ADVENTURE RACING

GODZone Adventure Team Racing Second at ARWC

By qtmagazine

The GODZone Adventure Team has made an explosive start at the Adventure Racing World Championships in Brazil moving into second place on day two of the international adventure event.
 
Racing against 32 teams representing 15 different countries, the GODZone Adventure Team is being led by champion British adventure racers Nick Gracie and Warren Bates with teammates Sarah Fairmaid from New Zealand and Brazil’s Gul Pahl.
 
The team set off from the start line in the wild Pantanal region of Brazil just over 36 hours ago.
 

Alligators in Pantanal. Photo © Alex Socci / Green Pixel

“They have made excellent progress during the crucial first three stages of the race and have managed to navigate their way into second behind the leading team Seagate from New Zealand,” says media manager Margo Berryman.
 
Racing non-stop, day and night over the 700km course, the adventurers will travel through the world’s biggest wetland area with kayaking as the major discipline.
 

Gui Pahl, Sarah Fairmaid, Nick Gracie, Warren Bates. Photo © Alex Socci / Green Pixel

“There are enormous water, lagoon and lake sections with the water ways populated with alligators and other predators. The heat and insects are major factors in this jungle territory but so far the team are coping well with the conditions,” says Ms Berryman.
 
The Adventure Racing World Championship course is expected to take teams five days to finish and includes trekking mountain ranges of up to 1000m in altitude.
 

Sarah Fairmaid, Nick Gracie. Photo © Alex Socci / Green Pixel


Warren Bates, Gui Pahl. Photo © Alex Socci / Green Pixel

“Team captain Nick Gracie has said this could well be the hardest and most remote course they have ever experienced. As past ARWC winners in Portugal 2009, they know what it takes and so we watch with much anticipation as to the outcome. There is plenty more exciting racing to come over the next few days.”