Blue Ridge, Ga. - The 6th annual Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race, scheduled for April 12, is full, with 85 teams signed up and 10 on the waiting list.
The Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race, presented by Ducktown Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep in Ducktown, Tn., offers sport enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the fun of live adventure racing competition in the Chattahoochee National Forest, officials said.
Racers get a serious workout in challenging, beautiful terrain. Teams will come to Blue Ridge from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia and Wisconsin.
This year's race is a sanctioned qualifying event for the United States Adventure Racing Association's annual championship competition. The race's managers are working to bring a national sprint race to Blue Ridge in 2006, according to Jill Key, Chairperson.
"Our race has become known as the one of the best adventure races in Georgia," she stated. "Our goal is to bring the best adventure racers in the country to Blue Ridge to compete." According to Key, the Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race has been named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.
Co-ed teams of three will once again run portions of the Benton MacKaye Trail, canoe the Toccoa River, mountain bike the Aska Trail system and compete in multiple new and challenging “Mystery Events.” The competition starts at 8:00 a.m., when Janis Cannon, Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, sounds the starting horn. Teams will run across the historic Shallowford Bridge over the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge. The 16-mile course takes 6 to 8 hours to complete. Last year's winning team, "A B C ya," finished the 16 mile race in 5 hours 44 minutes, 30 minutes faster than the previous year. The race ends in Blue Ridge City Park with live music, food and festivities, ending at 5 p.m. with closing ceremonies.
Trophies for the Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race are commissioned pieces of art. This year's trophy is a yellow disk of hand-blown glass containing orange spirals, representing a bicycle wheel. The disk is the creation of Chris Mosey, of Ignis Glass Studios in Chattanooga. Its traditional hand-forged base is the design of Blue Ridge blacksmith, John Beattie.
The Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race is a local event produced by a group of six managers and hundreds of volunteers. Home base for the race is the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce. The race benefits the Chamber and other local organizations, including Fannin County 911. Platinum level sponsors include Cohutta Springs Water, Georgia Mountains Health, Mamma Rosa's Italian Restaurant, Mountain Top Realty and United Community Bank. Gold sponsors are AIRE, BB&T, Coldwell Banker High Country Realty, Hiawassee Outfitters, High Country Adventures, Ocoee Outdoor Center, TDS Telecom and Waddell Printing. Silver sponsors are Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Century 21 Long Mountain Realty, Clear Blue Water, Four Seasons Realty, Great Eats Deli, Mercier Orchards and New Creation Homebuilders. AM Vision is a Bronze sponsor and Georgia Prime Real Estate is a Friend of the Race.