Awards are made to those who have continuously supported adventure racing for a decade or more, and through their performance, leadership and integrity, acted as a role model for others.
This year’s nominees included athletes, the founders and previous owners of the ARWS, awards to a Race Director and volunteer, and one team award. The new Hall of Fame members come from 10 different nations and have participated in races on every continent.
Speaking about the presentations ARWS CEO Heidi Muller said, “The Hall of Fame awards are our chance to thank those who have supported the ARWS and our sport over so many years. They don’t ask for or expect any recognition, but it’s important to acknowledge their contributions to adventure racing.”
She continued, “We had many wonderful nominations this year, and usually they are given only to those present at the World Championship. However, we included awards to three people who were not present in Ecuador, but there would be no ARWS or World Championship without them!
“The first is Geoff Hunt, who founded the Adventure Racing World Series in 2001. He had the imagination and leadership to bring expedition races around the world together in a global series, and was also Race Director of Southern Traverse in New Zealand for many years and hosted a World Championship.
“He was followed as ARWS owner by Craig Bycroft and Louise Foulkes of Geocentric Outdoors, who took the series to another level between 2010 and 2022. They recruited many more races and established world rankings, as well as staging two highly successful World Championships at their XPD race in Australia, which ran from 2004 to 2021.”
“It’s thanks to the commitment and leadership of these 3 people, who put in many years of dedicated work, that the ARWS exists today as a thriving and globally recognised organisation.”
At each World Championship those working on the host race and in the same ARWS region are highlighted and there was a huge cheer when Rodolfo Peralta was presented with his award. He has worked as Race Director and planner with host race Huairasinchi since it began 21 years ago, and was course planner for this year’s World Championship. (The Race Director Santiago Lopez is already a Hall of Fame member.)
Martin Saenz, Luis Neumann and Julian Portilla who have all raced Huairasinchi since the earliest days of adventure racing in Ecuador were also honoured.
Two racers from Colombia (Ricky Velez and Lina Vargas) and 5 from Brazil (Guilherme Pahl, Mariana Pontes, Camila Nicolau, Marco Amselem and Thiago Bonini) were also included from the South American racing community.
France was well represented with the inclusion of Adrien Lhermet from race winners 400team and Raid in France Race Directors Nancy and Pascal Bahuaud. (After the presentation it was announced they will host their 3rd World Championship in 2026.)
Veteran competitor Remi Crete of France was inducted as well, as was Belgian racer Daniel Masy, whose racing history goes back to the earliest days of the sport and competition in Raid Gauloises (as a teammate of Pascal Bahuaud).
Swiss racer Anita Lehmann was another European racer given the award. She was at her sixth World Championship since starting ARWS racing in 2011, and achieved her highest position in Ecuador with 3rd placed Team Estonia Tactical Foodpack.
Double World Champions Oskar Svard and Per Vestling were inducted and there was also a special award to the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team. Vestling won his first world title in 2011 and his second in 2023, and Svard will now retire from the SAFAT team after wins in 2021 and 2023.
From the USA, Bend Racing athletes and Race Directors Chelsey and Jason Magness were honoured, alongside JD Eskelson, whose ARWS racing CV includes competitions in North and South America, Africa, Europe and Oceania.
Andrea Burbano Becdach from Ecuador was included for her volunteer work, having helped Race Directors and teams at many races. She was working on her 6th Huairasinchi and 4th World Championship, and will be in Canada for ARWC2025 next year.
Profiles of the Hall of Fame members will be added to the ARWS website roll of honour shortly, joining those already included at the past two World Championships.
Nominations will open again next year and new members will be added at the 2025 World Championship at Expedition Canada.
You can read about the ARWS Hall of Fame at; https://www.arworldseries.com/community/hall-of-fame
Photos by https://lanzasports.com/galleries/arws-huairasinchi
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