The Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS)[1] is an endurance racing season where adventure racing teams compete in a range of disciplines including, for example, navigation, trekking, mountain biking, paddling and climbing.[2]

Format

Mixed gender teams of four competitors compete in a series of up to a dozen non-stop, multi-day expedition adventure races held in locations spread across the globe. These races culminate in the staging of the Adventure Racing World Championships, the winner of which is crowned World Champions.

The competition's format provides that each of the individual events of the World Series function as a qualifier for the World Championships. The top two finishing teams in each event secure the opportunity to compete in the World Championships. The field of event winners and second place getters is then supplemented by the reigning world champions, who are given the right to defend their title, and a selection of wild card entrants round out the number of starters.

The actual World Championship race rotates each year. One of the qualifying events is singled out and designated as the World Championship event and this event provides a dramatic conclusion to the end of the World Series racing season.

In addition to the World Championship race, points are assigned to results from each of the qualifying races in the series to determine a World Ranking. Points are allocated on a team's best two results in a calendar year over a two-year period (with heavier weighting given to World Championship results), with the ranking cycle periodically refreshed every 4–6 months.

History

The Adventure Racing World Championship was the brainchild of Geoff Hunt and Pascale Lorre, long-time adventure racers who sought to "lend badly needed structure to the sport".[3] Hunt and Lorre's vision was first brought to fruition in Switzerland in 2001 where 41 teams contested the Discovery Channel World Championship Adventure Race[4] with the controversy-plagued event eventually won by Finland's Team Nokia Adventure.[3] A team from New Zealand, including Kathy Lynch, came second that year,[5] US Team GoLite (became Nike ACG the following year) was 3rd.

After a two-year hiatus the Adventure Racing World Championships was next held in Canada in 2004 and has subsequently been held every year since.

In 2011 management of the race was passed to the Australian event management company Geocentric Outdoors.[6] The 2011 World Championships - won by Thule Adventure Team - were staged at the XPD Expedition Race in Tasmania, Australia, where 90 teams drawn from 21 countries made for the largest starting field in the event's history.[7] This is testament to the fact that the World Series hosts some of the best expedition adventure racing teams in the world and "continues to grow and become more prominent".[8] Geocentric Outdoors also instigated a number of new initiatives for the world series, including standardized equipment lists and logistics across the races, restrictions on mixed nationality teams at the World Championship race each year as well as the introduction of the World Series ranking system. These initiatives have encouraged larger international fields at the various races by lowering the logistical barriers for participation and rewarding participation in multiple events.

In 2012, the World Championships was held at Raid in France and were won by Team Seagate from New Zealand.[9] The title of World Champion returned to the Thule Adventure Team at Costa Rica in 2013, before again being reclaimed by Team Seagate in Ecuador in 2014. Despite having never won a World Championship, Spanish team Columbia Vidaraid held the number-one position in the World Series ranking through 2014 and 2015 due to their string of wins in World Series qualifying races in addition to their second-place finishes in the 2013 and 2014 World Championships. Seagate regained the top position in the rankings in 2016 after dominating at the incredibly demanding 2015 World Championships, held in the Pantanal in Brazil, as well as in the Shoalhaven area of Australia in 2016.

In the absence of a world governing body, and after the cessation of the dominant world level events in the mid 2000s like the Raid Gauloises (Raid World Series and World Championships) Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest, and Outdoor Quest, Geocentric's ARWS and ARWC remained as the only series in the sport.

World Championship results

YearCountryRaceWorld Champion Nationality
2001SwitzerlandDiscovery Channel World ChampionshipsTeam Nokia Adventure Finland
2004CanadaRaid The North ExtremeNike ACG Balance Bar USA
2005New ZealandSouthern TraverseBalance Vector New Zealand
2006SwedenExplore SwedenNike PowerBlast USA
2007ScotlandWilderness ARC[10]Nike USA
2008BrazilEcomotion[11]Orion Health New Zealand
2009PortugalPortugal XPD[12]Helly Hansen Prunesco Britain
2010SpainBimbache ExtremBuff Thermocool Spain
2011AustraliaXPD Expedition RaceThule Adventure Team Sweden
2012FranceRaid in FranceTeam Seagate New Zealand
2013Costa RicaCosta Rica ARThule Adventure Team France
2014EcuadorHusirasinchi ExplorerSeagate New Zealand
2015BrazilARWS BrazilSeagate New Zealand
2016 AustraliaXPD Expedition RaceSeagateNew Zealand
2017USACameco Cowboy ToughSeagateNew Zealand
2018La Reunion IslandRaid in FranceAvayaNew Zealand
2019Sri LankaARWSCanceled
2020ParaguayExpedición GuaraníCanceled
2021SpainRaid GallaeciaSwedish Armed Forces Adventure TeamSweden
2022ParaguayExpedición GuaraníTeam AvayaNew Zealand
2023South AfricaExpedition AfricaSwedish Armed Forces Adventure TeamSweden


2015 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
GODZone Adventure RaceNew ZealandMarch 2015SeagateNew Zealand
Tierra VivaChileApril 2015SAFATSweden
Raid GallaeciaSpainMay 2015Haglofs SlivaSweden
Expedition AfricaSwazilandJune 2015Merrell Adventure AddictsSouth Africa
Expedition AlaskaUSAJune 2015TecnuUSA
Cameco Cowboy ToughUSAJuly 2015TecnuUSA
XPD Expedition RaceAustraliaAugust 2015Mountain DesignsAustralia
Raid in FranceFranceSeptember 2015RaidlightFrance
ARWS BrazilBrazilNovember 2015SeagateNew Zealand

2016 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Maya Mountain Adventure ChallengeBelizeFebruary 2016Team Adventure Medical KitsUSA
GODZone Adventure RaceNew ZealandApril 2016Team Yealands Family WinesNew Zealand
Tierra VivaChileApril 20162 DSN 74 HokaFrance
Expedition AfricaSouth AfricaMay 2016Team Featherbed Painted WolfSouth Africa
Expedition GuaraniParaguayJuly 2016Columbia VidaraidBrazil/Spain/UK
Cameco Cowboy ToughUSAJuly 2016Team Adventure Medical KitsUSA
HuairasinchiEcuadorAugust 2016FairisEcuador
ITERA Expedition RaceIrelandAugust 2016TEAM FMRFrance
Raid in FranceFranceSeptember 2016SeagateNew Zealand
Xtrail Expedition (Demonstration Race)ChinaSeptember 2016Thule Adventure Team Sweden
XPD World ChampionshipsAustraliaNovember 2016SeagateNew Zealand

2017 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Expedition GuaraniParaguayMarch 2017CyanosisSouth Africa
HuairasinchiEcuadorApril 2017Terra Aventura – FinalinEcuador
Raid GallaeciaSpainMay 2017NaturexFrance
Expedition AfricaSouth AfricaMay 2017Skylotec AdventureSweden
Xtrail ExpeditionChinaJune 2017SeagateNew Zealand
Raid in FranceFranceJune 2017Lozere Team2RaidFrance
Cameco Cowboy Tough World ChampionshipsUSAAugust 2017SeagateNew Zealand

2018 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Maya Mountain Adventure ChallengeBelizeMarch 2018BonesUSA
XPD Expedition RaceAustraliaApril 2018Tri Adventure AntelopesAustralia
Expedition GuaraniParaguayMay 2018Columbia VidaraidBrazil
Expedition AfricaSouth AfricaMay 2018BlizzardRussia
Expedition OregonUSAJune 2018LekiSweden
HuairasinchiEcuadorJune 2018Movistar - Terra AventuraEcuador
Nordic Islands ARSweden/FinlandAugust 2018Swedish Armed ForcesSweden
Shenandoah ToughUSASeptember 2018Mountain Race CompanyUSA
Raid in France World ChampionshipsLa Reunion Island, FranceDecember 2018AvayaNew Zealand

2019 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Expedition IndiaIndiaMarch 2019NaturexSouth Africa
Expedition GuaraniParaguayApril 2019Columbia VidaraidBrazil
Expedition OregonUSAApril 2019Quest ARUSA
Raid GallaeciaSpainMay 2019Team YetiDenmark
HuairasinchiEcuadorJune 2019Columbia VidaraidBrazil
Nordic Islands ARSweden/NorwayJuly 2019Swedish Armed ForcesSweden
ITERAScotlandAugust 2019Lozere Team2RaidFrance
Expedition AfricaRodrigues IslandSeptember 2019Greener Adventure CyklekraftSweden
Adventure Race CroatiaCroatiaSeptember 2019USWESweden
Sri Lanka World ChampionshipsSri LankaNovember 2019Canceled*-
  • Canceled due to 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings

2020 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Patagonia RaidArgentinaFebruary 2020Columbia VidaraidBrazil

Canceled races (due to COVID-19):||Expedition Africa, Adventure Race Malaysia, ITERA, Raid in France, Adventure Race Croatia, Expedition Oregon, PC 12 AR, XPD Adventure Race, Nordic Islands AR, Huairasinchi, Expedición Guaraní World Championships

2021 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
HuairasinchiEcuadorDecember 2020Team Movistar Terra AventuraEcuador
Expedition OregonUSAMay 2021Columbia La Jolla IVFSpain
PC 12 ARColombiaJune 2021Team BosiColombia
Nordic Islands ARSwedenJune 2021Swedish Armed ForcesSweden
XPD Adventure RaceAustraliaJuly 2021Resicon-Thought SportsAustralia
HuairasinchiEcuadorSeptember 2021Team Movistar Terra AventuraEcuador
Raid Gallaecia World ChampionshipsSpainOctober 2021Swedish Armed ForcesSweden

Canceled races (due to COVID-19):||Expedition Africa, Adventure Race Malaysia, ITERA, Raid in France, Adventure Race Croatia, Patagonia Raid

2022 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Panama ARPanamaFebruary 2022Brazil MultisportBrazil
Expedition AfricaLesothoApril 2022Estonia ACE Adventure La SportivaEstonia
Expedition OregonUSAMay 2022VidaraidUSA/Spain
Adventure Race CroatiaCroatiaJune 2022Swedish Armed ForcesSweden
Expedition CanadaCanadaJune 2022Bend RacingUSA
Raid in FranceAustraliaJuly 2022400 Team NaturexFrance
HuairasinchiEcuadorAugust 2022Fairis-ProfloraEcuador
ITERAScotlandAugust 2022Racing DenmarkDenmark
Expedition Guarani World ChampionshipsParaguaySeptember 2022AvayaNew Zealand

2023 Adventure Racing World Series

RaceCountryDatesWinnerNationality
Legend Adventure RaceAustraliaFebruary 2023E-dog and the JJ'sAustralia
Adventure Race CroatiaCroatiaMay 2023Swedish Armed ForcesSweden
Expedition CanadaCanadaMay 2023400team GivaudanSweden
Endless Mountains ARUSAMay 2023Bend RacingUSA
PC 12 ARColombiaJune 2023VidaraidSpain/USA
HuairasinchiEcuadorJuly 2023Andes RacingEcuador
Nordic Islands ARFaroe IslandsAugust 2023NIARSweden
Expedicion GuaraniParaguayAugust 2023San Juan AventuraArgentina
Expedition Africa World ChampionshipsSouth AfricaOctober 2023Swedish Armed ForcesSweden

References

  1. ↑ The Free Dictionary, 2011.
  2. ↑ Science Daily, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Swift, 2001.
  4. ↑ "Discovery Channel World Championship Adventure Race TV Special". IMDb. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Multisport: Heroes make a year of it". The New Zealand Herald. 9 January 2002. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Sleepmonsters, 2011.
  7. ↑ AG Outdoor, 2011.
  8. ↑ Adventure Junkie, 2011.
  9. ↑ Explore Compete Live, 2011.
  10. ↑ Scotland, 2011.
  11. ↑ Xtreme Sport, 2008.
  12. ↑ Xtreme Sport, 2009.

Bibliography

Alpine Quest

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