Last year's Yukon Adventure Challenge winners Darren Holcombe and Forest Pearson have yet to sign up for the 2011 edition, leaving the field wide open.

The 2011 Yukon Adventure Challenge will start and finish at the Takhini Hot Springs on Saturday on a course roughly 70-80 kilometres.

Part of the draw for the event is racers not knowing the route, organizer Mike Tribes said.

"In fact, they're not going to know each segment of the route until they get to each segment. All they'll know at the start of the race is the bike portion. At the end of the bike portion, I give them a map for the trek. At the end of the trek I give them a map for the next bike section.

They're not going to know where they're going until they get to the start of each leg.”

Those interested in registering for the challenge can do so by contacting Tribes via e-mail at yukonac@gmail.com or by phone at 334-9009 before the race briefing tonight at 7 p.m. at 2 Versluce Place. The cost per two-person team is $150.

The first Yukon Adventure Challenge was put on in 2003. This is Tribes' second year at the helm.

As of last night, eight teams were registered. Last year 10 registered.

Tribes said the popularity of the event has waned since 2003.

"I think mainly because of the lack of televised Eco-Challenges and sports like that. It used to be that you could watch the Eco-Challenge on television and get kind of excited about the idea of adventure racing.”

This year's Adventure Challenge will feature games between checkpoints, Tribes added, such as figuring puzzles or navigating mazes.