New and improved Adventure Marathon® Newsletter

We are proud to launch this very first edition of the new and improved Adventure Marathon® newsletter. With the increased interest in our adventurous races we have thought it fit to make a few changes in the newsletter. It will from now on be more extensive, more information-packed and appear more regularly. Also the Adventure Marathon â website has gone through a facelift and now appears fully equipped with comprehensive info on all the marathons, a blog and an 8 minute video covering the newly completed Great Wall Marathon®. Please check it all out at www.adventure-marathon.com.

The Great Wall Marathon® 2007
The Great Wall Marathon®, that took place on May 19, was, as some may already know, a great success this year. A race record of 1074 runners from 32 countries finished the marathon, half marathon 10K and 5K on the steep, gruelling steps of the Great Wall of China. Fastest of the marathoners was Spanish Salvador Calvo in an impressive time of 3:23:10. The first woman to cross the finish line was Sara Winter from New Zealand, who finished by 3:50:21. Both were new records on this challenging course.

The Great Wall Marathon® happened in a fabulous, festive atmosphere, and every participant, spectator and local resident was really psyched about the event. In the days up to the race the weather was not exactly ravishing. Cold winds, clouds and about 17 ° C made up the setting for the route inspection. On race day, however, the Tianjin province showed itself from its most attractive side: a clear sky, calm winds and 30 ° C. In other words, great weather for experiencing the beauty of the area and enjoying the laidback ambience after the race, but not so great running weather… But what does a little heat matter, if you get to run on a 2,000-year old wall with majestic views?

All runners had an extraordinary experience on the Wall, but retired policeman, 53-year old Gene Nichols, had an even more unusual stay in China. Gene has since his retirement grown an impressively long and white beard with long, white hair to match. In the days before the race, Gene was being invited to dinner in private homes, asked to appear in school classes and finding himself constantly surrounded by children cheering and hollering in Chinese. Gene was touched by the endless Chinese hospitality thinking that every tourist had the same experience, until he found out that the Chinese children, unaccustomed to beards in this extent, took him to be some kind of Messiah. Gene hardly ran a mile without being encircled by his small disciples.

The Red Cross Big Five Marathon® 2007 - on Saturday June 30
Our next event in the Adventure Marathon® series is the Red Cross Big Five Marathon® on Saturday June 30. This is according to the standards of Adventure Marathons a tough race in magnificent surroundings. It takes place in South Africa in the private game reserve Entabeni, which is home to the famous Big Five game: lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo, along with many other species. Due to safety requirements a limit of only 500 runners are permitted in the race, and this small field is usually made up of participants from all over the world.

The fact that the Red Cross Big Five Marathon® goes through the territories of lions and other animals means that we have to be flexible regarding start time and route. Local rangers and helicopters regularly patrol the area and if a pack of lions or rhinos are too close to the marathon course, the race is postponed or the route is altered. Here, the wildlife is the master, and runners the guests.

The terrain in the Entabeni reserve is very varied, and the course is made to let runners see the most of this diverse, spectacular area. The course is laid out over two plateaus in altitudes of 1600 and 1100 m respectively. The start line is situated on the highest plateau, which is characterised by forested mountains, lakes and eroded rocks. From here the route continues to the lower plateau, which is classic savannah with great possibilities of seeing zebras, gazelles and wildebeest. Before finishing, runners have to climb back to the upper plateau following a ravine that stretches 3½ km, ascending 500 m on the way. As if going down and then up this steep hill wasn’t enough, the foundation on the trails is highly uneven and alternates between gravel, sand, pebbles, rock and rugged asphalt.

So, if you’re up for a challenge that’s something out of the ordinary, check out www.big-five-marathon.com and come run with us in South Africa on June 30. There are still a few bibs left.

Ohter marathons
Later this summer we will be adventuring the Tibetan Plateau in the Great Tibetan Marathon® - 42 km in spiritual Buddhist surroundings and 3,600 m altitude. The summer of 2008 will feature two additional races besides the three annual races already men­tioned: The Polar Circle Marathon® in Greenland and the brand new Taj Mahal Marathon®.

Stay tuned for more info!