"Adventure
racing does not build character . . . it reveals it." -- Yukon
Davies - Team Hellbound
We got into Adventure Racing (AR) back in 1996 when we discovered
that competitions existed that took some of our favourite sports (kayaking,
mountain biking and general romping around with gear and BIG BOOTS
outdoors) and threw them together as a multi-day race. What keeps
us hooked are the settings that these races run through, the insane
stories of endurance and resourcefulness, the crazy like-minded people
we meet and the things that we learn about ourselves.
In Wikepedia, Adventure Racing is defined as "...a combination
of two or more disciplines, including orienteering and navigation,
cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and
related rope skills. An expedition event can span ten days or more
while sprints can be completed in a matter of hours. Typically there
is no “dark period” during races, regardless of their length
– the choice when (and if) to rest is left to the competitors.
Adventure racing is classically a co-ed team sport. Nonetheless,
many races now permit "teams" of 1 to 5 persons, single-sex
or co-ed, and sometimes include age-based categories."
Wikipedia also has a great write-up on history, rules, etc. Check
it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_racing.