It began as the Absolute Wilderness Adventure Race in 2014. Since then there have been some classic kiwi adventure racing adventures.

Each of the locations provided amazing courses, with a few of them rising to legendary status. The event has always striven to get ‘off the beaten track’, and to explore far way places intrepidly.

With Covid entering the world in 2020, a decision was made not to hold a 2021 event, and this provided the organising team a chance to review the race and how to take it into the future.

While all the locations have been brilliant, the staff team agreed after Mokihinui that the West Coast events have all had something special and unique about them, so the decision was made to keep the event on the West Coast, as the scope for authentic adventure race courses is vast, and that naturally led to the new brand name True West.

• 2014 Murchison

• 2015 Owen Valley

• 2016 Hanmer Springs

• 2017 St Arnaud

• 2018 Reefton

• 2019 Twizel

• 2020 Mokihinui

• 2021 no event (Covid)

• 2022 TRUE WEST Franz Josef

• 2023 TRUE WEST Hokitika

• 2025 TRUE WEST Haast