Nike Win ARWorld Championship in Scotland

David Ogden
International Adventurers


Team Nike re-crowned ARWorld champions for the 2nd year in succession at 0612 Today . yesterday they forced the pace over the Mountains of Glen Coe, leaving long time leaders Helly Hansen in their wake, so Large was the lead that they finished before the 2nd place team start the ascent of Ben Nevis.

French Team Wilsa Helly Hansen were unable to match the speed of Nike Who broke away from them crossing Rannoch Moor carrying Kayaks, and then extended their lead in the mountains surrounding Glen Coe


A Disappointed Balance Vector will cross the line behind them but they missed a crucial cut-off yesterday so are on a shortened route with a time penalty. Like many teams they had been caught out by the cold wet condition which caused many competitors to suffer from Hypothermia, requiring frequent stops in shelters to warm up a little.

Spanish Team Buff Colormax are fighting for a podium finish one and half hours behind Wilsa Helly Hansen and having a tussle with first stage winners Orion Health they rested prior to bike to the foot on Ben Nevis.

The race has had a high attrition rate like the Original classic races of Raid Gaulloises and Elf Authentique adventures, where it was survival of the fittest.

ARWorld Championships Nike Make their Move

David Ogden
International Adventurers

The 4th Day began to look like a two horse race with Nike and Wilsa Helly Hansen trading places during the day, Nike Caught up with Wilsa Helly Hansen during the final bike stage of the day but spent less time in transition, However the paddle power of Wilsa Helly Hansen soon put them back in the lead during the first stage of a mammoth paddle and portage leg first down Loch Erich and then via connecting rivers to Loch Rannoch, a portage to Loch Laiden and a choice of portage or river to Loch Ba after which the going gets tougher as they follow lochs and bogs across Rannoch to the A38 and the West Highland Way.

Balance Vector and Orion Health are chasing hard hoping their Kayak skills will bring them back in touch with the leaders.

Navigation proved difficult across Rannoch Moor and Nike broke away from Wilsa Helly Hansen and grabbed some 3 hours sleep at transition 5 prior to starting their 25k trek along part of the west Highland way, they left before any other teams arrived this maybe the race winning break!. Balance Vector took some rest at a loch side refuge in Scotland’s most famous haunted bothy. Hopefully they slept through the freaky scratching and knocking noises on the windows that this very remote hut is renowned for. This allowed Orion Health to slip past them but should be under way before Buff Colormax catch up.

The pace and the weather gas been taking its toll and the teams were rerouted around the mountains via Fort Augustus as tracks became impassable, some teams returned to Foyers and retired. A total of 11 teams have so far withdrawn, and a further 3 teams are struggling on unranked. Those that continued via Fort Augustus to transition 5 found it very hard on their feet.

The Weather and Positions change

David Ogden
International Adventurers

The third day of the ARWorld championship saw two teams beginning to break away from the chasing pack Wilsa Helly Hanson, who took over the lead yesterday and the fast improving Nike. Chasing hard and trying to close the gap was Bjurfors Adventure Racing some
30 minutes behind the leaders.

1st day Leaders Orion Health managed to get past Balance Vector crossing Loch Ness and Team Sole lost time at Urqhart Castle having to replace a disk on one of their bikes; this
allowed Spanish Team BuffCoolmax and Salomon Crested Butte to Catch them.

Someway back down the field Aberdeen Asset Management was attempting to close
in on tenth position.

The weather took a turn for the worse with rain continuing all day and when Team
Sole arrived at the canyoning section they found the stage cancelled due to rising water.

Teams navigating over the mountains to the next bike stage Transition 5 will have their navigation tested if visibility decreases as it is a barren landscape. Aberdeen Asset Management and Merrill Wigwan both made diversion to Loch Killin whilst searching for the correct route.

Wilsa Helly Hansen elected to sleep at Transition 5, which allowed Nike to take a two and half lead in their strongest discipline, but the previous leaders had banked in 3 hours sleep and began chasing at midnight overtaking Nike at Kinloch Laggan as they headed down the south bank of Loch Laggan for a 20K trekking which included a rope ascent followed by three abseils on the east face of Binnein Shaus.

Balance Vector regained joint third place overtaking Bjurfors Adventure Racing and took time out to sleep with Orion Health at Transition 5 at Laggan WolfTrax.

AR World Championship ups and Downs in Knoydart

David Ogden
International Adventurers


On the 2nd day of the AR World Championship over half of the field was diverted on to a shortend course as they failed to make the cut-off in the first treking stage they continued to be ranked but picked up a 12 hour penalty. A lot of teams made wrong navigation decisions and wasted extra time and effort to get back on course, route choice is never easy especially in the dark.

During the early hours of the morning Sleepmonsters/Inov-8 retired from the race due to a team member taking ill, perhaps caused by the capsize on the first day.

The International teams who picked up two hour penalties in the prologue showed their class and by 0700 on the 2nd day Wilsa Helly Hansen were leading from Balance Vector and Orion Health with Nike disputing 4th place despite making errors. Team Sole were in 7th. Aberdeen Asset management had a bad night and had dropped to 16th place seeking their way out of a valley having missed the hilltop route.

Wilsa Helly Hansen arrived at Kinloch Hourn ahead of all the teams and were followed in by Balance Vector who opted to grab some sleep prior to the bike Stage. Orion health were in third. Nike's biking machine got into gear and managed to close the gap on the leaders.

There were two pauses on the biking stage one for a 20ft jump beside a waterfall and the other for a Tyrolean Traverse across a canyon, then it was onwards and downwards passing Invermorrison then along loch Ness to a 600m swim at Urquart Castle, with two members swimming and two in Kayaks.Then kayaking across the loch

Once across the Lock the teams headed south using trekking poles travelling along the loch side before a canyoning section at Foyers. The next challenge was to pass over the Monadilath mountains to the mountain bike transition