Area sports enthusiasts looking for unique outdoor challenges will no longer have to look beyond West Virginia to compete.

Beginning this April, outdoor athletes can sign up for the Morgantown Adventure Sports Series.

Athletes from Morgantown and the surrounding region are invited to come out and test their skills in these six linked adventure sport competitions.

The series, coordinated by the Adventure Sports Program within the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, will begin with the Mountain Duathlon April 10 at Coopers Rock State Forest.

In the duathlon, competitors will compete back-to-back in a two-mile trail run, eight-mile mountain bike, and second two-mile trail run.

The second event, Get Lost! Orienteering Competition is scheduled for Sunday April 25 at 1 p.m.

Get Lost! will challenge solo racers and teams of two as they attempt to locate checkpoints within the forest using a map and compass.

Participants needing to improve their skills may participate in a navigation basics workshop on April 24.

The Friendship Hill 5-Mile Trail Run, will take place on May 1 at the Friendship Hill National Historic Site located just north of Morgantown.

Five miles of beautiful trails will challenge participants as they race across vast meadows, along the Mon River and around a twisty, single track trail under a canopy of trees.

The Morgantown Adventure Sports Series will continue into the summer and fall with three more events, including the Big Bear Off-Road Triathlon, Aug. 22; the Coopers Rock Stump Jump! 10K Trail Run, Sept. 4; and the Deckers Creek Adventure Race, Oct. 3. Race coordinators will announce more event details soon.

Competitors in each series event will be eligible for prizes and will earn series points for an awards ceremony where top outdoor athletes from the overall series will be recognized.

Dynamic Physical Therapy, The Adventures Edge, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Pathfinder of WV, and Hammer Nutrition are sponsoring the 2010 Morgantown Adventure Sports Series.

For more information on these events or to register, visit the race Web page at cpass.wvu.edu/mass or www.iplayoutside.com.

You may also contact the series director, Nathan Kile, at Nathan.Kile@mail.wvu. edu or 304-293-0851.