Quest draws international field
Karin Abrhamse/Jacques Marais 
6/7/2002
With the countdown to Adventure Quest Africa approaching the “thirty day” zone, the field for the SA leg of the World Championship AR series has been considerably strengthened by a number of confirmed international entries.


Kicking off in the rugged Eastern Cape Province from 13 - 20 July, 2002, organisers BIG Sports expect between twenty and thirty four-member teams to enter this grueling, multi-disciplinary adventure race.

News from Colombia is that Team Bosi is currently racing in “La Travesia” (www.maxoutdoor.com) in the Amazon jungle as part of their build-up to Adventure Quest Africa. According to team co-ordinator Adriana Estrada, Jorge Llano, Luisa Rios, Wilmar Henao and Miguel Isaza have been earmarked to take part in The Quest and are “looking forward to racing on an unknown continent such as Africa”.

Global experience will be key to the strategy for Team International Adventurers, a squad with members from around the world. Team Manager David Ogden (currently living in Cyprus), will be joined in South Africa by Jody la Par and Andy Tubbs from America, Team Leader Primus Lambert from the UK and Kristel Dorion from Guatemala.

They expect a beautiful, but extremely challenging, race, says Kristel: “We are looking forward to getting to know South Africa, its landscapes, its people, and also the local adventure racing teams. This is going to be a tough race with good teams - all the makings for a superb event. I also really hope it is not too cold, since I am not much of a cold race person!” (More info on the team is available at http://iar2.tripod.com).

Top South African adventure racing teams will relish this opportunity to do battle with world class competition, with entries confirmed by local favourites Rocky, Energy, Drifter and Edge.

According to race organiser Zirk Botha of BIG Sports, participants will face up to 500km of continuous racing through rugged mountain terrain. Race stages will be made up of approximately 15% paddling, 55% mountain biking, and 30% trekking, plus two technical rope work stages, an open water swim plus a “surprise challenge”. “Dawn to dawn racing over anything from four to six days will test the orienteering abilities and strategic planning of these teams to the max, as will expected sub-zero temperatures,” said Botha.

The Adventure Quest Africa will feature as one of the qualifying events in the World Championship Adventure Racing series, and both cash prizes and automatic, paid entry into the final will be up for grabs. Information as to new team entries, sponsorship opportunities and event regulations are constantly being updated at www.adventureracing.co.za, the official Quest web site.