Assemble a crew and brush up on your navigational skills. Adventure races blend multi-sport competition with backcountry orienteering for a full team experience in the wild.

Atomic Adventure Race Dawsonville, Ga.  •  May 14-15 The USARA National Championship Qualifier makes unsupported teams of two or three navigate their way through a rugged wooded maze that includes up to 60 miles of mountain biking, 30 miles of paddling on flat and moving water, and 30 miles of trekking.

Special Operations Adventure Race Highlands, N.C. • June 11 Beginners can enter the seven-hour sprint race, while experienced racers can tackle the 12-hour option. Both races traverse Nantahala National Forest and include orienteering, canoeing, biking, and rappelling.

SPROUTE (Spring Route) Adventure Race Organizers keep secret the exact location of this race near Richmond until one month ahead of the event. Racers in two categories—a beginner-friendly six-hour sprint and a 12-hour sport—should expect plenty of trekking and orienteering, mountain biking, and paddling in the piedmont woods.

Odyssey Endorphin Fix Hinton, W.Va. • June 24-26 Probably the toughest two-day race in the country, the Endorphin Fix puts racers through an epic backcountry maze in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. Over 48 hours, soloists and teams of up to four cover 200 miles on foot, mountain bikes, kayaks, and even riverboards.

Odyssey One Day New Castle, Va. • July 23 The One Day features a challenging 100-mile  course in George Washington National Forest. The race that includes biking, class II paddling, running, and bushwhacking.

Sheltowee Extreme 3 Adventure Race Morehead, Ky. • July 30 This epic 12-hour race takes place at the Cave Run Lake Recreation Area. Racers paddle the huge 8,270-acre lake, pedal miles of steep singletrack, and scale dramatic clifflines that are dotted with arches. A rogaine format allows beginners to only complete the basic course, while seasoned AR vets get extra points for tougher checkpoints.

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