Media Release
Udupi, Jan 6: MAHE successfully hosted first race under ARWS Asia regional calendar 2023. It was a moment of pride for every individual and organizations who supported Namma Adventure Race 2.0. The race was held on December 9-10, 2022 in association with Manipal Academy of Higher Education and supported by Udupi Tourism.
The Namma Adventure Race 2.0 was a 120 km (24-Hour) course where team of 4 raced in multiple sports disciplines including, Kayaking, Hiking, Trail Running, Caving, River Run, Mountain Biking, and Orienteering.
Participants raced across the beautiful district of Udupi including Bilkal Teertha Falls, 1000-year-old cave temple Kamalashile, numerous metal & hanging bridges, River Run on Khubja river and more. It was indeed a visual treat for the teams to run/cycle/kayak across various places in and around Udupi district.
For the first time all the teams experienced Kayaking in the night. It was a thrilling experience for many teams who are getting familiar with the sport. Every team crossed the finish line.
The opening was hosted inside MAHE campus where teams completed their race administration, gear-check, medical formalities, team photoshoot, etc. They also hosted captains meet where teams shared their pre-race training, team journey, excitement, and happiness of being part of an international racing event.
The Start - Teams were transported from MAHE Campus at 3.45 AM to a secret start location. The race was flagged off with leg 1 hiking at 7:30 AM. First leg included a steep hike of 6-7 km with the magnificent view of the waterfalls of Bilkal Theertha shares the scenic view of Mookambika Reserve Forest.
Leg 2 – MTB section took teams through some of the incredible off-roading, scenic, rolling terrain with steep uphill, downhill and deep curvy routes. This section had tricky navigation and lots of shuffling happened between the teams during this segment. This leg was the longest MTB leg so far in our races and section included caving and river run to give the teams a quick break from MTB.
Leg 3 – Kayaking was again first-time that our teams experienced paddling in night. Top teams got onto river at sunset when the tide was low and most of the teams experienced the night kayaking against heavy tide and wind. There was no CP in between however teams need to navigate between one transition to another for 5 km. Fastest team on this leg took 1 hour.
Leg 4 – The last and final leg of Namma AR 2.0 was 14 km running and a puzzle which was the deciding factor for top 2 teams who were sprinting towards the finish. Just having few minutes apart, the top teams cruised through the finish line leaving the Mountain Racers behind by 7 minutes. What a journey for them.
Race director from NthAdventure Ajita Madan and Sayeesh Kirani said, “We are super proud of our teams who took part in this race. With every race we welcome new teams across India. This race has made history being the first race being hosted in collaboration with university like MAHE. What our teams have achieved in 24-hours in incredible. It was amazing feel to have receiving accolades and wishes from the AR community be it race directors or athletes who followed India around the world. This made all efforts worth it. India is a country which is known for its rich history, hospitality, culture, cuisines, and amazing yet versatile landscapes which is perfectly suited for adventure racing where we can invite and welcome athletes from across the nation and other countries. With the success of Namma Adventure Race 2022 we look forward to receiving more support towards encouraging this sport.”
Post finishing the race participants expressed their views as this was indeed an amplified adventures for them as they never raced across various sports discipline, terrain and moreover using just MAPs for 24-hours non-stop. It was a humongous test mentally as well as physically.
All participating teams gained Adventure Racing World Series Asia ranking points which helps team in a longer run.
At closing ceremony, the NthAdventure team handed over the appreciation certificate received from Adventure Racing World Series, Australia to Dr H S Ballal, pro chancellor for the incredible support received and being the first University in India to collaborate with Adventure Racing.
Top 3 teams who completed the 120 km course of Namma Adventure Race 2.0 are:
• First: Stairs – Winning time 14 hours 13 minutes
• Second: Mountain Racers – Winning time 14 Hours 20 minutes
• Third: Shershah – Winning time 17 Hours 25 minutes
Team Stairs has qualified for AR India Championship 2023 a step closer to represent India in Asia Championship 2023.
This is Team Shershah second consecutive podium win at Namma Adventure Race 2.0.
When the 120 km teams were finishing the course, 30 km teams where gearing up for the first MAHE adventure race. Faculty and students of MAHE took part in the first edition of Adventure Race and experienced the beauty of team spirit. In addition of running, cycling and navigating, a local activity 'Arcanut Peeling' was included as part of the race at the legendary Kamabala House (Traditional Bull Racing).
The top 3 teams who won the 30 km course of MAHE adventure race are:
• First: Fuse & Octane - Winning time 2 hours 49 minutes
• Second: Urology – Winning time 2 Hours 57 minutes
• Third: Kira – Winning time 3 Hours 14 minutes
About NthAdventure
NthAdventure is a Bangaluru based adventure and outdoor sports organization and is the only licensed organization in India to host adventure racing from adventure racing world series - Australia. NthAdventure’s prime focus is to grow and build adventure racing and orienteering community in India. Both the race directors have been part of multiple expedition races like expedition Africa, Thailand, and Expedition India. They have been conducting workshops, training sessions, webinars, and multiple sprint races since 2017 to help make Indian teams race ready at global stages.
For more information about adventure race in India, please visit https://www.nthadventure.com/
Proud Partners of the event:
• Udupi District Administration and Udupi Tourism
• Karnataka Tourism
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
• Kemmannu Riverside Adventure