Race coast to coast across Costa Rica

Taking part in an adventure race across Costa Rica was without doubt one of the best experiences of my life.

I took part in charity, team based adventure race that saw us run, mountain bike, white water raft and kayak your way from the enormity of the Pacific Ocean, up over the Continental Divide and down to the warm waters of the tropical Caribbean Sea.

Along the way you pass through beautiful rainforests, with an abundance of exotic flora and fauna, and over mountain peaks that kills the legs but reward you with stunning landscape views. 

The highlights for me were many, but they included:

White water rafting down some grade 4 rapids, taking part in a competition to capsize and then right the dinghy as quickly as possible.

Starting at 5am to cycle solidly for 4 hours uphill (no downhill!) on heavy mountian bikes, to be rewarded with a great view and amazing sense of achievement as our team scored highly in the points.

Getting pretty scared doing some rather technical mountain biking down in to some quaint little Costa-Rican towns.

Sensing the finish line approaching as we smelt the sea and saw the rainforest pan out and give way to palm trees and sea birds as we dug in deep for the final day's kayaking that would make our break our chances of winning the competition.

Costa Rica really is a stunning country and there is no better way to see it than travelling right through the centre, away from the usual tourist trails.

There's a variety of different companies that run races along similar routes. If you\'re really crazy and fit you can attempt it in 24hours, but longer routes take around 5 days for the more normal adventure / expedition style races. You can do many of these races for charities or pay for an entrance to a particular event.

The best thing about my event was the team aspect. I got a huge kick from working in a team to try an perform to the best of our abilities. It made it at once more challenging and more enjoyable.

I can highly recommend this one!