Sure, your local 5K is nice. But sometimes you just want a little Type 2 fun that yanks you out of your comfort zone. Something that throws a little bit of everything at you: trail running, mountain biking, paddling … and, oh yeah, you better know how to use a compass.
Something like adventure racing.
You might have seen adventure races on TV in far flung places like Fiji or Costa Rica. But you don’t need a passport to try adventure racing. In fact, the Northeast is home to a wide range of adventure races featuring different challenges and catering to a variety of abilities—from beginners who want to try adventure racing for the first time to extreme events for advanced (and maybe a little psycho) athletes.
Here are some of the Northeast’s best adventure races.
MAINE
Maine Summer Adventure Race
This popular New England adventure race has three event options. The 3-hour race is a great introduction for those who are new to adventure racing. It features mostly on-trail hiking and optional mountain biking, and past finishers have included toddlers and septuagenarians. The 8-hour race includes hiking, road biking, optional mountain biking, and sea kayaking. The 24-hour race is an extreme challenge with multiple hiking, mountain biking, and sea kayaking stages. Teams race through the day and night (and day again), covering 50 to 100+ miles in total distance.
VERMONT
Endless Mountains Adventure Race
After two years in Pennsylvania, the 2025 edition of Endless Mountains will move to Vermont. Among the Green Mountains, teams of two to four will get to explore rolling mountains, lush forests, majestic waterways, iconic gravel, and twisty singletrack.
The Hard Fall
This 24-hour multi-sport event allows for teams of two, three, and four. Racers can expect lake and whitewater (class I and II) paddling, fun and tricky single track, treks to mountain lookouts, and several surprises.
Test Your Nettle
This introductory 3- to 5-hour event is perfect for anyone looking to try adventure racing for the first time. Teams of two to six members will run and paddle their way through the rugged and beautiful Green Mountains using only a map and compass to find their way.
Women of AR Academy
The Women of AR Academy is a weekend of training, community, and adventure for women looking to develop and practice their skills for adventure racing.
The Bitter Pill
This is the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association’s premier summer event. Teams of two to three people take on hiking, biking, time on the water, and constant navigation.
NEW YORK
The Eastern Wilderness Challenge
Held in a remote, unspoiled section of the western Adirondacks, the event features a 30-hour Classic Race and a 36-hour Pro Race that is roughly double the length of the Classic (and only by invitation and application only). Courses visit areas where no trails traverse the interior, and where barely a handful of visitors set foot each year. Participants travel by foot and packraft through a linear, point-to-point course. There are no manned transition areas, so mode of travel is entirely up to racers.
The Longest Day
This 24-hour event in the heart of the Adirondacks is built to challenge experienced adventure racers while also giving new racers the chance to experience a longer format. The race includes world class single track mountain biking, navigation through forests and over mountains, and exciting whitewater rafting in a guided boat.
The Trilogy
The 6-hour “sprint” race is a great introduction for new racers to the sport. Veteran racers will also be challenged by difficult navigation for optional points on a fast-paced course. Participants can expect to bike on road, dirt road and trail, paddle in kayaks or canoes, and trek on and off trail through various types of hilly terrain.
Fool’s Rogaine
The 8-hour rogaine is a map and compass navigation event with a twist. Participants visit as many control points as possible within the time limit, but must pay attention to special rules.
PENNSYLVANIA
Two Rivers Adventure Race
Rootstock Racing’s premier one-day adventure race combines mountain biking, foot travel, packrafting, and map-and-compass navigation.
The Stockville
The Stockville is a two-day foot and navigation event inspired by the mountain marathons of Europe and the UK. Each morning, racers will receive maps of a linear, point-to-point course that will take them through the wilds of central Pennsylvania.
Schuylkill Valley Family Adventure Race
This all ages family event is a great way to introduce your kids to adventure racing. It features an elaborate scavenger hunt, using maps to get participants from checkpoint to checkpoint and through a series of age-appropriate challenges.
The Crooked Compass Adventure Trek
The Crooked Compass is part adventure racing, part rogaining, and part walk in the woods. Solos and teams of two to four travel by foot using pre-plotted, water-resistant AR-style, USGS maps as they locate as many checkpoints as possible within the time allotted.