What is Adventure Racing?


Adventure racing may be the most addictive sport. It is an extreme endurance competition in which teams navigate through the wilderness. By using multiple modes of transportation and careful navigation, those teams race through rugged terrain. Unlike most other events in which participants follow a marked course on set roads or trails, adventure racing is a journey in which racers travel an unknown landscape. Adventure Racing is a multi-disciplinary team sport involving teams of two or four people navigating their way non-stop over an unmarked course using only a map and compass. It is an exploration, an expedition, a scavenger hunt. It has its rules, of course, but this is a sport that rewards creativity, mental ability, teamwork, and experience. It’s not about who is fastest or who is strongest. Adventure racing is about community and family. Rather than being one among tens of thousands, adventure racers start and finish each races with tens, or hundreds. 

But some shorter events calling themselves ‘adventure races’ do not include navigation, and with good reason – they get many more entries if the course is marked. Participants often travel to a remote wilderness location with the goal to compete against each other and challenge themselves out of their comfort zone. Races often feature unexpected tasks and difficulty levels and can last a few hours to several days, depending on the race. But most popular are the Elite, Sport, and Sprint races that can range from 1 to 30 hours in length. There is typically no suspension of the clock during races, irrespective of length; elapsed competition time runs concurrently with real time, and competitors must choose if or when to rest. Adventure is meant to be shared, and adventure racing, first and foremost, requires teamwork. At its core, adventure racing is a team sport in which all teammates typically travel together for the duration of the event. Originally, teams had to be co-ed, and the sport remains co-ed in its premier division, but many regional races now allow solos and single-gender teams to compete in their own divisions. Despite all the great things about adventure racing, not many people know the sport even exists. If they do, they may fear having to find their own way, especially using a compass which may be intimidating at first.  섯다


Adventure Racing began with epic races in remote places where teams navigated across unknown terrain. Expedition races follow in this tradition and at this level navigation is always an essential skill in completing the course. The same is true of the majority of shorter races, as navigation is a key part of the sport and encourages competitors to understand the landscape around them and work out their own strategy.