Posted: August 3, 2004

Adventure Racing: Four teams withdraw from the Adventure Racing World Championship 2004

Adventure Racing World Championship 2004 - Port aux Basques, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

2 August: Day 2 of the Adventure Racing World Championship (ARWC) brought disappointment to four teams as they were forced to withdraw from the race because of injuries (none life-threatening). The leaders are still traveling around the course at a healthy pace.

One of the world’s most experienced AR teams, Team Montrail (USA), led by Rebecca Rusch, has withdrawn from the ARWC only thirty hours into the race. The first trek, which continued overnight night, took its toll on Montrail. Traveling alongside La Poile River to check point 4, Matthew Weatherley-White took a heavy fall and partially separated his left shoulder and Patrick Harper aggravated an old IT-band injury in his right leg.

They continued through the paddling section only losing minor time to the front teams, but at the transition area the reality of the injuries forced them to make the difficult decision. Rebecca felt the roughness of the Newfoundland terrain was the culprit. Even she felt the twinges of the rocky terrain. “I don’t have any knee injuries and my knees hurt after that trek,” she says.

Two more teams withdrew in early hours of this morning. George Liscic from Team Strike Anywhere (USA) decided he could no longer continue and the team walked off the course. Team Discovery The North Face (USA) reached check point 3 in the early hours of the morning and due to an exhausted member of the team was unable to continue.

Team Wild Rose (Canada) is continuing as an unranked team. Brent Clark has pulled out due to a foot injury.

The majority of the field has now passed through check point 4 and on to the water for their first kayak section down river from North Bay and in to the North Atlantic Ocean. They will have a few hours of paddling before being forced off the water by the dark zone. They will not be allowed back on the water until 4.45am.

The front of the pack was able to complete their kayak section in relative calm conditions. Teams paddled in to the 1st transition around midday.

The transition is in a quiet bay of the picturesque fishing village of Rose Blanche. The leaders are maintaining the quick pace as they attempt to keep in sight of each other. Neil Jones from Team Merrell Zanfel was overheard commenting to his team mates that he, “couldn’t believe how fast the race was going; races certainly do move quickly these days.” A member of GoLite Timberland enthusiastically paddled past the transition and forced his teammates to paddle back out to the ocean retrieve him.

Teams exiting the water were looking tired after completing over 24 hours of racing. A quick change in to their biking gear and off for their first mountain biking section.

From Rose Blanche competitors have a short hilly and scenic mountain bike past Isle des Morts, named for the unfortunate souls who were lured onto the rocky shoals. Once off the bikes teams will start a 33km trek to the Long Range Mountains. As they gain elevation the terrain becomes more heavily forested, testing navigation skills as they move in to the second night.

The race can be followed on www.arworldchampionship.com and also on www.sleepmonsters.com.

Background information
The 2004 ADVENTURE RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP is the championship event for the Adventure Racing World Series of eight premier international races, including the Beast of the East (USA), Raid the North Extreme (Canada), Ecomotion /Pro (Brazil), Explore Sweden (Sweden), Appalachian Extreme (USA), Southern Traverse (New Zealand), European Championship Adventure Race (Austria), and Adventure Quest Africa (South Africa). The world's top teams were invited to compete in the 2004 ADVENTURE RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP based on winning placements and qualifying criteria of the Adventure Racing World Series races, with the remainder of the 50 teams selected via an application process.

About Frontier Adventure Racing Inc.:
Frontier Adventure Racing Inc. (FAR Inc.) is the leading adventure racing company in Canada, operating the popular Raid the North and Salomon Adventure Challenge series. Now in its seventh year of operation, FAR Inc. has established an international reputation for solid logistics and challenging race courses. Providing traditional wilderness adventure race experiences has been FAR Inc.'s focus since day one. Often building courses around the history and traditions of the regions competitors travel through, FAR Inc. remains true to its slogan: Real Wilderness. Real Navigation. Real Adventure.