Posted: November 12, 2005

Adventure Racing: Registration For 2005 World Championship Complete

November 12 2005: Registration of teams for the 2005 Adventure Racing World Championship on the West Coast of the Southern Alps is now complete and the course will be unveiled tomorrow at a special briefing in Westport.

Forty six teams have entered the challenging 430km event which is being held this year in the Buller region hosted by Southern Traverse.

ARWorld Series director Geoff Hunt says the calibre of the teams is outstanding and there is an air of anticipation around race headquarters as the countdown is made to race start in Westport on Monday (November 14).

"All the top international and Kiwi adventure racers are here which points to the high standing the World Championship has amongst competitors. Everyone is very keen to compete in a world class event."

The West Coast Development Trust is the principal sponsor and a prize pool of $100,000 is up for grabs for the first five teams.

Hunt has personally met and interviewed every team entered. He says some of the foreign teams in particular have quizzed him hard about the course and what they can expect of the rugged West Coast terrain.

Buff-Nike ACG team captain Emma Rocca of Spain who is a highly experienced adventure racer says she hopes the race " will not be too extra terrestrial."

"She told me she hoped it wouldn't be beyond the limits of human ability," says Hunt. "I assured her it won't be even if there are some tricky parts."

The race headquarters has been a hive of activity today with preparations for the six day event well advanced. Thirty five volunteers, who will man checkpoints and transition areas, have been briefed and will take up their positions around the course tomorrow.

Hunt says the safety and emergency planning has been intense for the event

"We have a hugely experienced team who are responsible for racer safety and course management. I am confident that all the planning has been done and we are in for a great race."

Biodiversity New Zealand continued its programme today of cleaning kayaks and mountain bikes as part of the effort to control the spread of the algae Didymo. The equipment will be cleaned after each river section during the race.

"This reflects the concern we all have for controlling this national problem," says Hunt.

Southern Traverse Ltd is a premier international sports event management company operating elite events around the world, including the Adventure Racing World Championship, the AR World Series and the Southern Traverse.

The Adventure Racing World Series is an international circuit of premiere adventure races representing 10 countries creating a 12-month calendar of professional events around the world. The series events are: Beast of the East-USA, Raid the North Extreme- Canada, Ecomotion/Pro - Brazil, Explore Sweden - Sweden, The Bull of Africa - S.Africa, Terra Incognita - Croatia, Bergson Winter Challenge - Poland, Wilderness ARC - Scotland and Southern Traverse -New Zealand. Adventure Racing World Series events are qualifiers for the Adventure Racing World Championship

Website: www.southerntraverse.com.