Expedition Adventure Racing Returns to New Zealand

29th August 2011

Expedition Adventure Racing Returns to New Zealand: Queenstown to host inaugural GODZone Adventure Race

Premier adventure racing company, 100% PURE Racing, has announced today that Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, will take centre stage next Easter as host of a new multi-day, non-stop, expedition-style adventure race.

GODZone Adventure race, from the 7th - 14th April 2012, is the first unsupported (no support crews) expedition style, adventure race to be held in New Zealand since the world’s inaugural event, the Raid Gauloises, 22 years ago.

Former World Adventure Racing champion Warren Bates and past Southern Traverse winner Adam Fairmaid have teamed up to reintroduce expedition racing to New Zealand.

Event co-director, Adam Fairmaid, says they aim to set a new standard for adventure racing globally and attract the world’s top racers down under to compete.

“New Zealand is the spiritual home of adventure racing, having produced some of the greatest racers the sport has seen and continues to do so. The Southern Traverse was a race that many aspired to complete during its 15 year long tenure and it’s surely no coincidence that New Zealand hosted the very first Raid Gauloises and then later, Eco-Challenge. No other country can boast such a strong history of true expedition racing.”

Entries for the GODZone Adventure are now open and competitors from all over the country, particularly Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Marlborough, Otago and Southland, are expected alongside many international teams. Adam says the race will be a real draw card for Australian racers because of the close proximity and quality of terrain and field.

Competitors (teams of four) will travel day and night, navigating, trekking, mountain biking and kayaking over a vast array of terrain and landscape, passing through a series of mandatory checkpoints along the course, the details of which wont be disclosed until race time.

Event co-director, Warren Bates, a veteran of over 25 international expedition length races says he’s delighted with the support GODZone Adventure has received from top New Zealand sports people.

“Our event patron is Steve Gurney, a man who has done it all and in his words he believes these races have a tendency to leave an indelible mark on the racers of old, new and the future.

He is so excited to see such a race back here in Queenstown with a strong visionary and energetic organising team. We also have the support of sporting legends Richard Ussher, Wayne Oxenham, Kristina Angelm and Keith Murray who make up our advisory board so it’s an exceptional team behind this new event.”

GODZone Adventure has been invited to join the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS), which is the annual culmination of an international circuit of premiere adventure races in 10 countries.

Winners of GODZone Adventure will travel to the French Alps in 2012 to challenge for the crown of World Champions. Warren says this is a definitive accolade for the new race series.

“National and international competitors see New Zealand as the holy grail of adventure racing so to come here and win is the ultimate challenge and then to attend the AR World Championships and represent GODZone Adventure is an exceptional draw card. I believe the race will grow quickly with this international recognition from the outset.”

GODZone Adventure Race entries are now open with close out dates the 1st March 2012.

For more information visit http://www.godzoneadventure.com or you can find us on Facebook. To download race associated images go to
http://www.godzoneadventure.com/media/

Quotes
"NZ has a proud tradition in adventure racing and the GODZone Adventure race will bring multi-day expedition style racing back to NZ shores for the first time in a number of years. Hopefully this will see some of the world’s top racers from both NZ and around the world support the event as well as help inspire a new generation of adventure racers. From hearing the brief on the race design and goals it sounds as though adventure racers could be in for a real treat come April 2012." - Richard Ussher - Four times winner Speight’s Coast to Coast, Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2007 - 2010, World Adventure racing Champion in 2005 and 2006, Winner Wulong Outdoor Quest 2008, Winner Primal Quest 2004, Balance Bar 24 hour overall Champion 2004

“It's a long time ago now but I vividly recall participating in the very first adventure race in the world, the Raid Gauliose (Grand Traverse) right here in the Southern Lakes district, in 1989, and I still feel the wickedly good surges of excitement as we planned, trained, and raced. We won against 37 international teams and it remains an experience I will never forget. These races have a tendency to leave an indelible mark on you and, for the racers of old, new and the future, I'm so excited to see such a race back here in Queenstown with a strong visionary and energetic organising team” - Steve Gurney – Nine times winner Speight’s Coast to Coast, NZ’s most celebrated multisporter

"All that I love about Adventure Racing New Zealand can offer; spectacular scenery and terrain, community spirit, experience to draw upon... I am stoked to hear that there will again be an opportunity at our doorstep for all us Kiwis to feel that burst of life you get from Adventure Racing" - Kristina Anglem - 2005 Adventure Racing World Champion, 2 x winner of the Coast to Coast, winner of the one-off 2200km Mizone length of NZ race, veteran of Kiwi teams Seagate & Balance Vector

ENDS

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