Media Release - XPD 5th Edition Sneak Preview - 18 Feb 09

The location for the 5th edition has been narrowed down to two world class expedition racing regions in Australia. Preferences from the competitors in the 4th edition were taken into consideration and attention is gravitating towards tropical Far North Queensland. While this is still to be confirmed, North Queensland offers a very attractive option for an epic course based out of Cairns. The expedition racing terrain is some of the best in the world and has so many great course and discipline options. It could include the Great Barrier Reef, snorkeling and sailing disciplines. The white water rivers are legendary and flow through pristine rainforest. Not to mention incorporating some of the iconic legs that were part of the Eco Challenge held there in 1997. Wow!

Dates are being investigated for May 2010 which is 18 months after the 4th edition. Entries are scheduled to open in August and will be limited due to the sensitive nature of some parts of the course. A final decision on the course location will be announced in the coming months.

XPD is open to mixed, all male or all female teams of four. The exact course is kept secret until 24hrs before the start. Then with much excitement and anticipation, teams are provided a course booklet and their race maps. The course booklet contains the location of each of the race checkpoints. Once teams start, racing is 24 hours per day; teams choose when and where they will sleep. The winning team is expected to complete the course in 4-5 days. All other teams will be permitted up to 10 days to complete the expedition without mid-race cut offs. XPD will be challenging for first time racers and experienced teams alike.

As a member of the AR World Series, XPD is a qualifying event for the Adventure Race World Championship (ARWC). The AR World Series is an international circuit of premiere adventure races representing 10 countries creating a 12 month calendar of professional events around the world. The top two teams at each qualifying event receive automatic entry to the ARWC.

XPD receives generous support from Casio, Salomon, Smartwool, Adventure Racing World Series and Sleepmonsters.