Check out this video and watch as Team OrionHealth.com crosses the finish line on Primal Quest Badlands Web Episode 8. For more videos, check out http://legendaryrandyericksenfilms.wikispaces.com/

Costa Rica, the new member of the Adventure Race World Series will stage one of the nine races that are held around the world. Prior to the World Championship to be in Spain later in November.

At the annual meeting of the AR World Series, held just after the end of this years World Championship, staged in Portugal early in November, Costa Rica got the OK from AR’s president Geoff Hunt. Alexander Baker, racer and co-organizer of the race in Costa Rica along with Antonio de la Rosa, racer an organizer of the Bimbache Extreme (next years World Championship), came to agreements with the organization. The race will be held during August 20th-28th, 2010.

The race will cover a wide variety of landscapes, beaches, warm ocean, dry forests, rain forests, cloud forest, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, whitewater and even a traditional local sport will be part of this fantastic race. The race course was carefully designed and scouted by de la Rosa and Baker: “We guarantee the racers to have a great time during the race”, “they won’t be bored with the same scenario, and the scenery changes constantly as you proceed the course”.
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By Richard Ussher

Our last race for the year got off to an auspicious start when our team mate Jacob Roberts called to say he’d come off second best with a car while out biking and had a broken shoulder. Luckily for Jacob he didn’t look as bad as his bike or we’d have been at his funeral.

Ramadan was also about to start in Abu Dhabi so the whole country was about to head into a 2 week holiday and so a replacement needed to found ASAP so the flights could be organised.

Step in super sub Nathan Fa’avae who’d as luck would have it in pretty good shape having just raced in New Caledonia.

Prologue
This is where we were seriously worried about the skill level in our team with 2 swimmers and 2 almost non swimmers. We’d been up to some testing at the local pool in Nelson though and reckoned we’d minimised our weakness as much as possible with the aid of some flotation, a snorkel and some tow lines.

The opening MTB ride was just as scary as anticipated with the tension and nerves finally being released as over 160 athletes set off on the start of the 6 day race.

Off the bike and the pace was hot for the ensuing run through the grounds of the Emirates Palace hotel and out to the launching point for the swim. The swim had been in doubt earlier as several large barges had been blocking the course even as we’d set off on the MTB but even the weaker swimmers we relieved a gap had been cleared as the day was already heating up and the prospect of a further 5km of running didn’t seem appealing to anyone.
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After a 3-year absence of such an event in the UK, the ‘adidas TERREX Adventure Race‘ will take place in August of 2010. Teams of 4 will compete in this 4-day non-stop expedition race throughout the Lake District (the North West of England). The dates for the event are August 27-30, 2010. Race registration is £1350 per team. The race will include the core AR disciplines as well as some ‘surprises taking racers to those hidden gems’.

Race entry opens December 15.

We are excited to have another international expedition race being added to the 2010 race calendar. We will keep you posted on more as the information becomes available.

Check out the race website for more info: http://www.adidas-ar.com/index.htm

Image above from the race website

On today’s biking stage, when many teams anticipated a strong challenge from their nearest rivals, the violent wind that arose during the night proved to be their most persistent adversary.

A vicious wind made going particularly tough this morning, when the teams left the desert camp at 07:00 on their bikes for an initial 33.7km confrontation with sand and potholes. Richard USSHER and frontrunners QASR AL SARAB (NZ), out to maintain their 30-minute lead, broke away early from the peloton while second place ADCO struggled to hold off the challenge from VIBRAM SPORT 2000, finishing 2 minutes behind the French who had fitted special, faster tires for the occasion. With only 7 minutes separating 5th placed ADSC/WILSA (FRA) and SALOMON CRESTED BUTTE (USA) in 6th place, and with LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE (SWE) looking to move up from 4th to a podium position, the pace was as furious as it was wearing.

After a pause of around 2-hours for the fastest, the teams lined up for another group start from the grounds of the majestic Qasr Al Sarab Resort, the aesthetic serenity of which was in complete contrast to what they would confront on the 53km leg to Umm Zamul track. Within minutes of leaving, the wind picked up again and the teams slowed to a crawl, disappearing into the clouds of dust. When QASR AL SARAB (NZ) had to stop to repair a puncture, the peloton pushed on but the Kiwis surged back to the head of the race soon after and held on until Marc PSCHEBIZIN and team DOMA (GER) took the lead and the section. The Germans had lowered the pressure in their tires giving them an advantage on the large swathes of deep sand covering the route. SALOMON CRESTED BUTTE (USA), with a supreme effort over the final 20km, finally managed to outdistance ADSC/WILSA (FRA) by 8 minutes, edging themselves into that much-coveted 5th spot. VIBRAM SPORT 2000 (FRA), in their gamble to take 2nd place by using thinner tires than the other teams, paid the price as the sand slowed their progress and ADCO (NZ) consolidated their position behind the race leaders.

With still so much to race for, tomorrow the teams will undertake 20km of trek and rope works, 37km of fast MTB and a final 3,2km on foot to the finish line in Al Ain.

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

Photos by Monica Dalmasso

Via press release

Check out this video and watch as Team OrionHealth.com heads for the finish line while Salomon/Crested Butte chases them on Primal Quest Badlands Web Episode 7. For more videos, check out http://legendaryrandyericksenfilms.wikispaces.com/

GEELONG’S Grant Suckling employed the wisdom of his little girl to win the Lorne Anaconda Adventure Race on Sunday morning, crossing the line before a crowd of 3,000-plus spectators, just 30 seconds ahead of arch rival Perth’s Sean O’Neill.

At one stage Suckling was convinced he’d lost the race to five-time WA triathlon of the year O’Neill, who was race favourite after claiming open men’s line honours in the last two Anaconda Adventure Races in Queensland and Western Australia.

Suckling finished second and 2.5 minutes behind O’Neill at the Augusta race last month, but prior to Sunday’s race felt his training regimen, strong competitive record this year, a desperate need to win, and his new “secret weapon” kayak the Think Uno would hold him in good stead.

When Suckling thought he’d lost the race he gave himself a “good talking to” and adopted his seven-year-old daughter Emily’s mantra – “it’s supposed to hurt a little bit” to spur himself on.

In an absolute nail-biter of a race, it wasn’t until the last 80 metres that Suckling knew he had it in the bag.

Amid a field of almost 1,200 competitors from all over Australia O’Neill emerged from the 1.9km ocean swim with a lead of more than four minutes over Suckling.

But the 35-year-old father of two made up the difference on the 3km ocean paddle, recording a time of six minutes quicker than O’Neill, 26.

Suckling lost the lead on the 14km coastal trail run to O’Neill, who then found it tough going on the 24km mountain bike leg.

“During the mountain bike I thought, Sean’s probably finished the race by now, then all of a sudden I rode round a corner and I watched Sean fall off,” Suckling said.

O’Neill made a quick recovery but Suckling rode around him after his second fall on the steep descent.
“I rode down that hill flat-out and nailed every corner,” Suckling said.

“I got down to the beach, put on my shoes and started running but I didn’t know I was going to win it until I was 80 or 100 metres out.”

Desperate to make the Lorne event an Anaconda Adventure Race hat-trick O’Neill didn’t have time to remove his bike helmet or put on his shoes for the final 1.5km beach run, and was relegated to second place as Suckling crossed the finish line with his daughter Emily, seven, who ran the last 50 metres with him.

Ultimately Suckling finished in 3hr:57min:32sec. O’Neill finished on 3hr:58min:02sec.

“Oh mate, this is beyond comprehension, it’s a massive big deal,” Suckling said at the finish line.
“I’m ecstatic, it was a fairy tale,” said Suckling, who had dreamed of crossing the finish line with his daughter.

Former world marathon kayaking champion Chad Meek, of Mansfield, was third in the open men’s class on 4hr:14min:47 seconds, professional triathlete Luke Bell of Melbourne was fourth on 4hr:17min:31sec, and Melbourne’s Alexandra Houghton was fifth in 4hr:18min:42sec.

Event manager, Rapid Ascent’s Sam Maffett said Luke Bell won the swim leg, followed by Torquay’s Tristan Read, with O’Neill in third place.

After that it was a two horse race with Suckling or O’Neill claiming victory on each leg.

“It was a very close and fantastic race and full compliments go to both Grant and Sean,” Mr Maffett said.

“It was an exciting race because the lead changed at the end of every leg. Sean had a couple of crashes on the bike because on the descent he was going so hard to try and catch Grant.”

Veteran women’s competitor Kim Beckinsale, 42, of Noosa, was first individual woman over the line with a time of 5hr:4min:22sec.

Mansfield’s Skye Taylor was second in 5hr:8min:32sec. Torquay’s Peri Gray was third on 5hr:20min:49sec.

The first team was St Kilda’s Cotton On, with a time of 3hr:47min:45sec.

Beckinsale claims Anaconda hat-trick

WHEN Noosa’s Kim Beckinsale lost her way in the run leg of Sunday’s Anaconda Adventure Race at Lorne, she was convinced a jinx had returned to rob her of a hat-trick, but the veteran’s gritty style saw her regain the women’s lead and win by more than four minutes.

Beckinsale, 42, was race favourite, but felt a hex had always stopped her from winning three events in a row.
She won the women’s categories in the Queensland and Western Australian Anaconda Adventure Races in spring and was afraid to dream of making it a hat-trick at Lorne, in Victoria.

“I was fine in the 1.9km swim – I didn’t freeze or get cramps which was fantastic, and I was third female starting out on the 13km paddle,” Beckinsale said.

“I had a pretty good transition and felt fantastic on the run, and then I went the wrong way. I ended up on a big open fire trail, I ran through this big creek and uphill to a dam and there were about 20 of us running around going ‘Oh my God, where are we?’

“When I went the wrong way I thought ‘Oh yeah, that’s my jinx coming through’.

“I think I lost about 10 minutes so I had to absolutely hammer it, I didn’t ever give up.”

Beckinsale was shattered at the start of the 24km mountain bike ride but maintained a consistent pace.
About 12 km into the ride she caught female leader Skye Taylor, of Mansfield in Victoria’s High Country, but didn’t know if there were other women ahead of Taylor.

“When I finished the bike leg I heard I was in the lead so I had a nice run down the beach in my socks,” Beckinsale said.

“I’m pretty stoked,” said Beckinsale, who within a few hours of finishing became so hungry she ran to the shops to buy pizza for a celebratory dinner.

Amid a field of almost 1,200 competitors Beckinsale recorded a finish time of 5hr:4min:22sec to claim her third consecutive Anaconda Adventure Race.

Taylor, 26, completed the course in 5hr:8:min:32sec and Torquay’s Peri Gray crossed the line after 5hr:20min:49sec.

The win caps off an exciting year for Sunshine Beach physical education teacher Beckinsale, who came to adventure racing after fracturing her spine. She was hit by a car on her road bike. Her subsequent fear of road riding saw her give away triathlons, take up mountain biking and convert to adventure racing.

The open men’s winner of the Lorne Anaconda Adventure Race was Geelong’s Grant Suckling, 35, with a time of 3hr:57min:32sec. Perth’s Sean O’Neill, 26, finished second on 3hr:58min:02sec, and Taylor’s partner Chad Meek was third open male.

The first team was St Kilda’s Cotton On, with a time of 3hr:47min:45sec.

Picture shows Lorne Anaconda Adventure Race women’s winner Kim Beckinsale competing on Sunday, December 6.

Doug Crytzer sent me this video of Team SOG’s Maggie Hamill on her Redpoint of the asthetic overhanging arete, Mutiny (5.11c/d), in the Pirate’s Cove of Summersville Lake, WV.

Maggie on Mutiny in Summersville from Pete Baertsch on Vimeo.

Since early yesterday morning, the teams have been struggling against the relentless heat and endless dunes of the Rub Al Khali. The leading teams completed the 120km at around 9h30 this morning – they were followed by a long string of teams throughout the afternoon.

Having contended with soaring temperatures (34°C) and an almost inexistent breeze throughout the first day of the desert orienteering stage, the teams finally found some respite at nightfall when the mercury dropped to around 20°C. The small group of frontrunners comprising QASR AL SARAB (NZL), VIBRAM SPORT 2000 (FRA), ADCO (NZL), ADSC-WILSA (FRA) and DOMA (GER) spent the first part of the obligatory 8-hour rest period at the 52km point.

After resting for about 2h30, the whole group decided to move to CP5 where they stopped to rest until moonrise at about 00:30. The group had decided to race together through the night, each team taking its turn as pathfinder for the pack as they wound across. “We spent the whole night together – it really helped us to keep going,” stated and Karine BAILLET, captain of ADSC/WILSA (FRA).

The disadvantage is that no one can hope to shale off the competition during the run in the dunes. “Running on soft surfaces is always the same – you leave a trace and anyone can follow you. At night you simply have to follow the lights…” explained Nathan FA’AVAE of QASR AL SARAB (NZ). Sometimes the physical effort required for the break away is just too much: “Dwarne was suffering from cramp and had to be pulled a lot of the way,” Jacky BOISSET, captain of VIBRAM SPORT 2000 (FRA) confessed. “We had to readjust our objectives as a consequence – instead of trying to catch up with second place ADCO (NZ) we had to make sure they didn’t get away from us…”
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At 07:00 this morning the teams left the camp at Liwa Dune for the first day of a gruelling 120km trek through the Rub Al Khali – the legendary and unforgiving “Empty Quarter”.

By the time the teams reached the checkpoint at 28km into the stage, they were already strung out over several kilometres with the race leaders, Richard USSHER and team QASR AL SARAB (NZ), setting a taxing pace in the heat. Both Swedish teams among the frontrunners, LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE and SWECO KARLSTAD ADVENTURE, were showing signs of early fatigue, using towropes to stay in contention, while others were already pondering the optional route choices. Most of the teams chose to race the extra distance and avoid time penalties, 6 hours for each CP missed, but were well aware of the risks involved: “We will try to keep to the salt flats and go around the really steep parts if we can,” explained Richard USSHER.

When the sun had reached its zenith, a cluster of leading teams came into the CP at 52km displaying the ravages of the effort and the heat, after a blistering trek across the steep, towering dunes. The first three teams, QASR AL SARAB (NZ), DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS (GER) and VIBRAM SPORT 2000 (FRA) arrived within 1 minute if each other at 13h39 and they were followed by several others over the next hour. All decided to take time to rest and many could be seen sleeping in their tents or making plans for the following sections.

LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE (SWE) was considering a 3-hour stopover while Richard USSHER of QASR AL SARAB (NZ) was looking at 30 minutes and a burst of speed to the next CP: ”It’s hotter than last year but the pace is quite reasonable. We want to get to CP5 by night fall so we will have to accelerate a little,” the Kiwi captain stated.
The teams have 8 hours of obligatory rest to take between the start and the end of the stage on Day 5 – many have opted to race through the night, when the sand is cooler and more compact, and the sun is absent from the sky.

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

Photos by Monica Dalmasso

Via press release

After a restorative night spent bivouacking on an island north of Abu Dhabi city, the teams set off early this morning for the long paddle back to Corniche Beach.

Last night, at around 20:00, the last teams to reach the island bivouac had to contend with the ebbing tide and surging currents as well as the accumulated fatigue of the day’s paddling. But, after a good night’s sleep, all were ready to embark again at 6h30, though some took the prudent decision to leave the optional CP, and the extra 25km paddling needed to reach it in the mangroves, to the more accomplished and powerful paddlers. Among those opting to take the shorter, 55km route and suffer the 6-hour penalty were ABU DHABI TRIATHLON (GER) and one of the ADTA award winners CHECKPOINT ZERO (USA).

Despite the circuitous channels, the leading teams of QASR AL SARAB (NZ), ADCO (NZ), VIBRAM LAFUMA (FRA) and ADSC/WILSA (FRA) ploughed through shallow waters at roughly 10k/h, while the chasing pack could only manage half that speed. QASR AL SARAB (NZ) was the first into Corniche Beach at 11h43, followed 4 minutes later by compatriots ADCO (NZ). “It was tougher than we expected but so were we – I’m surprised at how fast we finished,” exclaimed Richard USSHER. Fleur PAWSEY (ADCO) admitted that her team, remarkable paddlers all, was very anxious to put some distance between themselves and VIBRAM SPORT 200 LAFUMA (FRA): “Kayaking is our strongest skill and we know the French are very handy when it comes to running…”

Once all the teams are in, a special bus will transfer them to Liwa Dune on the edge of the “Empty Quarter”, where, tomorrow at 7 o’clock in the morning, they will begin the 120km desert trekking stage spread over almost 2 days.

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

TOP 5 after section C (sea kayak 50km):
1 QASR AL SARAB (NZ) 10h45 :03
2 ADCO (NZ) 11h11 : 07
3 VIBRAM SPORT 2000 (FRA) 11h24 : 07
5 LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE (SWE) 11h24 :58
4 BUFF THERMOCOOL (ES) 6h07 :24

Photos by Monica Dalmasso

Via press release

World records fell at the AIDA Freediving World Championships 2009 Thursday, December 3, with William Trubridge (NZL) and Natalia Molchanova (RUS) setting new marks in the men’s and women’s Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) categories at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.

Trubridge, 29, beat his own record set last April by two metres to reach 90m below the surface and become World Champion. The dive took 3min 40sec and it is the third time he has broken this record in two years. Second place was William Winram (CAN) with 86m and Frenchman Guillaume Nery third at 78m.

“This dive was a bigger psychological challenge than I have faced before in a record attempt because there were a lot of expectations,” said Trubridge, “but my training prior to the event had gone very well, and I was able to draw confidence from this to remain calm on the day.”

Multi-time world champion Herbert Nitsch (AUT) dove to 89m but upon reaching the surface failed to meet required surface protocols which would have validated his dive. Under AIDA rules, an athlete must correctly complete set surface protocols within 15 seconds without losing consciousness in order for the dive to count.

New women’s champion, Molchanova, 47, also added two metres onto her own world record, diving down to 62m and returning in 3min 15sec.

Silver medal went to Niki Roderick (NZL) with 55m and bronze to Canadian Jana Strain with 54m.

The final event of the AIDA Freediving World Championships 2009 will be on December 5 when athletes compete in the final of the Constant Weight (CWT) category, which allows the use of fins.

Athletes must nominate their intended dive depth before the event begins. They complete the dive by retrieving a Velcro tag fixed at the bottom of a weighted cable at the nominated depth and returning to the surface without blacking out.

Nitsch was the best in the men’s heats, reaching 105m, ahead of Carlos Coste (VEN), 104m and Trubridge, who had reached 102m, but had one point deducted for failing to retrieve the tag.

Molchanova dove to 85m, an impressive 15m ahead of British freediving star Sara Campbell. Misuzu Hirai (JPN) was third best with 66m.

Photos courtesy of Igor Liberti

Via press release

When it comes to mountain biking in British Columbia, Canada most people hear about the trails around the North Shore in North Vancouver and the trails and bike park in Whistler. However, taking a 1.5 hour ferry ride over to Vancouver Island is well worth the trip with most of the trails being within 2 hours of Nanaimo.

There are four ferry routes to get to Vancouver Island from the Mainland, which are found on the BC Ferries website.  The most scenic are the Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay route or if you have time, the Sunshine Coast route which is a series of three ferries and is the route the BC Bike Race follows. Reservations are highly recommended if you’re planning on travelling in June, July or August.

After disembarking the ferry head north to Campbell River, a 2 hour drive from Nanaimo, and check out the trails in the Snowden Demonstration Forest.  The Snowden Demo Forest has something for everyone however make sure you pick up a map of the area from Cowabunga Coffee which is on the way there. (You can’t miss it, it’s a trailer painted like a cow.)  It’s easy to lose your way in this 150 km network of trails the first time you visit.  The owner of Cowabunga is a fellow mountain biker and is extremely knowledgeable about the trails in this area so don’t hesitate to ask him questions.  If you plan on travelling there over the Labour Day Weekend in September, enter the Campbell River 50 km Trail Challenge and experience the best the trails here have to offer. Continue Reading

America’s Qualifier for the Adventure Racing World Championship in 2010, the Untamed New England,  is now accepting team registrations.

The 2010 Untamed New England race will run August 12-15, and be hosted from the famous Balsams Grand Resort in the extreme north of New Hampshire.  The race course features 3 days of non-stop paddling, biking, trekking, ropes,  orienteering, and environmental conservation projects.

Only 4-person coed teams are eligible for the Adventure Racing World Championships, but teams of 2 and 3 people are permitted to join in the race.  Support crews are not permitted for this race, so the race organization handles all gear staging.

Inquiries have already come from teams in Denmark, Sweden, the UK, South America, and Australia . . . all indications are that this will be the most international race in the US for 2010, and not to be missed.

The course for 2010 will be even more rugged than previous editions, and while exact details remain a closely guarded secret, racers can expect real back-country navigation to figure prominently in the event.  In the words of one journalist at the 2009 Untamed New England,   “I had no idea that this was such deep country!”

Untamed New England is your chance to race where there is no mobile phone reception, no condominium complexes, no street lights.  More moose than people; more bogs than towns.  Untamed New England is an event that is more an adventure than a race.

Details on the race are available online at www.UntamedNE.com.

When i first read the tweet this morning from Steve Casmiro, I was in shock. According to the post on The Adventure Life, the magazine will cease operations immediately and the current issue (December/January) will be the last one to be published.

National Geographic released the following statement:
National Geographic is transitioning its Adventure brand from traditional print to a multi-platform model that will include newsstand editions, books, e-magazines, mobile applications and a robust Web site. National Geographic will also continue to honor the world’s great explorers and adventurers with the National Geographic Adventure Awards. “We’re tremendously proud of what John Rasmus and his team have accomplished over the last 10 years,” NG Publishing President John Q. Griffin said in making the announcement. “They have consistently delivered award-winning editorial to an enthusiastic audience of readers and advertisers. But given the current advertising environment and the opportunities we see in emerging digital platforms, we think the time is right to transition the Adventure brand.” Griffin shared the news at a staff meeting in New York today. A total of 17 staffers in New York and Washington are affected.

It seems that the mag’s ad revenues were down (over 40%) this year due to the economic downturn. We hope that Adventure can regroup and remain in some capacity in the digital world.

With the technical verifications completed, the 40 teams competing in the 3rd Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge are ready to take the start tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock for the first day’s racing.

This morning in the Rotana Park Hotel, after a team briefing covering the course, the 40 teams due to compete in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge went through the mandatory gear checks to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations prior to the race start tomorrow. However, two teams from France, ABU DHABI SPORTS COUNCIL-WILSA and VIBRAM SPORT 2000, spent most of the day worrying and waiting for their gear bags, lost in transit between airports, to arrive.

Titleholders QASR AL SARAB (NZ) sailed through the exercise with relative ease and were clearly confident that a third win was not beyond their capacities while their compatriots and last year’s second place team, ADCO (NZ), would have preferred a longer paddling stage, their forte, and no swimming at all.

Alongside a number of teams, for whom winning races of this stature holds no mystery, were teams of a lesser pedigree but equally eager to leave an early impression. Among them were CHINESE DRAGONS (CN), RAID IN (FRA) and the 2005 World Ironman Champion, Faris AL SULTAN, captaining a team of triathletes with ABU DHABI TRIATHLON or record-breaking, Polar explorer Adrian HAYES (ABU DHABI FALCONS).

The race begins at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning from the Corniche Beach with a 28.6km “triathlon adventure” programme involving biking, running, swimming and kayaking. Early afternoon, the teams will begin a 33km sea-kayaking section that will take them North through azure waters to an island bivouac where they will spend the first night

Live race coverage and information at www.abudhabi-adventure.com

Via press release

I saw a tweet the other day while on the road and was reminded of it when I was over at The Adventure Blog. The helmet cams have captured so much great video of some great adventures yet some of them I am content to just watch them from the safety of my chair (rather than be the one wearing it at the time-namely waterfall drops). In this video, kayaker Dave Hoffman drops 90 feet off Metlako Falls in Oregon. He stated that the visor on his helmet broke and spray skirt imploded and he had to swin but could not wait to do it again. Very cool indeed!

Kayaking Metlako Falls – Headcam from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

With the economy still at a historic low, we wanted to discuss ways to get into adventure sports while keeping your budget intact.

Of all the ‘adventure sports’, trail running would have to be the easiest on the wallet. During mild weather, one can just head out the door wearing just about anything. However, if you have ever lived or raced in the south during July or August, it doesn’t take long to figure out that a cotton t-shirt is not quality gear. I don’t remember the last time I bought a cotton t-shirt though they are forever accumulating in my closet from every event in which I compete or volunteer. Cool weather apparel involves a little more of an investment but the dividends will be worth it in the long run and those cotton sweatpants will be a distant memory.

We asked several gear manufacturers to send us some product options for participants who want top quality gear without breaking the bank.

This is what we found:
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The promise of a topflight competition, coupled with an itinerary that highlights cultural as well as natural splendours, has lured a record number of local teams, newcomers and seasoned squads from around the globe to this year’s Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.

After the initiatives taken by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, to promote local interest in the sport and encourage newcomers from around the globe, it is only natural that this year’s field comprises a record number of new teams and talent from the UAE. However, any local team hoping to improve on its 2008 ranking will have to contend with the four rookie teams aiming to be the first to emblazon the UAE flag with AR glory.

With seven teams in the race, France will be looking to the likes of ABU DHABI SPORTS COUNCIL/WILSA and VIBRAM SPORT 2000, two ADAC regulars with a long list of victories to their names, to bring home the honours while Sweden’s LUNDHAGS ADVENTURE is just one of three teams from a country no stranger to providing winners in the sport. Europe’s contingent is completed by teams from Germany, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Romania, Spain and the UK, one of which counts among its captains leading polar explorer Adrian Haynes. Continue Reading

The 2009 AIDA Freediving World Championships are now well underway with heats in the men’s and women’s Constant Weight, No Fins (CNF) category already completed at the event location at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.

Over 50 divers from 17 countries took part in an opening ceremony on November 25 and spent two days training before competition began with the women’s CNF heat on Friday November 27. The men’s heat took place the next day.

Athletes must nominate their intended dive depth before each event begins. They must complete the dive by retrieving a Velcro tag fixed at the bottom of a weighted cable at the nominated depth and then return to the surface without blacking out.

World record holder Natalia Molchanova (RUS) set the best target with 55m, five metres short of her record set in Egypt in June 2008. Also qualifying for the final to be held on Thursday December 3 were Niki Roderick of New Zealand, Junko Kitahama (JPN) who set a national and Asian record of 48m, Brigitte Banegas (FRA), Jana Strain (CAN) and Oiga Suryakova.

In the men’s event, world record holder William Trubridge (NZL) dove to 85m, ahead of Canadian William Winram who reached his nominated 80m mark. Also going through were Alexey Molchanov (RUS), Morgan Bourc’his (FRA), Christian Maldame (FRA), Guillaume Nery (FRA) and Herbert Nitsch (AUT).
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Words I here regularly around the house. My wife Paulette Kirby has joined up with Team Kayak Lake Mead for the February Patagonia Expedition Race. But we will have NO training at our house.

OK. I understand, but then what do you call last weekend?

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. That should be a nice no training day. Just the 4 F’s. Food, Family, Football, and Flopping on the couch. No. No training is a 9 mile run with full expedition pack. 3miles to set the signs for the Turkey Trot run, 3 before the start and then do the run.

OK. Black Friday.Perfect for no training. Go shopping and get Christmas done. Or, a 4 hour mountain bike ride in the Black Hills. I guess it’s not training since Paulette returned a borrowed light to some friends in Silver City.

Saturday,maybe a little training since it’s the weekend. NO TRAINING. Ok how about a little hike. We did 6 hours near Legion Lake and the Game Lodge in Custer State Park. Lots of map and compass and bushwhacking and 3500 ft of climbing,but thank God no training.

Sunday: the day of rest. A great day for no training. It’s an OK day outside upper 30s and breezy. You know what that means, kayaking on Pactola. Paulette loves winter on the lake. 4 hours of paddling with an entire lake to herself. But you can just float so I guess that’s not training either.

Next up. 4 days in Vegas not seeing Metallica and not kayaking on Lake Mead and not training in the desert.