The awards are made annually at the Adventure Racing World Championship and given to those who have shown exceptional dedication to the ARWS and the wider adventure racing community.
A place in the ARWS Hall of Fame is awarded at the discretion of the ARWS to anyone who has continuously supported our amazing sport for a decade or more, and through their performance, leadership and integrity, acted as a role model for others in the sport.
The awards are made in person to those present at a World Championship in the following categories: Athletes, Teams, Race Directors, Volunteers, Media. Suggestions for inclusion can be made by email to media@arworldseries.com
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Santiago has been an outdoor enthusiast his entire life. While exploring Ecuador he found his passion in nature, sports and adventure and created the company Proyecto Aventura in 2003 to stage his first adventure race in Ecuador (Huairasinchi).
He developed this association together with his partner and friend Rodolfo Peralta, with whom he organizes an average of 10 adventure competitions per year.
Huairasinchi is the most renowned race in the company and was selected to organize the Adventure Racing World Championship in 2014 and 2024. Proyecto Aventura focuses on motivating people to change their lives with sports and to respect nature.
Experience:
As an athlete:
Amateur competitor of cycling, trail running and adventure races since 2003 where the following international participations stand out:
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Hanno, a timber farmer from the Southern Cape of South Africa, also known as “Smelly”, and has been involved in AR since 2005.
Hailing from a triathlon background and later paddling, with surfski fishing contributing to the bulk of his training until a Great White put an end to that. Hanno has participated in races around the world, completing multiple World Championship races, first as part of the McCain Adventure Addicts and then later the Merrell Adventure Addicts.
He has also participated in many shorter races worldwide and now looks forward to continuing this sport with his son, Daniel. An avid fisherman with an unsatiable love for the outdoors, big mountains, and anything wild and untamed.
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I started with Adventure Racing in 2008 and am the team captain of the BLACK HILL team from the Czech Republic.
My first experience with the Adventure racing World Championships was in 2009 in Portugal. Our team finished 13 positions that time.
Since 2009 I have participated in each ARWC and in 2023 had completed 13 consecutive Adventure Racing World Championships..
Our best position at ARWC was 4th position in 2018 on Reunion Island (Raid in France). We have finished twice in 5th position; in Paraguay 2022 and Spain 2021 and in the World Series race in Croatiain 2023 placed 3rd.
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Active in Adventure Racing since 1995 and before that in several events, such as the Alaska Mountain and Wilderness Classic, that were the pre-cursor of Adventure Racing; Adrian competed in every Eco-Challenge expedition Race and four Raid Gauloises expedition races plus many other adventure races.
Adrian was primarily a mountaineer and ultra runner in 1995 when Eco Challenge arrived. He had experience with many multi-day mountaineering trips and many 24 hour or longer ultra-running events which gave him a great base to undertake adventure racing. In those early days his orienteering and navigation skills were a great advantage and even though his cycling and water skills were merely proficient, It appeared he had better preparation for early adventure races than most of the competitors. His teams did well until others caught up with the skills and training to excel in AR.
He organised events as Gold Rush Adventure Racing from 1999 to 2018.
Adrian was the first ARWS Head Referee from 2017 to 2024. His role included working at six AR World Championships, developing and revising the rules to keep them current, and mentoring a team of new referees from around the world. In this role Adrian has played a pivotal part in the ARWS and the global development of adventure racing.
Snapshot of Adrian's AR Journey:
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Sandrine started racing in 2005 when she rose to prominence as trail runner by winning the classic Diaglonale de Fous on Reunion Island and her first long format adventure race was in 2007 at the first edition of Raid in France.
She has been racing with 400 Team at the international level since 2009 and has completed 12 ARWS Qualifiers with 9 podiums,including 4 victories (3 x Raid in France). She has finished 8 World Championships with a highest position of third place in 2018 in La Réunion (Raid in France) when the team lost a sprint finish in the last few meters of the race!
Sandrine is the most consistent member of the highly successful 400team, alongside fellow Hall of Fame member Sebastien Raichon, and these two are the bedrock of the team. Sandrine has raced in the last 15 ARWS qualifiers with 400team since 2012, not missing and ARWS race and raced in Europe, North and South America and Asia.
[Edit; After joining the Hall of Fame in 2023 Sandrine and 400team won the Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador in 2024.]
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I started racing in 2003 and been hooked ever since. My first 500km race was in 2005 and that is where my love for the expedition-style racing began.
I have raced over 20 expedition races all around the world and 5 world championships. I am proud to have raced ALL 11 Expedition Africa races, having won 3 of them and placing 2nd once.
My most memorable race was Expedition Africa in Swaziland, where we had a sprint finish against the team from Estonia to win. This was a true victory for me on so many levels as this race took place in May 2015, which only gave me 7 months to prepare after my last chemotherapy in October 2014.
In 2017 I mentored my first of 3 expedition racing tems and found it to be extremely rewarding.
It was humbling to see the satisfaction of the novices crossing the finish line, having endured and overcome the hardships of the course.
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Antonio de la Rosa has been participating in adventure raids since 1996, where he participated in the Raid Verde de Canaria and a year later at Eco-Challenge in Australia.
He has been a competitive kayaker in his youth, a rugby player, a triathlete, and several times champion in international Quadratlon events.
Antonio was a professional adventure racer as captain of the international Red Bull team from 1997 to 2008.
In 1998 he came third in the Eco Challenge Morocco and a year later, along with Emma Roca and the Torres brothers 2nd in Eco Challenge Argentina.
For many years he has been part of one of the most competitive teams on the international scene and had several victories on thge Salomon X-Adventure circuit, Desafio de los Volcanes, 7 Cerros Medellin, and many more.
A last great victory was as the winner of the ARWS Qualifier in Portugal in 2008. He is still involved in racing, and has the same enthusiasm to complete them today. He has been one of the most valued organizers on the world adventure racing scene, staging more than 60 events of all kinds. He has organized 9 ARWS races; 6 in Spain and 3 in Costa Rica and 2 AR World Championships, Bimbache Extrem in Spain 2010 and as part of the team at ARWC Costa Rica in 2013.
His new project is to organize an ARWS race again, this time in Morocco 2025, and in the next years another AR World Championship.
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Stuart is one of the most successful racers of all time, holder of 8 world titles, with 3 different teams, including an unprecedented run of 6 consecutive world titles.
Stuart first raced ARWC in 2005 (NZ - Southern Traverse) with fledgling team Orion Health set up and captained by Wayne Oxenham. After an 11th place on the first attempt the team improved to 5th in 2006 (Sweden), then 3rd in 2007 (Scotland) before winning in 2008 in Brasil with Brent Edwards and Anna Berthelsen completing the team.
After a (relatively) disappointing 4th place in 2009 (Portugal) and un unranked result (due to injury) in 2010 in Spain, the team stopped racing after Wayne stepped down to spend more time with family .
After not racing ARWC in 2011 and 2012 Stuart joined Team Thule for a one-off race in Costa Rica in 2013, winning ARWC that year.
He was then picked up by team Seagate (subsequently Avaya), With Nathan Fa'avae, Sophie Hart and Chris Forne (amongst others), Stuart won five more ARWC titles from 2014 (Equador) to 2018 (Reunion Island) making an unprecedented 6 back-to-back ARWC titles.
After winning Eco Challenge Fiji in 2019 Stuart and team Avaya did not contest the 2021 world championship in Spain due to covid travel restrictions in place in New Zealand at that time.
Returning for a final team Avaya race in 2022, Stuart added a record (jointly held with Chris Forne) 8th world title at the ARWC race in Paraguay.
With numerous other Expedition AR and stage racing wins Stuart is regarded as one of the most successful adventure racers of all time.
Not quite retired but now focussing more on adventures with his young family, whether Stuart will make an appearance at any future ARWC races is uncertain, but to quote him when behind at an adventure race:
"It's not over till it's over.... And it's not over yet!"
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James didn’t start competing in outdoor endurance sports (mountain biking, paddling, hiking, trail running) until 2001 at the age of 26. He started adventure racing in 2005 and has probably raced with more high-level teams (mainly from Canada and the USA), than any other racer in ARWS competition. He loves adventure racing, and if he gets an invite to a team, will probably say yes!
James has competed with 20 different teams in ARWS international races since 2011.
He has competed in 8 World Championships (best position 14th in Paraguay in 2022) and more than 30 ARWS expedition races, as well as 7 other expedition length adventure races.
Best ARWS results:
James says his primary roles in the team are pack mule and “MacGyver” (problem-solver).
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John Karlsson's started adventure racing career started in 2000 racing with fellow Hall of Fame member Mikael Lindnord in the AXA team. He has been the team captain of double world champions, the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team (SAFAT) since 2014, when the team was founded.
John is known as one of the most experienced competitors in international racing, with two world titles under his belt, and a history of competing at the highest level since 2006. John is the motivator and strategist in the SAFAT team.
After the finish in South Africa when he collected his second AR World Title, he gave a clear message.
“To all the kids and young people out there, if you want something bad enough and are willing to do whatever it takes to get there, no dream is too big, no bar it to high, only you set the limit. I'm a living example of that. Never let anyone take your dreams away from you!”
John's World Championship Highlights:
John is an active officer in Swedish Armed Forces and a former special forces operator.
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Pavel is the navigator of the Black Hill team from the Czech Republic, who are a fixture at the Adventure Racing World hampionship, having taken part in all of them since 2014.
I started with Adventure Racing in 2009 and I am the navigator of the BLACK HILL team.
My first experience with the Adventure racing World Championships was in 2014 in Equador. Our team finished in 8th position that time and since then I have partipated in every ARWC.
Our best position on ARWC was 4th position on Reunion Island in 2018.
We finished twice in 5th position; in Paraguay 2022 and Spain 2021 and in 2023 we placed thrid at Adventure Race Croatia.
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400team has been on the ARWS circuit since 2009 and taken part in more than 30 races around the world. They have been the leading French team for the past decade, always the team to beat at Raid in France, and an inspiration to the new generation of racers now coming through in France. In 2024 they become AR World Champions, winning at Huairasinchi in Ecuador.
Over the past 15 years the team has raced at ARWS events in Ecuador, France, Croatia, South Africa, Faroe Islands, Argentina, Reunion Island, Spain, Lesotho, India, Belize, USA, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland and more! They like to explore new places to race as the opportunity arises!
Their committment to international racing and performance means the team is always a podium contender, and i n 2021 400team held the world #1 ranking for a time.
At Raid in France the team has an unprecedented record of success with 5 wins since their first in 2014 (as 400team/Raidlight). They have also finished 2nd twice and were third at the Raid in France World Championship on Reunion Island. They only missed out on second place by less than a minute after a sprint finish!
400team has also won Raid Gallaecia (2017), Expedition India (2019) and Expedition Canada (2023).
Sebastien Raichon has been the charismatic leader and captain of the team since its formation, and while there have been many members of the years Sandrine Beranger and Adrien Lhermet have been the most consistent, with Sandrine at the core of the team in the past decade and Adrian racing sincer 2012. (All are ARWS Hall of Fame members.)
Within France the 400team coumunity works to organise races, including youth races, and they are very active in mentoring young racers and providing them with new opportunities to compete. The next generation of 400team is coming through!
[Edit; In 2024 400team achieved their dream and won the Adventure Racing World title at Huairasinchi in Ecuador.]
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Nicola found the UK Adventure Racing scene in the 1990's and first raced internationally at the Southern Traverse in New Zealand in 2000.
Her first AR World Championship was in Newfoundland in 2004 and her UK team (Helly Hansen Prunesco) became AR World Champions in Portugal in 2009.
With around 30 expedition-length races behind her, she’s won a third of them, including many ARWS Qualfiiers and, a personal favorite, the Patagonian Expedition Race.
Alongside work and parenting, she enjoys various kayak, mountain, and water disciplines to hone AR skills and endurance!
She’s stood on the podium at Ironman and UTMB, and is the proud owner of European and national long-distance MTB shirts …which are now a bit tight!
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Masato has been racing continuously since 1994, and as captain of the legendary Team East Wind until 2021. Even after handing over the captaincy to younger racers in 2022, he continues to race; as a team mate, inspiration and mentor. Alongside racing, he is always planning, managing, and training for domestic events, and working on the development of youth racing and the promotion of outdoor sports in Japan.
In addition, he gives lectures on the theme “Everything humans can learn is found in nature.”
Races Masato has been part of:
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Tomas Petrecek started Adventure Racing in 2000 and is a member of the Black Hill team from the Czech Republic. His first experience with the Adventure Racing World Championship was in 2009 in Portugal, where his team finished in 11th place.
Tomas is also a mountain climber. In 2013 he climbed two 8,000 meter peaks, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II.
In everyday life, he works as a professional fire fighter.
Adventure racing:
Mountaineering Himalayan expeditions:
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An adventure racer since 2000 Urtzi has taken part in more than 20 ARWS Qualifiers and 10 AR World Championships, he is the captain of the Vidaraid team and an ARWS race organiser in Paraguay and Spain, including being the Race Director of the 2022 Adventure Racing World Championship in Paraguay.
Urtzi is known as a fierce competitor and is one of the most prolific racers on the ARWS circuit.
He has a degree in Basque Philology and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and has been organizing sporting events and designing adventure and trail running races for more than 10 years. He has been 3 times Spanish MTB orienteering champion.
Urtzi's main team is Vidaraid, who have been a world #1 ranked team, and he has 12 ARWS wins on his record. His highest World Championship finish position was 2nd at Expedition Africa in 2023.
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Chris Forne is an 8x ARWS World Champion and holds a legendary status as an adventure racing competitor and navigator. His first adventure racing world title was in 2007 with Team Nike in Scotland, and subsequent titles were won with the Seagate and Avaya teams. His prowess with map and compass was the superpower of these world dominating teams.
Chris came into adventure racing from an orienteering background and has had an equally successful racing career in long distance orienteering, rogaine and MTBO, with many titles to his name.
In 2023 he said, "I still consider myself more of an orienteer than an adventure racer. Orienteering is still my main focus”, but he's been pretty good at his 'second sport' and apart from his World titles has been on the winning teams of many other great races, including Eco-Challenge and GODZone. He is the most successful GODZone competitor with 7 wins with Seagate/Avaya and 3 as captain of other teams.
Chris Forne World Titles
2007 - Scotland
2012 - France
2014 - Ecuador
2015 - Brazil
2016 - Australia
2017 - USA
2018 - Reunion Island
2022 - Paraguay
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Shelly loves adventure racing because it’s about working together as a team and she has been so fortunate to have raced with many strong AR athletes/friends who have been instrumental in getting her through these epic AR events.
A mom of two Alexander (4yrs) and Alissia Hufner (8yrs old), Shelley remembers watching the Eco-Challenge when she was younger and loved it. She then started rock climbing and met her husband Alard Hufner and together they climbed “The hand of Fatima” in Mali, the Towers in Torres del Paine Patagonia, Trango Tower in Pakistan, West face of Mt Mulange in Malawi and many more. Her love for adventure started.
She got into trail running because she loved being out in nature and the challenges it brings. She only started mountain biking when she did her first adventure race, The Red Ants Rumble, with Piers Pirow, who introduced her to this amazing sport in 2012.
From then on she was hooked, taking part in many Expedition Africa events, including the Expedition Africa World Championship in 2023.
She has also taken part in European Races and Godzone in New Zealand. She loves adventure racing because it’s about working together as a team and she has been so fortunate to have raced with many strong AR athletes/friends, who have been instrumental in getting her through these epic AR events.
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My father’s profession as a prospecting geologist exposed me to map reading at an early age, which proved to be most valuable for my AR future. This coupled with my school’s outdoor pursuits program laid down the foundation for Adventure.
I enjoyed school long distance athletics setting a few records that still stand today. In 1997, I began the Adventure Racing journey with a breakthrough race in 1998 called the Camel Trophy. In 1999, we focused on the traditional form of adventure racing, which was still new in South Africa. We won most of the local races over the past two decades, except for a few parenting years. An accident in 2010 damaged my hip so much that I was not able to run for three years. It still affects me to this day.
I've participated in numerous ARWC events for which I would like to thank all my teammates and sponsors. My brother once said “If I were allowed to take 10 days to heaven, most of them would come from adventure racing”.
It’s been amazing!
Besides my own personal participation, I would like to introduce more people to this sport and hopefully race with my children and I hope the sport will give them the self-actualization that I’ve had from it.
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Mikael Lindnord's career as Adventure Racer started 1997 and continued for almost 2 decades before he retired 2015. He was team captain for team Peak Performance, which was the first team from Sweden to win a international ARWS event (Costa Rica 2010).
Besides racing, Mikael was race director for ARWS/ Explore Sweden and the Adventure Racing World Championship 2006 in Sweden and Norway.
Everything changed when he gave some meatballs to a stray dog during the World Championships in 2014 in Ecuador. The stray dog followed Mikael and the team the rest of the race, was named ARTHUR and taken to Sweden to live with Mikael and his family. Arthur and Mikael's story spread across the media worldwide. It was a story of endurance, redemption and love. The ESPN documentary about Arthur got two EMMY Award nominations and Mikael is a best-selling author in 23 counties with his book, 'Arthur - The dog who Crossed the Jungle to find a Home'.
Mikael was honoured in Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador for his work with the Arthur Foundation, working with stray dogs, and Arthur's story was instrumental in a change in the law in Ecuador to give all stray dogs rights. He was honored with the key to the city of his home town, Örnsköldsvik in Sweden.
His story is told in the Hollywood movie ARTHUR THE KING, where Mikael is portrayed by Mark Wahlberg.
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Graham’s passion for the outdoors was ignited at an early age when he spent most of his teenage weekends outside with the Florida Lake Sea Scouts, where he learnt the value of teamwork, commitment and loyalty.
Graham had a successful canoeing career throughout the 90’s and early 00’s where he became one of SA’s most decorated paddlers - winning 28 South African titles and representing the country 13 times, achieving numerous top-five finishes at World Canoeing Championships and World Cup events.
As his competitive paddling wound down, he took up the sport of adventure racing and successfully led the Merrell Adventure Addicts as they became one of South Africa’s top teams, regularly competing on the world stage in the Adventure Racing World Series. A veteran of 27 expedition length Adventure Races, Graham is South Africa’s most experienced racer and only gets stronger over a long race, emphasizing strategy over speed.
With his love of the outdoors and the experiences he gained as a competitive sportsman, Graham took up event organising with the primary goal of getting ordinary people outside and pushing their comfort zones, be it someone doing their first 5 km trail run or a person doing a multi-day non-stop adventure race.
Respected in the sporting world for his unwavering ethics, he seeks excellence in everything, but above all honour amongst competitors.
Graham has competed in 8 AR World Championships and 13 ARWS expedition races.
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Tom started adventure racing back in 1996 when it was a "new" thing and was inspired by watching grown men cry on TV at Eco-Challenge. He completed his first expedition race in 1999 at Eco-Challenge Argentina without crying (a record he has not maintained since).
Over the last 25 years he has competed around the globe doing nearly 200 adventure races, including 35 expedition and multi-day stage races. 11 of those were world championships including the first Adventure Racing World Championships in Switzerland in 2001.
One of the UK's most successful AR athletes, Tom is known for his strategic thinking and navigation which has helped him to over 100 race wins. The 2009 World Championships in Portugal being the pinnacle, where he was part of the only British team (at time of writing) to win the world championships and was also filmed on TV crying at the finish along with some of his teammates.
In addition he has won the European Championships in Turkey 2014 and has been national champion multiple times in AR and other disciplines.
He has since branched out into course planning and has planned 4 ITERA expedition races where he is on a mission to plan the best expedition course ever. He hopes the ITERA race will help bring new people into AR and help grow the sport in the future.
He hasn't hung up his racing shoes yet and still looks forward eating lots of food whilst competing in interesting events around the world.
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Sebastien has been adventure racing at the international level since 2009. He has recorded 14 podiums in ARWS races including six victories (4 x Raid in France). He has race the World Championship 9 times, finished in the top 5 four times, and achieved 3rd place in 2018 ... just a few seconds behind second place after a sprint finish!
On a personal level, Sebastien is an exceptional ultra trail runner with 2 victories in the 450km Tor des Glaciers, with the record to boot. He is also the first finisher of the French Barkley, and holds a record for crossing the Alps in France (630km in 150h).
He was also the Race Director of the Raid des Dentelles, an ARWS Europe race in 2023 and is part of the 400team club, who organise other adult and youth races to develop the sport in France.
Sebastien is the captain and leader of 400team, and in the ARWS has raced in Ecuador, France, Croatia, South Africa, Faroe Islands, Argentina, Reunion Island, Spain, Lesotho, India, Belize, USA, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland and other countries! In 2021 the team held the world #1 ranking.
At Raid in France with 400team he has an unprecedented record of success, and within France Sebastien is recognized is a leader for the sport of adventure racing. However, Sebastien does not judge the success of a race by the ranking position. "Crossing the finish line of an adventure race is already a victory, and that is true for each team at each start."
[Edit; in 2024 Sebastien and 400team achieved their dream and won the Adventure Racing World Title at Huairasinchi in Ecuador.]
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I was born in Bilbao (Basque Country) and educated in sports and mountains. A Mountain Guide degree helped me discover adventure racing in 1999, motivating me with my first race in the French Pyrenees at the Salomon X-Adventure World Cup.
I have been living in Mallorca for more than 20 years dedicating myself to Outdoor sports, coaching and personal training.
I've taken part in over 40 expedition races, recorded 12 ARWS Qualifier victories and 3 second places at World Championships, which gives allows me to merge my work with my passion!
Some of Jon Ander's notable achievements are:
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Nick is one of the most the most active international racers and has taken part in 56 expedition races to date, over a period of 20 years of non-stop racing. He was on the World Championship winning team in 2009, has won many ARWS Qualifier races, been UK and twice European champion and won an unprecedented 4x at the legendary Patagonian Expedition Race. Nick particularly loves racing in South America, and has won races in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Panama.
15 x Adventure Racing World Championships:
1st 2009 Portugal
3rd 2013 Costa Rica
3rd 2022 Paraguay
4th 2011 Australia
21 x Adventure Racing World Series Qualifiers & Regional Championships:
4 x Patagonia Expedition Race – Chile:
2 x European Champions:
14 Other Expedition Races:
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Rob Howard has been an adventure racing photographer and journalist since 1994 when he attended the first Western Isles Challenge in the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland. It was one of the most innovative races ever held and attracted the world’s top racers, who were pioneering a dynamic new sport. (The race was won by John Jacoby of Australia.) Rob was hooked.
In the late 1990’s working on one of the first outdoor websites in the initial ‘dot.com boom’ Rob took the chance to promote early UK races and secure some of the big pots of dot.com investment funding for sponsorship for British adventure races and racers. It was here he met web developer Richard Brown, and when the boom inevitably turned into a bust, the pair set up SleepMonsters.com as a worldwide web portal for adventure racing.
SleepMonsters.com was registered in September 2001, just before of the first Adventure Racing World Championship in Switzerland, and became the go-to site for adventure racing information (in English). Rob wanted a distinctive name associated with the sport, and early search engines came up with zero results for the word SleepMonsters! (This was before Google ... or social media, or satellite tracking, or wifi, and very early days for mobile phones.)
Over the years Rob has covered races all over the world, as a reporter and photographer, mainly for SleepMonsters, but in the early days also for national newspapers and glossy magazines worldwide. He has worked on all but two Adventure Racing World Championships, many World Series races, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, the Patagonian Expedition Race, Southern Traverse, Wulong Mountain Quest and Salomon X-Adventure World Cups to name just a few. In the UK he has provided media coverage at all of the ITERA races, and worked just about every race in the country.
At the start of 2023 Rob took up the position of Media Director for the Adventure Racing World Series, at the invitation of new owner Heidi Muller.
Rob has also been a Contribuing Editor at Runner’s World (UK), providing the first coverage of trail running, triathlon, mountain and endurance racing at a time when road running was first growing into a popular sport and marathons were seen as the limit of endurance. He was the first English language journalist at Marathon des Sables, and covered ionic races such as Spartathlon (Greece) and Diagonale de Fous (Reunion Island) and the original Dragon's Back Race (Wales) in 1992.
He was a founder of The Everest Marathon in Nepal, and trustee of the race charity which raised money for projects in the Khumbu region, such as training the first Sherpa dentists, opening medical centres, and building the first porter shelters.
The Everest Marathon is the only marathon Rob has run (so his PB is not great) and he knows the Himalaya well as in 1981/2 he walked the length of the range (Nepal, India and Pakistan), which took a year and a day. In 1990 he was part of a team which established and completed the first Munros Relay, when a team of 7 ran to the summits of all 277 Scottish summits over 3000 feet, racing non-stop for 12 days 17 hours 8 minutes.
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Mari is one of the most prolific racers in the USA and international racing, and one of the most successful. She has raced with several top teams over the years in a 20 year racing career, and is still going strong!
Mari has raced with elite teams all over the world, in the ARWS, Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest and is a 4 time USARA Champion.
Mari's wins in ARWS competition include; Expedition Alaska, PC12 AR (Colombia), Expedition Oregon, Raid de Viento (ARG), Cowboy Tough (USA) and Gold Rush Mother Lode (USA).
"When the race is over, you think about the tough, miserable moments (and the exhilarating ones) and feel an amazing sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that cannot be duplicated in any other thing you do in your life.”
"There’s nothing else out there that can challenge your mind, body and soul, all at the same time and all while seeing some of the most amazing places in the world."
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Wladimir Togumi's career in sports photography started with adventure racing shortly after the sport arrived in Brazil. After watching Eco-Challenge on TV he had the opportunity to follow and document a race called EMA (Expedição Mata Atlântica) in 2000– the first Brazilian adventure race over 500 kilometers,. and he was hooked on the sport.
Lots of shorter races started to be organized in various countries and thus he created “AdventureMag” a website portal focused exclusively on adventure racing, organizing the calendar and publishing news. He needed to create content, so he borrowed a camera and went to cover nearby races, creating news and taking pictures. The portal grew and he started receiving invites to cover a lot of races in Brazil and abroad.
Today, in addition to adventure racing, he has photographed many trail running and mountain bike events.
Main races covered/photographed so far are:
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Nicholas has been adventure racing since 2002 and was a founder member of Team Cyanosis in 2004, making it one of the oldest teams still competing in the world.
He is the team navigator, and during this time has competed in 25 international level expedition length races with the team. The team has always been at the front of the field in Adventure Racing in South Africa and internationally, having attended their first ARWC in New Zealand in 2005.
Their performances include a win at the ARWS Expedicion Guarani in Paraguay in 2017, giving them their highest world ranking of #6 shortly thereafter. Nicholas has also excelled in other sports where map work is required, representing South Africa at 15 World Orienteering Championships. He has also twice finished in second place at the World Rogaining Championships.
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Captain of the highly successful & world-renowned Cyanosis Adventure Racing Team. Clinton Mackintosh is regarded as one of South Africa’s toughest and most successful multisport athletes.
With 8 AR World Championships under his belt he has successfully guided Cyanosis Adventure Racing Team to a 6th spot in the AR World rankings and has continued to represent South Africa’s Cyanosis AR Team in the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) around the world for over 21 years with no signs of letting up.
Team Captain of one of the oldest adventure racing teams in the world, Team Cyanosis founded in 2002, Clinton has been racing locally and internationally since 2002 with Southern Traverse New Zealand being the team's first AR World Champs in 2005. Selected to race Eco Challenge in 2019 Clinton guided the only South African team in the field to a very respectful 12th after primary navigator Nicholas Mulder contracted a very serious foot infection limiting the teams progress drastically.
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During 15 years competing internationally, Team Vidaraid has achieved 16 victories in ARWS races around the world (more than any other team) and 3 runners-up finishes in the World Championships (Costa Rica, Ecuador and South Africa).
Vidaraid are the most consistent team in the ARWS over the past two decades. The team has kept their, now iconic, team name since they were formed and both Urtzi Iglesias and Jon Ander Arambalza have been team members since their first race. Urtzi is the captain and navigator, and Jon Ander the powerhouse of the team. Since 2013 Marco Amselem has been a regular team member as well.
The team is known for their fierce competitive spirit, pushing hard and racing with less sleep than their competitors! They will always be podium contenders and after three second place finishes in the World Championships they are still hungry to win that elusive world title.
Team Vidaraid ARWS Wins:
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Team Avaya (formerly Seagate) is the most successful adventure racing team in the history of the Adventure Racing World Series.
In 2001 Nathan Fa'avae submitted a sponsorship proposal to Seagate to form a professional squad of NZ athletes. Seagate signed off and in 2002 the team raced to victory in the infamous Eco-Challenge, which was held in Fiji.
The team went on to dominate international adventure racing and won the World Championships in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022 after placing 3rd in 2011.
They were the first team ever to attain the maximum world ranking points and have held the world #1 position longer than any other team.
2017 marked the end of the Seagate sponsorship, the longest running team sponsor in the sport, and at this point Avaya took over the title sponsorship until the team disbanded after their last World Championship win in Paraguay in 2022.
The team has an unequalled record of success at New Zealand's GODzone expedition race with 6 wins from 10 editions and when Eco-Challenge was relaunched by Amazon in 2019 in Fiji they were winners again.
From the first days of the team Nathan Fa'avae, Sophie Hart and Chris Forne have been the most regular team members, with Stuart Lynch joining in 2014 to become a core team member. Fa'avae has won 7 world titles, and Forne and Lynch 8 each.
ARWS World Championship wins
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My story with AR began in 2003. I first heard about AR when I was doing a rafting course in Colorado, and I decided then and there I had to go back home and do it. This was most definitely a life-changing moment for me, and I often wonder how my life would differ had I not made this decision.
I joined a rookie team, "Team Tension Structures" later "Team McCain", which turned into the long-lasting team, Team Merrell.
We raced many adventure races together, many local expedition AR’s, trail runs, mountain bike races and paddling races. We rode our bikes across South Africa, ran a 400 km nonstop trail run and took SUP's down the Breede River from source to sea. To name but a few. Adventure became a way of life.
In 2013 I fell pregnant with my first son and changed tack to SUP racing, which soon led me to Holland for a 240km nonstop race, but it wasn’t long before I realized I needed to go back to adventure racing. I rejoined Team Merrell and we set our sights and hopes on the 2016 World Champs in Australia. Unfortunately, my derailer broke early in the race and with that came a lot of disappointment. This was another turning point for me as I realized it was time to focus on my family.
At this point, our boys were aged 1 and 3 years and I made a pact with myself and them that I would only do one big event a year. I absolutely love showing my boys how to live life to the fullest, go on adventures and in general how to appreciate and love the outdoors. If after all these years I can pass on some of my passion to them I am happy. We never know what the future holds but I do know I will always be looking for the next adventure, whether it’s an expedition race or a long family adventure. Thank you again to my past teammates and sponsors for all that you did for me.
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Malin was one of the founder members of the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team in 2014, and had already been racing for a decade at that point and taken part in her first World Championship in 2012. She has completed at 9 World Championships and in more than 25 Qualifier expedition races.
Malin is a serving officer in the Swedish military and her first sport was football, where she won two Swedish Championship gold medals in girls' football (aged 15). She took part in her first adventure race in 2003 and is a pivotal member of the double world championship winning SAFAT team.
Malin has not missed an ARWS Qualifier or World Championship race with the team since they were founded in 2014. During competitions she is the logistics expert and organiser for the team ... making sure they have all they need to compete at every stage of every race.
She says, " As a person, the sport itself has made me more humble. The only thing you know when you stand at the starting line is that problems will arise, and it's the team that handles and solves these problems the best that wins. This could mean that you can be incredibly strong and carry anything one moment, only to be so weak the next that you just want to curl up in a fetal position and cry. Our team was formed in 2014 with a common goal: to become the best in the world. It took us 7 years, so if anything, it has taught me to never give up."
Malin's ARWS racing highlights:
Seven wins in ARWS Qualifier Races, including 3 consecutive wins at the Nordic Island Adventure Race.
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Cyril started adventure racing in 1992 and is still racing today. He says he is ‘a dinosaur of AR’ and is often the strong man of the team, taking the packs of his team mates. He has competed in almost every big name race over two decades of racing!
Between 1992 to 2003 Cyril raced many national competitions in France and at the international level completed 5 Raid Gauloises, 5 Raid the North Extreme in Canada, 2 Southern Traverse in New Zealand, 5 races in China and 1 in Mexico.
Highlights of his racing CV include:
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One of the most successful and recognisable figures in Adventure Racing, Nathan Fa'avae has been the instigator, organiser and captain of the most successful teams in modern adventure racing, Seagate and Avaya. Nathan is a 7x ARWS World Champion and has been on the winning teams at Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest, GODZone and many other iconic international races since starting his racing career in 1999.
He managed the sponsorships of Seagate and then Avaya, and was the spokesperson for the teams. In New Zealand he is a successful race organiser with his wife, Jodie, most notably pioneering women's adventure racing with The Spring Challenge, the biggest event of its kind in the world.
Nathan Fa’avae Adventure Racing Highlights
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Physical education teacher, professional lifeguard, science fiction writer and adventure racer.
Ruben is a former professional soccer player, and represented Uruguay in triathlon. Since 2000, he has dedicated himself to expedition and adventure racing, starting with the ELF Aquitaine 2000 (in Ceará, Brazil) and the Eco Challenge editions in Borneo (2000) and New Zealand (2021).
From there, he has been a prolific racer, competing at more than 20 ARWS races and achieving his first Qualifier win with team Uruguay Ultra Sports at Expedicion Guarani 2024.
Wins and podiums in expeditions in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, México, USA, Turkey, Canada, Brazil and, of course, Uruguay.
Since 2008 he has taken part in 7 AR World Championships and the best result was at Expedition Guarani in 2022, Paraguay, finishing in 11th place.
He has raced Expedicion Guarani 6 times and in 2024 secured his first ARWS Qualifier win at the race with Team Uruguay Ultra Sports to secure a place at ARWC 2024 in Ecuador, which will be his 7th World Championship.
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Jose has volunteered more than 100 races all over the world and is one of the most recognised and loved figures in the adventure racing community. He worked as a police officer for 3 years and then joined the Portuguese Special Armed Forces for 26 years, where he worked mostly on the missions in conflict/war areas such as Bosnia, Guiné-Bissau, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
He then retired in 2007 and volunteered at his first ARWS race in Portugal in 2007, and that’s when he decided this is what he wanted to do – follow the AR World Series around the world!
He loves everything about it; the adventure, the adrenaline, meeting people and travelling. Since his first ARWS race in Portugal he has been to dozens of countries around the world, volunteering at the races from South Africa to Costa Rica, from to Australia to Alaska, and in total he has been to over 100 races since 2007.
His contribution to the sport is immense and many races rely on his unflagging logistics and transition building skills. Jose helps make adventure racing happen, and the AR coummunity is lucky to have his support and to see his familar smile at so many races.