Organizers are excited to announce that Cairns, and the surrounding area of tropical North Queensland, has been chosen to host the 5th edition of XPD. This international expedition adventure race will bring 200+ national and international athletes to Australia from 17-28 May 2010. It will be "as much an expedition as a race".

Race Director Craig Bycroft said, "Tropical North Queensland offers the ideal location to host the 5th edition of XPD. We plan to take competitors through the Great Barrier Reef and nearby islands, the rich and diverse rain forests of the wet tropics, over waterfalls and cascades that feed crystal clear rivers, across lakes of the tablelands and through eucalyptus woodlands of the Eastern savanna country. We even plan to incorporate some of the iconic legs undertaken in the Eco-Challenge of 1997".

XPD is open to mixed, all male or all female teams of four from around the world. The exact course is kept secret until 24hrs before the start. Then with much excitement and anticipation, teams are provided a course booklet and their race maps. The course booklet contains the location of each of the race checkpoints. Once teams start, racing is 24 hours per day; teams choose when and where they will sleep. The winning team is expected to trek, mountain bike and kayak the 700km course in 4-5 days. All other teams will be permitted up to 10 days to complete the expedition without mid-race cut offs. XPD will be challenging for first time racers and experienced teams alike.

As a member of the AR World Series, XPD is a qualifying event for the Adventure Race World Championship. The AR World Series is an international circuit of premiere adventure races representing 10 countries creating a 12 month calendar of professional events around the world. The top two teams at each qualifying event receive automatic entry to the ARWC.

XPD receives generous support from Casio, Macpac, Adventure Racing World Series and Sleepmonsters.

For more information visit http://www.xpd.com.au.