Introduction to Questars
Questars Adventure Race Series
Questars adventure races are all about having a go and taking part. No previous experience is necessary, we have bike hire available and we provide all of the kayaking equipment.
Our race format has been carefully designed to be as flexible and inclusive as possible, to challenge everyone irrespective of ability or experience.
A CHOICE OF DISCIPLINES
Questars adventure races involve trail running, mountain biking and the option to kayak at our summer events. You can choose whether to do one, two or all three of these disciplines. Our flexible format means you decide how much time you spend on each so you can play to your strengths and spend more time doing what you enjoy the most!
RUNNING
As this is an adventure race, where possible, the running takes place off-road. Although we call this ‘trail running’, you don’t have to run of course – you just have to travel on foot.
BIKING
Our courses are designed to keep you off tarmac and on permitted off-road routes (e.g. bridleways and byways) as much as possible. You can use any suitable off-road bike.
KAYAKING
The kayaking is the highlight for many and usually takes place on flat water e.g. a canal or river. Our boats are super-stable and easy to use – even for inexperienced paddlers.
MINIMAL BARRIERS
KAYAK EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
Sit-on-top kayaks, paddles and buoyancy aids are all provided and included in the entry fee when you select the option to kayak. The kayaks are very stable and can easily be paddled by either one person on their own or two people together. No previous experience is necessary.
BIKE HIRE AVAILABLE
If you haven’t got your own suitable bike or you just don’t want the hassle of transporting and cleaning it, then you can hire a mountain bike from our official provider. They take care of everything so you just turn up at the event where your pre-booked bike will be ready and waiting for you.
OPEN TO INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS
Questars adventure races are open to individuals and teams of two, three or four people. There are no age or gender restrictions on team composition. All team members must stay together throughout the whole race (i.e. it is not a relay race).
MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY
VISITING CHECKPOINTS
We give you a map with all the run, bike and kayak checkpoints marked on and you see how many you can visit within the time limit. You choose which checkpoints to visit and in what order. The time spent and distance covered on each discipline is up to you.
SCORING POINTS
Each checkpoint has a points value, and these are the points you will earn by visiting that checkpoint. The winners are those that score the most points within the time limit.
A NON-STOP RACE
The race is continuous (non-stop). Transition from one discipline to another is all part of the race. You will have some choice in the order that you undertake each discipline (how much depends on the course and whether you kayak).
EASY NAVIGATION
Navigating between the checkpoints using your map is simple and straight forward. For example, the run checkpoints are positioned so that the quickest route between them is typically along existing public rights of way (footpaths and bridleways) which are often well marked on the ground.
