Örnsköldsvik, 23 January 2006

Now we are facing a new exciting adventure racing year, and the preparation for the AR World Championship 2006, is going really good. View website
 

ARWorld Series Dates to be Announced

The dates and events in the ARWorld Series 2006 will be announced on the new arworldseries.com website shortly
 

All Teams Home in 2005 Adventure Racing World Championship

All teams in the 2005 Adventure Racing World Championship have arrived home although some a little later than others. Cross Sportswear crossed the finish at 6.47pm and Sierra International at 7.58pm last night.But the Kiwi team Orion Adventure did not arrive out of the bush at TA 10 until this morning at 8.15am. They missed the after party function and are all in good spirits!
 

Merrell finish

Merrell Wigwam have made it to Tauranga Bay in sixth place.
 

Fourth and fifth are in

Port Nelson has finished the race in fourth at 4.21pm 22 minutes ahead of Swedish team Halti who came in fifth.
 
View News in Brief Archive
3/09/2010 11:26:25 p.m.

New In Brief

 

Örnsköldsvik, 23 January 2006

27/01/2006 11:30:11 a.m.
 
Now we are facing a new exciting adventure racing year, and the preparation for the AR World Championship 2006, is going really good. View website
 

ARWorld Series Dates to be Announced

13/12/2005 2:48:32 p.m.
 
The dates and events in the ARWorld Series 2006 will be announced on the new arworldseries.com website shortly
 

All Teams Home in 2005 Adventure Racing World Championship

20/11/2005 8:51:08 a.m.
 
All teams in the 2005 Adventure Racing World Championship have arrived home although some a little later than others. Cross Sportswear crossed the finish at 6.47pm and Sierra International at 7.58pm last night.But the Kiwi team Orion Adventure did not arrive out of the bush at TA 10 until this morning at 8.15am. They missed the after party function and are all in good spirits!
 

Merrell finish

19/11/2005 6:20:38 p.m.
 
Merrell Wigwam have made it to Tauranga Bay in sixth place.
 

Fourth and fifth are in

19/11/2005 4:53:49 p.m.
 
Port Nelson has finished the race in fourth at 4.21pm 22 minutes ahead of Swedish team Halti who came in fifth.
 

Not long to go now

19/11/2005 12:54:42 p.m.
 
Eleven teams are still racing. Kiwi/US team GoLite Timberland will be next to the finish and are expected at Tauranga Bay any time in the next two hours.
 

Disappointment!

19/11/2005 12:50:32 p.m.
 
It was close call for Kevin Osborne's Ruahine Kayaks team - they were two hours short of completing the Buller River kayak when the 9.00pm deadline last night caught them out. Kevin says they were really disappointed because they were coping well with the course and really wanted to finish it. "This was going to be my last race but maybe I have to go through a finish line for my last one!"
 

Nike due in any time now

19/11/2005 10:33:05 a.m.
 
A crowd have gathered on the finish line at Tauranga Bay for the arrival of defending world champions Nike Balance Bar. The US team is expected around 11am.
 

Withdrawals

18/11/2005 11:49:22 p.m.
 
There's been three withdrawals tonight leaving 13 teams in contention. Montrail and Lundhags both have team members with injuries which prevent them going on. The family team Salomon GB was on the paddle section, getting as far as Berlins, but did not make the required 2100 cut off.
 

Tight Tussle

18/11/2005 11:40:28 p.m.
 
The championship title might be won but there is still an intense battle going on for the the other podium finishes. Sierra Internaitonal and Nike Balance both clocked in CP 28 on the trek at around 1900 while Port Nleson has slipped back to fourth coming in about 20 minutes behind them. Cross Sportswear arived in at 20.48 just six minuts ahead of Go Lite Timberland. The teams along with the rest of the field will be battling it out through the night with the final cut off for the race at 6.00pm tomorrow.
 

Team 45 have a cat nap

18/11/2005 6:29:44 p.m.
 
kiwi /US team Montrail are sleeping at TA8 at the end of the Kirwans and Brunner Range trek. They may go for a paddle tomorrow.
 

Team 23 finished trek

18/11/2005 1:02:17 p.m.
 
Balance Vector have completed the trek through the Paparoa's. It took them 13 hours and they were travelling at full speed.
 

Seven teams on the river

18/11/2005 10:19:37 a.m.
 
Port Nelson, Nike Balance Bar, Sierra International, GoLite Timberland, Lundhags Adventure, Halti and Cross Sportswear all made it on to the paddle within an hour of each other from 8.36am.
 

Balance Vector Still Trekking

18/11/2005 8:20:38 a.m.
 
Balance Vector left checkpoint 28 at 8.08am and is on the last leg before reaching TA 10 . From here they will bike to the caves for the abseil and caving section. The caves have created some controversy and several caving enthuisasts are staging a peaceful protest at the mouth of the Te Tahi cave.
 

Port Nelson

18/11/2005 7:14:33 a.m.
 
Port Nelson is holding second place after going through CP 23 at 5.45 this morning about three quarters of an hour ahead of Nike Balance Bar. They are expected on the Buller River shortly.
 

Fight for 2nd place

17/11/2005 11:54:11 p.m.
 
32 - Port Nelson 42 - Lundhags Adventure 1 - Nike Balance Bar 2 - Cross Sportswear Have left CP 22 within 26minutes of each other to continue the Mtn Trek down to the transition area where they will be able to start the Kayak at 6am
 

Course Amendments

17/11/2005 9:52:32 p.m.
 
There's been further amendments to the course. In Stage 10 which is the mountain trek in the Paparoas Cp 29 becomes TA 10/CP29. CP30 and 31 no longer exist. Stage 11 and 12 remain unchanged but in Stage 13 CP 35 no longer exists. Cut off 2 at TA 9 has been extended from 1430 to 2100 on Friday 18th.
 

Secret Weapon

17/11/2005 9:44:05 p.m.
 
Nathan Fa'avae's MP3 player saved the day for the team passing the time on the Brunner trek. Kristina says it was big boost and they took turns using it - their favourite song? It's a beautiful day!!
 

Extreme Paddle -No Rudder!

17/11/2005 9:41:09 p.m.
 
Balance Vector pulled out all stops to complete the paddle section on the Buller River in around four hours inspite of one boat having a broken rudder. "We must have broken it in the surf on the first day," says Richard, " but Nathan was able to steer it. He was amazing." The team is snow sleeping and will head off for the next trek in the Paparoas around midnight.
 

Team 23 powering through the paddle

17/11/2005 6:38:00 p.m.
 
Balance Vector have just passed through CP26 at the Inangahua junction.
 

Kiwis doin well

17/11/2005 3:19:28 p.m.
 
Kiwi team Bridgedale Socks have passed through check point 13 and are walking down the hill. Balance Vector have arrived at CP23 at the Larry River.
 

Team Positions

17/11/2005 12:09:42 p.m.
 
Media are swarming around the Reefton Swing Bridge to catch a glimpse of teams on the mountain bike leg. Cross Sportswear and Halti who were in second equal positon have split after Halti had a puncture pushing them back into third. Merrell Wigwam is about an hour behind.
 

Headlock!

17/11/2005 12:07:23 p.m.
 
Halti's team captain Mikael Nordstrom, himself an adventure race director, leapt off his bike at CP 18 and put Geoff Hunt in a headlock (friendly of course!)claiming it wasn't a mountain bike ride and disputing whether Geoff had ever ridden it. Geoff replied that Mikael's problem was he didn't know how to ride a bike!
 

A quote from Team 23 - Balance Vector

17/11/2005 11:12:42 a.m.
 
They told us it was a MTN bike ride, so we took out bikes – a pity they just got in the way, we only used them 20% of the time!
 

Merrell Wigwam through CP18

17/11/2005 11:01:25 a.m.
 
Merrell Wigwam left CP18 at 10.24am and are currently in fourth place. Cross Sportswear and Halti both left the checkpoint at 9.37am.
 

Small Things Amuse.....

17/11/2005 7:06:07 a.m.
 
Radio operators Mandy and Sandy have discovered some pet mice in the radio room who have become part of the team. Crystal has been with them all week and last night another family member joined her on her nightly visit out of the mousehole for her crackers!
 

Positions Change

17/11/2005 7:03:55 a.m.
 
Swedish teams Cross Sportswear and Halti have arrived together at CP 17 having passed the rest of the pack. They came in at 05.55 and left at 06.16. More teams are expected into this checkpoint shortly
 

Balance Vector Sleeps

17/11/2005 6:49:26 a.m.
 
Balance Vector reached the end of the mountainbike section at 05.21 after 19.5 hours on the road - they are now taking a well earned rest before heading back into another Brunner Range trek . They were greeted with the news that the trek has been shortened by several hours due to a course amendment.
 

Course Amendment

16/11/2005 10:33:00 p.m.
 
A course amendment has been made to the stage 8 mountain section in the Brunner Range which will shorten it by several hours. Geoff Hunt says CP 24 has been removed and TA8 has been relocated to a site known as Larry River.
 

No Rest

16/11/2005 10:11:20 p.m.
 
While a number of teams who arrived at TA 6 tonight opted to take a nap Lundhags and Sierra International, like Powered by Velvet decided to eat and run. Rachel Barton says Sierra is in good shape and they are keen to get some kilometres under their belt. Hopefully they don't suffer the same fate as Balance Vector. Photographer Matt Darby came across the team with not one but two punctures at once! and he's got the pictures to prove it!
 

Home Away From Home

16/11/2005 10:03:06 p.m.
 
There's a great atmosphere at TA6 despite the muddy driveway. A number of teams who have withdrawn are stationed there and teams arriving exhausted out of the bush from the Brunner trek get an enthuisiastic greetings and farewells. Didymo footbaths are in place and a couple of comeptitors asked if they could have the showers which seem to be the highlight of the trip.
 

Port Nelson happy with position

16/11/2005 7:04:05 p.m.
 
Lisa Savage from Port Nelson says they are just really excited to be up at the top of the field. "We are loving the feeling of being part of this race. "It was freezing cold up on the top, typical Southern Traverse weather." The team was going to sleep for an hour and a half.
 

Powered by Velvet on their bikes

16/11/2005 6:45:06 p.m.
 
Powered by Velvet have just left TA6 to start the mountain bike ride. Cross Sportswear and Port Nelson have just arrived and along with all the other teams at the transition they are going to have a rest. Powered by Velvet captain Richard Anderson said his team did not need sleep they can sleep when they are on their bikes if they need to. The team was carrying some minor injuries, Anderson has huge blisters on his feet.
 

Teams reach TA6

16/11/2005 6:22:43 p.m.
 
Close competition continues between Powered by Velvet, Merrell Wigwam, Nike Balance Bar and Cross Sportswear. Nike Balance Bar and Merrell Wigwam plan to sleep for a while at TA6. All teams are in good spirits.
 

Ten Withdraws

16/11/2005 3:06:50 p.m.
 
Lawrence Foster's Holofiber team has just wihdrawn taking the number of teams officially out of the race to 18. They pulled out at CP 12 and are heading home via Rough Creek.
 

Mountainbiking Mecca

16/11/2005 3:05:14 p.m.
 
Balance Vector are thriving on their 89km mountain bike ride and passed through CP 16 at 2.45pm increasing their lead over the chase pack.
 

Teams return to Lyell

16/11/2005 11:19:39 a.m.
 
Intersport, Subaru Canada, Mistibishi QuasarLontra, Swazi Petzl and ATP have all come back into TA5.
 

Camping out

16/11/2005 11:16:38 a.m.
 
Marcel Hagener from Balance Vector said last the four of them squeezed into a two person tent. "It was like a nine month pregnant woman, ready to burst." He was really looking forward to the bike ride to give his feet a rest.
 

Competition is close in the top ten

16/11/2005 10:53:29 a.m.
 
Balance Vector still holds an estimated seven hour lead over Merrel Wigwam. Powered by Velvet.org.nz, in third place, left CP12 at 6.08am, an hour before Port Nelson. Cross Sportswear, Lundhags Adventure and Halti all left CP12 at 8.18am and Nike Balance Bar left the checkpoint just two minutes later.
 

Balance Vector Arrives at TA 6

16/11/2005 10:14:08 a.m.
 
Balance Vector arrived at TA6 after a night of poor visibility and some snow showers. Kristina Strode Penny says they took time out for two hours kip. Navigation was tricky and slow through the night but better at daylight this morning. Theyre reported to be looking good and theyre moving straight out on to the mountainbiking leg.
 

Illness Hits Kathmandu

16/11/2005 8:14:58 a.m.
 
Kathmandu which won last year's Southern Traverse on the West Coast was forced to withdraw from the worlds last night because brothers Duncan and Hamish Hamilton were both suffering from flu. They walked back out of the Lyell Range to TA3.
 

Balance Vector Strides Out

16/11/2005 7:43:38 a.m.
 
Balance Vector passed through CP 13 at 7.31 this morning still looking fit and in good spirits. "Fitter than us" according to the checkpoint crew! They are now on the last leg to TA6 where they will switch to mountain bikes.
 

Wet and Windy

16/11/2005 7:12:29 a.m.
 
Teams on the Lyell and Brunner Range have had a wet and windy night. Balance Vector is expected into TA6 shortly and Merrell Wigwam went through CP12 around seven hours behind the leaders at 0212. Powered by Velvet had moved back to third place going through at 03.30 after taking a nap. Port Nelson has moved through the ranks and reached CP 12 at 0700 this morning
 

Full moon greets teams on mountain trek

15/11/2005 11:41:39 p.m.
 
A full moon, partly cloudy skies and light winds will aid teams tonight on the mountain trek section. We wish them well
 

40 - Buff-Nike ACG withdrawn

15/11/2005 11:39:36 p.m.
 
After starting the Mountain trek leg Buff-Nike ACG have returned to the transition area and withdrawn from the race
 

42 - Lundhags Adventure resting

15/11/2005 11:37:56 p.m.
 
Lundhags Adventure are having a rest at CP11 on the mountain trek
 

21 - East Wind make deadline with 30 seconds to spare!

15/11/2005 11:36:22 p.m.
 
The Japanese team is still running on the full course after arriving at TA4 at 7.29.30, Congratulations to the East wind for making the cut off time
 

First deadline passed

15/11/2005 11:31:41 p.m.
 
28 Teams have made the rafting section before the 7.30pm cut off time. All teams that arrive after the deadline will continue unranked and miss the rafting section of the course
 

Kiwis Still Out in Front

15/11/2005 9:09:34 p.m.
 
Balance Vector is continuing to storm the course. Media in a chopper saw the team moving along the ridge in the Brunner Range looking strong and fast. They are still about four hours head of the next placed team - Kiwis poweredby velvet.org.nz who went through CP 11 at 20.35 also moving steadily.
 

Teams Beat Curfew

15/11/2005 8:49:21 p.m.
 
Several teams arrived at the Buller River just in time to beat the 7.30pm curfew for the rafting section. They are North Face NZ, Bridgedale Socks, Terralink Capriccio, Speleo Salomon Isotar Explorer, Suunto, Cyanosis Powerade and Orion Adventure. Both Solid Energy and Hooked on the Outdoors have been disqualified for missing CP 7.
 

Swazi Petzl withdraw

15/11/2005 4:03:12 p.m.
 
Kiwi team Swazi Petz have officially withdrawn from the race and are moving towards TA4. The team members are fine but team member Linda Wright has a minor chest infection.
 

The following teams are on the rafting river section

15/11/2005 3:43:45 p.m.
 
1 - Nike Balance Bar
32 - Port Nelson
33 - Sierra International
45 - Montrail
42 - Lundhags Adventure
43 - Halti
40 - Buff-Nike ACG
We will have results up as soon as coms improve
 

Shower Best Part of Race

15/11/2005 3:06:10 p.m.
 
After going through the shower, to prevent the spread of Didymo, following the rafting section Powered By Velvet captain Richard Anderson said it was the highlight of the race for him so far.
 

Merrel Wigwam start raft

15/11/2005 1:41:29 p.m.
 
The Kiwi/US mixed team, Merrel Wigwam Adventures, has also started the raft on the Buller River.
 

2 teams on the river

15/11/2005 1:21:18 p.m.
 
Richard Anderson from team 24 said “many of the teams were travelling together through the night – Powered By Velvet.org.nz got away by taking a different route which obviously worked!”
 

Eastern Mountain Sports withdraw from race

15/11/2005 11:38:52 a.m.
 
Eastern Moutain Sports, the mixed team from US, NZ and Lithuania, withdrew from the race at 11.26am. The team is now heading CP7 at Lyell Tarn to CP8 at Thomas Brunner.
 

Kiwi team past TA5

15/11/2005 11:30:07 a.m.
 
Balance Vector have completed the raft down the Buller River and reached TA5 at Lyell at 9.45am. The team left the checkpoint at 11.18am after a rest to start the trek through the Brunner Range.
 

Team positions

15/11/2005 9:44:52 a.m.
 
Most teams are still in the Lyell Range but communication is difficult, and we will post results as soon as they come to hand
 

Teams 15 and 26 Withdraw

15/11/2005 7:58:04 a.m.
 
Kiwis House of Travel and the Brazilian team Try on Landscape have officially withdrawn from the race. Both teams still in the Lyell Range are returning to TA 3. There is a cut off of 7.00pm tonight for reaching the rafting section on the Buller River otherwise teams will miss that section and continue unranked.
 

Team Withdraws

15/11/2005 6:51:28 a.m.
 
Cranksports has been forced to withdraw after Dan Abel injured his shoulder during the Lyell Range trekking section overnight. Its the first team so far to pull out of the race.
 

Teams moving at fast pace

14/11/2005 5:31:46 p.m.
 
Fourty-one teams have arrived at T3, the Lyall transition. The 37km trek through the Lyell Range in the rain was underway for 33 teams at 5pm.
 

Kiwis hold lead

14/11/2005 2:04:52 p.m.
 
Eighteen teams are through the first mountain biking checkpoint with New Zealand team Balance Vector still out in front. The next stage includes a Tyrolean Traverse across the river carrying mountain bikes.
 

Teams Struggle with Waves at CP2

14/11/2005 1:00:37 p.m.
 
Large waves are making it difficult for teams to access the beach and a number of teams have capsized close to shore.
 

All the teams have arrived at shore

14/11/2005 12:40:24 p.m.
 
All the teams have now reached transition 2 and there was a rough ride for many of the competitors at Waimangaroa. Some kayaks were badly damaged in the surf and a couple were completely broken in two. Balance Vector continues to lead and race director Geoff Hunt said the lead teams showed real skills arriving on the beach.
 

Three teams to yet to reach the shore

14/11/2005 11:48:34 a.m.
 
Only three teams are left in the water at the end of the kayak to the Waimangaroa River. We will have checkpoint results from CP2 soon.
 

Teams Struggle with Waves at CP2

14/11/2005 11:24:34 a.m.
 
Large waves are making it difficult for teams to access the beach and a number of teams have capsized close to shore.
 

2 and a half teams reach the shore

14/11/2005 11:10:30 a.m.
 
First teams have reached CP2 for the transition to the 49km MTN Bike section
 

First message from the water

14/11/2005 10:57:59 a.m.
 
Support boats have radioed in Team 23 - Balance Vector extending their lead on the first kayak section
 

Countdown On

14/11/2005 7:58:34 a.m.
 
The countdown to race start is on. Officials are setting out the start line by the clock tower in the centre of Westport. The Minister of Tourism - Damien O'Connor will officially start the race at 9.30 this morning.
 

Plan B For Race Start

14/11/2005 6:53:22 a.m.
 
The decision has been made to go with plan B for the race start. This is a 3km run from the clock tower to north beach.
 

2005 ARWC Course Unveiled

13/11/2005 5:17:00 p.m.
 
The 430km course for the 2005 AWRC on the West Coast of the Southern Alps has been unveiled The course was released this afternoon following a street parade through Westport by the athletes. This was followed by a Maori welcome for the 400 international and Kiwi athletes and their supporters.
 

Booklet Finalised

4/11/2005 9:36:31 p.m.
 
The last pages of the guide booklet for the event have been sent to the printers today.
This contains all the details of the course, the rules and regulations and details about all the teams.
 

Sleepmonsters to Cover ARWC

20/10/2005 10:59:55 p.m.
 
SleepMonsters is the official web site partner for the Adventure Racing World Series.
"As a worldwide series of events representing some of the best adventure races in the world, it was a natural move to join with a partner with truly global reach with a professional and dedicated approach"
 

West Coast Development Trust

17/10/2005 10:03:19 p.m.
 
Chief executive Mike Trousselot believes the Buller region will provide: "the ultimate challenge as competitors race through our rugged and primeval landscapes, stunning gorges, luxurious rain forests and breath taking coastlines."
 

Course Checkout Recommedations

17/10/2005 8:59:54 p.m.
 
Teams should concentrate on:
1. Navigation
2. Navigation
3. Navigation
4. Good Raincoat and equipment
5. Walking in Wet conditions - wet feet and chaffing