Killarney is the scene this Saturday for what will be the largest adventure race to take place in the world in 2014. The strength of the growing trend towards extreme and adventure racing is highlighted by the fact that Ireland’s first race in the ‘Tough Mudder’ franchise will also take place this weekend at Punchestown racecourse in Kildare.
The Helly Hansen Killarney Adventure Race will have a sell-out 2,200 participants and will be filmed by a Channel 4 TV crew who are recording a documentary on the race for international broadcast.
Tough Mudder will see Irish runners put to the test over a 12 mile course featuring challenges like the Soggy Bottom, the Kiss of Mud, the Cage Crawl, the Berlin Walls and the Horse Jump Pond.
The growth of adventure racing is a global phenomenon with more events taking place every year.
This year’s Killarney race will be the curtain raiser for the Adventure Travel World Summit taking place in the town between Monday and Wednesday of next week.
650 travel operators, media, event organisers and competitors have been arriving in Ireland through the week and will gather after the race to look at the strength of their activities and plan for an ever expanding future.
“We’re thrilled to be fully booked and really looking forward to being in Ireland,” said ATTA President Shannon Stowell, “That 650 delegates recognize the value of the Adventure Travel World Summit proves to us that the industry is committed to taking a close look at itself and wants to come together to think critically about our impact.”
A main feature of the Summit will be the theme of “The Economics of Adventure Travel”
Featured plenary sessions will include discussions of the role of the internet in all aspects of travel, business plans that have wildlife conservation at their heart and adaptation of global safety standards for the adventure travel industry.
The Killarney Race will provide a dramatic start point for the summit with nine overseas journalists taking part and commercial support from Helly Hansen, Fáilte Ireland, the Sunday Times and the Great Outdoors.
It promises to be a muddy weekend then at either end of the country.
Watch out next week when we will announce details of the launch of a new group within Sport for Business aimed at bringing together Ireland’s fittest senior executives.
