• Are you an adventurer at heart?
• Want training to be an adventure, not a grind?
• Want the rewards and growth that comes with pushing your physical and mental limits?
• Sick of the constraints of conventional sports and want a life-changing adventure?

Adventure racing is tough…real tough, but WOW its worth it and YOU CAN DO IT.  You will trek, kayak and mountain bike 100s of kms, day and night non-stop carrying supplies, a compass and map, often with no sleep whilst copping whatever mother nature throws at you. 

Thousands of everyday people train and conquer adventure races.  They don’t win and don’t care, as adventure racing is about more than that.  Its about the spirit of adventure and the opportunity to get to know what you’re made of.

As a newbie, you will get lost…. very lost.  The contour maps are kept top secret and only released the night before race day, igniting that sense of exploration as you mark out your own unique course.

This is not a traditional endurance sport where you go home at the end of the day to a beer, warm bath and bed. When they are celebrating their day on the track, your race is just beginning as you and your team mates look to tackle an all-night adventure through unmarked terrain before soaking up sunrise on a remote mountain top….and then doing it all over again through new and inspiring landscapes.

There are emotional highs and lows and yes you will feel pain… before tapping into your inner self to push on one step at a time. That’s the beauty of adventure racing, it’s as much about what you become as what you achieve. 

The Adventure 1 Series offers races between one and five days, in teams of four and involve the core disciplines of trekking, kayaking, mountain biking and navigation….Read our “What is Adventure Racing” page for more details about what to expect in adventure racing, but in the meantime check out one of our races in the next video on this page.

The YouTube Channel “AR on AR” is an excellent resource of how to videos for new racers.

Adventure racing is full of the seemingly impossible, but it is also full of everyday people who with the right frame of mind, determination and resilience overcome their perceived limitations and go on to achieve personal goals they once thought impossible. 

These people know the value of pushing your physical and mental limits to feel alive and be reminded of what you are truly capable of.  

So tap into your inner Yoda….but know a training regime of daily affirmations alone will leave you gasping for air half way to the first checkpoint, wondering what the hell your inner Yoda was thinking.

So as in life find the balance, do the physical training and you will inspire yourself and others to achieve great things…

Everyone’s journey in life is different… your pathway into adventure racing and the Adventure 1 Series is no exception.    There is no one size fits all.  We don’t know you yet, so only you know what that first step will be. 

Some of us like discipline and framework, others are OCD about researching the details before trying and some just love grabbing their mates and having a go as part of the adventure itself. 

The one thing for certain in adventure racing, all roads take you on a life changing journey. We look forward to following your journey as a member of our A1 Club…

You just love doing stuff with your mates and have convinced them to try a race.

Is this you? Great, we love that spirit. Sit down, have a sensible discussion (over a beverage) about your fitness and skills levels to determine any coaching or gear you may need. Then check out our races on offer and register… You’re away.

Doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. Many teams start this way and have amazing stories to tell. You probably won’t win and won’t care and you may get short-coursed. But you’ll learn an incredible amount about yourself and the sport of adventure racing.

So many reasons to get social as a newbie to adventure racing.

• You’ve convinced just one of your mates and you both want to start meeting and training with other teams to learn and have fun.
• You’re not sure you want to commit to a race yet, but keen to just train with like-minded people to get a feel for the sport.
• You’d like to learn about adventure racing by joining a new random team (yes this is a common and motivating approach to doing your first race).
• You’re sold on adventure racing, know you have the base fitness, but you can’t convince your mates and just need to find a team.
• You’re a vagabond with commitment issues, short arms and long pockets and just want to be a “fill in” to help a team down a member….but secretly hoping for free entry…mmmmm

Is this you?  Follow the links to start your social training network and/or find a team for your adventure.

PLEASE don’t let the challenges of creating a team become your barrier to entry….

In a perfect world, we’d all race with our best mates, all get on perfectly under pressure, have the same level of competency, same race goals and be available without injury or life commitments come race day.  But for endless reasons this is not always the case and to be left at the start line without a full team is heartbreaking.  So, networking and getting to know your local adventure racing community is a key component to your adventure racing career. 

There are plenty of success stories of teams at both the elite and newbie level, coming together at the last minute and having an epic and memorable race that marks the beginning of long term close bonded friendships.  Equally things can go pear-shaped as you are tested under conditions you’d struggle to stay composed under, even with those you love most.  But with that comes experience and growth and we guarantee a better version of you will emerge out the other side.

So whether your mates abandoned you at the last minute, your team has been plagued by injury, that cousin finally decided to get married that weekend, your race goals now differ or the race director has inconsiderately picked your wife’s due date as his race date, then try these facebook networks and let us know how your journey unfolds…

One of Adventure 1’s key objectives is to remove barriers to entry into the sport.  Building and supporting social networks is one key way to achieve this.

They are always motivating each other, posting about training sessions and all the usual stuff we like to get obsessed about in sport.

You’re a little OCD and want to read more about all things adventure racing before getting down and dirty.

• Is this bike the right bike and how do I pack it for a race?
• I need how many shoes…? in what transition box…? shoved with how many energy bars?
• What do you mean I don’t sleep and I could expect hallucinations?
• If a muesli bar weighs 60 grams and a bag of jelly beans only 50, then which type of head torch should I wear whilst kayaking in Queensland?… exactly, the blue one…

Is this you? There’s a bit of that in us all… At Adventure 1 we’re building a portal to cover the latest information on Gear, Nutrition, Training and Logistics. Follow the link for all you need to know about adventure racing and getting race ready.

You like to push yourself with the help of experienced coaches.

….but you recognise you can’t prepare for an adventure race through regular PT channels at your local gym.

Is this you? Then see our directory of the best experienced coaches here in Australia for upskilling in trekking/trail running, kayaking, mountain biking and navigation for adventure racing.

Wanting to step across from multisport, orienteering, triathlon, SLSC, obstacle racing or have a background in the armed forces?

• Are you keen to add adventure, teamwork and survival to your already extensive sporting CV?
• Have you come to the end of your days in on-road endurance sports and are looking to make use of that base fitness to experience a life changing adventure?
• Are you wanting to use those years of experience in the armed forces to enjoy racing and exploring the wilderness without a drill sergeant screaming at you (actually depending on your team captain you might be well qualified to deal with certain personalities in adventure racing).

Is this you? Then you are already half way there. In fact, we encourage newbies to the sport to try out shorter multi-disciplined races and to join their local orienteering club for much needed experience in the disciplines of adventure racing. So step across and have ago… but please, we’d appreciate if you can leave behind your budgie smugglers, army issued weapons and those “shaved for speed” shiny legs, to get down and dirty in the bush with us.

As Adventure 1 continues to grow, we will be producing resources for youth teams and athletes looking towards development pathways into the sport. Watch this space…