What is the Survival Race?

The Survival Race challenges participants to run a 70 km track in two days, divided into two- to four-member teams. It may not sound too demanding but the only equipment allowed the teams consists of a map of the terrain, tinder to light a fire, a knife, and the clothes they are wearing.

Passing through forests and canyons, over pastures and ditches, the participants face various obstacles and dangers. In these conditions they have to make their own shelter, light a fire, and find or hunt for food. Every activity is separately graded and resourcefulness earns extra marks in the total score.

At the beginning of the race, the participants are given a map of the terrain with markings for each check point along the trail. At the outset, each team is informed of the elevation at which the first marking stands and if they find it, they will find further instructions there for the next check point and so on to the finish.

The winning team is the one that scores the most points and points are scored for the time it takes the team to run the track, for each fire lit, each shelter made, and food found or obtained. This requires each team to have a camera with which to document their activities.

Once every year participants have the opportunity of testing their ability to find their way around in unfamiliar natural surroundings and to get acquainted with the nature in Serbia.

Where does it take place?

The Survival Race is organized in a different part of Serbia each year. The track is different every time and runs through sparsely populated and wild parts of a selected region.

The first race, in 2009, was organized in the Valjevo region (56 participants), in 2010 in the region of the Ljubovija Municipality (110 participants), the third race took place on Mt. Zlatibor (130 participants), while the last, fourth, race was run in the area of Krupanj (150 participants divided in 57 teams).

Who are the participants?

In 2013 participants are expected from all the republics of the former Yugoslavia and from the Balkan region in general. This action-packed, adventurous event has drawn the interest of participants from Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France.

Aside from the usual enthusiastic response of local participants, this year over 80 teams are expected to take part with a total of over 200 team-members.

The makeup of Race participants is varied, including anyone from professional sportsmen engaged in orienteering, hiking, speleology, and alpinism to devoted campers and nature lovers.

So, the Race is organized in two categories:

Adventure: this category is intended for all nature lovers and people who just like to socialize but also for adventurers who want to get to know the wild, exciting side of spending time in natural surroundings.

Participation in the Adventure Category is a great chance to enjoy out-of-the-way parts of Serbia and to get away from everyday, humdrum city life.

Besides discovering new limits of their own tenacity, participants are introduced to and prepared for the Survival Category and the following challenges in store for them in the Survival Race.

This category is meant for all those who wish to try spending two days out in the wild with minimum equipment. Participants have their trail marked on a map and are advised to rest in a shelter overnight somewhere about the middle of the track.

The track they are required to run is up to 35 km and the Race rules and allowed equipment are the same as for the Survival Category.

Survival: this category is intended for participants with experience in being in the nature and orienteering.

S.G.