The Course Revealed for AR World Championship 2007

The AR world Championship is about to start, Yesterday the teams were given the course and a big surprise they will be transported to the island of Rhum and will undertake a prologue on the island and camp overnight before a kayak start the following morning to take via the island of Egg them back to the mainland where they kayak northwards past the white sands of Morar to a portage at Morar narrows as the currents into the sea loch can be fierce. This will be the first test for some who have either brought new sea kayaks or borrowed from the organisers, I have sailed in these waters and it can be unforgiving. There is another portage and they eventually reach the first transition at Inverie and commence a trek into the Knoydart. Transition 2 is the commencement of a 125k mountain bike leg where there is a cut off prior to a rope section and a jump down a huge waterfall, thank fully not from the top as its 130 ft high!

A swim in Loch Ness is on the agenda, teams were pleased to know that they have been insured against the possible intervention of the Loch Ness Monster. Another monster does face them however and that is Scotland’s highest mountain Ben Nevis, when last attempted the weather thwarted the race plans.

Before they get to the mountains they will be kayaking upstream and portaging their kayaks accross Rannoch more between lochs

The weather of course will play a major part and the latest high tech protection against the elements will be tested to destruction, Gore-Tex socks are no match for Scottish bogs.

2007 AR World Championship Starts in Rhum

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The 2007 AR World Cahmpionship will start on the tiny island Of Rhum some 2 hours from the the Scottish mainland. There will be a prologue Prior to the actual start more details will follow tomorrow

David Ogden - International Adventurers

The Final Preparations

The Scottish liquid sunshine is not putting a damper on the scene for teams who are gathered near the bank of loch Linie on the last day of preparation prior to the announcement of the course . some teams are still struggling with lost equipment and having to search out local sources for replacements, one team from Australia not only lost equipment in transit but also lost their woman team member. In the 11th hour a replacement was found Sara Odell, who has good expedition racing experience having competed in the Raid Gaulloises and also raced with former world champions Team Nokia.

Some teams have spent enormous sums of money on their kayaks rather than use the locally supplied ones, so it will be interesting to see if their investments pay off. The equipment checks and tests have been thorough and for abseiling all teams have to have a secondary safety device some using a prussic loop while others are depending on mechanical devices which weigh a few ounces more.

Many teams are racing together for the first time which can add extra stress during the race if they have not trained together before hand. Once the teams gear checks were completed they handed in their equipment boxes ready for transport to the first location which will be announced later today.

Teams Gather in Scotland for AR World Championship Final

Teams are gathering in the Nevis Centre for a day of gear checks and tests for the unsupported expedtion race which will crown a new AR World Championship team... It maybe Nike but Ian Adamson is no longer racing with them so the faces will be different even if they do win again.

There is a lone team from South Africa McCain Adventure Addicts, who are all good paddlers so that they will be hoping there is pleanty of sea kayaking in the course that will be revealed befor the start. The team do have a good pedegree having finished 13th out of 90 teams in the Primal Quest in Utah USA Jul 2006.

Once the checks are completed the teams will be sorting their equipment into boxes that the organisers will transport between support points along the route of the race. there will of course be some last minute packing as no one knows what the first leg of the course will be.

The AR Race of The Year

Teams are already gathering in Scotland for the 2007 AR world championships.

Nike are the defending champions and are expected to have a fight on their hands as at least 20 of the 49 teams are expecting a top five placing. The Wilderness ARC is aptly names as the teams will visit some of the wildest places in Scotland from Glen Coe, Lock Ness and Ben Nevis to the wild more and peat bogs of the North, all in all they will travel some 500 Km with height gains of 25,000 metres, by means of mountain biking orienteering and sea kayaking. There will also be rope sections strung out along the course to test the nerves of the best racers in the world.

Daily reports will be posted in this block and a full race report publish at International Adventurers http://International adventurers.com

Latest news briefing Humphreys,Perhaps its too tough. Wewill see. The weather will make it or break it for many teams, and that is very unpredictable. There is so much uncertainty ... Where will it start? Where will it finish? How many teams will complete the full course? What's the prologue all about? Will the satellite tracking work? Its so exciting!