These girls are changing the world of adventure racing

“I will never forget this view, and this moment,” said Daniela from her kayak, while a beautiful sunset approached the girls.

Maria, Vicky T, Isa S and Daniela were on their second to last stop before their first big Adventure Race was over. They had already covered 125 miles and had 50 more to go. It was the very first time an all-girls team competed in this race. Many people, including the organizers, thought they were not going to make it until the end. At 3am, with heavy rain, the “Guambras” finished strong. All the other teams were waiting for them to applaud their tenacity. A mix of hugs, tears and champagne covered the air.

Adventure racing is a multi-disciplinary team sport in the wilderness that involves mountain biking, trekking, kayak, ropes and navigation. Usually, the races are really long, some of them even taking up to two weeks in length. This sport has been getting a lot of popularity lately, and only two years ago Ecuador hosted the World Championship.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot more guys than chicks practicing and competing. But the “Guambras” (which means young women in Quichua, Ecuador’s indigenous language) are on a mission to inspire more girls to join the fun.

Seven strong women in their early twenties are part of the team: Maria Vallejo, Isa Samaniego, Isa Freile, Vicky Teran, Vicky Calisto, Daniela Leon and Paula Grijalva. Most of them started mountain biking before transitioning to adventure racing during college. Gonzalo Calisto, an Ecuadorian elite adventure racer with many world awards, was their big inspiration and became their coach. “He believed in us and pushed us to our limits,” said Maria.

“What inspires me the most is to live adrenaline-charged experiences in unique places, and the best is that I get to do it with my besties. I love living life to the max, taking risks and feel that I’m alive,” said Isa. “It’s not about making it first and winning. It’s about finishing strong. To know that you are giving your best, even when you feel like you can’t do it anymore. It doesn’t matter how tired I am, just knowing that I need to make it to the finish line is pure adrenaline to help me push through!”

In 2014, Daniela, Maria, and Vicky C competed in the Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador. The best international teams made it to the middle of the world, for the highest in altitude race. For this competition, Daniela and Maria joined two boys from New Zealand, Ryan Thompson and Dayne Mcknight and did really well, finishing in 17^th place.

“The boys were great and really pushed our limits. However, my person was Daniela. She had my back the whole time. She’s the one who encouraged me to keep going. She was my crying shoulder. She hugged me when I was cold,” said Maria. “More than a team, we are best friends. We are there for each other. We are in this together, and it’s awesome,” responded Daniela.

There’s no real reason why more women shouldn’t jump on the adventure racing train. “Women are strong. They are born for this type of sport. It’s not only about physical strength, it’s especially about the mental strength,” said Daniela.

“It’s all about girl power!” said Isa. “Having more all-women teams is so important because it can become an important symbol of empowerment. That’s what we hope to inspire. We really hope and want more girls to join us!” concluded Maria.