Always wanted to get a taste of adventure racing but not ready for the main course? Try a Sprint before a Challenge. Yesterday morning, 170 people participated in the first of four PowerBar Action Sprint races, which consist of running on dirt trails, trekking through waist-deep waters, scrambling on rocks, scurrying about in river gullies, racing on hand lines and up cargo nets to get up waterfalls and struggling through sand. Adrian King (pictured), 33, was the first to the finish line at Pui O Beach in Lantau.

The Sprint series is preparation for the Action Asia Challenge on December 5 - a gruelling course that includes mountain biking, ocean swimming and kayaking.