The Adventure Racing World Series unites in competition the world’s best endurance athletes at Qualifier and Regional races around the globe.
The racing calendar culminates annually at the Adventure Racing World Championship where teams compete for the title of Adventure Racing World Champion.
Each year a new location is chosen to host the Adventure Racing World Championship and winners of Qualifier races* and Regional Championships* win a guaranteed and free place on the ARWC start line.
The original and first Adventure Racing World Championship was held in Switzerland in 2001. It has grown to be the most prestigious and globally recognised adventure racing event in the world and has taken place on 5 continents.
In 2014 Huairasinchi hosted the Adventure Racing World Championship, crossing the high Andes at latitude 0, with one checkpoint placed on the equator. A decade later, in November 2024, Huairasinchi will host the ARWC again, and this time the race will be different.
Teams will embark on an unforgettable journey of 700 kilometers of magnificent bio-diversity in the southern regions of Ecuador. The race will have jungle, mountains, rivers, lakes and coastline, without any prolonged exposure to high altitude. This multi-day endurance event promises to take teams on a transformative experience, blending culture, competition, and camaraderie in an unprecedented way.
Huairasinchi has staged more ARWS Qualifiers than any other event and has a reputation as one of the most beautiful and challenging races in the series. Many teams have Ecuador on their bucket list and they can be sure the organization at Proyecto Aventura will put all of their expertise from 21 years of organizing expedition races into the 2024 World Championship
For event details see: www.arwc2024
In the spirit of a true expedition teams are ‘unsupported’, forgoing the comfort and assistance of a support crew. They must meticulously plan all their equipment and sustenance before the race. They pre-pack these into a limited quantity of bags and boxes which are moved to various points on the course by the race organisers.
TRANSITION BAGS
Transition bags will be provided by the Expedition Africa organization
BIKE BOXES
Bike Boxes must be supplied by the competitors. Our offical ARWS bike box partners are Bike Box.
PADDLE BAGS
Paddle bags will be provided by the Expedition Africa organization
KAYAKS
Kayaks will be provided by the Expedition Africa organization.
Teams at the AR World Championship must include a minimum of TWO members of the same nationality to be ranked. Competitors will prove their nationality at race registration by officials checking their passport. Teams must also be of mixed gender to be ranked.
Teams at the AR World Championship will represent one designated nation only, being the nationality of the majority of team members (or of their choice if the team is split equally between two nationalities). See the announcement of July 5th 2023 here.
The winning team at ARWS Qualifier races and Regional Championships will receive a free entry to the ARWC.* The team attending ARWC must include at least two members of the team winning the free entry.
If the winning team is unable to race at ARWC or has already won a free place at a prior Qualifier or Championship, the free entry may be passed down the ranking to another team.
The entry may be passed down as far as 3rd position at a Qualifier, or until a team is found at a Regional Championship.
The first ARWC entry won by a team is the official free entry and they must race at ARWC with a minimum of two members from that team. (A team, racing under the same team name and winning two qualifiers, or a Qualifier and a Regional Championship, cannot claim a second free ARWC place, even if the team members are different.)
Any team taking up a free place won via a Qualifier or Regional Championship which has already paid an entry fee for ARWC will be refunded this fee.
The Adventure World Championship winning team wins a free World Championship entry for the following year to defend their title.
Only ARWS Qualifiers and AR Regional Championships may offer a World Championship entry as a prize.
*Prizes of free ARWC entry from Qualifiers and Regional Championships cannot be carried over to future years or assigned a monetary value in any circumstances (For example if a team is unable to attend after accepting a place, or ARWC is cancelled due to unforseen circumstances. The free entry cannot be carried forward to the next ARWC, and the value of the entry cannot be compensated.)
The AR World Championship is the annual pinnacle of the sport and draws teams, supporters, spectators and sponsors from around the world to the event. It creates a perfect platform for the adventure racing community to unite and collaborate.
ARWC hosts the annual Qualifier Expo, where each ARWS Qualifier race provides an information booth to promote their race to potential competitors and sponsors.
Starting in 2023 ARWC will host the International Adventure Racing Conference (IARC). For 2023 this takes place at the ARWC host venue on Sat. Oct 28th and online participation will be available. See all information on IARC see https://www.internationalarconference.com/
Adventure Racing World Championship 2024 has been confirmed and will be hosted by Huairasinchi, Ecuador in November 2024. www.arwc2024.com
In 2025 the Adventure Racing World Championship will go to British Columbia in Canada, hosted by Expedition Canada.
The Adventure Racing World Championship will take teams on an epic non-stop journey of 700+km in the disciplines of trek/run, mountain bike, kayaking, rope work, and navigation. The winning team is expected to finish the course in approximately 4-5 days and remaining teams are permitted up to 8 days to complete the course.
Teams of four athletes including both male and female members will push themselves to the ultimate limits of human endurance at the AR World Championship. All team members complete all sections of the course and they must not be separated by more than 100m. All teams race on the same course and in the spirit of adventure racing the roster includes both elite teams and teams whose ultimate goal is to just reach the finish line.
Some races have a “Lock Down” period after teams are given the route and the detailed course maps. Teams must remain in the Lock Down area until the race start and are prohibited access to the internet, phones, tablets etc. as these can assist with navigation and planning.
Lock Down is not compulsory for Race Directors to implement.
There will be NO Lock Down at ARWC - Expedition Africa. At this race teams will receive maps at each transition area.
During the ARWS, teams are equipped with durable tracking devices that enable organizers to monitor their progress throughout the multi-day event. This technology provides spectators with the ability to track each team's location and progress in real-time through the live race website.
As teams navigate through challenging terrain and conditions, followers can see which teams are in the lead, which are falling behind, and how each team is faring in the race. The live tracking feature also provides added safety measures for competitors, as race organizers can quickly locate each team in case of an emergency.
Overall, the ARWS live tracking technology enhances the race experience for spectators while helping to ensure the safety of all participants.
The Championship will use these Mandatory Equipment Rules
Garmin GPS watches with Adventure Racing Mode are the only AR World Series approved GPS watches and can be used at ARWC if registered and supervised with the race Referees. (No other GPS enabled watches are permitted.)
The Championship will be adjudicated by 3 official AR World Series Referees and use the Adventure Racing World Series Rules of Competition.