Desert Winds Expedition Race is a brand spanking new expedition-length adventure race in the US. This unsupported, 500km (3-5 days) race is scheduled for 18-25 September 2010 and it will be held in the Mojave Desert, Nevada – just outside of Las Vegas. Mojave is described as “the ‘desert of mountains’. The race course will showcase the beauty and diversity of the Mojave Desert with its flora and fauna and with its stunning desert and mountain vistas”.
Disciplines include trekking, mountain biking, paddling, canyon descents and “some surprises”. Interestingly, teams allowed are four-person mixed gender and all-female. Held in fall, the weather is unpredictable. Teams may have hot days (not as hot as mid-summer), cool nights and thunderstorms.
And the cost? Entry fees increase according to when you enter. The first 20 teams pay $2,400. The next 20 pay $3000, next pay $3600 and the maximum fee is $4000. A lovely foreigner incentive is a ‘Foreign Travel Discount’. “All International Teams will receive a $250 discount per International team member. In order to qualify for the International Team Discount, your team must be registered as an International Team and each team member receiving the discount must reside outside of United States”. So, an early-bird South African entry can get a $1000 discount to end up paying only $1400.