The creative process behind Xplor's Bravest Race.

The master minds behind a great project

We had an interview with Daniel, Rageney and Oswaldo: the three creatives behind the Bravest Race 2023

The Xplor Bravest Race is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Personally, I think it’s my favorite Grupo Xcaret event. Surely when you finish reading this you will fall in love as much as I have with this project that has been consolidated with a lot of work and effort. Keep reading to learn all that happens behind the scenes of the creative process of Xplor Bravest Race.

What is Xplor Bravest Race?

For those who don’t know, it’s a fun race with more than 40 obstacles, both natural and man-made, inside Xplor park. In it, different skills are put to the test, such as running, climbing, swimming, jumping, and crawling in the depths of the jungle through caverns, mud slides, cenotes, and underground rivers. It doesn’t matter if you exercise or if you are adventurous, because the Xplor Bravest Race is an event for the whole family where little ones can also participate.

After six editions, we are now about to run the seventh: Animal Heart, this year's creative concept.

Visit the official website of this fun obstacle race in Playa del Carmen for all the details: www.xplorbravestrace.com

A race with a creative concept?

That's right, behind each Xplor Bravest Race there is a very large creative process that gives each edition its identity. This year, I gave myself the task of interviewing each area involved to find out how they work to make it a reality.

Creativity is a skill that allows us to create and innovate ideas, fantasies, generate something new or renew it. It allows us to solve problems using our memory, intelligence, and imagination.

Within Xplor’s staff and the Commercial Management area of Grupo Xcaret there is a lot of creative talent, and they are the ones who bring this great event to life. Now it's their turn to tell you what their role is in Xplor Bravest Race. You'll be surprised!

Interview with Daniel, zip-line supervisor at Xplor.

In charge of both the concept and the route of Animal Heart.

How did your participation in Xplor Bravest Race begin?

“My first participation as part of the staff was the 2019 Evolution edition, and thanks to the skills I learned working with my dad, who is a cabinetmaker, I was able to contribute by building the obstacles for the race. So far, I’ve been part of three editions, this being my first time in charge of the team.

Every year, a group of volunteers raise their hands to be part of the Bravest Race staff. This year we are a team of six people who are nicknamed 'peanuts'. We are all part of Xplor park’s staff, but we like to contribute more and that is why we chose to be here. We, the peanuts, are the ones you'll see at the park in two-tone brown shirts, building and moving obstacles."

“Leaving our comfort zone and connecting with nature every day, as well as the courage to improve ourselves and develop new skills, are our main characteristics.

It is the six of us who clean the route, draw it up and build 80% of the obstacles. Part of the maintenance and photo team support us.

We really like the work we do because something different comes up every day. There are new ideas, contributions and changes that come from other areas involved that make us solve or act. We never get bored.”

How was the concept and route of the Xplor Bravest Race created?

“To create the race’s concept, the park committee meets at the beginning of the year, and they invite people who want to join so that each one presents the idea they have. This year we approached the Xurreal and Art and Culture areas so that they could share ideas and color techniques with us, because when it comes to creating a concept, everything helps.

After talking about it, we arrived at the Animal Heart concept, looking for runners to bring out their wild spirit with the essence of Xplor (nature, caves, underground rivers), to go down to your basic instincts and to lose your fears and overcome obstacles.

Animal movies like Balto, Brother Bear, and Avatar were part of our inspiration. We are excited by the idea that participants can identify with the abilities and characteristics of an animal and get into that role to run and enjoy the race.”

“Although it is an obstacle race, we see it as a family race because the runners come to have fun, not just to overcome obstacles, and under this concept we decided to create the route. We are very happy to be able to take advantage of the areas of the activities that the park has because that way we avoid being invasive with nature when choosing the paths.”

Creating obstacles is also one of our favorite parts.

"We love playing with different ideas to create them and place them on the route. It is the six of us who test them first, if they are safe and pass the test, we present them during the internal demo race, that is where we decide which ones stay and which ones go. In addition, we have the ones that we already know are participant favorites that we use every year, and we adapt them to the new concept.

This year we have a route for the most athletic. Don’t miss it!"

Interview with Rageney, graphic designer at Grupo Xcaret.

In charge of the group's special events projects.

How did your participation in Xplor Bravest Race begin?

“The first project I worked on with the Bravest Race was for its 2022 Nomad edition, with materials that the previous team had already worked on. This year I did have the opportunity to create the design of the Animal Heart edition from the beginning, while working with the events that come in the second half of the year at the same time.

I’ve already runned the Bravest Race twice. I ran the Four Elements and the Nomad editions. I really like the theme of racing, it's something I enjoy and something I know about in terms of organization, but for now I’m on the creative side in terms of the image that everyone will see.

We worked from the logo to the idea of the shirt and the medal, as well as all the physical and digital advertising.”

How was the idea of the Xplor Bravest Race image born and developed?

“Once the park creates the concept, they give us a presentation about how they want to communicate it. It is important to highlight that they are a very organized team and that they are clear about what they are looking for, that makes all the work easier.

Knowing that what was wanted was for the participants to compare their skills to those of animals and to demonstrate that they have an animal heart, I began to think about how we could relate this to the identity of the park. This is how I joined the design with the heart of tiles so representative that is found in the center of Xplor.

For the creation of each material I focus a lot on what I’m doing. In this case, I am a big fan of sporting events, I have participated in many and not only as a runner, but also in the creation of the event, marketing, setting up obstacles, sales... So I know a lot about this subject, I enjoy doing sports.

Generally, to get inspired, I take a little from my experience and watch sporting events from the NBA, the NFL... I see how they are doing their ads and I try to immerse myself in that sense. I also carried out an investigation of how events are handled within the group to inspire me in the creation of the materials.

I believe that each piece should have its individuality and not just replicate the main image on all channels. Each ad has a creative idea to be presented and interpreted on each channel. That's why I also like to see colors, textures, the clothes that people wear, what is trending... That inspires me to know what they want to see or wear and thus start creating something that I’ll enjoy watching and say: I also want to use or have it.

The subjectivity and versatility of working on a creative concept for an event makes it more complex than making sales art that we know fulfills a specific function. In this case, I focused on visualizing it completely with videos, a key visual, t-shirts, a website, the medal, among others, so that work can be more agile.

Seeing the results of my effort embodied in something tangible makes me feel happy. It is the satisfaction of knowing that after much creative and physical effort I managed to finish it. I still need to see the light of more of my projects that I hope are 100% my idea.”

Who is involved in the image design process?

“It is a very noble event; therefore, I am the sole designer and creator of the image, relying on the Copy team for the written content part. I dedicate myself to creating textures and looking for typefaces that go according to the concept and where the work is most represented. I believe that it is through the shirt and the medal, since they are a fundamental part of the event. The participants give a lot of value to these elements because they are proof of their effort, that is why there is an added value when creating them.

Miguel Constantino is the art director with whom I support in validation and fortunately 80% of the proposal that I am creating was accepted. On the other hand, there are indications that come from above, where the design must be adapted according to what is requested. The final art is subject to interpretation, and it is important that the materials fulfill the sought function.”

Interview with Oswaldo, trainer of the zip-line area at Xplor.

In charge of the creative idea and personification of the "predators" for Animal Heart.

How did your participation in Xplor Bravest Race begin?

“The idea that these characters are part of the race arose from the first edition, with the aim of being entertainers and giving an unexpected twist to the race. At first there were only two of them and we called them 'hunters', but over the years the concept evolved and the number increased.

In case you don't know who they are, I'm going to tell you. It’s us, the park staff! I like to pay attention to the attitude and skills of the staff to add them to this team of cheerleaders who will be part of the race. Most are coworkers from Xavage, Xplor, and Xplor Fuego.”

“In general, the process we carry out begins with an initial brainstorm to generate a concept. Once the main concept is established, references for inspiration in cinema and diverse graphic art are sought. When it’s ready, you must bring it to reality by doing a study of the prices of the materials that are going to be used and various budgets are proposed so that the most convenient one is chosen.

What follows is the execution. To reach the concept and final makeup we went through several stages. The first idea is presented in the internal race called Troglodita to see if they are consistent with the emotions that we want to convey to the runners. It's not just the makeup, the attitude they show and the character they have to get into is part of what we work on.

“There are many ideas that must be considered when making a costume. I start by wondering if I will wear elastic suits, if it will be full makeup and even what type of paint should be used, since the race has different environments such as water and mud.

My creative process does not stop, you can see me adjusting a harness while my mind is thinking about logistics, ideas of what I could develop and the story that I will give to the characters. I don't follow a line, I just let my mind fly, I start to draw and put colors on it, and thus the idea of the personality or attitude that I want to give it emerges.”

How long does it take you to develop and execute the proposal?

“This process, from the idea and budget, lasts approximately two weeks so that we can start looking for suppliers and the talents that will participate. On the day of the event, we have about eight makeup artists, including me, to be able to have 34 'predators' ready before the race begins.

The appointment is at 4 in the morning, but they arrive 5 by 5 every half hour. It takes us an hour to prepare them, so that at 7 in the morning, which is when all the runners arrive, 15 are ready, who are the ones who cover the first part of the waves, then the others come in to cover the different schedules.”

How does it feel to see your work embodied in Xplor Bravest Race?

“In my case, they are exhausting days in which I do not sleep. From the day before by helping out, to the race day making sure the 'predators' can perform as planned.

Although I have only been able to run two official races, I really enjoy being behind this project, because I have also run the demos to find out what the participants need or might like. This is the second time that I oversee this part of the Bravest Race and doing what I enjoy so much, which is art in an event related to my work, is a great opportunity to continue developing and growing in what I like to do.”

The way in which this huge project is developed, with which many of us are in love and we look forward to experiencing it every year, is impressive. Without a doubt, there is a lot of talent behind everything we get to see, and that is why I wanted the masterminds behind it to talk to you about those parts of their work that are not so obvious.

Now that you know how Xplor Bravest Race develops from the beginning, I'm sure you'll enjoy it twice as much!

Visit the official website of this fun obstacle race in Playa del Carmen for all the details: www.xplorbravestrace.com