Initial team list:
1. TEAM AVAYA (ARWS 2022 World Champions)
1. Nathan Fa’avae – New Zealand
2. Chris Forne – New Zealand
3. Stuart Lynch – New Zealand
4. Sophie Hart – New Zealand
2. TEAM: (Winner Legends Expedition Race 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
3. TEAM: (Winner Adventure Race Croatia 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
4. TEAM: (Winner Expedition Canada 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
5. TEAM: (Winner PC12 Adventure Race 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
6. TEAM: (Winner Endless Mountains Adventure Race 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
7. TEAM: (Winner Adventure Race Malaysia 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
8. TEAM: (Winner Huairasinchi 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
9. TEAM: (Winner Nordic Islands Adventure Race)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
10. TEAM: (Winner Expedicion Guarani 2023)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
11. TEAM (Winner ARWS Europe Regional Series 2022)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
12. TEAM CHIPESTI (Winner ARWS Oceania Regional Series 2022)
1. Chris White – Australia
2. Sarah White – Australia
3. Luke Smythe- Australia
4. Mark Costin – Australia
13. TEAM MERRELL SONGLINES: (Winner ARWS Africa Regional Series 2022)
1. Kelvin Trautman – South Africa
2. John Collins – South Africa
3. Jess Pollock – South Africa
4. Lance Kime – South Africa
14. TEAM: (Winner ARWS South America Regional Series 2022)
1. TBC
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
15. TEAM LUCKY (Winner ARWS North America Regional Series 2022)
1. TBC – U.S.A
2. TBC – U.S.A.
3. TBC – U.S.A.
4. TBC – U.S.A.
16. TEAM TRUFFLE HUNTERS
1. Damon de Boor – South Africa
2. Franco Olivier – South Africa
3. Andrea von Holdt – South Africa
4. Juan Oosthuizen – South Africa
17. TEAM UK ADVENTURERS
1. Kevin Stephens – United Kingdom
2. James Lea-Cox - United Kingdom
3. Shelly Plumb - United Kingdom
4. Joe Selby - United Kingdom
18. TEAM TRUFFLE SHUFFLERS
1. Kim Brown – South Africa
2. Richard Brown – South Africa
3. Clive O Sullivan - Ireland
4. Piers Pirow – South Africa
19. TEAM BEACON AR 1
1. Adam Rose - United Kingdom
2. Peter Daplyn - United Kingdom
3. Helen Chapman - United Kingdom
4. Kane Magee - United Kingdom
20. TEAM BEACON AR 2
1. Andrew Wayland - United Kingdom
2. Ross Phillips - United Kingdom
3. Aimee Looker - United Kingdom
4. Andrew Woodhouse - United Kingdom
21. TEAM BURN
1. Andre Morkel - Australia
2. Joel Tate - Australia
3. Maria Leijerstam - Australia
4. TBC
22. TEAM WE WILL SURVIVE
1. Brenda Carlson-Brown – U.S.A
2. Michelle Faucher – U.S.A
3. TBC
4. TBC
23. TEAM ENDURANCELIFE AR
1. Gary Davies – United Kingdom
2. Nicola Macleod – United Kingdom
3. Bruce Duncan – United Kingdom
4. Mark Chryssanthou - United Kingdom
24. TEAM ENDURANCELIFE
1. Ben Turner – United Kingdom
2. Natalie Taylor – United Kingdom
3. Tom Gibbs – United Kingdom
4. Tom Davies - United Kingdom
25. TEAM EXPEDITION CANADA BC WILD
1. Nathalie Long – Canada
2. Loic Letailleur - Canada
3. Peter Watson - Canada
4. Danny Chamberland - Canada
26. TEAM AFTERWORK ATHLETES
1. Daniel Murphy - Australia
2. Helen Murphy - Australia
3. TBC
4. TBC
27. TEAM FEAR
1. Dean Stewart – New Zealand
2. Molly Spark - New Zealand
3. Mike Mitchell - New Zealand
4. TBC
28. TEAM WILD WARRIORS
1. Steve Horth - Canada
2. Jean-Francois Poltras - Canada
3. Nathalie Bergeron - Canada
4. Cindy Joublin - Canada
29. TEAM THISABILITY
1. Phillip Dodd – U.S.A
2. Andrea Anderson – U.S.A
3. Caitlin Thorn – U.S.A
4. Luis Fernando Becdach – Ecuador
30. TEAM KIWAMI ADVENTURE
1. Stéphane Logerot – France
2. Guilaume Lepors – France
3. Gwenael Sesboue – France
4. Linda Guinoiseau – France
31. TEAM CATRAID
1. David Salamó – Spain
2. Glòria Sobrero Muñoz – Spain
3. Xavi Rodriquez Verdes – Spain
4. Andrià Vall Verdaguer – Spain
32. TEAM DELIRIOUS
1. Sanet Prinsloo-Theron – South Africa
2. Carina Barker – South Africa
3. Jaco Cromhout – South Africa
4. TBC
33. TEAM DAR DINGLE
1. Noel O Leary – Ireland
2. Ailise Deane – Ireland
3. Kevin O Brien – Ireland
4. Caroline Bullard – United Kingdom
34. TEAM ALPY
1. Maillard Ludovic – France
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
35. TEAM AGDE ABSOLU SPIRIT
1. Jean-Paul Ferrier-Lafargue – France
2. Alexandre Besson – France
3. Hélène Garnier – France
4. TBC
36. TEAM UBJEJANE
1. Tim Jones – South Africa
2. Dave Zimmerman – South Africa
3. Viera Wagener – Slovakia
4. Magnus Wagener – South Africa
37. TEAM GONE RACING
1. Pieter van der Westhuizen – South Africa
2. Dallas Fenthum – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
38. TEAM ADEORUN
1. Laura Perillaud – France
2. Daniel Dupouy – France
3. Rémi Crete – France
4. Yannick Renier – France
39. TEAM RUSTPROOF
1. Steven Burnett – South Africa
2. Albert Rust – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
40. TEAM VERTICAL 3 OKIRA
1. Iñaki Fernadez Gomez – Spain
2. Mercedes Cuesta Santamaria – Spain
3. Arturo Guillermo Herrera de León – Spain
4. Ezequiel Morales – Spain
41. TEAM BLOED EN OMO
1. Abel Van der Merwe – South Africa
2. Anna Kotze – South Africa
3. Nico Labuschagne – South Africa
4. Bertus Labuschagne – South Africa
42. TEAM FREEDOM
1. Chris Fisher – South Africa
2. Julia Fisher – South Africa
3. Tim Deane – South Africa
4. TBC
43. TEAM IKIGAI
1. Leandro Le Roux – South Arica
2. Danie Leonard – South Africa
3. Willie Van Niekerk – South Africa
4. Lasqueve Raubenheimer – South Africa
44. TEAM BUCKET OF HOPE
1. Alwyn van der Merwe – South Africa
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
45. TEAM HAD THE BISCUIT
1. Ico Schutte – South Africa
2. Kristy Jones – South Africa
3. Naomi Brand – South Africa
4. Xavier Briel – South Africa
46. TEAM ABSELURAID CAPGANGUISE
1. Chiara Casari – France
2. Lionel Villeneuve – France
3. Yannick Perrin – France
4. Johann Thomas – France
47. TEAM NORTHERN ADVENTURE TEAM
1. Lauri Hollo – Finland
2. Jerry Aunula – Finland
3. Lauri Heinaro – Finland
4. Kaisa Saarimaa - Finland
48. TEAM ADDICTEDTOADVENTURE.CO.ZA
1. Joléne Matthysen – South Africa
2. Thinus Matthysen – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
49. TEAM MERIDIANO RAID
1. Antonio De La Rosa – Spain
2. Jesús Bermejo – Spain
3. Lucia Funes Mendez – Spain
4. Pablo Samper – Spain
50. TEAM CARTO AVALLON
1. Joel Martin – France
2. Pauline Collado – France
3. Cyril Margaritis – France
4. TBC
51. TEAM PEAK PURSUIT
1. Benjamin Kwiatkowski – Canada
2. Thomas Hardy – Canada
3. Jasper Edge – Canada
4. Elora Van Jarrett – Canada
52. TEAM OOSRAND SKOLLIES
1. Christiaan Marais – South Africa
2. Vian van der Westhuizen – South Africa
3. John Wessels – South Africa
4. Arina van der Westhuizen– South Africa
53. TEAM RED ANTS ADVENTURE RACING
1. David Barkhuisen – South Africa
2. Nicky Booyens – South Africa
3. Tiaan Fullard – South Africa
4. Brian Gardner – South Africa
54. TEAM KELTOI
1. Felipe Peña Pita – Spain
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
55. TEAM OX4
1. Chris Pretorius – South Africa
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
56. TEAM SPIRIT LITE
1. William Hitchon – Canada
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. Hannah Simms - Canada
57. TEAM ANDES ECUADOR UK
1. Daniela Costa Tobar – Ecuador
2. Nick Gracie – United Kingdom
3. Felipe Munchmeyer – Ecuador
4. Luis Flores – Ecuador
58. TEAM SHNAZEN HAZEN
1. Francois Jooste – South Africa
2. Luzanne du Preez – South Africa
3. Jan Hiddema – South Africa
4. Jaco Smith – South Africa
59. TEAM CRAFTY DIVILS
1. James Connolly – Ireland
2. Lorraine Horan – Ireland
3. Jimmy Nyhan – Ireland
4. TBC
60. TEAM WIND WARRIORS
1. Kirsti Still – South Africa
2. Andrew Hutchinson – South Africa
3. Cally Still – South Africa
4. Glen Cuthbert – South Africa
61. TEAM NAMAQUA
1. Danie van Aswegen – Namibia
2. Alwyn Maass – South Africa
3. Riaan Combrinck – South Africa
4. Maretha Combrinck – South Africa
62. TEAM URUGUAY ULTRA SPORT
1. Ruben Manduré – Uruguay
2. Federica Frontini – Uruguay
3. Gonzalo Smaldone – Uruguay
4. TBC
63. TEAM TBC
1. Meyer van Rooyen – South Africa
2. Hanlie Sinclair – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
64. TEAM SLOWVELDERS
1. Harry Wiltshire – South Africa
2. Stephan Pinker – South Africa
3. Megan Anderson – South Africa
4. Wihan Jacobs – South Africa
65. TEAM PINEGOLD
1. Garth Peinke – South Africa
2. Don Sims – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
66. TEAM WITH NO NAME
1. Josh Hayman – South Africa
2. Daryl Wittstock – South Africa
3. Surette Malherbe – South Africa
4. Sally Hayman – South Africa
67. TEAM NO NAME
1. Dewald van Wyk – South Africa
2. Rhys Foster – South Africa
3. Jo Mackenzie – South Africa
4. TBC
68. TEAM GYMCITY AR
1. Mateusz Talanda – Poland
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
69. TEAM BUCO ADVENTURE
1. James Stewart – South Africa
2. Jeff Willcocks – South Africa
3. Svelka Sharp – South Africa
4. Woit Orzecowski – South Africa
70. TEAM RIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
1. Carin Goldblatt – Israel
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
71. TEAM XPD HOLLAND I
1. Paul van der Veer – Holland
2. Jeroen Meijer – Holland
3. Martijn van Iersel – Holland
4. TBC
72. TEAM ADVENTURELIFE
1. Terence Vrugtman – South Africa
2. Michael Antony Benci – South Africa
3. Jason Gradwell – South Africa
4. TBC
73. TEAM XPD HOLLAND II
1. Rens Rijnbeek – Holland
2. Daniel van de Venne – Holland
3. Stijn Rijnbeek – Holland
4. Marie Louise ter Horst – Holland
74. TEAM CYANOISIS
1. Clint Mackintosh– South Africa
2. Nicholas Mulder – South Africa
3. Grant Ross – South Africa
4. Tracey Cambell – South Africa
75. TEAM MOUNTAIN MAMMOTH AR
1. Helen Kernohan – South Africa
2. Damian Giulietti – South Africa
3. Russell Meyer-Wilson – South Africa
4. David Palmer – South Africa
76. TEAM HEINEKEN AR
1. Adrian Saffy – South Africa
2. Peter van Kets – South Africa
3. Craig Powel – South Africa
4. Janneke Leask – South Africa
77. TEAM GEARSHOP
1. Rachel Baker – New Zealand
2. James Gilchrist – New Zealand
3. TBC
4. TBC
78. TEAM ALPHAADVENTURE
1. Danz Meyes – Switzerland
2. Mona Stockhecke – Switzerland
3. Marco Ponteri – Italy
4. TBC
79. TEAM CZECH OLD DOGS AR TEAM
1. Marek Navrátil – Czech Republic
2. Pavel Stryncl – Czech Republic
3. Michal Horacek – Czech Republic
4. Katerina Mateju – Czech Republic
80. TEAM PLETT ADVENTURE RACING
1. Drew Scott – South Africa
2. Petrus Maree – South Africa
3. Jeanette Wylie – South Africa
4. Martin Fraser-Mackenzie – South Africa
81. TEAM ASIJIKI
1. Stefano Migliore – South Africa
2. Charles Martell – South Africa
3. Chris Baisch – South Africa
4. Anne Other – South Africa
82. TEAM MARELD AR
1. Kati Vehmas – Finland
2. Joni Haataja – Finland
3. Juha Prittinen – Finland
4. TBC
83. TEAM MOXI RACERS
1. Sarah Galligan – Ireland
2. Brian Keogh – Ireland
3. Keith Cullen – Ireland
4. Paddy Ward – Ireland
84. TEAM IP68
1. Dominique Provoyeur – South Africa
2. Alec Rust – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
85. TEAM BELGIUM
1. Daniel Masy – Belgium
2. Patrice Renson – Belgium
3. Séverine Vandermeulen – Belgium
4. Emma Desforges – Belgium
86. TEAM RAF
1. Jamie Buckle – United Kingdom
2. Laura Frowen - United Kingdom
3. TBC
4. TBC
87. TEAM ALPINE AVENGERS
1. Dave Schloss – Australia
2. Elizabeth Dornam – Australia
3. TBC
4. TBC
88. TEAM SWEATY BETTY’S
1. Nikki Smit – South Africa
2. Michelle Powel – South Africa
3. Michelle Schlebusch – South Africa
4. Janine Linder – South Africa
89. TEAM WILD TRAIL
1. Marina Maksimchuk
2. Anton Zhilin
3. Dinara Idrisova
4. Alexander Kudryavtsev
90. TEAM WIEGEEOM
1. Schoonraad Liebenberg – South Africa
2. Reghardt Pretorius – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
91. TEAM BLACK 8 MAMBA
1. Christine Alencar Costa Moreira – Brazil
2. Douglass Elias da Costa – Brazil
3. Anderson Abrantes – Brazil
4. Frederico Frigeri – Brazil
92. TEAM BLACK HILL
1. Jaroslav Krajník – Czech Republic
2. Tereza Rudolfová – Czech Republic
3. Tomáš Petreček – Czech Republic
4. Pavel Kurz – Czech Republic
93. TEAM JABBERWOCK
1. Craig Metherell – South Africa
2. Cobus van Zyl – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
94. TEAM VAC ULTRA SPORTS
1. Vincent Meyer – Germany
2. Angelus Meyer – Germany
3. TBC
4. TBC
95. TEAM VIDARAID
1. Urtzi Iglesias Mota – Spain
2. Jon Ander Arambalza Valverde – Spain
3. TBC
4. TBC
96. TEAM BOA – BRAZIL OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
1. Pedro Lavinas – Brazil
2. Filipe Neves – Brazil
3. Yara Yamaguchi – Brazil
4. Diogo de Sordi – Brazi
97. TEAM OZARK
1. Danny Collins – U.S.A
2. Jason Bettis – U.S.A
3. TBC
4. TBC
98. TEAM CROATIA FULL OF LIFE
1. Tomislav Katalenic – Croatia
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
99. TEAM MALACARA RACE BRAZIL
1. Benito Brocca – Brazil
2. Marcelo Klein - Brazil
3. Luiza Ramos – Brazil
4. Marciel Soares – Brazil
100. TEAM SNOWDOG TRAILTEAM.PL
1. Kuba Zwolinski – Poland
2. Malgorzata Czeczott – Poland
3. Mateusz Niedbala – Poland
4. Artur Kurek – Poland
101. TEAM CANAD’EH SAFARI
1. Curtis Johnson Morrison – Canada
2. Riley De Blonde – Canada
3. Anthony Hlynka – Canada
4. Nick Evans – Canada
102. TEAM VALMO RAID
1. Nicolas Leclercq – France
2. Nicolas Coisy – France
3. Frederique Stoezel – France
4. Julien Rannou – France
103. TEAM BASECAMP
1. Owen Boyhan – Ireland
2. Pat O’Callaghan – Ireland
3. Pól Ó Murchú – Ireland
4. Yasmin Kenny – Ireland
104. TEAM TERA MATER
1. Robert Le Brun – South Africa
2. Carine Gagiano – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
105. TEAM NIAR ADVENTURE
1. Staffan Björklund – Sweden
2. Sonny Peterson – Sweden
3. Johanna Edman – Sweeden
4. Rickard Norlin – Sweden
106. TEAM SWEDISH ARMED FORCES
1. John Karlsson – Sweden
2. Malin Hjalmarsson – Sweden
3. Oskar Svard – Sweden
4. TBC
107. TEAM MERREL
1. Graham Bird – South Africa
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
108. TEAM BIG BOOTS
1. Adrian Bennett -United Kingdom
2. Julian Bennett – United Kingdom
3. Chris Crane – U.S.A
4. Mattie Crane – France
109. TEAM DANGER ZONE
1. Owen Gandar – South Africa
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
110. TEAM ESTONIA ACE / LASPORTIVA
1. Silver Eensaar – Estonia
2. Rain Eensaar – Estonia
3. Timmo Tammemae – Estonia
4. Reeda Tuula-Fjodorov - Estonia
111. TEAM TO BE CONTINUED
1. Gary TownseNd – South Africa
2. Patrick Willcock – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
112. TEAM BEND RACING
1. Daniel Staudigel – U.S.A
2. Emily Caseria – U.S.A
3. Dusty Caseria – U.S.A
4. Lebn Lovejoy – U.S.A
113. TEAM SILICE ITACA AVENTURA
1. Esther Pizarro Carral – Spain
2. Agustin Bote Viera – Spain
3. Dairo Alvano Casademunt – Spain
4. TBC
114. TEAM ROCKET
1. Jan Meiring – South Africa
2. Jacob Arnoldus Schoeman – South Africa
3. Johan Fouche – South Africa
4. Lizanne Meiring – South Africa
115. TEAM TEENEK MEXICO
1. Jorge Mendiola – Mexico
2. Ulises Gonzalez – Mexico
3. Tomas Hernandez – Mexico
4. Molly Houseman – U.S.A
116. TEAM COSTA RICA PURA VIDA
1. Melida Barbee – Costa Rica
2. Alexander Baker – Costa Rica
3. Marco Gamboa – Costa Rica
4. Gerhard Linner – Costa Rica
117. TEAM BEND RACING CANADA
1. Alexandre Provost – Canada
2. Karine Corbeil – Canada
3. Jean-Yves Dionne – Canada
4. TBC
118. TEAM DREAM KIDS
1. Danie Steyn – South Africa
2. Everd Vermeulen – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
119. TEAM BRAZIL MULTISPORT
1. Camila Nicolau – Brazil
2. Guilherme Pahl – Brazil
3. Jonas Junckes – Brazil
4. Thiago Bonini – Brazil
120. TEAM BEND RACING USA
1. Jason Magness – U.S.A
2. Chelsey Magness – U.S.A
3. Daniel Staudigel – U.S.A
4. TBC
121. TEAM NATURAL STATE
1. Jeremy Rose – U.S.A
2. Jessy Heard – U.S.A
3. Summer Reighn – U.S.A
4. Madelins Klay – U.S.A
122. TEAM ESTONIAN ACE ADVENTURE TACTICAL FOODPACK
1. Lauri Tammemäe – Estonia
2. Piibe Tammemäe – Estonia
3. TBC
4. TBC
123. TEAM ON SIGHT
1. Krzysztof Lakomiec – Poland
2. Rafal Adametz – Poland
3. Piotr Kryszak – Poland
4. Paula Korowaj – Poland
124. TEAM BLIZZARD
1. Evgeny Pochaev
2. Igor Manzhay
3. TBC
4. TBC
125. GREENER ADVENTURE TEAM
1. Jonas Andersson – Sweden
2. Marika Wagner – Sweden
3. Nicolai Oien Nielsen – Denmark
4. Simon Niemi
126. TEAM STRONG MACHINE AR
1. Cliff White – United States of America
2. Kit Vreeland – United States of America
3. Evan Moreshead – United States of America
4. Scott Cocks – Canada
127. TEAM TO BE DECIDED LATER
1. Tomas Diaz – United States of America
2. TBC
3. TBC
4. TBC
128. TEAM PACKRAFT ECUADOR
1. Santiago López – Ecuador
2. Mateo Ponce – Ecuador
3. Francisco Navarro – Ecuador
4. Karina Neumann – Ecuador
129. TEAM PIONEERS SVEXA
1. Mikael Mattsson – United States of America
2. Olof Hedberg – United States of America
3. Whitney Hedberg – United States of America
4. Tommy Ivarsson – Sweden
130. TEAM BAD MACHINE
1. Mark Human – South Africa
2. Erik Vermeulen – South Africa
3. Grant Frewen – South Africa
4. Esme Heydenrych – South Africa
131. TEAM SALT. PLETTENBERG BAY
1. Wojtek Orzechowski – South Africa
2. Steph le Roux – South Africa
3. Andrew Blommie – South Africa
4. Monica Taylor – South Africa
132. TEAM ANTIMATTER
1. Uge Nel – South Africa
2. Costa Dimopoulos – South Africa
3. Mark Loftus – South Africa
4. TBC
133. TEAM XANGO KRASS
1. Enrico Frigeri – Brazil
2. Diones Machado – Brazil
3. Paula Mesquita – Brazil
4. Matheus Silva – Brazil
134. TEAM LIFE EXPÉRIENCE
1. Hadjian Stéphane – France
2. Derouch Daphné – France
3. Léon Diego – Paraguay
4. TBC
135. TEAM SWECO ADVENTURE
1. Tomas Nordlander – Sweden
2. Mathias Carling – Sweden
3. Clarens Olsson – Sweden
4. TBC
136. TEAM EUSKAI RAID
1. Benat Doyharzabal – Spain
2. Maitane Garmendia – Spain
3. Imanol Garaizabal – Spain
4. Aitor Otamendi – Spain
137. TEAM EASTWIND
1. Yoki Tanaka – Japan
2. Akira Yonemoto – Japan
3. Toru Ogura – Japan
4. Risa Kamiya – Japan
138. TEAM WARRIORS ACADEMY
1. Ruan Viljoen – South Africa
2. Renske Viljoen – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
139. TEAM NEVAREST
1. Jonathan Ham – South Africa
2. Emily Clarke – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
140. TEAM PATHFINDERS
1. Martin Smith – South Africa
2. Joel Smith – South Africa
3. TBC
4. TBC
141. TEAM NSA
1. Deon van der Westhuizen – South Africa
2. Renier Hugo – South Africa
3. Elize van der Westhuizen – South Africa
4. Lawrence Jacobs – South Africa
142. TEAM ANGIRU
1. Saul Jara – Paraguay
2. Guillermo Medina – Paraguay
3. Oscar Centurión – Paraguay
4. TBC
143. TEAM LIFE EXPERIENCE ONE
1. Christophe Guibbal – France
2. Guillaume Mathurin – France
3. Alais Jacquermet – France
4. TBC
144. TEAM 400TEAM GIVAUDAN
1. Raichon Sebastien – France
2. Beranger Sandrine – France
3. Poméon Jean Noel – France
4. Bajard Quentin - France
Has Bend cloned Daniel S?
who will win the battle of the machines? (Strong Machine vs Bad Machine)
Let's fire up the big-screens and get this dot-watching party started!!! Teams are getting set to go. Any bets on who will take the title home? So many possibilities without a clear standout expected winner for first time in a while.
Bend has been impressive lately. I’m interested to see how they fare in a post-Avaya Worlds field.
Seems silly to bet against Chris Forne regardless of who is on the team.
My top 5 prediction:
1. Estonia Ace (i think they are fired up for this ARWC, after a few close ARWC races in the last few years)
2. Vidaraid
3. SAFAT
4. Tiki Tour
5. Songlines
Plenty other good teams to fight for the top 10, so lets see!
Bit disappointed that Exp Africa haven't upgraded their tracking site a little more for ARWC. I was hoping that they might have topographical maps / race maps layer one could switch on and off... similar to what has been done in may other ARWS and ARWC races.
Anyway, for anyone wanting to see the topographical maps that the racers are using, check out this website to zoom in and out on all the topo maps -
https://htonl.dev.openstreetmap.org/ngi-tiles/#9/-... (Helps to have 2 screens to have the topo and tracking up at the same time!)
I see the race maps are now available for download as well:
https://pirbtech.com/maps/MAP_With%20Tags.pdf
Teams receive leg maps in transition and have to transpose CPs to their maps from a master map. Could create issues in the later stages.
For future reference- Leg 5 has a dark zone between 19h00 and 5h00. Race is +6 hrs from EDT.
How's the tracking working for you guys? I don't get any updated GPS locations unless I reload the page.
Agree with the disappointed sentiment with regard to the tracking. It's simply not up to par with some of the more modern stuff in use in other recent races. Features like trail mail, additional map layers (esp. racer maps), event replay (going to want this after I sleep tonight), team tails, selectable team groups or a way to only follow your own group of teams (Fav's, etc.), and more are all missing.
On a related note, I'm not inclined to complain about the traffic log-jam that slowed tracking performance; I think that's to be expected and probably hard to plan adequately for when the race has so many teams and countries (= fans poking around) and teams on the field (= tracking dots to process). Would you plan for double the bandwidth of your last big race? Triple? 10x? 100x? Really hard to know what's right and the investment in bandwidth is not inexpensive.
MHT: The site does update automatically without refresh, but only if there's adequate bandwidth...which it seems to have now at around 10pm ET, while all the SA & European fans and race staff are likely checked out for a while.
There's also a simplified interface for the tracker, without leaderboard but seems to be more stable -
https://www.expafrica.co.za/map/arwc2023.html(from
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0... )
Seems they have just migrated the entire tracking to the Opentracking platform.
https://live.opentracking.com/arwc2023/You'll be redirected automatically!
Clearly the old school Exp Africa tracking couldn't handle the traffic load.
Holy moly...this is amazing...
https://live.opentracking.com/arwc2023Not sure how they pulled this off with the race in progress, but major kudos to whomever.
Perfect!
Top 5 so far:
Estonia
SAFAT- (the top 3 are within spitting distance and interchanging spots)
400team
Absuluraid Capganguise
Merrel Songlines
6-10: Any of these teams are positioned to pounce at the first sign of trouble from the top 5
BendRacing
Vidaraid
Endurance
Fear Youth
Brazil MultiSport
TikiTour - notably not in the top 10, not up front. If this is part of the stategy, it appears to me they are allowing the top 5 teams a lot of slack to get out front.
There is a ton of race left including coming up on the first dark zone. That will shake things up a bit, for sure.
dot-watching for a bit CP 30 is providing some interesting route decisions by the chase groups!! The next 12 -18 hrs will be interesting!
Definitely an improvement with the website.
Not sure hammering to the dark zone put-in was the wisest choice for the top teams. Teams that are confident in their abilities would have been able to determine how to get there in time for a few hours rest without added fatigue and then start up with the leaders in the am.
Tiki Tour is currently shown off the anticipated route.
What do we think the swedes are up to?......
Alternate route off the tops, along farm roads?
CP39 coming up was mentioned as a possible trouble spot for teams by the RD on the DarkZone podcast. Curious to see if these lead teams get tripped up by it.
CP37 is interesting. 10pm central time. Bend is approaching
With Bend making the DZ cutoff the top 6 will be separated considerably. Anyone have a sense of the sleep situation for those teams? I think I heard that Estonia had 2.5, SAFAT had 1.5, and 400 has none?
I've heard little on the sleep management of different teams...definitely will be a factor until the end.
Looks like they all got some much needed sleep at TA6, Safat out first but then all 5 of the next top teams were there together. I bet Bend slept a little on that trek or at one of the previous ta’s but don’t think it could have been very much based on the spread. I’m sure they were pushing hard to make that cutoff and only had 30 minutes to spare in the end. Hopefully they get some good sleep tonight (I would guess 2-3hrs) and get up ready for a long steady push on the bikes. I would be surprised if we don’t see at least one of these top 6 teams fall apart some before the end.
I think tomorrow we will see a lot of teams have dropped or been short coursed after the intense weather and that punishing trek. Race estimate for that trek was 17 hrs, top teams all took around 24 or more.
Now everyone is out of ta6 except Bend, but they haven’t updated in 35m so it’s possible the have moved but I doubt it. Safat about 1hr30m ahead of ace
Lebnjay: just a language note with respect to this race and RD...Stephan dislikes any reference to teams on a "short" course or any other name variation that makes their effort seem less than that of those who complete the "full" course. This is why there is no such language in the route book or elsewhere. "Alternate" course is his preferred language and is in formal use here, but will also be applied to any team that misses a checkpoint by choice or by circumstance (weather, injury, etc.). The rules include clear guidance about ranking (page 8 here
https://pirbtech.com/maps/EA_2023_RACE_BOOK.pdf) for those teams that miss checkpoints, but none of them are labeled as on a short course. I think I like this thinking, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around it after many years of awareness of it. I'm pretty sure this is in close alignment with he and Heidi's ethos of always providing a supportive and positive racing environment...as Heidi says frequently, it's all about LOVE. No criticism intended here; merely hoping to share a unique perspective.
I'll be interested to see how Vidaraid do in the next 24-36 hours, as they had a full nights sleep last night on the paddle darkzone. Seems they found a farm house too, so if it was a warm and restful sleep, they will have good energy for the next leg. I expect they might be too far behind, but could catch a team or two...
So awesome to see our SA team Songlines right there. I expected a good race from them, and they are delivering! Go Songlines!!
@brian - Just been listening to Jason's view on this on the Bend Racing podcast. Race book clearly states that dark zone sleep needs to be taken on the river bank, so fairly controversial that Vidaraid trekked 1km away from the river to get proper sleep at a farmhouse. Would make a huge difference compared to other teams around them freezing on the river's edge for the entire night!
@stijn - interesting. I hadn't checked the race book properly! Lets see what happens...
Brent talked about this a couple of times. The 200 meter rules seems to be because of concerns for property owners and not interfering.
What happens though if the farmer invites a team into their house?
It will be good to get clarification from the referee and RD on it.
And there you go... Vidaraid has caught Bend and Songlines...
ARWS finally posted about the penalties to be served at TA9.
Brazil Multisport has 2-hrs to wait.
Vidaraid does get a 2-hr penalty for leaving the river bank during the paddle, but already served 1hr 20mins while waiting at TA7 for bike boxes.
And the big news for team 400, they missed CP26 days ago. It's going to be a tight race for 5th place between Bend/Merrell/ABSOLURAID and the teams charging in behind them.
Dotwatching has been a wild ride for the last 5 days. Wondering what I will find when I wake up tomorrow morning! At this point, I think that Vidaraid might just pull off 2nd place. They will have daylight for the trek where they'll be battling it out with the Estonians.
This race is just totally bonkers! And NOT in a "wow, this is dangerous or unfair or ridiculously complicated" way. It's just LONG and difficult in a really impressively fair way. 100+ hours in, every single team is struggling, including all the lead teams. Check out the spaghetti that SAFAT is drawing for all the dot watchers on the final trek through the dunes!!!!
If 400 missed a CP, Vidaraid has 3rd place in hand (barring disaster, etc). Appears they are both in TA, but Estonia is sleeping possibly. Soooo.... can Vidaraid challenge for 2nd place?
Eastwind - yay...they are running a great race; they have been steady and if they hold up, will make a very respectable top 15 - 20 !! Go Eastwind.
Vidaraid has to service 40 minutes of their penalty. I imagine seeing Estonia put some pep in their transition step For sure can challenge for 2nd
@Snacky...ugh, didn't see that until now, but it sure looks official. I'm sure the story will come out soon. They have slowed up quite a bit in the last couple stages and are probably feeling demoralized with teams passing them among whatever else they are dealing with.
I believe the sun if up in SA now (7:25 am?). I wonder how much the wind is messing with the lead teams on the dunes
Congrats to SAFAT!!! although they are not quite to the finish (2-3k) , Im headed to bed and hope they are too, for some well deserved rest....They are fun to watch and great champs.
Estonia had a terrible time in the early morning - Vidaraid has blown past them and is virtually sprinting in to the finish. Estonia should have a big enough buffer to hold off Brazil for 3rd. 5th will be interesting with Bend having a decent gap on a group of teams, but still 8-12 hours of racing left for them.
Maybe it's recency bias, but this has been as enthralling a WC as I can remember!
This has been very good but I still think Costa Rica is the high mark. The finish to this one reminds me of the finish to Exp Africa in 2012 I think when heavy fog locked in the top of a plateau just a few kms from the finish making it impossible to find the route down and teams searched for hours to find it.
@JayXC, was that the one where there were all those issues with compasses going haywire because of something magnetic in the rock?
Can Bend hang on to fifth? It's a dead heat from TA9 but the French have the momentum.
Does anyone know what the alternate leg 9 (red route) is all about? It doesn't seem appreciably shorter than the original leg 9 - maybe easier terrain/nav?
The red line is for team that don't leave TA7 before Wednesday 13H00. They skip Trek8 and get to enjoy two monster bike legs back-to-back.
Let's go Bend! Going to be close for 5th. Going to come down to who can make it with less sleep/better night nav for the final leg.
Okay. I think I get it - it combines trek 8 and Bike 9 into a long, slightly more direct bike leg.
Like you said awentz...typing simultaneously.
The darkness in the dunes will be a challenge for both of them. Maybe there are elephant tracks, but even this isn't a given with the wind and moving sands.
Hard to really call it, but it looks Bend had found a new gear after falling back a bit, and now they are ahead by a bit.
Dan serve up a double dose of 4 hour energy? Looks like bend is done drafting and making their move.
I hope the nav stays strong
Why have the French turned around?
Did they miss co 69?
Go Eastwind!
Go Bend! They definitely picked up the pace, and if they hold on... can make the official top 5. will be headed toward 71 in darkness, and need to spike it cleanly.
Sand in someone's eye? Need help?
Brazil Multisport should be finishing very soon. They are such a positive energy team; I highly recommend watching them arrive if you can. Guarantee that Gui and Camila will elicit your own emotions around the power and pain of this race.
Uhm, is Bend circling in the sand just beyond CP70?
“The other vegetation boundary! The other one!!!”
Looks like they're sleeping for a bit, rather than sprinting home.
Ugh - Bend appears to have pulled the plug and is beelining for camp.
Maybe they are aiming to sleep for a bit at the lodge and then head back out to complete the course? That's totally legal! Please Please PLEASE do this you amazing shattered people
Holy cow...is it possible they are just taking this longer route to avoid any more walking in the dunes?
So stressful, cannot make sense of why they are going that way. There is an alternate route that is all trail, but much longer than the other way.
I can imagine BOTH Magness twins literally screaming at their screens right now...FEAR Youth is doing something blunder-ey in the dark at the start of this trek, too.
Oooohhhh....Bend might really be going around! Maybe. Hopefully. GAAHHHHH!!!
Anyone else notice that all teams still on course are approaching 140 hours of racing? In fact, I don't think any of them can finish is less time than that.
Holy shnikeys! They ARE going around.
Now, the question is can they get there before Expenature?
Meanwhile, Endurancelife Red seems to have lost the plot. Maybe it's both dark and foggy?
They had built such a comfortable gap from expenature, they are certainly keeping things exciting for us.
That video of fear youth in the last ta was brutal, they are shattered. But looks like they are sticking to the road instead of the trail. Maybe slightly easier on feet.
In the satellite imagery, the trails ahead of Bend at the moment appear a bit more confounding and possibly indistinct than is shown on the race maps, which indicate a single trail with some bends.
As an aside, I agree with JayXC. "Meanwhile back in the mangroves..." :) And 2012 was SO stressful.
Well, Bend navigated past the trail junction mess, but now they appear to be off the trail shown on the map. Will this route go through efficiently?
So, looks like Bend has been passed by Expenature. Will they recover soon? Will they get so bogged down that they are passed by TracktheRace, who is closing in as well? This reminds me of last night with Estonia just before CP71. Ugh.
Dang....they must be in the hurt locker , no doubt.
Expenature is taking the Endurancelife Red detour...thank you. Now, come on Bend!
Just realizing that the sun came up almost 2 hours ago...so maybe there is fog?
A little further back, Fear Youth is just entering the twilight zone part of the dunes.
Bend just popped back up directly South of the CP...did they get it already (during the ~30 min tracker blackout) or are they just heading North to it now?
Bummer, it was the latter option. Anyway, GOOOOOO! It might be possible to catch up with Expenature if they bobble again, however unlikely.
FearYouth has decided to go bush bashing straight North to CP71. Is this going to end up just like Estonia yesterday in this area? I sure hope not.
Well, at least Bend chose the correct trail at the junction before CP76 where Endurancelife Red and Expenature went walkabout. Something to celebrate!
Fear Youth CP71...Not the traditional stay on the trails approach, but not a bad thought process. Then may have a little trouble one they closer to CP 71.
fear youth CP71 - with daylight help, they are moving right at it,...will they spike it?!?
Instagram live of Bend coming in to the finish now.
Penticton is just approaching the finish in ~22nd place. There's a big story to their race, as with every other team. Can't wait to cheer for them and read/hear race reports.
Hi all, thanks for following along. That was one long, tough course! It definitely seemed like a war of attrition in the mid-pack. The heat took a huge toll, and the storm on day/night 3 provided soul-sapping, dangerous cold. I'm going to get to work on a race report soon, will try to keep it under novel-length.
Well done and looking forward to reading the report!
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