The venue for the ARWS Oceania Championship of the Adventure Racing World Series has been announced today as Canberra the Australian capital and will be hosted by the newly launched ‘Top Dog 24’ Adventure Race.
This championship event will be the final event of the 6 race series for 2023 that has seen over 200 teams compete across Legend Expedition Race, Terra Nova 24, X-Marathon, Mountain Designs GeoQuest and Mountain Designs Hells Bells.
The new ‘Top Dog 24 Adventure Race’ will host the ARWS Oceania Championship and will take place in Canberra from 4-5 November, when adventure racing teams will mountain bike, paddle, trek and navigate their way around a 150km (championship) 120km (full) or 70km (half), non-stop courses.
The premier ARWS Championship category is open to teams of 4 which must be mixed sex, and the elite teams will be chasing the Oceania title, ARWS ranking points, and the ultimate prize of a paid-for place in the 2024 Adventure Racing World Championships.
The race isn’t just about the championship and for the elite teams. The course will be designed to be achievable and accessible to all abilities, remaining open for 24 hours, and allowing teams some choices to provide short-cuts should they need them. Two person teams and all-male and all-female teams can also enter, but won’t be included in the ARWS championship category. The sport of Adventure Racing is unique in allowing the world’s best and novice teams to compete together on the same terms.
The weekend of racing also includes the shorter full and half courses, which have less distance with the same time to complete the course, but many of the same amazing challenges and locations.
The event will be staged by specialist race Management Company Wild&Co and Event Director Chris Dixon is excited about the opportunity to deliver a race in Canberra and the opportunities it offers to racers.
“There’s no better place for a championship event than the nations capital! We’ve been wanting to host an event in Canberra for a number of years now – it’s just 2-3hrs from Sydney and there’s already a strong local contingent of adventure racers in the area. It’s just made for adventure too with an extensive network of world class mountain bike trails, incredible bushwalking opportunities across the multiple national parks and nature reserves, stunning vistas with mountains and fun kayaking opportunities with both man made and natural waterways.
The ARWS Oceania Championships is a great opportunity to launch a new event in a new area and with a long history of adventure racing events, Canberra is right location to do it,” he said.
He added. “Canberra also offers visiting teams an abundance of accommodation and services for a great trip and is very accessible, by road from many population centres, or via both Sydney and Canberra international airports. It’s a great location for our Championship race.”
Following the success of 24hr events like Mountain Design Hells Bells and Terra Nova 24, The ‘Top Dog 24’ Adventure Race will be based on the same familiar format, moving around the ACT with a new and exciting course each year.
Early Bird Entries are open unto 31 August 2023.
RACE DETAILS
Date: 4-5 November 2024
Location: Canberra, Australia
Duration: 24hr premier, full and half courses available
Entries: Open Now! Early bird discounted entry extended to August 31.
Team size: 2 or 4 person
