Chris Ballou and fellow NYPD divers started adventure racing in 1996. After finishing 1997's Eco-Challenge, a grueling, 10-day race through Australia, Chris returned to a happy, stable life as an ASR Diver for the New York City Police Department and found himself bored out of his gourd.

While serving as a sniper for the Marine Corps, he had a great idea. Fortunately, he met someone with an equally active brain. Together, Chris and John Lovett, another Marine Corps sniper, formed the New York Adventure Racing Association. They started building from the ground up and looked far and wide (well, so far as New York City, anyway) to find athletes who were interested in adventure racing and to form a way to bond them together.

Lo and behold, that network grew beyond their wildest dreams, and now, NYARA has grown to include people who travel from as far away as Texas (and that is definitely not New York City) to participate in NYARA's monthly training clinics and frequent events.

In October 2001 NYARA achieved 501(c) 3 status as a non-profit corporation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Goverment.

After over a year, NYARA grew to more than 150 members, and keeps growing on a daily basis.

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