Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 'up and running'

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Kiwi Teams take early lead as two day sea kayaking trial begins

The highly anticipated, six day, Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge - the ultimate outdoor endurance race being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council - successfully got underway with all 27 teams from 16 countries taking to the seas for a gruelling two day, 118 kilometre, sea kayaking trial.

Heavy fog failed to cloud the bright start to the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge - which incorporates a range of sporting disciplines, including trail running, camel hiking, rope works, mountain biking and desert and mountain adventure running - as the internationally assembled line up took their positions on Abu Dhabi Corniche first thing Sunday morning.

The two Kiwi teams, Eurosport and Orionhealth.com, were quickest of the mark and have continued to 'shine', setting the pace for all other competitors. Reaching the first check point at the signature Emirates Place Hotel in just 26 minutes, Team Eurosport were quickly followed by fellow countrymen, Orionhealth.com, who tagged the landing checkpoint two minutes after.

Not far behind, French-outfits, Lafuma Sport 2000 and Ertips, clocked up first stage times of 29 minutes, with another French team, Wilsa Hellyhansen, coming in after half an hour.

With the first, short checkpoint failing to separate the early leaders, teams fifth through tenth all hit the Emirates Palace shore within the next minute. Then, before day one's gruelling sea kayak expedition down the Abu Dhabi coastline, a clock-in at the first checkpoint had to be negotiated - with the New Zealand teams leading the way.

Speaking from the event's start line, Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which is organising the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, said: "Seeing all the teams from across the world lined up this morning was fantastic. This event is a gruelling test of skill and nerve across some of the most diverse landscapes ever undertaken on an endurance race. The natural assets of the UAE capital are on show, from Abu Dhabi's blue seas to the cascading dunes of Liwa desert, and the teams will need to muster every ounce of strength to navigate them."

The 27 teams - comprising mixed sex quartets - only had until 6pm to make it as far as they could down the coast towards Mirfa, with all outfits required to take a compulsory rest on one of five islands off the Al Dhabeia coast. Team Eurosport, followed by Orionhealth.com, should reach the furthest point when the evening's break is enforced, with any of the remaining top 10 teams making camp close by.

A 06:00 start and a further 10-14 hours of sea kayaking awaits the teams today (Monday), as they paddle the waters between Al Dhabeia and the traditional coastal town of Mirfa, before being bussed to Liwa for the third day's trial.

Wael Omar Al Shalabi, Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge's General Coordinator, praised the efforts of all involved in getting the event up and running: "To successfully see all 27 teams start this race and take to the sea is a massive achievement. We have been working around the clock with the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club and other partners to ensure the teams' safety throughout this challenge and look forward to meeting up with them on the first day's camp."

The public can keep track of all the teams' progression in real-time until the Al Ain finish on December 14th, by going to the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge's dedicated website - www.abudhabi-adventure.com. Each team is monitored by satellite via a GPS tracking facility and updated on the site.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is being jointly organised by ADTAADTA and Community, the French outdoor sport events management specialists with over 15 years global experience organising RAID challenges, and is primed to become a season ending fixture on the international Adventure Racing circuit.

The ADTAADTA is working closely with a plethora of governmental and commercial bodies to successfully stage the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge including, the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club, which will assist in the huge logistical requirements involved in staging an event of such magnitude, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, the Critical National Infrastructure Authority, Abu Dhabi Police, Boarders Guard, Civil Defence, and the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain municipalities

- Ends -

About the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge route
The Challenge begins with the teams taking to the water for a mammoth seven to 10 hour sea kayaking expedition where teams have a compulsory rest on one of five islands off the Al Dhabeia coast.

A 06:00 start and a further 10-14 hours of sea kayaking awaits the teams on day two, as they navigate the ocean between Al Dhabeia and the traditional coastal town of Mirfa, eventually clocking up 118 kilometres. The teams, officials and press will then be bussed to the second bivouac in the Liwa Desert.

Day three involves the teams running through the towering dunes to Al Batin in preparation for day four's camel trekking to the eastern Liwa Oasis village of Hamim, with conservative estimates putting the completion time between 25 and 30 hours over the two days.

The teams complete a gruelling mountain biking test on the Challenge's penultimate day taking them from Hamim to the picturesque town of Umm Azzimul, from where they will be transferred to the final camp in the desert hamlet of Mubazzarah.

A host of different disciplines are in store for the challengers on the final day with adventure running kick-starting proceedings, before mountain biking, a desert hike, cross orienteering, and rope and mountaineering activities end the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in Al Ain's historic Jahili Fort.

For further information, please contact:
Euan Megson/ Sam Dulka
MCS/Action, PO Box 20970, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Tel: +9714 390 2960
Fax: +9714 390 8161
Email: euan.m@actionprgroup.com / sam.d@actionprgroup.com
Or please log on to: www.abudhabi-adventure.com

© Press Release 2007