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news from the fieldOrganizers are excited to announcethat Cairns, and the surroundingarea of tropical NorthQueensland, has been chosen tohost the 5th edition of XPD. Thisinternational expedition adventurerace will bring 200+ nationaland international athletes toAustralia from 17-28 May 2010.It will be “as much an expeditionas a race”.Cairns To Host XPD In 2010Race Director Craig Bycroft said“Tropical North Queensland offersthe ideal location to host the5th edition of XPD. We plan totake competitors through theGreat Barrier Reef and nearbyislands, the rich and diverse rainforestsof the wet tropics, over waterfallsand cascades that feed crystalclear rivers, across lakes of thetablelands and through eucalyptwoodlands of the Eastern savannahcountry. We even plan to incorporatesome of the iconic legs undertakenin the Eco-Challenge of 97”XPD is open to mixed, all maleor all female teams of four fromaround the world. The exact courseis kept secret until 24hrs beforethe start. Then with much excitementand anticipation, teams areprovided a course booklet and theirrace maps. The course bookletcontains the location of each of therace checkpoints. Once teams start,racing is 24 hours per day; teamschoose when and where they willsleep. The winning team is expectedto trek, mountain bike and kayakthe 700km course in 4-5 days. Allother teams will be permitted up to10 days to complete the expeditionwithout mid-race cut offs. XPD willbe challenging for first time racersand experienced teams alike.As a member of the AR World Series,XPD is a qualifying event forthe Adventure Race World Championship(ARWC). The AR WorldSeries is an international circuitof premiere adventure races representing10 countries creating a12 month calendar of professionalevents around the world. The toptwo teams at each qualifying eventreceive automatic entry to theARWC.Adventure World Magazine March 2009 8