Spyder Active Sports signed a major sponsorship in the adventure race realm by forming Team Spyder. The three athletes, Travis Macy, Danelle Ballengee, and Dave Mackey, were ranked second in the world competing together as a pro team in 2004.

Spyder’s growth in the Outdoor market inspired the brand to connect with a sport that creates a link to the versatile, high-performance product it manufactures. Kathy Carroll, Spyder’s marketing director, explained the decision to support the team and niche sport. “We believe adventure racing is an excellent fit for the energy of our brand. It’s aggressive, it’s dynamic, and those at the top of the sport represent the quintessential Spyder athlete. Adventure racing showcases the performance and broad-based utility of the Outdoor products we bring to market,” she said.

As teammates, the athletes captured top finishes at the Raid World Championship, Mexico's Nuevo Leon Outdoor Challenge, the Teva Mountain Games, and the Nike-Beaver Creek 6-hour Adventure Race. Each athlete brings individual talent and skills to the team to create a formidable force. Macy was recently pegged a “22-year-old adventure racing prodigy” by Adventure Sports Magazine. Mackey was awarded the United States Track and Field Ultra Runner of the Year honor in 2004 and 2005. Adventure Sports Magazine named Ballengee Female Athlete of the Year for 2004, and she received a coveted Everest Award at the 2005 Teva Mountain Games.

Team Spyder’s race season will consist of single- to four-day non-stop, continuous events. Each team relies entirely on its own skills, training, and teamwork to make it through a race’s variety of disciplines. Trekking, navigation, mountain biking and paddling are the most common exercises, but ascending and traversing fixed ropes, rappelling cliffs, whitewater swimming, horseback riding, and other disciplines unique to individual racing environments are also frequently included.

Adventure racing, described on the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race newsletter, “challenges adventurers to navigate their way through the earth’s wildest terrain to find a pre-determined number of checkpoints in order to complete the competition. Racers are not allowed to use motorized transport or outside assistance to complete their journey. Except for the important distinction of safety, the clock, once begun, does not stop until the teams cross the finish line. The first team to reach the finish line is declared the winner.” Team Spyder will compete in the 10-day Primal Quest race in late June 2006.