Costa Rica Set to Host 2013 Adventure Race World Championship
World’s toughest endurance challenge will gather 65 teams from around the world, who will compete in a series of arduous sports tests, from coast to coast and from border to border of the Central American region
San Jose, Costa Rica – November 26, 2013 – Costa Rica’s vast landscapes from panoramic mountains to brash rivers and exotic beaches will set the stage for the 2013 Adventure Race World Championship (ARWC) [ http://www.arcostarica.com/ ], which will take place from November 29 through December 12, 2013. The 815-kilometer non-stop race will push the world’s best endurance athletes to their limits, as they compete in a series of disciplines including but not limited to rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, trekking and canyoning.
This year’s ARWC is comprised of 65 teams made up of 260 men and women representing 25 countries. The route, which will be disclosed a few hours prior to the event, will take competitors on an adventure beginning at the Costa Rica-Panama border, across the Pacific and Caribbean coasts and to the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. The non-stop race will test competitors’ mental and physical capabilities, the winner will need at least 140 hours (six days) to cross the finish line, making the race one of the toughest competitions in the world. Teams will have ten days to complete the route.
“We are thrilled to have been selected to host this world class event, said Ireth Rodriguez, deputy manager and marketing director, Costa Rica Tourism Board. “Costa Rica’s distinct geography from our exquisite beaches to our scenic volcano backdrops will certainly take the competition to new heights. We are confident that this event will show the world that Costa Rica is an alluring destination with abundant natural beauty and endless opportunities for adventure.”
The 2013 Adventure Race World Series consists of eight qualifier events around the world, leading to the final ARWC. Costa Rica has hosted qualifier events in three consecutive years, one of the requirements to host the final. The ARWC prize consists of $75,000, which will be shared between the first five teams to finish.
For more information on the ARWC, please visit www.arcostarica.com or for more information on Costa Rica, visit www.visitcostarica.com.
About Costa Rica Costa Rica is located in Central America, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. The country has long been a popular tourism, retirement and Spanish education destination for North Americans. Roughly the size of West Virginia, the country shelters approximately five percent of the world’s renowned biodiversity, with protected areas comprising 26 percent of its land mass.
About Instituto Costarricense de Turismo
The Costa Rica Tourist Board, created in 1955, is an autonomous institution of the State, responsible for regulating the tourism activity in Costa Rica and promoting Costa Rica’s tourism attractions and destinations both at a national and international level. The Costa Rica Tourist Board creates tourism norms, regulations, incentives and grants the tourist declaratory for Costa Rica’s hotels, travel agencies, rental cars and other tourism organizations and service providers.