Nopesport

Adventure Racing to some orienteers are dirty words. But some orienteers are taking Adventure Racing to the extreme on Saturday with the start of the Adventure Racing World Championships (ARWC) in Fort William.

This is no one day Open Adventure 5 or a Rat Race weekend; it is over a course that organisers reckon will be won in 4� days with only 50% of teams completing the whole course. Teams will have to decide when they sleep, with the winners likely to manage on 10 hours over the whole race. They will face 500km on bike, foot, swimming or kayaks, canyoneering and rope skills tested around the Lochaber area. Many teams predict they will be heading out on to Skye�s Cullin ridge.

There are many well known orienteers that will be providing strong navigation skills (and fitness ability) to teams. You will be able to follow the teams on Sleepmonsters as all teams will be carrying GPS locators. Here are a selection of the orienteers on the start list:

Ifor Powell, BOK, a regular on nopesport, will be racing for Innov-8/Intellident

Chris McSweeny, HOC, aka Adventure Racer, will be racing for sleepmonsters/Innov-8

Team planetFEAR, is made up of three orienteers each fighting for the map no doubt. Heather Monro, Phil Scarf and Jonathan Emberton (both EPOC).

Many time KIMM/OMM winner Steve Birkinshaw will be racing with Pete James a much fancied Team Innov-8 Gore-Tex

Former Swiss international, Alain Berger is running for French/Swiss team Wilsa HellyHansen.

Reigning world champions and favourites for the race, Team Nike, have recruited Kiwi orienteering international and world regaining champion Chris Forne.

A get well soon to Bruce Duncan. He was due to compete in the competition with Team Superfeet/Life is Good, but due to an early season training accident he is now going to be volunteering.

Good Luck to all who are competing.

More info at ARWC 2007

The playground for the race