麻豆社区

This September 20 adventure seekers from across the country will be put to the test in Whitehorse.

City Chase, 鈥楾he World's Largest Urban Adventure Series,' will be hosting its Canadian championships in Whitehorse from Sept. 28 to 29.

Racing across the city and backcountry the participants, who range in age from 21 to 42, will be put through a series of challenges pushing them to the brink of their physical and mental capabilities.

To reach the national race, participants first had to lead the way in their regional challenges, which took place in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Halifax.

Those six-hour events required the athletes to find and complete 10 of 30 challenges throughout the downtown core.

The national championships will require the teams to once again track down the challenges but they must do so in a linear pattern.

"They won't know where they are going until they get there,鈥� said Jef Moore, communications manager with InField, the creators of the City Chase challenge.

"What we will put them through this year is incredible. It's the adventure of a lifetime.鈥�

The Crane brothers, a Toronto based team composed of Jeremy and Dave Crane were last year's champions.

This year the field is wide open.

"There are a few veteran teams coming back but anything can happen,鈥� said Moore.

On the line is a 14-day trip to the Serengeti provided by Intrepid Travel.

Aside from pushing athletes to their limits, the City Chase challenges are also a charitable effort.

Participants are encouraged to raise money leading up to the events and all proceeds go to Right to Play, an organization that provides sport and recreation opportunities to disadvantaged areas.

"There's a great spirit to the event,鈥� said Kelly Hasen, events manager with City Chase.

"It's super competitive but the teams also help each other out. It's awesome to see the attitude it takes on.鈥�

The participants will need all the support they can get.

Last year's national championship, hosted in Halifax, featured 20 challenges that had participants sea kayaking to McNabb Island, shark fishing in the Atlantic Ocean, working through a bootcamp on Citadel Hill and performing Shakespearean theatre to a full crowd, while sporting only their underwear.

That community involvement is an aspect that Moore and Hasen are hoping to increase in this year's championship.

"The way the city is laid out is perfect because it's so close knit,鈥� said Moore, while inspecting one of the secret locations in the city yesterday afternoon.

"Everything is so close and accessible and everyone is friendly,鈥� said Hasen.

While there will be no Yukoners competing in the national championships, local adventure racers Mike Tribes and Megan Freese competed in the Vancouver regional event.

Tribes, who organizes the Yukon Adventure Challenge each year, also competed in the Raid the North Extreme Race this year in B.C.'s West Kootenay region.

The six-day, four-person team event, travels over 500-km of wilderness in mountain biking, trekking, paddling and fixed rope events.

Things will kick off on Sept. 27, when City Chase hosts their pre-race press event at Air North.