60 teams from 25 countries gathered on Monday, December 2, on Costa Rica and Panama border, starting the biggest adventure race this year – the AR world champs. Among them, there was also our Sportovia Team, ready to face over 800 km distance.
The teams ran their first kilometer to their bikes. Once assambled, they took them to the Pacific to the Dulca Bay. After a long night with many steep uphills and rocky downhills, the teams started a long paddling section – first on the river and later on the ocean. Having completed this section, Sportovia Trailteam is placed on the 10 position.
The race will go now north along the highest mountain range in Costa Rica – Cordillera de Talamanca, including its highest peak: Cerro Chirippo (3820 m n.p.m.). From there, the route will lead with Indiand paths, which are normally unavailable. Luckily, the chief of the tribe is a runner himself and he invited the participants to cross his land. Further on, there are still rafting, bike and paddling sections to come.
The winners are expected to reach the finish line of AR world champs in about 140 hours (deadline is 9 days). However, there are so many things which may go wrong in such a long race that any estimates and predictions can be inaccurate.