New Zealand

NZ

New Zealand

AU
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New Zealand

A1 Series NZ

New Zealand

A1 Series Aus

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A1 ADVOCATE - NATHAN FA'AVAE

AR legend and Absolute Wilderness Race Director, Nathan Fa'avae, is a big supporter of the A1 concept and is putting his weight behind the new NZ Series...

"New Zealand is the sports global leader with GODZone now the largest event in the world and Team Seagate, the elite world champions. Women's adventure racing is growing phenomenally here and the introduction of the A1 NZ Series will consolidate all of these awesome things happening in the sport. There are real benefits being under one overall recognizable brand and I believe for media, sponsors, and people intrigued by the sport, this will make it more accessible and even more exciting."

A1 DIRECTOR - TODD VICKERY

After my first year of adventure racing I was hooked. There’s not another sport in the world like it. Despair, doubt, faith, fear, hope, elation, pride and awe are some of the feelings it conjures up for me. My mission now is to showcase and develop adventure racing by reducing the barriers to entry and attracting more participants to the sport. So Adventure 1 was born… a home for adventure racing and a national adventure racing series supported by a community of athletes who dream of adventure… like myself

Q&A WITH TODD VICKERY

Let’s ask a couple of the obvious questions people will be asking…

  • Q What really appeals to you about adventure racing?
  • A Having spent the best part of my adult life exploring, working and living in remote parts of the world, I am an adventurer at heart (as my patient family can attest). Plus, no other sport balances camaraderie with competition like adventure racing. I am no elite athlete, so I won’t be troubling the podium anytime soon, but I love the challenge of getting out there and pushing my physical and mental limits to better myself.
  • Q How did the Idea of Adventure 1 come about?
  • A During my first year of racing I experienced a number of challenges in being able to get race ready and I wanted to make the path for those after me easier. In addition, there was momentum building for a national series towards the end of 2016. So I put my project management skills to work and collaborated with leaders in the sport to create Adventure 1.
  • Q What are some of the aspects of adventure racing that you love?
  • A Adventure racing is a conundrum. It’s an up-at-dawn gut-wrenching siege that leaves you wanting more! It’s the perfect antidote to the modern, noisy, man-made environment so many of us now find ourselves in. To spend my time and energy creating something that allows more people access to an adventurous outdoor lifestyle, so they can be the best version of themselves, is very fulfilling. Finally, the fact the sport’s premier division is mixed gender means adventure racing is bridging the gap on gender equality, another topic I am passionate about.
  • Q You are very new to the sport, is this too ambitious?
  • A I love a good challenge and I have consulted broadly during the creation of Adventure 1. I honestly believe my newbie’s perspective compliments the experienced advice I have received from leaders in the sport, elite athletes and race directors. In addition, to ensure we build a sustainable future for adventure racing, we have created the A1 Pulse feedback portal so race directors, elite / newbie athletes and grass roots companies can provide input. Together, we can create something great.
  • Q Will your objective of making the sport more accessible, lose some of the mystique around adventure racing?
  • ATo be clear, Adventure 1’s objective is to remove the "unnecessary" barriers to entry, not to make the sport easier. Race directors will never look to make races easy. There will always be a natural filter as the difficulty of the races themselves means the sport will primarily attract those who love the spirit of adventure, survival, teamwork and racing. What's not acceptable is when those who have that make up find it challenging to get into the sport or perhaps aren't even aware the sport exists.
  • Are you interested in sponsorship opportunities?Contact

Adventure 1 is proud to support the following organisations.

And proud to be supported by:

Special thanks to: