Adventure racing starts this weekend in Guam

Guam Extreme Adventure Race Sports Management is glad to announce that adventure-racing season will officially start today in Hagatna, Guam.

In a recent email, GEAR said Saturday’s event would be the first of six monthly sprint races that lead up to the 9th Annual Ford Tough Guam Extreme Adventure Race on May 24, 2009.

According to Action Asia Adventure Magazine “GEAR is the toughest one-day race in the region.”

“The courses will be set among natural features which make Guam such a unique and beautiful sports marketing location—mountains, waterfalls, deep valleys, rivers, caves, and the ocean,” GEAR said in its press release.

GEAR said the Ford Tough Sprint Series would incorporate two or more race disciplines such as mountain biking, running/trekking, kayaking, swimming, coasteering, and navigation.

These sprint races will be approximately two hours long but each race will be held in different locations and present new challenges geared to familiarize participants to the non-traditional, self-supported, and team-oriented adventure racing format.

The sprint races will have a Pro division and a Social division.

“Those new to adventure racing who wish to participate but do not have a teammate will be paired with an experienced adventure racer upon registration on race day and will compete in the Social division,” GEAR noted.

Equipment needed for the races include a mountain bike, helmet, hydration pack, running shoes, and boonie stomping essentials such as a compass, gloves and sunscreen.

The annual Ford Tough GEAR will be designed for teams to finish in 14- to 24-hours.

Teams of four from Guam, Saipan, Japan, and throughout the region will only have access to back-up supplies and support crews at various transition areas throughout the day.

Racers will also encounter unique mystery events along the course presented by Triple J Ford, Burke Engineering, GTA TeleGuam, Hornet Sports, the Overhang Club, Hangin High, Java Junction, and other supporting businesses that will further test the mind and body.

Teamwork and heart are essential in completing the Ford Tough GEAR races.

Grant Loveridge, a multiple champion of the event, said “The reward of adventure racing is priceless. You compete in the open wilderness surviving on what you carry on your back, problem solving with your teammates and being challenged physically and mentally by the course set before you. Life just doesn’t get much better than this, to put it simply. Competing in an adventure race is like compressing a lot of life into a relatively short amount of time. And let’s face it, what is life for if we are not living it?”

While some compete in the two-hour sprint races as training runs for the Ford Tough GEAR, others who do not intend to compete in the annual, much longer race participate in the sprints to visit areas of Guam in an unparalleled way, to learn new skills and for the thrill of competition and accomplishment.

Mountain bikers, endurance runners, biathletes, triathlon racers and other multi-sport enthusiasts seeking an even bigger challenge, adventure racing may be for you.

If interested in adventure racing or becoming a sponsor for these events, please contact GEAR Sports Management at 483-9453, 888-7908 or adventurerace.guam@gmail.com. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]