Inclusive
Adventure racing is a minority sport. Supporting it is an inclusive way to back a non-mainstream physical activity.
Offering support to adventure racing provides an opportunity to contribute to an activity that includes athletes from many different sports and many different backgrounds who in their new chosen sport generally have very little support or assistance. They are people who sometimes excel in mainstream sports. We want to encourage those sorts of people to take up adventure racing. It is a new sport and very much a minority sport. A little extra support will make a big difference.
Adventure racing will not stay a minority sport forever. The MARCH provides an opportunity to support a sport as it grows and becomes more mainstream (think sailing before Kingfisher/B&Q and Ellen MacArthur). It is a unique sport and supporting the MARCH provides a unique opportunity to help develop its profile.
The MARCH believes multisport adventure racing offers a novel opportunity to build a sport that is gender equal. It presents men and women with the opportunity to compete as equals, on the same footing. Presently most expedition races call for a team of 4 made up of at least one woman. That is changing. Some races now require an equal split. The MARCH supports equal team membership for group based expedition races and will be promoting this approach, as well as supporting individual adventure racers.
