Local and foreign participants will join the La Routa 2023 adventure race, exploring the terrain of Biliran province set on Nov. 20 to 24.

Jason Garrido, La Routa race director, said in a phone interview Tuesday that eight teams from Poland, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, and Japan and another eight teams from different provinces in the Philippines will join the race.

Each team has about four members and will tackle the terrain of Biliran province through different disciplines of running, hiking, swimming, paddling, mountain biking, ropemanship, and land navigation, according to Garrido.

“Each team will navigate through Biliran’s ruggedly beautiful terrain, covering a distance of 350 kilometers without any outside support and non-stop for four days, in any weather condition,” Garrido added.

Each team will have a GPS tracker to monitor their location throughout the race.

They also have the option to sleep at night during the entire four-day race.

La Routa is the Adventure Racing World Series Asia Regional Championship and is the first time a Philippine race debuts in the world series.

“The safety features of Biliran are very high because it is an island. We don’t have an insurgency problem there. Even if the team gets lost, they would only be within the boundaries of Biliran. When they go down, they will immediately find the highway because there is a circumferential road. The safety feature is one of the very nice things in hosting events like this,” Garrido added.

Biliran is one of the smallest provinces in the country, with only eight towns and a land area of only 536.01 square kilometers.

Department of Tourism Eastern Visayas regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said their office is happy to welcome 16 teams from around the country and abroad who will be charting the race route using a map and a compass.

“We are optimistic that this event will be a good vehicle in promoting Biliran province as a venue for adventure racing. It will likewise help promote the towns of Biliran province and Eastern Visayas as a nature-adventure, travel, and vacation destination,” Tiopes told the Philippine News Agency.

Officials said hosting the event would greatly benefit the province because it can attract competitors, supporters, and spectators, resulting in financial gains for local businesses. (PNA)