The inaugural Appalachian Extreme Adventure Race is history.

Team Pearl Izumi mounted a mistake free assault which garnered them first place and paid entry into the Discovery Channel World Championship adventure race to be held in Switzerland this September.
The team astonished themselves, race directors Norm Greenberg and Tracyn Thayer and the rest of the field by finishing the demanding course in 39 hours and 38 minutes, nearly eight hours in front of second place team Explorer.

Though the race is finished, a new partnership could be in the making. Directors Greenberg and Thayer teamed with general manager David Kerr and Fontana Village for an immensely successful event.

“It was fabulous, a great partnership; my hope is, they will bring races back each year,” Kerr said.

Kerr said adventure racing “fits right in” at Fontana Village. He noted that Fontana was already home to the Southeast Regional Championship Mountain Bike Series, the Navigators, professional road racing club, the Cane Creek Cup and Dirt Camp, a premier mountain bike training school.

Thayer and Greenberg were also pleased with the partnership.

“Having the race here was great. The staff was wonderfully supportive. They gave us the run of the place. Headquarters here at the Adventure Center was perfect,” Greenberg said.

The pair are planning a dawn to dusk adventure race at Fontana Village in October. For information email info@racingahead.com or call 828.488.8601.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News