August 15, 2003 (Barrie, ON) – Over 8,000 people expected at world's largest 24-hour mountain biking event. The 24 Hours of Adrenalin presented by Jeep, the world's largest 24-hour mountain bike event is still taking place this weekend at Hardwood Hills in Barrie, Ontario despite the power outages sweeping the province. Some 2,500 participants are expected to start arriving Friday afternoon and into the evening, cheered on by the anticipated 6,000 spectators, which includes family, friends and curious members of the community.

The event gets underway at 12pm Saturday with the Merrell LeMans (running) Start and conclude at 12pm Sunday with the 24-hour countdown and 1:30pm awards ceremony. “In the 10 year history of the 24 Hours of Adrenalin, we have never started an event late. We're sure not about to start now”, said Chad Grenier, Director of Partnerships for event promoter Trilife Sports International. “Our event runs 95 power on generator power anyway, so these power outages are really not going to affect the event this weekend. We're working on contingency plans for the other 5 percent now.”

Although the weekend will center around a relay-style bike race, the 24 Hours of Adrenalin presented by Jeep is as much about the festival as it is about the race. Dubbed the Spirit of Mountain Biking, participants spend the weekend camped out with their teammates, many donning costumes and decorating their campsites, for which spirit awards are given by Trilife. Other 'non-racing' activities taking place throughout the weekend include the Jeep Expo, MSR outdoor cooking demos, the Tetra Pak 24 Minutes of Adrenalin for the kids, ATI Movie Night, the Mavic Wine and Cheese, and of course the famous Midnight Corn Roast.

For those wishing to come and see what makes the 24 Hours of Adrenalin the world's largest 24-hour mountain biking event, directions to Hardwood Hills may be found at www.24hoursofadrenalin.com. From the homepage, go to “Dates and Locations” and click on Hardwood Hills. Parking for the event will be in the “Meadowlands” field. Parking is $6.00 with proceeds going towards local Camp Couchiching Youth Programs.

Based in Markham, Ontario, 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain bike events are held in a growing number of excellent locations in Canada and the United States and attract tens of thousands of participants and spectators alike. Participants are primarily known not as mountain bike racers, but as outdoor enthusiasts and weekend warriors who enjoy both the social aspect and the often fierce competitive environment that the 24 Hours of Adrenalin events provide.