Some of the World's top adventure racing teams have already signed up to secure their coveted places in The Wilderness ARC - the 2006  British Adventure Racing Championship - a gruelling world class adventure race to be staged in Fort William and Lochaber in the  Scottish Highlands from 27 May to 3 June 2006.

40 teams of four will compete in a non-stop and unsupported five-day  race, over a 250-mile course (with 15,000m of ascent), through the  spectacular landscape of the western Highlands of Scotland.

The Wilderness ARC 2006, which is supported by VisitScotland,  EventScotland, The Highland Council, Highland 2007 and Outdoor  Capital of the UK, will also be the dress rehearsal for the AR World  Championship in 2007 -  a major event of the Highland 2007 event  programme - and builds on the massive success of the inaugural event in 2005.

Phil Humphreys, Managing Director of ACE Races and Race Director of  the Wilderness ARC, said: 'We are gearing up for another epic  Wilderness ARC this year. The course area contains many challenges and the terrain and weather will continue to throw up many surprises'.

This major endurance event promises to be the hottest and most demanding expedition-style multi-discipline adventure race ever  staged in the UK. Eager speculation about this year's course has  already started, although it will be kept a closely guarded secret  until the eve of the race. However the 160 top flight international  athletes will be guaranteed a mix of unique and uncompromising  challenges involving navigation, mountain biking, mountain running,  kayaking, climbing, abseiling, mountaineering, river crossings and  open water swimming.

Dedicated team-work, meticulous planning and cunning strategy,  coupled with extreme mental and physical stamina, will be key  requirements for the mixed-sex teams of this massive test of mind, body and spirit. As with all adventure races, the ability to overcome the toughest of obstacles and tests, often in the face of exceptional fatigue and cruel weather conditions, will be vital to success.

Some of the most respected and feared adventure racing teams from  around the world competed in the 2005 event with Team Aberdeen Asset Management winning the race.  With limited places available and many  of the top international teams eager for experience of racing in the  Scottish Highlands prior to the AR World Championships in May 2007  tension amongst competitors is building.

Course designer Gary Tompsett, said: 'We only just touched the sides of this vast West Highland wilderness in 2005. This year's event  promises to be even more exciting and demanding. I've already started  reconnoitering and my job is an absolute joy. Thick forests, deep  lochs, rugged mountains, coupled with epic views and unpredictable  weather, make it a truly magical area in which to stage an event.'

The start of the race on Monday 29 May will be preceded on Saturday  27 May by a colourful athletes' procession through the centre of Fort William and a 'prologue', or 3-hour warm-up event, in and around the town centre.

The Wildnerness ARC is a joint venture between ACE Races and Detail  Events, two of the UK's most successful, best-known and professional adventure event companies. Between them they hold an impeccable track-record in designing and organising audacious sporting events.

The Wilderness ARC 2006 constitutes one of 8 qualifying events in the  Adventure Racing World Series and the UK's only AR World Series event in 2006. Last year's ARC included teams from the UK, South Africa,  Poland, the USA, Denmark, Holland and France. The winners secured  their passage to the Adventure Racing World Championships, which were held in New Zealand in November 2005.

Jim Mee, Managing Director of Detail Events Ltd, added: 'We're  excited about the challenge that we and the competitors will face  again this year; the challenge for us, however, is what NOT to  include in the course. The Scottish Highland region of Fort William  and Lochaber quite rightly deserves its reputation as a stunning  adventure destination – The Outdoor Capital of the UK - and we intend  to make the most of it once more.'

David Williams, Chief Executive of EventScotland said: 'Scotland is  one of the world's foremost destinations for adventure sport with our  natural landscape providing a demanding challenge to some of the top  endurance athletes around.  EventScotland is delighted to support  Wilderness Arc 2006, the UK's only Adventure Race World Series event in 2006, in advance of Scotland staging the Adventure Race World Championships in 2007 as part of our year of Highland Culture celebrations'.

For further information on the Wilderness ARC 2005 - http:// www.aceraces.co.uk/wildernessarc/

For team profiles, race reports and information on UK and  International adventure racing - http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk