What is it that makes adventure racing, at its core, completely different from other sports such as triathlon, or ultrarunning, or rogaining, or 24 hour mountain biking? There are a lot of sports out there that share aspects of AR – in terms of being off-road and adventurous, and involving multiple disciplines, and in requiring strategy and navigation skills.

I’d argue that the one thing that really makes AR unique is the team aspect of it. Not a relay team, not a cumulative-times kind of team, but a team that must stick together no matter what, and problem-solve in order to keep all members united and moving forward as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Check out this video which takes a look back at the first half of the race on Primal Quest Badlands Web Episode 6. For more videos, check out http://legendaryrandyericksenfilms.wikispaces.com/

I’ve found that the word “Baja” holds different meaning for everyone who hears you might be going. For some it mean’s fast off-road 4×4 racing through the desert. Others think of tequila and Cabo San Lucas. Still others simply think it’s just that deserted land strip past Tijuana. What most don’t know about the area is that lying between the mainland of Mexico and the Baja peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse bodies of water on our planet, the Sea of Cortez.

The below article is reprinted with permission after it originally appeared in The Tyee on Friday, November 13, 2009. Jacqueline Windh delves into the addiction to running with endurance athlete Jen Segger.

Top endurance athlete Jen Segger runs the fine line between triumph and addiction.

Team Checkpoint Zero won the 2009 Checkpoint Tracker Series and the opportunity to travel to Abu Dhabi early next month for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. We caught up with team captain Peter Jolles to get his take on racing in such a unique venue.

Check out this awesome footage of base jumpers Roberta Mancino and Jeb Corliss in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia. It was shot of the new GoPro HD in 1080p.

How does 43 seconds of video + FaceBook=Patagonia Expedition Race?

Simple.

I posted 43 seconds of Val Chapa after Primal Quest Badlands talking about breaking his bike.At the end I had him spell his name for the video editor. I labeled it “Val Can Still Spell His Name”and posted it to Facebook.

We wanted to interview some of the sponsored teams heading to this year’s Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (ADAC) next month. We caught up with Lisa de Speville and she shared with us a little about her team that she selected via an application process.

Watch what teams do at a transition area on Primal Quest Badlands Web Episode 5. For more videos, check out http://legendaryrandyericksenfilms.wikispaces.com/

Sportsister: A new sports magazine for women recently popped up in the U.K. and features a great website with everything from training tips to news and gear reviews.

Here is an excerpt from their “Guide to Adventure Racing“:

Adventure racing is essentially a multi-sport race, involving a minimum of trail running and mountain biking and also usually flatwater canoeing or kayaking.

Ocean waves crashed to my right; more waves to my left. I sat on a narrow spit of beach with the Atlantic to either side. The beach landscape here was stunning, with sandstone formations and pillars of rock jutting up at extreme angles. It’s as if rock structures from the Utah desert had been magically transported to the ocean side. This was the scenic finish to the 2009 Adventure Racing World Championship, and while the race organizers took heat for their unorthodox race format, nobody can question their selection of dramatic race finish locations.

For a specific look at the race format, see this piece published earlier today.

One of the big stories of the 2009 AR World Championships was the style of the race. I had the opportunity to see the event myself, and it took me a few days of asking questions to piece together how this race worked. Let me share with you what I learned.

At just 22 years old (as of September!), ultrarunner Alexa Dickerson (sponsored by recovery drink Genr8 Vitargo) has already cruised through the standard race distances from 5K to recently finishing her first 100 mile race, the Javalina Jundred. I caught up with Alexa to get the lowdown on everything from how she started running to the hardest part about running a 100 mile race.

Monavie-Cannondale team worked their way up the volcanoes on Stage 3. Tinker Juarez did an outstanding climb towards the Irazú Volcano, he ascended like it was his last climb.

Jeremiah Bishop followed Juarez with a gap of close to 3 minutes along with Deiber Esquivel and Marc Trayter, both trying to break the trio apart and move upfront on the hunt for Tinker.

The Estoril Portugal XPD Race has already covered two thirds out of the 900 Kms track, and teams are having to make major strategic decisions. Title holders are having a hard time keeping up with the the leaders. Tonight’s paddle in Castelo do Bode dam may be decisive.

Casualties have not been significant, taking into account the 600Kms that teams have already covered, in a track that is traversing the centre of the country until Saturday. So far, only nine out of the 59 teams that came from 25 different countries to take on this adventure have withdrawn.

One of La Ruta’s strongest ascents was ridden today nearly one and a half kilometers after the start of the stage, a wall that took riders from 800 meters up to 1400 meters above sea level within 8 kilometers.

Top racers showed their world-class level making the first ascent seem like a ride in the park although several elite riders paid the price of a rapid pace and a grueling push to the top. Such was the case of Ben Sonntag when at a mere 100 meters from reaching the top of the mountain his chain sunk within the depths of his rear cassette.

You have got to love technology (especially when it is working)…this update just came in from Grant Killian (via his iPhone) who is on ground there in Portugal.

The rain started to come down just as the local church started tolling midnight. 12 midnight was the deadline teams had to LEAVE Assistance Pt 4, and so just before the hour a parade of dirty, tired, and committed racers checked out and headed for a short trek, then a long bike ride, then a “paddle” — although reports are that water levels are too low to paddle in some parts. It was quite the scene: an international band of elite athletes shuffling down the road with bags of food, drinks, and equipment.

A total distance of 108 kilometers were ridden today by 225 racers from 17 different countries in a terrain as defying as the untamed tropics can hide deep within its foliage.

An early lead out of the Carara National Park by three-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras, one of the favorites for the race, was short-lived when apparently a beverage he drank the night before affected his stomach.

This was the 3rd day of the competition and the harshness of the mountains has already caused the first casualties in the Estoril Portugal XPD Race, forcing 7 teams – out of the 59 that started – to abandon the race. Title holders – New Zealand’s “Orion Health” – are still well placed in front, closely followed by the North-American “Nike/Beaver Creek”.

Alex Hibbert, at only 23-years-old, has spent more than 18 weeks unsupported in the Arctic. He recently completed the Trans Greenland Expedition. At 1374 miles, is the longest fully unsupported polar expedition in history. Alex plans to release his first book, The Long Haul in March 2010. We caught up with Alex to ask him about his inspiration and motivation for expeditions around the globe.

Watch Team Bones on the ropes course in Primal Quest Badlands Web Episode 4. For more videos, check out http://legendaryrandyericksenfilms.wikispaces.com/

Leaving the Atlantic coast behind, teams racing for the adventure racing world title have resumed action today deep inside central Portugal’s mountainous region. Estoril Portugal XPD Race has invaded the Schist Villages, aiming at Serra da Estrela. Nordic Teams are leading the pack so far.