Professional Adventure Racing Backgrounds

Adventure racing is a sport in which teams – generally of three boys and one girl – race across vast distances using only human power. The clock starts ticking on the start line and stops when the teams cross the finish line. Failure for any one team member means failure for all, so it is truly the ultimate team sport, pushing world-class athletes to their limits and then beyond.

Kayaking, running, biking and orienteering are the core disciplines but, depending on the race and location, teams may find themselves riding horses – or camels – abseiling down cliffs and water-courses, ascending ropes for hours at a time or canoeing down a jungle river in a native water-craft.

Some races are c. 1000km in length (non-stop). Others may only cover 300km of jungle terrain and yet may last even longer. The longest race completed by Pasi was the Raid Gauloises Himalayas (which he won in c. 5 days) whereas the longest time he was ever out on a course, was in the Raid Gauloises Vietnam, with Anna, which he finished in c. 7 days. For Anna, her longest race (as for many people racing in that era) was Eco Fiji, in which they were out on the course for a full 10 days.

Participation History

Anna was a professional adventure racing athlete for c. 5 years after entering with a bang with participation in the Raid Gauloises Himalayas in 2000. She competed in most of the well known international races including the Southern Traverse (with Ran Fiennes), Primal Quest (with Golite), X adventures (with 9feet.com and Lapin Kulta), Baja Traversia (with Nike ACG), the Bull of Africa (with Nike ACG), Raid Gauloises Himalayas (with Salomon), Raid Gauloises Vietnam (finishing 7th with Lapin Kulta), the Red Bull Northern Exposure (finishing first with Goretex Golite) and the Adrenalin Rush (European qualifier for the World Champs, finishing first with 9feet.com), Raid Gauloises Vietnam (7th with Lapin Kulta) and Eco Challenge Fiji, (finishing 10th with the North Face).

Alongside competing in standard mixed-sex teams, she also ran an all-female developmental squad in the UK, team Buff Endure, which often proved to be competetive against both UK and international mixed-sex teams.

Pasi entered the world of adventure racing in a more predictable manner, having participated in over 40 scouting and wilderness skills championships races testing orienteering and navigational skills, first aid and rescue abilities, knowledge of nature (fauna, flora, weather patterns etc) and practical wilderness skills prior to starting AR.

In addition to the races detailed in the table below, he participated in 13 x X-Adventure Raid Series World Cup Stage Races between 1998 and 2004, and in five of those he captained his team, Nokia Adventure (one of the foremost teams in the world), to 1st place finishes.


Racing History

Year

Joint Races

Anna's Races

Pasi's Races
2006 Arctic Team Challenge, Greenland: all female team
Rat Race Manchester (All-female Buff UK team), 1st Female team (14th overall)
Ace Race Galloway (All-female Buff UK team)
2005 Bull Of Africa, South Africa/Namibia 2005, 8th Baja Traversia

Ace Race N Wales Ace Race Lakes 1st Female Team, 10th Overall
Ace Race Exmore OMM Elite - female pairs
Finlandia Ski Marathon Dark and White Peak Mtn Bike Race Hope, 1st Lady
Explore Sweden – Race Organisation Merida Night Mountain Bike Marathon, 2nd Lady
Buillith Wells Mountain Bike Marathon, / 1st Female senior / 9th
Wilderness ARC
Polaris Lake District 7th
2004 Terra Incognita, Croatia 2004, 3rd with team Nike ACG Ukatak Arctic Ultra with the BBC Raid International Arctic Ukatak, Canada (2004), 1st as captain of team PNG / eVent(R) when being filmed as part of 'The Challenge' reality TV series for BBC2
Ecomotion, Brazil, 2004 Rat Race Bristol Lapin Kulta Challenge Organisation
Fulda Challenge Selection G4 Challenge Selection Lapin Kulta Heli-Ski Camp Management
2003 NEC Indoor Race, 3rd Tough Guy Lapin Kulta Challenge Organisation
A number of reconnaissance wilderness back country ski journeys (temps. -10 to –40C). Arctic Scandinavia Mild Seven Outdoor Quest with the BBC Lapin Kulta Heli-Ski Camp Management
2002 Red Bull Mountain Mayhem (Northern Exposure), European Winter AR: 1st with team Goretex / Golite Recognised as one of the top 10 female adventure racing athletes in the world Raid International Ukatak, Canada 2002, 1st font>(Winter AR)
Raid Gauloises, Vietnam, 5th with team Lapin Kulta Adrenalin Rush 2002 Northern Ireland, 1st Female team (Buff Endure), 8th overall Mild Seven Outdoor Quest, Malaysia 2002 with team Lapin Kulta
2 week sea-kayak journey in Lake Ladoga, Russia Primal Quest Colorado 2002 as member of team Eco Internet Golite Lapin Kulta Challenge Organisation
NEC Indoor Race, 3rd Eco Challenge Fiji: Team The North Face: 10th (1 of only 10 teams (out of 80+ starting teams) to complete the full course)
2001 Adrenaline Rush 2001 (European World Championship qualifying race): 1st Adrenaline Rush 2001 (European World Championship qualifying race): 2nd
Frank Luzmore 2002 (1/2 marathon kayak race): 3rd Raid International Ukatak, Canada 2001, 1st (Winter AR)
Fat Tyre Mountain Bike Orienteering Race 2001: 1st Female pairs Eco Challenge, New Zealand 2001
Southern Traverse 2001: Team Alstom with Sir Ranulph Fiennes Adventure Racing World Champs, Switzerland 2001
Salomon X Adventure Spain 2001: Team 9feet.com 12th
Solo journeys in Namibia on foot and by land-rover: Through the Spergerbeit diamond area and NW River Valleys Expedicao Mata Atlantica, Brazil 2001, 3rd
2000 The Raid Gauloises Himalayas was billed to be over 1000km and the world’s longest multi-sport adventure race at the time. In the end it was c. 900km and included climbing, abseiling, canyoneering, mountain-biking, running, hydro-speeding, horse-riding, rafting, canoeing, kayaing, trekking etc. 72 teams started. Raid Gauloises HIMALAYAS: Team Salomon Pilgrims; 17th team in 6 days. Raid Gauloises HIMALAYAS: 900km Trans-Himalayan AR race, 1st (Captain of Team Nokia Adventure).
UK: Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (nowadays called the OMM). 1st: Mixed Elite Class Eco Challenge, Borneo
ACE race series (Lake District): 1st
1999 X-Adventure Raid Series World Cup in 1999, 1st
Eco Challenge, Argentina 1999, 5th
1995-1998 Himalayan Mountain Bike Competition 1995: 1st (f) The Endless Odyssey, Norway/Sweden 1998, 1st
Pokhora International Triathlon 1995: 2nd Female, 5th Overall 13 x X-Adventure Raid Series World Cup Stages 1998-2004 including 5 x 1st place finishes as captain of team Nokia Adventure.