MEDIA RELEASE 30 May 2008
Adrenaline junkies get ready for the 2008 Anaconda Adventure Race National Series
*Contact us to find out if one of your local
residents is participating in the series.
The first Anaconda Adventure Race of the season will kick off on the Gold Coast,
Qld on 10 August 2008. This will be followed by Forster (NSW), Geographe Bay (WA)
and Lorne (Victoria).
This is the fourth year of Anaconda Adventure races, which began with the first
race in Lorne in December 2005.
Typically, the Anaconda adventure races are run over one day with up to 1,000
competitors who race individually and in teams. It generally takes four hours
for the winner to complete the race and eight hours for slowest competitors.
John Jacoby, founder of Rapid Ascent and organiser of the Anaconda Adventure
races, said the 2008 national series is building up to be bigger and better.
"We have tweaked and improved each course from 2007 to remove the boring bits
and include more fun so each of this year's events should be even more
rewarding," Jacoby said.
"Also, each of the courses takes participants on a real adventure through the
beautiful natural wilderness of the area, making sure there is plenty to look at
when the going gets tough," he added.
Adventure racing attracts 'every day' people and elite athletes from around the
globe. Adventure racing, which has sometimes been called off-road triathlon, has
emerged as the big brother to marathons, road races and triathlons and has seen
a significant increase in popularity all around the world in the past 10 years.
Anaconda Adventure races include ocean swimming, ocean kayaking, cross country
running and mount biking around a marked course set in each location's natural
landscapes – giving all competitors a terrific sense of adventure.
Australia is an ideal country to hold these events because of its beautiful and
diverse coastline with close proximity to bushland. Adventure racing is also
popular in New Zealand where the annual 'Coast to Coast' race is run, which sets
up some great trans-Tasman rivalries.
Outdoor adventure retailer Anaconda is the principal sponsor of the race series
which is run by Rapid Ascent headed up by former World Champion Kayaker John
Jacoby who has competed in many adventure races around the world.
38-year-old Melbourne endurance athlete Deanna Blegg, who has recently signed a
sponsorship deal with Anaconda, will be competing in the race series. She won
the women's section of the Lorne race last year and is looking forward to a
great season in 2008.
"My first adventure race was the Anaconda Adventure Race held in Lorne in
December 2006 and I came seventh. This gave me real thirst for adventure racing
and I returned in 2007 to win. I was the first woman across the line and I even
beat a number of the favoured male athletes. It felt absolutely fantastic," said
Blegg.
In previous years, the races have attracted a number of celebrity contenders
like former surf ironman Guy Andrews, who has a number of wins under his belt,
and professional adventure racer from New Zealand Richard Ussher.
This year's series includes:
Date/Location
Sunday, 10 August: Tugun Gold Coast
Saturday, 30 and Sunday, 31 August: Forster, NSW
Sunday, 2 November: Geographe Bay, WA
Sunday, 7 December: Lorne, Victoria
The races have their own unique characteristics to suit their terrain but all
include a combination of running, cycling, swimming and kayaking.
Participants can find more information and register to the races by visiting
www.anacondaadventurerace.com.
Principal sponsor of the race Anaconda has 11 stores throughout Australia – four
in Queensland, one in NSW, two in Victoria, two in WA, one in SA and one in
Tasmania with expansion plans in the near future.
Anaconda can be contacted on 1300 669 137 or by visiting
www.anaconda.com.au.
Released for Anaconda by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Kim Larochelle on (02) 9413 4244.
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