2000 Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series Kicks-Off in Los Angeles May 21; Series' Fifth Year Begins at Castaic Lake Recreation Area.

Sports Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BW SportsWire)--April 11, 2000

The Adventure begins Sunday, May 21, when the Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series(R), officially sanctioned by USA Adventure Racing, kicks-off its fifth season in Los Angeles at Castaic Lake Recreation Area.

The race, scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., has attracted the planet's top adventure racers, and will likely become the largest-ever adventure race in the world. Last year's Los Angeles event set the mark with 975 participants.

Teams of three will battle the elements as well as each other in the disciplines of trail running, kayaking and mountain biking. In addition, teamwork will be a priority as new and outrageous "special tests" will be added to the course to further challenge the competitors.

The world's top adventure racers are scheduled to compete at Castaic Lake, including the last three National Champions: 1999 Champs, Team BMC Software from North Carolina; 1998 winners, Team Nature's Garden from Pennsylvania; and 1997 kingpin Team Balance Bar from San Diego.

They will be challenged by the likes of Team Hi-Tec, owners of 17 consecutive top-five Series finishes, and Team Fogdog, consistent top-five finishers over the last two seasons.

The adventure continues into the new Millennium! The Hi-Tec Adventure Racing is the perfect test for adventure racing professionals as well as "weekend warriors."

Each competition involves a trail run between five and eight miles; a mountain bike trek between 10 and 15 miles; and a kayak segment between one and three miles. However, it is the special tests (up to 10 per race) that intrigue both racers and spectators alike. The special tests are unknown to the competitors until they come upon them in the race.

Some of the outrageous special tests have included orienteering, the slippery mountain, crawling through a mud pit, and scaling a 12-foot wall. Each race takes approximately three to six hours to complete, enabling everyone, from professionals to first-time adventurers, to compete, be challenged and have fun.

Following the Los Angeles event, the Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series continues with stops in Miami (June 4), Atlanta (June 18), Dallas (July 16), Sacramento, Calif. (Aug. 19), Hartford (Sept. 9), Pittsburgh (Oct. 1), and New York (Oct. 22).

For further information or to register for the Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series, contact Michael Epstein Sports Productions at 818/707-8867, or visit the Web site at www.mesp.com. For more information about the sport of adventure racing, check out www.usaar.net.

The Los Angeles race, as well as all other Series events, will be televised by the Outdoor Life Network. Air dates and times will be posted on the MESP Web site in mid-summer.