/PRESS RELEASE/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4th 2008, Dublin
550 kilometres, 100 athletes, 10 disciplines, 7 days, 6 festivals, 5 peninsulas, 13 marathons, 2 Mount Everests, 1 journey.
Welcome to The Turas!
Ireland’s most exciting new summer festival.
Take the toughest athletes in the world, bring them all together for a one-week jaunt across the Cork and Kerry countryside, mix it up with Ireland’s best live music and DJs and you have one hell of a week! The Turas takes place from June 14th to 21st.
In all, 100 athletes will take part in the race from 13 countries all over the world including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, England, Norway, Scotland and Spain. Twenty-five mixed teams of four elite athletes will pit themselves against Cork and Kerry’s most extreme terrain as they compete non-stop, day and night for over 90 hours. In total they will climb 18,390 metres and cover a distance of 650 kilometres. That’s the equivalent of scaling 2 Mount Everests and travelling a distance equivalent to more than 13 marathons.
In one week, athletes will consume more than 7,500 litres of water, eat 3,840 bars of chocolate, 2560 bags of mixed nuts, 400 kilos of pasta and survive on just 1 hour of sleep per night. As each athlete battles fatigue and the effects of sleep deprivation, adventure racing becomes a sport of the mind. It is common for participants to have bizarre out-of-body experiences and to even vividly imagine extra team members or meet strange demonic figures as they journey. Affectionately referred to as an attack of the ‘sleep monsters’, these are a serious challenge when it comes to lucid decision-making.
Over the course of the one week race, athletes will travel a distance of 650 kilometres by means of ten different disciplines which include mountain biking, trekking, rowing, kayaking across rivers, lakes and seas, swimming, horse riding, rafting, portage, abseiling and micro navigation. The final hurdle of the race will be a zip-line which will carry athletes across the majestic Gap of Dunloe.
If you’re more into having a good time than breaking into a sweat then fear not for The Turas has something for you too. Not just one, but six festivals and music events will take place during the week of The Turas running parallel to the sporting activities, allowing you to keep one eye firmly on the day’s progress. Performances by acts such as Kila, Fred, Sharon Shannon and many more surprises will take place at events ranging from the traditional to the hedonistic including the Festival of Fires in Gugán Barra, the Medieval Banquet in Sneem and climaxing at the Summer Solstice Festival at The Gap of Dunloe where thousands of people are expected for a night of live music and DJs into the small hours of the morning.
So, if you are looking for a laid-back, easy-going vibe, drenched with live music, good food, plenty of summer sun and the occasional lost athlete, then come down and join us between June 14th and 21st.
www.theturas.com
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For photos or with further press queries, please phone Brian Barnes at 086 3063538 or Fiola Foley at 087 7711118 or email brian@theturas.com / fiola@theturas.com