The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is set to get underway tomorrow, but anyone who has ever taken part in an adventure race of this magnitude knows that the day before the start is also a wildly busy day.
The latest news story on the official site reports that 36 teams have officially passed the first test of the race, namely getting passed the mandatory gear check. Usually this is quite a sight to behold as the teams of ultra-fit athletes lug all of their gear from station to station where it's all checked and looked over to be sure it meets all the requirements.
With that little issue out of the way, the teams have now been given their maps and had their questions answered as to what will be happening over the next six days. Essentially, the Adventure Challenge is an expedition length, staged adventure race, meaning that teams will go from a starting point to an ending point each day, and at the end of the race the team with the fastest accumulated time will be the winner.
The coed teams of four will be competing in the traditional adventure racing disciplines, including mountain biking, trekking, and paddling. They'll also have to take part in Cross Orienteering, Rope Activities, In Line Skating, and the dreaded "Camel Hiking".
Things officially get underway tomorrow morning when teams will set out from Abu Dhabi city itself on a 40km triathlon of sorts involving mountain biking, sea kayaking, and trail running. Over the course of the next few days I'll be watching the events as they unfold and reporting on how things are going. There is a very strong field of international teams at the event, and a number of them could take the win. And for those saying that Nike is the odds on favorite (lets face it they are!), just remember that they DID NOT win this race last year.
Good luck everyone!! Have fun and race safe.
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