The next major adventure race of the season got underway here in the U.S. yesterday with the start of the 2014 edition of Untamed New England. The race, which pits 39 teams from 11 countries against one another, is approximately 200-miles in length, and will require about 4-days to complete. Along the way, it will take the coed teams of four through some of the most remote, wild, and beautiful backcountry that the eastern United States has to offer.
As usual with the sport of adventure racing, the three main disciplines of trail running, mountain biking, and paddling will take center stage. But the racers have already had to contend with some rappelling as well, and the prologue to the official start was a challenging orienteering course that tested the team’s navigational skills.
Untamed New England is being held in the 100 Mile Wilderness region, near Moosehead Lake, which is a prime spot for an adventure race of this calibre. The race is also part of the Adventure Racing World Series, and is serving as a qualifier for the AR World Championship being held in Ecuador this year.
After one day of racing, the Team Peak Performance of Sweden is out in front, and being chased their countrymen on Team Sweco Adventure, who are running in second place, although a considerable distance back at this point. Team France is in third, while Team Raidlight – also of France – and Team Columbia Vidaraid round out the top five.
The race will continue through Sunday, although the winners will probably reach the finish line sometime tomorrow, or early on Saturday. You can follow all the action at UntamedNE.com.
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