The Denver Post posted an article on the evolving state of adventure racing with a nice look at how the sport is moving away from the longer expedition length races and more towards the shorter sprint, 24 hour, and weekend races.
The days of Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest, and The Raid seem to be behind us, and this has led many to believe that the sport is on life support. However, it is, in fact, thriving. There are more people taking part in races then ever before, they're just not participating in these gureling, 300+ mile long races, preferring to go after the shorter races instead. Many racers don't have the time to train, nor run, an expedition length race, which are also more gear intensive and physically demanding. But they can run spring races of 4-8 hours or move up to 12-24 hour races, and beyond to two day, weekend races.
I'm torn by the direction that the sport has moved. While I'm a big fan of AR, and have followed teams and athletes since Eco-Challenge first hit the air. The distinct lack of a "crown jewel" for the sport makes me a little sad. However, it is still encouraging to know that the sport is growing in popularity and that more and more people are taking part. It bodes well for the future of adventure racing, even if it may mean the end of the epic challenges of the expedition length races.
Thanks Check Point Zero.
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