Ummm ...
From the page your link took me to:
I'm glad to see that. I'd be excited to watch the race, and I'm all for the eschewing of GPS and instead using manual navigation, but there is no reason for the increased risk from being unable to contact anyone for assistance.
It'd be like touting a cross-country road race that requires no seatbelts.
Edit: Clicked the link. No Americans competing, so I hope they all lose.