Sri Lanka will host the Adventure Racing World Championship in December that is expected to cover 600 kilo metres through the hill country and the south of the island over a period of four to eight days, organisers said.
According to the organisers, Sri Lanka was picked as the venue for its diversity of lush highlands, forests, wildlife and tropical beaches which makes it challenging for competitors who will race non-stop on a course combining trekking through the forests and plantations, mountain biking on country roads and trails and paddling on rivers, lakes or the ocean.
The course is kept secret until the very last minute and according to the organisers teams have already set aside the first two weeks of December while entries will be limited and open in February.
“It isn’t just the world’s elite adventure racing teams who are drawn to Sri Lanka and the competition of the World Championships. The race is also open to any team which wants to take on the ultimate sporting contest in an amazing location,” Rob Howard Media said in a Press statement while elaborating that the event will be broadcast on National Geographic.
One of the teams set to contest the event is from the United Kingdom which has former medal-winning Olympian athletes and international level competitors at hockey, mountain biking and squash who have a background in ecology and conservation.
Team captain Anton de Leeuw said: “As a team, conservation is engrained in our DNA and our fundraising so the opportunity to experience the rich biodiversity and wonderful array of endemic species in Sri Lanka is perfect for us and the extraordinary beauty of the landscapes, people and deep cultural history will provide a much needed positive distraction from our endurance.
“For us the AR World Championship is the pinnacle of endurance events where the sport’s greatest athletes and legends compete. It will pit the team against the most arduous, enduring and exhausting competition, both within ourselves and against other teams.”
Entries will open on February15 with 30 places available to any team with an AR World Series ranking.
Organisers are also looking for local partners in Sri Lanka to be part of the event which will be televised in over 100 countries that entails a large international media contingent.
The AR World Championships is held annually at the completion of the AR World Series. In 2019 the series includes nine expedition length adventure races in different countries from four continents.
The World Championship is the season finale and will take place in Sri Lanka from December 3 to 13 and the top teams from the series win places.
But entries are also open to other experienced and local teams who want to race at the highest level in the ultimate endurance sport according to the organisers.