Raid the North Extreme entries starting to come in

The oft delayed six day adventure race known as Raid the North Extreme has begun taking registrations and thus far 20 teams have entered for the competition scheduled for June 23-30.

The project was supposed to take place last year, but difficulties arose and the plans for the race had to be scrubbed with a promise to try again in 2007. The registration portion of the competition got under way two weeks ago, and project organizers suggest that interest is high in what is described as the only true, full-length expedition race in North America in 2007.

The Daily News featured some information about the plans in the Friday paper.

RAIDERS COMING FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD
The Daily News
Friday, March 02, 2007

Just two weeks since registration began, more than 20 teams from across North America, and from as far as Singapore, Australia and Brazil, have signed up for Raid the North Extreme.
“I’m very pleased with the level of interest in the event thus far,” said Geoff Langford, race director of Raid the North Extreme. “This is the only true, full-length expedition race in North America in 2007 — combined with the unmatched terrain in this region, it’s a must-do event.”
Among the diverse slate of competitors are SART – the Singapore Adventure Racing Team — a team in their mid-20s that recently competed at XPD in Australia and tested out Canadian racing at Raid the North Sun Peaks last year. Team MOMAR/Helly Hansen has roots in British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland, and all the members have competed in expedition-length races in the past.

The race roster is also rich with stars and stripes with six teams coming from Tennessee, Washington, California and Oregon.

Team DART-nuun from Seattle has been tearing up the international race scene and is hoping to recapture the race glory that went to BanffLodgingCo.com, the Canadian team that won Raid the North Sun Peaks last season. The Dirty Avacodos Pits from San Francisco has also signed up for their first Raid the North experience.

On a local level, A Coastal Disturbance will bring together some of Prince Rupert’s super-athletes including Cowpuccino’s Judd Rowse, Colleen Myers, Dean Wagner and Ross Franes. The team is hoping to crack the top 10.

“People from Prince Rupert are hardcore,” said Myers. “I bushwack for fun.”

Adventure racing is a wilderness sport that has exploded in popularity across North America.
These non-stop races, ranging in length from eight hours to six-days, require coed teams of four to navigate a wide variety of terrain. The North Coast race will see teams paddle vast inlets that puncture the majestic coastal mountain ranges, trek up above the clouds to snow covered ridges, skirt pounding waterfalls of glacial meltwater and snake along the Skeena River, where 24-foot tidal changes swell in and out from the Pacific Ocean. They’ll also mountain bike on ancient trails, travel long-abandoned mining and forestry roads, and cross through long-forgotten valleys and passes. Teams will only have topographical maps and grid coordinates to navigate the course.

The six-day adventure race takes place in Prince Rupert from June 23 -30 and will see teams navigate through one of Canada’s most diverse wilderness destinations.