Preview of the top teams at Raid the North Extreme
By Nelson Daily Staff
With only four-weeks to go before the race begins, Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme Race Director Geoff Langford offers a preview of top teams to watch.
“We have a competitor field with lots of depth and experience this year,” he said. “In adventure racing there are many game-changing variables that can alter the outcome of the race. Nevertheless, I think we can safely say that WildernessTraverse.com, WEDALI and DART-nuun-SportMulti will figure among the strongest teams.”
WildernessTraverse.com is captained by Bob Miller, 36 of Unionville, Ontario and includes Jakob Van Dorp, 27, of Wiarton, Ontario as well as Sarah Cromwell, 33 and Gordon Blythen, 36, both of New Zealand.
With more than 10 years of experience in adventure racing, which includes acting as Chair of the Canadian Adventure Racing Association, Miller is expected to push his team to top standings at the finish line.
The all-American team WEDALI is also strong competitor in the field. They are the reigning champions of the United States Adventure Racing Championships in 2010 and have already won several smaller adventure races in 2011. Justin Bakken, 31, of Minneapolis, a member of WEDALI since it launched in 2003, leads the team.
Team DART-nuun-SportMulti, is another physically powerful US-based team, headed by 40-year-old Cyril Jay-Rayon of Seattle, Washington.
The crew is made up of elite athletes who each have an extensive list of participation in long-distance events including triathlons and expedition-style adventure races like Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme.
Other teams who will likely show up on the leader board include Atmosphere MOMAR, Checkpoint Zero/Tech4o, Gear Junkie/YogaSlackers and Odyssey Adventure Racing – ImONPoint.org. But with a challenging racecourse and the elevated level of athleticism, it would be impossible to predict the first place winner.
- To read more about all the teams competing in this year’s race, visit RaidTheNorthExtreme.com.
