New Adventure Race Coming To New Zealand In 2012

A new expedition length adventure race is scheduled to take place next year in Queenstown, New Zealand, one of the top adventure destinations on the planet. The race, which is called GODZone Adventure, will be  put on by 100% PURE Racing, and is apparently part of the AR World Series.

The race will take place from April 7-14, 2012 and will consists of coed teams of four competing on a course that is 450km (280 miles) in length. This will be an unsupported race, meaning teams won't need a support crew to lug their gear around for them, and will involve the usual AR disciplines of trekking, mountain biking, and kayaking.

GODZone Adventure marks the return of adventure racing to New Zealand, a country where the sport can trace its origins. In fact, this will be the first race of its kind on Kiwi soil since the Raid Gauloisis kicked off the expedition race craze back in 1989. That is FAR too long for New Zealand to go without a major AR event in my opinion.

Organizers of the event believe the fastest teams will take between 3-4 days to finish the course, but other teams will be allowed as much as 5.5 days to navigate their way through the different stages. The race will include navigation, ropes courses, a few other surprises as well.

It looks like races are starting to nail down their dates for 2012 already. This has been a busy year for adventure racing, and it is far from over, but teams and race organizers are already looking ahead to next year. 2012 has the potential to be even better for fans of the sport.

New Online Trail Running Mag Hits The Web

A newly launched online magazine entitled Trail Run looks to be a great new resource for outdoor athletes everywhere, despite the fact that the e-zine is focused on trail running in Australia and New Zealand. The first issue of the new periodical was released just a few days ago, and it is packed full of great information for trail runners, even if they aren't from Down Under. Best of all, the mag is absolutely free!

While Tail Run does show off it's geographical roots, many of the articles will be of interest to runners everywhere. For example, the first issue includes reviews of all kinds of gear that will prove useful on any trail, whether its in the Outback or the Alps. There are also practical articles about preventing chafing, long distance speed trekking, and more. That's not all however, as the issue also includes an excellent interview with Kiwi ultrarunner Lisa Tamati, who is gearing up for a 222km (138 mile) run through the Himalaya, and a look at the proper food and nutrition necessary to fuel a long distance adventure.

That's just scratching the surface however, as there is plenty more in the first issue as well. In fact, the .PDF file for Trail Run is a massive 65MB in size. In other words, makes sure you're reading it on a suitably beefy device, or you may find the experience a bit sluggish. Aside from that, I think you'll be very impressed with the quality of the writing and the overall product of the e-zine. The inaugural issue has set a high bar for others to follow, and if this first release is any indication, Trail Run has a bright future ahead of it.

Book mark the website and download the first issue now. You'll be glad you did.

Best Hike's Top Ten Hiking Towns Worldwide: #2 and #1

With the holidays hitting at the end of last week, I didn't have the opportunity to post Best Hike's picks for the final two spots on its Top Ten Hiking Towns in the World. In the run up to Christmas, site editor Rick McCharles has been posting his selection of favorite towns to serve as a base camp for some of the top trekking destinations around the globe, and he completed that list on Christmas Day announcing his top choice.

But before we reveal what the number one hiking town is, we have to take a look at number 2. That honor goes to Huaraz, Peru, which is described as a "trekker's paradise" thanks to its proximity to the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra mountain ranges, not to mention Cordillera Huayhuash, which Rick says is for the hardcore trekker. He also says that despite the regional population reaching 100,000 people, the town still feels like a remote mountain village. He also gives it points for not having an airport, thanks in part because all the tourists fly to Cusco and leave this corner of the Andes alone.

Finally, the number one hiking town on the Best Hike list is Queenstown, New Zealand, which is described as the Adventure Capital of the World. Queenstown has a little something to offer any outdoor enthusiast, including hiking and trekking of course, but also skiing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, bungee jumping, and more. The town of 10,000 people offers access to the excellent Routeburn and Kepler Tracks, as well as the Milford Track, which is largely considered to be amongst the best hiking trails anywhere in the world.

So, there you have it, the list i snow complete. With 2011 just a few days away, it's time to start planning a visit to one or more of these towns. It seems you can't go wrong with any of them. Thanks to Rick for sharing his considerable expertise with all of us. Great list!

Tongariro Alpine Crossing Caught On Video

The New Zealand's Tongariro Alpine Crossing is widely considered to be one of the best hikes in the world. While just 19.5km (12.1 miles) in length, it offers plenty of remote, stark beauty in it's unique geological features that includes volcanic landscapes and tremendous views of the surrounding countryside. The video below captures the essences and highlights of the trail in just under three minutes, which will be plenty of time to convince you that you should make the hike for yourself.

Thanks to the Best Hike Blog for sharing the video.

From London to New Zealand via Jetski!

Kiwi adventurer Jeremy Burfoot has started a 32,000km (19,883 mile) journey that will see him go from London to New Zealand, entirely on a jetski. The 51-year old airline pilot got underway yesterday outside the Parliament Building on the River Thames, and will now spend as much as 12-hours a day on the back of his machine, until the voyage is complete.

Making the journey to raise awareness of the fight against cancer, Burfoot will now travel through the waterways of Europe, passing through the Suez Canal, and around the Arabian Peninsula, then down the coast of India before heading out across the open ocean to Australia. Once he hits Oz, he'll once again hug the coast, before zipping over to his homeland, and eventually ending in Auckland. He says that he expects to face severe weather, sharks, and pirates, in addition to mechanical problems, on his journey, which he hopes to complete by November. 

Burfoot is no stranger to long distance journeys by jetski. Back in 2005 he also circumnavigated New Zealand on one of the small watercraft. But this is a completely different level of adventure, and he'll be tested to the limits over the next few months as he makes what could be a record setting journey by jetski.

This past weekend, while in the Florida Keys, I had the pleasure of riding a Waverunner on two very separate and distinct rides. Both of those were a great deal of fun, and the jetskis that I rode were fast, powerful, and easy to maneuver. But the were also tiring to ride and got a little wild in the rougher waters, at times causing you to skip across waves like a flat stone on a pond. I can say that it was way too much fun to explore the Keys on one of these machines, but after two days of riding, my body was feeling it. I can't imagine what this guy will feel like after weeks of 12 hours of day riding. 

That said, this still sounds like a cool way to go! :)

Couples Therapy Via Adventure Racing

Now here's a story more than one couple I know can relate to. Men's Journal has posted a great article about a married couple who elected to take part in the Speight's Coast-to-Coast, a multi-sport race held annually in New Zealand. The race is more than 243km (150 miles) in length, and includes three stages. The race kicks off with a 140km road cycle, followed by a 36km run through the mountains, and finally a 67km long kayak stage to finish the day.

For Brad Wieners and his wife Mary, the race represented an opportunity to break out of their mundane existence, which included 50+ hour work weeks, kids, commutes, and everything else that comes along with the daily grind. They were once a young, dynamic and adventurous couple who had gotten bogged down with the usual things life throws our way. To break out of that rut, they decided to do the Coast to Coast as a relay team, and began training for the race.

As you might expect, not everything went as planned. Brad even managed to lose his wedding ring while taking a training course on kayaking. A rather ominous sign it would seem. But the couple stuck with their training and went through with their plan, and this article tells their tale in an often humorous fashion. The story bounces back and fourth between their planning and training, and the various stages of the race, which took place back in February of this year.

In the end, the couple manages to bond over the training and the race, and add a little adventure back into their life in the process. It's a fun read, and while I wouldn't necessarily recommend adventure racing for a couple that is in need of counseling, it seems to have worked for this pair.

The 7-in-7 Challenge: Hiking New Zealand's Great Walks in a Week!

National Geographic Adventure tipped me off to this story earlier today when they posted it to their Adventure Blog. It seems that New Zealander Malcolm Law, an adventurer and ultrarunner, will attempt to complete seven of the country's "Great Walks" in just seven days, in an effort to raise money for Leukemia research. If all goes as planned, he'll cover 223 miles over the course of a very busy week.

Law covers the basics of his plan on his 7-in-7 website, which begins with the very apt tag line "It's going to hurt!". The challenge will get underway on November 29th, when he'll take on the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, a 26.5 mile trail that typically takes 3-4 days to complete. From there, it is on to the Tongariro Northern Circuit, which is 25.4 miles of mountain trail, before moving on to the Abel Tasman Coast Track (32.2 miles), the Heaphy Track (48.7 miles), Routeburn Track (20 miles), the Milford Track (33.2 miles), and finally ending at the 37.3 mile Kepler Challenge, a mountain run that is a yearly competition in Kiwi-land.

In order to accomplish his goal, Malcolm will be assisted by a team of support crew, that will help arrange rides to and from each of the daily routes, as they are spread out in different parts of New Zealand. Each day he'll also be joined by a fresh group of support runners that will help pace him as he goes. If successful, Law's website says that this will be the equivalent of running 9 off road marathons, while climbing Mt. Cook twice, in just seven days time.

In all, New Zealand has nine great walks, and the seven that Malcolm will attempt all fall on the mainland. The other two include the Rakiura Track, a 22.3 mile trek through Stewart Island, and the Whanganui Journey, which is a 90 mile kayaking route, and not a "great walk" at all.

For more information on the 7-in-7 Challenge, head over to the official website, where you'll find a bio of Malcolm, who is 49 by the way. You'll also find info on his support runners and ground crew, as well as ways that you can get involved with the challenge too by either joining him on the trail or donating to the cause.

Good luck Malcolm!