The WO&MAN Raid in Elche will take place on 29 November, starting at 10:00 on Paseo de la Estacion, with the finish line in the same spot.
Expect plenty of excitement and possibly a healthy amount of mud.
The Councillor for Sports, Jose Antonio Roman, describes it as a giant obstacle course set in nature. It combines orienteering, strategy, teamwork, running, mountain biking and even skating.
Teams of two or three people must track down checkpoints scattered around Elche, all marked on a map. Each checkpoint carries a points value. The team that collects the most points within the six hour limit from 10:00 to 16:00 walks away with victory.
WO&MAN Raid in Elche: Iconic sights
Competitors will pass through some of the city’s most iconic spots, including the Municipal Park, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the reservoir and the surrounding mountain range. The race is divided into several stages that include urban orienteering, cycling, running or walking through the mountains. There is also a special section at Miguel Hernandez University where at least one team member must put on roller skates.
There is also a mini raid for anyone under sixteen years old. It starts at 11:00 and lasts three hours, ideal for young adventurers who want a taste of the action.
WO&MAN Raid: Teams
The Spanish National Sports Council is covering the registration fees for the first eighty women to sign up. Teams may be all female, all male or mixed.
Roman has encouraged everyone in Elche to come along to the starting line and celebrate what he calls a sporting, human, natural and strategic territory. It should be quite the spectacle and possibly a good reminder to stretch before exercising.
For more information, head to the Town Hall at Plaça de Baix, 1, Elche, 03202, or call +34 644 75 79 44. Alternatively head to the website elche.es.
