The Adventure Racing World Championship got underway yesterday in Portugal, with nearly 60 of the top teams in the world taking part in the event. The first day featured all kinds of challenges, including a 2.5 km coastal run, a paddle in rough seas, and a tricky stretch on inline skates, a discipline I'm not especially fond of in an adventure race.
The format for this event has caused a bit of controversy, as teams are allowed to go after bonus checkpoints to gain points and time credits, which is a common approach in adventure races in Portugal. Some of the slower teams have elected to pass by these CP's however, and a number of international teams have been unsure of the best strategies to follow at this point. As a result, the leaderboard is likely to be all over the place for the next few days while teams sort out the beat approach between simply going fast, and working on getting the bonus points.
As of now, the race is being led by Team Lundhags Adventure, a talented and experienced team from Sweden. They're followed by two more Swedish teams in Team Explore and FJS. Defending world champs, and Primal Quest winners, Orion Health, are holding down the 7th spot.
With just one day down, there is still plenty of racing to go of course, and plenty of challenges ahead. The race will run through Friday, and the teams will cover more than 500 miles in the process. Don't expect the champs to do down easily. The Kiwi's are fast and have lots of experience as well, and they will likely put i a big push before it's all done.
Should be fun to follow!
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