Ecomotion – staged annually in Brazil – is one of the world’s greatest adventure races and will kick off on November 19. But what’s it all about? We crunch the econumbers.
7...
Ecomotion is in its seventh year, with the first brave adventurers setting off in 2003 – and in that time, the event has established itself as one of the toughest races out there. This time out, a host of mixed-sex teams – paying $2,000 apiece – will set off for a week-long adventure across the Brazilian mountains, plains, rainforests and rivers. Rather them than us.
Ecomotion is in its seventh year, with the first brave adventurers setting off in 2003 – and in that time, the event has established itself as one of the toughest races out there. This time out, a host of mixed-sex teams – paying $2,000 apiece – will set off for a week-long adventure across the Brazilian mountains, plains, rainforests and rivers. Rather them than us.
4...
Each team striving for glory is made up of four competitors – and teamwork will be key if they are to make it to the finish line together and in one piece. But the four won’t be alone. Each adventurer has to carry a backpack with their kit for the race, which includes a back-breaking 31 compulsory items per person – from a mountain bike helmet to a sleeping bag – which will be needed at some point along the way. But the rules state that no GPS, pedometer, navigational or night-vision devices are allowed – so don’t even think about it.
430km...
Brazil provides more than 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen – which is just as well, really, considering the teams will be huffing and puffing their way along a 430km course. The epic route winds its way around Minas Gerais – the fourth largest state in Brazil – before finishing in Diamantina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which sits at an energy sapping 1,114m. It was also the birthplace of Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira in 1902. “Who’s he?” we hear you cry: de Oliveira was the 21st president of Brazil and the man behind the construction of its capital city, Brasilia.
$50bn...
Diamantina was named after the diamonds for which it became famous in the 18th century. It’s an industry which is now worth a whopping $50bn worldwide – and that’s a conservative estimate! But our adventurers won’t have time to fill their backpacks with these precious stones and will instead have their minds on negotiating the six disciplines along the course – orienteering, canoeing/kayaking, mountain biking, rope skills, caving and trekking.
$30,000...
Each competitor to cross the line will receive their own shiny medal – but there is more than pride at stake here. If motivation is lacking en route, there will be the comforting thought of a $30,000 prize pot awaiting the first five teams to cross the line in Diamantina. And the difference between first and second? $10,000, with the Ecomotion champions collecting $17,000, second $7,000, third $3,000, fourth $2,000 and fifth $1,000. Just a pat on the back for everyone else.
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Winning Ecomotion is a monumental feat in itself – but there’s more. Since 2004, the race has been part of the Adventure Racing World Series – the crème-de-la-crème of adventure racing. The top two finishers in Brazil, as well as taking home a bit of pocket money, qualify for the Adventure Racing World Championship. Ecomotion had the honour of hosting the world’s biggest adventure race in 2008 – when a team from New Zealand triumphed – while the 2010 edition will set off in Castilla y León, in Spain, next October. As if 430km weren’t enough, at least 50 teams will go head-to-head on a 700km course – if they have any energy left after qualifying!
Keep in touch with all the action from this year's Ecomotion at the official ecomotion.com.br website
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