Adventure Racing alive and kicking in Thailand

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A record attendance of over 160 teams took part in the 9th edition of the River Kwai Trophy in Kanchanaburi on May 31- this year sponsored by Singha and dubbed “The Singha River Kwai International Trophy 2014”. 

The most popular adventure race in Asia unraveled under a scorching sun, with competitors crossing the world renowned bridge over the River Kwai followed by a race day charged with a good natured but competitive sporting atmosphere.

Team 1000k triumphed in the extreme category.Team 1000k triumphed in the extreme category.

Race entrants ventured out on a carefully crafted course of 61km, consisting of running through farmland and rocky hills, swimming across muddy lakes and the Kwai River, kayaking down the meandering river and mountain biking on thrilling trails- all in the spirit of experiencing the great outdoors that the Thai countryside has on offer.

The competition was split into 2 main categories: extreme and adventure.  The victors of the extreme category, ‘Team 1000k’ comprising of Prawit Wongpinit and Suthat Kanyakitti (THA), triumphed in an impressive time of 4h: 35m, followed by the ‘AMA TEAM 1’, Jaekseri Ruengsiri and Amnaj Phrawdaeng, also of Thailand, in 4h: 40m, and the New Zealand ‘Bush Whackers’ team of Richard Ford and Andy Vaughan, in 4h: 46m.

One of the disciplines involved kayaking on the scenic Kwai River in Kanchanaburi.One of the disciplines involved kayaking on the scenic Kwai River in Kanchanaburi.

The champions of the Adventure category, team ‘Feel Free’, made up of Songsak Sripibhulbanjerd and Songpol Sripibhulbanjerd (THA), conquered the race in 4h: 10m, followed by team ‘Integrated Riding’, Paul Gerard (UK) and Noorhakem Bin Kamil (SGP) in 4h: 32m, and team ‘The French Fries’, Mathieu Le Gall and Damien Roussel (FRA) in 4h: 38m.

For more information about Adventure Racing in Thailand, go to website: www.ama-events.com.