wide-ranging field while UK and France are upping the ante with four teams each.
Inspired by the excellent performance of the Dragons last year, China is sending two teams. By far the most impressive contingent is from the UAE, with no fewer than eight teams eager to measure themselves against all comers on what is essentially home territory. Turkey, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Norway and Italy complete the list.
Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
Since its inception in 2007, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge has built on previous accomplishments, bringing ever-increasing numbers to its ranks further cementing its position as the world’s premier adventure race. 2010 has not only confirmed this trend but also surpassed all expectations, as teams hailing from around the globe have hurried to sign on for what has become - among the adventure racing community - the most significant race on the international circuit.
Of the 48 teams certain of a place on the starting line in Abu Dhabi City, 16 have already competed in the Challenge. Some of these top-flight contenders have undergone subtle changes in the hope of adding the world’s most coveted AR prize to their list of credentials while others are returning hoping their previous experiences could give them the competitive edge.
The most successful combination to date, New Zealand’s Richard and Elina Ussher, whose teams have won the event every year, are certain to make their new-look ‘Thule Adventure Team’ a four-time favourite but, as in the past, they will be up against some serious opposition.
Marc Balaskovic heads up the French presence with Vibram Lafuma, who are aiming for another crack at the top three, while Marc Pschebizin has joined forces with Swiss team Wenger. Expectations are understandably high for Coming Soon, an enigmatic amalgamation of nationalities featuring France’s Myriam Guillot, Jacky Boisset and Kiwis Jacob Roberts and Marcel Hagener - three of whom have never finished outside the event’s top five.
Spain’s Salomon Santiveri has lured the multitalented Monica Aguilera back into the squad while local heroes, Al Moughamiroun, with Eric Jeanne at the helm, will draw on their past experience in a bid for glory. Back again is Germany’s Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, led by ace triathletes, Faris Al-Sultan and Werner Leitner, while a handful of Russian teams can look to Artem Rostovtsev and Chasing Daylight to lead the way.
The overall figures are impressive, 48 teams representing at least 20 different nations with two thirds of them coming to the Challenge for the first time. This is further proof of the event’s established international profile and enduring importance. Some countries with strong adventure racing roots, like USA, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Poland, all have three teams in this wide-ranging field while UK and France are upping the ante with four teams each.
Inspired by the excellent performance of the Dragons last year, China is sending two teams. By far the most impressive contingent is from the UAE, with no fewer than eight teams eager to measure themselves against all comers on what is essentially home territory. Turkey, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Norway and Italy complete the list.
Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
Thursday, July 1, 2010
This time, it's clockwise
MEDIA RELEASE: Every year since its inception in 2007, we've introduced a slight twist to the event. For 2011 we've literally gone 360 degrees.
In 2007 the race began with a sprint start to the kayaks, parked on the sweeping Corniche Beach in downtown Abu Dhabi City, which was followed by a 118km paddle along the picturesque Al Dhabela coast to Mirfa.
For 2008 we introduced a triathlon-style prologue around the Corniche involving a bike sprint, a short kayaking loop to Lulu Island, a few hundred metres off the beach, with a run around the island thrown in for good measure.
Last year we spiced up the prologue with a 900-metre dip in the city's panoramic lagoon following a run around the stunning Emirates Palace gardens.
But this year the twist is a little more pronounced. Day One will still include the opening prologue in the cosmopolitan heart of Abu Dhabi City but from them on it's about face. The teams will first transfer to the oasis city of Al Aïn, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet range, after which they will traverse East to West across the unforgettable dunes of the Rub al Khali, the largest expanse of unbroken sand in the world - with a final sea kayaking section back to the finish in Abu Dhabi city. This clockwise rotation around the Emirate is sure to introduce some fascinating new race perspectives.
http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
In 2007 the race began with a sprint start to the kayaks, parked on the sweeping Corniche Beach in downtown Abu Dhabi City, which was followed by a 118km paddle along the picturesque Al Dhabela coast to Mirfa.
For 2008 we introduced a triathlon-style prologue around the Corniche involving a bike sprint, a short kayaking loop to Lulu Island, a few hundred metres off the beach, with a run around the island thrown in for good measure.
Last year we spiced up the prologue with a 900-metre dip in the city's panoramic lagoon following a run around the stunning Emirates Palace gardens.
But this year the twist is a little more pronounced. Day One will still include the opening prologue in the cosmopolitan heart of Abu Dhabi City but from them on it's about face. The teams will first transfer to the oasis city of Al Aïn, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet range, after which they will traverse East to West across the unforgettable dunes of the Rub al Khali, the largest expanse of unbroken sand in the world - with a final sea kayaking section back to the finish in Abu Dhabi city. This clockwise rotation around the Emirate is sure to introduce some fascinating new race perspectives.
http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
Monday, June 28, 2010
Media release: 2010 Challenge Reveals Subtle Changes
June 28th – The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge retains its traditional end of season slot while changes to the course itinerary and registration fee bring added appeal.
In keeping with the practice established over the last three years, the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge keeps its December winter slot thanks to the warm Arabian weather found in the emirate at that time of year. This year’s event – the fourth in the series - will take place across the emirate from 10th to the 15th December, slightly later than last year. The six-day endurance race, which places the emphasis on camaraderie and culture, will again start with a triathlon-style prologue in and around the modern, cosmopolitan core of downtown Abu Dhabi City.
However, in contrast to previous years, the teams will then transfer by bus to the Oasis City of Al Aïn, in the East of the emirate, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet mountain range. Next, travelling East to West, they will traverse the vast expanse of the Rub’ al Khali, one of the world’s largest deserts with its rolling 200 metre high dunes, ending the race with a final sea kayaking section back to the finishing line in Abu Dhabi city. This is the first time the race will start and finish in the United Arab Emirate’s capital.
Since its inception in 2007, the race has been hugely successful in revitalizing the sport of Adventure Racing by attracting powerful newcomers from around the globe to compete against seasoned, high-profile squads. In addition to this range of innovative incentives for rookies, this year an “early bird” registration fee has been introduced for the first time. Any team that registers and pays before the end of July will benefit from a €500 reduction on the normal rate of €2,500.
Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
In keeping with the practice established over the last three years, the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge keeps its December winter slot thanks to the warm Arabian weather found in the emirate at that time of year. This year’s event – the fourth in the series - will take place across the emirate from 10th to the 15th December, slightly later than last year. The six-day endurance race, which places the emphasis on camaraderie and culture, will again start with a triathlon-style prologue in and around the modern, cosmopolitan core of downtown Abu Dhabi City.
However, in contrast to previous years, the teams will then transfer by bus to the Oasis City of Al Aïn, in the East of the emirate, for a confrontation with the rugged outcrops of the Jebel Hafeet mountain range. Next, travelling East to West, they will traverse the vast expanse of the Rub’ al Khali, one of the world’s largest deserts with its rolling 200 metre high dunes, ending the race with a final sea kayaking section back to the finishing line in Abu Dhabi city. This is the first time the race will start and finish in the United Arab Emirate’s capital.
Since its inception in 2007, the race has been hugely successful in revitalizing the sport of Adventure Racing by attracting powerful newcomers from around the globe to compete against seasoned, high-profile squads. In addition to this range of innovative incentives for rookies, this year an “early bird” registration fee has been introduced for the first time. Any team that registers and pays before the end of July will benefit from a €500 reduction on the normal rate of €2,500.
Live race coverage and information at http://www.abudhabi-adventure.com/
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Team www.AR.co.za formation announced in Go Multi
A snippet in the new edition of Go Multi magazine announcing that a new Team http://www.ar.co.za/ will be selected for ADAC 2010.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Media appreciation
Thanks go to the following online avenues for assisting in promotion applications for the 2010 Team http://www.ar.co.za/.
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