If like many you're coming off the high of the newest Eco-Challenge series and wondering what this whole "adventure racing" thing is all about - welcome aboard! 

Adventure races have actually been around for more than 30 years, but the recent revival of Eco-Challenge after its last season in 2002, has been sparking new interest in a sport that's been quietly keeping active ever since.  Around the world, generations of racers have been pitting themselves against the natural elements to discover the boundlessness of their perceived limits, and to experience near and far outdoor spaces they might not have otherwise known even existed.  It's been a while, but "AR bug" is back and biting once again...

What's Adventure Racing?

While not as easily defined as more traditional race event types, adventure racing (often referred to as "AR") is typically a team-based multi-sport race format involving mountain biking, paddling, and trekking or trail running.  Elements of on or off-trail navigation - be it unassisted route finding or just following along with a course map, are often incorporated as well.  While this is generally seen as the most recognized definition, the "adventure race" classification tends to get used fairly broadly due to its breadth of race formats - ranging anywhere between a few hours on one side of the spectrum, and multiple days on the other!

Adventure racing first hit the mainstream when the initial installments of Eco-Challenge were aired on the Discovery Channel in 1996.  The show was an instant hit, and is often recognized as the "original" reality television series.  Soon after, the sport of adventure racing exploded worldwide, as shorter and more attainable race formats were created to bring the experience of expedition-style racing to a wider audience.  After the final season of Eco-Challenge in 2002, interest slowly began to fall off, and many of the larger race series faded away.  Those that have remained, have been mainly through the enduring commitment of organizers who still maintain a passion born from their own first experiences in AR.

Unlike more standardized race formats typical of triathlon or running events, adventure races see an almost limitless range of course types, distances and durations.  Almost no two adventure races are ever alike, giving Race Directors the creative freedom to craft new and unique course designs year over year.  So while its unusually fluid nature might mean that you won't likely be measuring PB's between different adventure race courses, it also means that your experience is guaranteed to be completely different from one race to the next! 

The following are the general groupings of race types that you will likely find as you research event listings:

"Sprint" Races

Sprint races represent the largest form of adventure races available today, but the design, length and format of these events will vary completely.  Race types typically are defined by their duration in hours, so a "3-to-5 hour" or a 6-to-8 hour" classification is the closest thing you'll find as an equivalent to say a 10k vs half-marathon. 

The distances per discipline; the order in which they are attempted; the degree to which navigation elements are incorporated; and even the team categories will usually be different from race to race, but all are generally designed to be compressed versions of the more intensive formats outlined below.  They are a great way to either train for or test the waters of AR in a single-day setting.  Storm the Trent is an example of this event type.

Overnight Races

Adventure racing in its "purest" form traditionally involves going over long periods of time well outside the norm of conventional endurance events.  Much of the sport's allure is drawn from the opportunity to explore the boundaries of a one's limits, and pushing through the overnight on an unmarked wilderness course is an undeniable testing ground.  As any experienced adventure racer well-knows, embracing the suck of a 3AM swamp-swim is a pretty decent measure of your mental and physical fortitude!

Overnight race formats will vary just as sprint versions do, but a non-stop duration of at least 24-hours is the common denominator.  These events will usually be hosted in more remote areas, and typically require a greater level of competency with map-and-compass skills,  In Ontario, the most well-known event of this type is the Wilderness Traverse adventure race.

Multi-Day (Expedition) Racing

For those who truly want to go all-in, the holy grail of adventure racing experiences is the multi-day expedition race.  These types of events might take anywhere between 3 to 10 days to finish, usually on only a couple of hours of sleep per night.  On an expedition course, it's not uncommon for a single race discipline to be drawn out over 24 hours or longer.  Additional elements are often built in to keep things interesting, ranging from high-rope rappels or ascents, to paddleboarding, packrafting, roller blading, and lots more!

Eco-Challenge is of course the most well-known of this race format, but an entire series of events world-wide has evolved during its hiatus. The Adventure Racing World Series features qualifier and demonstration events hosted in countries all around the globe, including a World Championships held at different venues each year.

How Do I Get Started?

While the volume of adventure races in Canada hasn't yet returned to where it was back in the day, those of us in Ontario are fortunate to have the widest collection of AR events anywhere in the country.

You can find information on local events throughout the province at www.adventureracingontario.com  These include sprint races, orienteering-style adventure runs (great for navigation practice), off-road multisport events, and Canada's only 24-hour overnight race.

For a listings of races across the country, you can visit the Canadian Adventure Racing Association's website at www.canadianadventureracing.com

While the current situation with COVID-19 has admittedly left some noticeable gaps in the race calendars, you can be sure that as it's safe to do so, adventure racing will be back bigger and better than ever!