The Teva Mountain Games, billed as the nation's largest outdoor adventure sports festival, has added an amateur category to the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge.
This event is the ultimate in multisport competition; athletes both professional and amateur must complete the Lärabar 10K Spring Run-Off (trail run), SoBe Mountain Bike Cross Country (two loops for amateurs and three for pros), Road Bike Hill Climb (9.6 mile time trial) and Down River Sprint Race (3 mile Class II kayak race). Overall times are based on the accumulation of times from the aforementioned races. Teams consist of 2-4 members and overall times are calculated from the one designated team member in each specific race. Athletes can compete in either the team or individual category and can pre-register at www.tevamountaingames.com. Online registration is $150.00.
“With the addition of the amateur division, we are able to offer more athletes the opportunity to stretch their limits in the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge, but not have to ride in the professional mountain bike division as competitors were asked to do in 2007. We have also created a $1,000 bonus for any coed team that finishes in top three of the professional category. I hope to see some woman kick some butt in these hills in June, said Joel Heath of Untraditional Marketing the owner and operator of the Teva Mountain Games.”
GNC ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE
Lärabar 10K SPRING RUN-OFF
Athletes will race a 10K trail run that has all types of terrain ranging from asphalt to forest service access roads to single track with mud. This is one of the most challenging 10k in the Country.
SoBe MOUNTAIN BIKE Cross Country
Athletes will race on an estimated seven-mile looped course that circles through the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Garden at the base of Vail Mountain. Athletes will have to ride all types of terrain ranging from forest service access dirt roads to single track. This is a classic Colorado course with plenty of ascending and descending sections. Amateur divisions will do two loops and pros will do three.
ROAD BIKE HILL CLIMB
Athletes will compete in a timed road bike hill climb that begins in the heart of Vail Village and ascends 9.6 miles with a significant vertical gain up Vail pass. This course gives riders an opportunity to ride on that same course that past legends competed on including Floyd Landis, Greg Lemond and Davis Phinney.
DOWN RIVER SPRINT RACE
The race section is a three-mile stretch of river that has several Class II and III rapids that will require intermediate paddling skills. The race is a time trial format. Athletes can use any type of kayak as long as the boat is human powered and under 12. Kayaks can include sit on top, duckies or enclosed boats.
Celebrating seven years, the Teva Mountain Games will take place from June 5 8 in Vail, Colorado. This motorless outdoor sporting event will host 2,500 professional and amateur outdoor athletes from all over the world. These athletes will converge upon the mountains and rivers to compete in seven sports and 21 disciplines for over $100,000 in prize money. This years disciplines include kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, road cycling, World Cup and amateur climbing, paragliding, fly-fishing, trail running, diving dogs and multi-sport racing. An estimated 1.4 million people will tune into the Teva Mountain Games on its national television and on-line broadcast.
The 2008 Teva Mountain Games' Sponsors include, Teva, SoBe, Outside Magazine, Pabst Blue Ribbon, GNC, Bear Naked, Powersox, Lärabar, the Town of Vail, Costa Del Mar, Cocona, Urban Climber, Trail Runner, Climbing Magazine and Canoe, Southwest Fly Fisherman and Kayak Magazine.
Teva Mountain Games is owned and operated by Untraditional Marketing, inc, which specialized in event and partnership activation for the adventure brands. Untraditional Marketing is headquartered out of Vail, Colo.
